Thomas Rogers of the Mayflower

  General Notes:

Other Sources:
~Mayflower Families Through Five Generations: Descendants of the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth, Mass. December 1620: Family of Thomas Rogers, Ann T. Reeves, originally compiled by Alice W. A. Westgate

  Noted events in his life were:

• Background Information. ⁶¹⁰
For a while, little was known about Thomas Rogers, Mayflower passenger, except what William Bradford wrote about him in 1650:

"Thomas Rogers, and Joseph, his sone (came). His other children came afterwards… Thomas Rogers dyed in the first sickness, but his sone Joseph is still living, and is married, and hath 6 children. The rest of Thomas Rogers (children) came over, and are maried, and have many children." [History of Plymouth Plantation, Bradford, pgs. 553, 537]

Of Thomas Roger's children, there are only two that have been identified so far. Of course, Joseph, who accompanied his father on the Mayflower is one. The other is John Rogers. John probably arrived at Plymouth about 1630. The records show that he was taxed in Plymouth on, 25 Mar 1633. Further evidence of John's relationship to Thomas Rogers is found in Nathaniel B. Shertleff's Records of the Colony of New Plymouth which reads, "On 6 Apr 1640 Joseph Rogers and Joh Rogers his brother were granted fifty acres each at North River (Marshfield)."

From Dutch Records we know that Thomas Rogers was a calet merchang. He was admited as a citzen of Leyden on 25 Jun 1618. Most separatists did not become citizens of Leyden. He sold a house in Leyden on Barbarasteeg to one Mordecai Cohen, 1 Apr 1620 for 300 guilders.

According to a Leiden poll tax list, in 1622, Thomas's wife Alice, two daughters Elizabeth and Margret as well as his son John remained in Lyden. They resided in the household of Anthoy Clements, an English Separatists who did not immigrate to North America. The tax reads:

"John the son of Thomas orphan from England without means Alice Rogers, widow of Thomas Rogers an English woman in the back part of the house or in the kitchen, Elizabeth, Margaret."

Information from the Northamptonshire Records Office:
Baptisms:
24 Mar 1598, Thomas Rogers son of Thomas Rogers
23 Jan 1602, Joseph Rogers Son of Thomas Rogers
6 Apr 1606 Johannes Rogergs son of Thomas Rogers
30 May 1613, Margareta Rogers daughter of Thomas Rogers

Marriages
24 Oct 1597, Thomas Rogers and Alicia Cosforde

Burials
27 May 1599, Thomas Rogers son of Thomas Rogers

In the fall of 1620, Thomas and his son Joseph, sailed on the Mayflower with the Pilgrims of Leyden in their journel to New England. Thomas was the 12th signer of the Mayflower Compact on 11 Nov 1620.

~Clifford Stott, "The English Ancestry of the Pilgrim Thomas Rogers and His Wife Alice (Cosford) Rogers" , The Genealogist, 10:138-149

• Web Reference: The Thomas Rogers Society Database.

• Web Reference: From Thomas Rogers from Wikipedia.

Thomas married Alice Cosforde, daughter of George Cosforde and Margaret Wills, on 24 Oct 1597 in Watford, Northamptonshire, England.⁶¹⁰ (Alice Cosforde was born in 1573 in Watford, Northamptonshire, England and was baptized on 10 May 1573 in Watford, Northamptonshire, England.)