There
are some people in history for whom we have little background. Like the Bible
character Melchizedeck (although of lesser reputation) we don’t know where they
came from, and we can’t confirm where they went. They turn up in our narrative,
give a few hints, and then disappear. It is frustrating for a researcher when
this happens. This article is about one such case.
Back
in 2016 there were several articles on this blog, written by Rachael de
Vienne and myself, on a possible later sighting of S D Rogers. Recently
returning to this subject, an interesting trail has been followed, with
unexpected results. This article is that story.
But
first, for any readers new to the subject, let’s examine what we know about his
Watch Tower history. He always appeared in the pages of ZWT as S D Rogers. What
the initials stood for was not known, which complicates identification. He appears
in the 1880s. He was apparently born around 1847 and came from Michigan, and
may have been born there. He was a vigorous and successful colporteur for Zion’s Watch Tower, but then was sent to
Britain in 1893 which did not go well. He was subsequently involved as a key
“conspirator” in A Conspiracy Exposed
(1894). He was reported to be in league with Nelson Barbour and then
disappeared from view. Then there are numerous accounts of a dubious religious
character in the early 20th century using the name S D Rogers. We
will come to this later.
We
arrive at a birth date of around 1847 for S D Rogers by assuming his entry on a
ship’s list from 1893 is accurate. Rogers was travelling from New York to
Liverpool in October 1893. The full details from the register show that he
arrived in Liverpool on 4 October 1893. He called himself the Rev. S D Rogers,
occupation Minister, and he is listed as single, aged 46. This gives us his
approximate year of birth.
As
to where he was from, we have several references to Michigan as either his
place of birth or the place where he and his family were viewed as from.
Here
is one of several examples from newspaper reports of sermons given in 1891.
From the Buffalo Commercial (New York) for June 5, 1891.
A
letter from S D Rogers in ZWT for August 1889 shows that his parents were
living in Michigan at that time.
The
problem is that nearly all of the 1890 American census returns were destroyed
by fire in 1921 so we don’t have these to supply any background to the above.
And a search of 1880 and 1900 provides no answers.
Using
the approximate birth date of 1847 there are a number of potential candidates.
Born in Michigan there is a Samuel Rogers, born c.1848. Living in Michigan in
the 1870 census, there is a Sylvanus E Rogers, c. 1845 (born in Ohio), Sherman
Rogers, c.1847 (born in New York), another Syvlanus Rogers, c. 1852 (born in
Canada), another Samuel Rogers, c.1844 (born in Canada), and a Sol Rogers,
c.1847 (born in England). Most promising on the surface would appear to be
Samuel D Rogers, born Lodi, Michigan, in 1847. But this S D Rogers turns out to
be a farmer with a wife and several children. While he could have “moonlighted”
as a ZWT colporteur - which would have made a great story - this S D Rogers’
parents died some years before 1889. Playing round with different initials and
locations has always proved to be a frustrating exercise.
Wherever
he came from originally, Rogers entered the ZWT story in January/February 1889
in a letter from J B Adamson, who obviously became a close friend. (The letter
is found in the original ZWT bur is not found in the abridged reprints). There
are later references to Rogers rooming with Adamson and his wife, and Adamson
of course was one of the other “conspirators” in the 1894 split.
Rogers’
first letter to ZWT was dated May 2, 1889 from Detroit, Michigan (again omitted
from the reprints). He became a highly successful colporteur, regularly sending
in details of the vast quantities of Dawns he had sold. As well as Michigan, he
worked extensively in Canada and New York, and was obviously doing this work
full-time, supporting himself on commission. Apart from his parents in Michigan
already referred to, the only other personal detail his letters let slip is
that he had a brother who also worked as a colporteur with a Brother Zink at
one point, probably in Canada.
He
was so successful in this work then when it was thought beneficial to send
someone to Britain to galvanise this kind of work there, Rogers was the choice.
Rogers
determined that a better plan than circulating the printed page would be for
himself, as ‘Rev. S D Rogers,’ to hold a series of public meetings with himself
as the speaker, and to solicit money for them. The book Bible Students in
Britain basically accused him of expecting to be treated like a conventional
clergyman of Christendom, with local Bible Students funding his meetings and
funding him to a degree that went beyond expenses. Letters of concern winged
their way from England to the Bible House in Allegheny.
On
his return there was a lengthy article by CTR in the April 1, 1894 ZWT on The
Work in England, and Rogers – after six years as a colporteur - left that
activity. He assured CTR of his continued interest in the message and was
planning to return to England, but not as a ZWT representative.
Then
came the campaign by “the gang of four,” Bryan, Adamson, von Zech and Rogers.
They sent out a circular (not extant) and CTR responded with in A Conspiracy Exposed (special issue of ZWT
April 25, 1894). In subsequent developments (ZWT June 11, 1894), Rogers was
accused of visiting congregations with bad intent and in Rochester, NY,
introducing the faithful to Nelson Barbour, described as a “bold and relentless
enemy.” This came from a report by Maria, CTR’s wife, who went on a speaking
tour in Rogers’ wake to counteract his activities. According to the June 11
special ZWT, Rogers split with the other three when they refused to hire a hall
for him in Pittsburgh to “expose the errors of Millenial Dawn and Zion’s
Watch Tower.”
It
appears that Rogers subsequently returned to Britain because one of the letters
published in the June 11 ZWT was from a J Brookes in England whom Rogers
visited. CTR assured the correspondent that Maria had no intention in following
Rogers there.
And
it is at this point Rogers disappeared. The subsequent lives of Bryan, Adamson
and von Zech can be traced, but what happened to Rogers and his self-belief?
We
find a number of references to a Rev. S D Rogers in newspapers between the
years of 1903-1928, all linked to Michigan. To try and avoid confusion we will hereafter
refer to our ZWT certainty as “SDR” and the 20th century references to
“S Donald.” Some 20th century newspapers give Donald as the middle
name to the Rev S D Rogers. See for example The Wood County Reporter (Grand
Rapids, Wisconsin) for June 22, 1922.
We
will briefly outline S Donald’s known activities and then draw comparisons.
The
known S Donald can only be described as a con-artist, and judging by the number
of times he was encouraged to move on or got arrested, a particularly inept
one.
It can only be the vastness of
America and the lack of communications that allowed him to try the same stunts
year after year, while getting caught year after year. He may have had a
penchant for pretty girls, or perhaps was just accident prone. Here is a
typical headline from the Chanute Daily Blade for January 5,
1904.
He
would start off by riding into town claiming to be writing a new book on the
Bible; subscriptions gratefully accepted. Later he added raising contributions
for a Quaker settlement, claiming to be a great grandson of Timothy Rogers, the
Quaker who founded settlements in Vermont, and Canada. Timothy Rogers
(1756-1834) was married twice, and had twenty-one children so this was a little
difficult to verify both then and now.
S Donald’s real estate dealings had a sort of “kiss of death” about them. From the Witchita Daily Eagle for December 1919, his business dealings were (quote) “about everythng but successful” and were “always according to Hoyle” (a reference to gambling). Local real estate men were warned to have nothing to do with him.
The headline in the Wood County Reporter (Grand Rapids, Wisconsin) for June 22, 1922, with variations, became depressingly familiar.
.
Gradually
a picture is built up of his back story.
He
had “a new method” of preaching the gospel. His proposed tome entitled The Opening of the Books focused amongst
other things on the year 1874. From an interview in the Chanute Daily Blade for
January 5, 1904.
He
had his epiphany while in England in the 1890s.
From The Journal Times (Racine, Wisconsin) for May 3, 1905: S D Rogers,
“Christian minister and evangelist,” was planning a religious school in their
city. Soon to publish The Opening of the Books he is of Quaker
lineage and believes in direct revelation to man. Rogers “claims that about ten
years ago when working in England that the great mysteries of the scriptures
were opened up to him in a personal and direct way by the spirit of God.”
In
1928 he was still at it. From the Sedalia Democrat (Sedalia, Missouri) for
March 15, 1928, he had again been arrested for obtaining money under false
pretenses. A proposed Quaker colony and his named magnum opus The Opening of the Books is the
all-too-familiar story.
S Donald
was described as a “shrewd book salesman” The businessmen who paid out now worked
out that it was going to cost them even more if the case went ahead, so voted
for dismissal. The full news report mentioned THAT book again – The Opening of the Books – and hinted
that it still hadn’t actually materialised. The report also covered some of the
areas Rogers had visited.
Later in
1928 we have our final sighting of him at work. The Daily Iowan for September
29, 1928, gave him the heading: Davenport Police Arrest Imposter – Alleged
Minister Gets Donations from Local Men.
S
Donald’s less than illustrious career came to an abrupt end in November 1928. I
am grateful to researcher Philip for bringing this cutting to my attention. From
the Washington Evening Journal for November 5, 1928:
The
account relates how S Donald had recently been released from the slammer. He
then left his local hotel - without paying the bill. The suggestion is that he
was attempting to board the train without buying a ticket. Papers in his bag
indicated he was from Detroit, although the chief of detectives there said no-one
there had heard of him. He had with him printed cards as a minister of the
gospel according to the Quaker faith with more than one address. Local Quakers
said he was not a minister of their faith and were (quote) “indignant”
(Davenport Daily Times November 10, 1928). His age was judged to be about 65.
No family or friends or details of his real identity were traced in time for
his funeral on November 8. His death certificate, totally devoid of family
details, gives his occupation as “minister.”
A search
of genealogical records finds only one reference we can clearly tie into an S
Donald Rogers of the right age in 1920. He is single, born around 1866, and is a
“roomer” so staying in lodgings of some sort in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This
gives his occupation as “author” and says was born in Canada.
So in
summary, what can we say when comparing SDR and S Donald Rogers? Here are a few
comparisons:
SDR
called himself Reverend.
S Donald
called himself Reverend.
SDR came
from Michigan.
S Donald
claimed to be from Michigan, either Vassar or Detroit.
SDR had a
new way of preaching.
S Donald
claimed to have a “new method” of preaching the gospel.
SDR was
the top colporteur for CTR resulting in him being sent to Britain.
S Donald
was a “shrewd book salesman.”
SDR
wanted to make money.
S Donald
certainly did.
SDR spent
time in England in the 1890s.
S Donald
claimed to have had his epiphany while in England in the mid-1890s.
SDR
promoted ZWT theology.
S
Donald’s proposed book focussed on 1874 as the start of the 7th x
1000 year period of human history.
Put all
that together and it just “feels” right that S Donald is our man. Until we have
this 1928 record of his death of course, which throws it all out. Because a man
born around 1847 would have been 80 in 1928.
Of
course, it is always possible that the age for SDR when coming to England in
the ship’s log is out by 15 years. Or that the coroner’s analysis of S Donald’s
mangled corpse diagnosed a man of 80 as being around 65… Yeah – sure. But certain phrases come to
mind. House of cards… Don’t count your chickens…It’s not over until
the fat lady sings… And yes – back to the drawing board.
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