Introduction:  This letter was sent to MIldred Byler Forde daughter of Minnie Rogers Byler from William Leroy Rogers. The original letter was sent to Karen L. Hinton-Cook by June Byler Baird on November 11, 2000.  Transcribed by Karen Hinton-Cook, who noted only spelling was edited.  Submitted by Vicki Johnson.

March 8, 1923

First five brothers came across the waters of the Atlantic in a very early day. I did not learn the time they came across the waters, nor the given names of either one of them. My father gave me this information and he was past on the kin. But they were our most remote ancestors George Rogers and his brother Joe settled in Rogersville that is Joe Rogers run the first hotel in that town and it was named Rogersville after him. George Rogers lived 5 miles from the town on a farm. George Rogers was my great grandfather and of course Joe Rogers was my great uncle. Grandfather George married the widow Lyons. She was the widow of General Lyons and her maiden name was Miss Smith (lost page 3).

Now I come to the Gonce. Isaac Gonce married Frances Wilson, and he with his family emigrated to Alabama in about 1818, and his widowed daughter Bettie Rogers and her little boy George came to Alabama with them. Isaac Gonce, my great grandfather and Frances Wilson my great grandmother had 2 sons and 8 daughters. They all married and had large families with one or two exceptions.

Bettie Rogers, my grandmother, a beautiful young widow, married James B. Mathews, who was the most prominent man in his community. He made a fortune farming and he owned Negroes. It was the ambition of the Matthews to own Negroes. He was my father, step-father and no boy had a better step-father than was James B. Matthews. He died in 1852, but his greatly bereaved wife who had been left a widow twice lived many years to help the poor it seems. She did that -.My grandmother’s first child by James Matthews born 4 years to a day after my father was born. Grandfather and grandmother raised a large family of 5 sons and 6 daughters. The youngest son, Wilson, lost his life in the War between the States. The Gonce descendants, with few exceptions, were well to do and fine people.

Fannie Gonce, my grandmother’s sister, married Tom Ship, by whom she had a large family and all but one or two moved to east Texas in 1859. Uncle Wilson Gonce emigrated to Missouri in 1852. Randal Gonce died in middle age but left a large family. Four of the sisters married 4 Hackworth brothers, and their brother Wilson Gonce married a sister of the Hackworth brothers. So you see how well the Gonces and Hackworth’s married among themselves 5 in each family.

I have so much to write about. I will leave off the Gonces now and take up the Wilson kinfolks. The Wilson family was only the greatest lost of kinfolks we had in the old stated. The given name Wilson was given to more boys than any other given name. It was because of the fine reputation of the Wilson kinfolk. I knew Aunt Anna Wilson and did some important writing for her when I was a school boy. She married Uncle Sam Wilson, her first cousin, but had no children, was left a widow many years. Sam Willis, father, Lark Willis, married Aunt Annie Wilson, sister , and those two sisters were the sisters of the great grandmother Gonce. So Sam Willis’ mother and my father’s grandmother Gonce were sisters. So you see how we are related to the Willis family.

Now I will take up the McCrary kinfolks. Sam McCrary was my mother’s father .He was native of North Carolina and at the age of about 17, he was married to a beautiful little black-eyed girl whose name was Miss. Bettie Allen and he with the Allen kin emigrated to Jackson County, Tennessee, and from there to Jackson County, Alabama, in an early day. The AlIens and McCrarys were among the first settlers in that country and they had the pick and choice of the best lands all of them have good homes. Nais Allen, my great grandfather was a soldier in the War of the Revolution, but lived to a good old age. Grandfather and grandmother McCrary had 4 sons and 8 daughters, but in 1831, when Aunt Druza was two weeks old, our precious grandmother died, and Elder David Jacks conducted a memorial service in her memory. I knew old Brother Jacks many years. He was one of the most gifted preachers the Old Baptist had in those days. Sometime after the death of grandmother McCrary, Grandfather married Seely Rash. Aunt Myery McCrary had married Larson Rash and Uncle Almon McCrary had married Taley Rash so you see how grandfather was brother-in-law to his son Almon and his daughter Myry.

That reminds me of an other similar case among our Gonce kinfolks. Uncle McKiney’s rd wife was a sister to his two sons wives. See the kin could never tell the relationships of the children from for Grandfather McCrary had 5 children and Aunt Myry had 7 sons and 3 daughters. Uncle Amon had 4 children, therefore, the grandchildren called Grandma Seely, Aunt Seely. Grandfather McCrary never was at county site never saw a courthouse, never had a lawsuit, was never a witness in any case nor did he ever spend a night with any of his children. In fact, he could be found at home any night early or late. He had a fine head and face as any man I ever knew. He lived 87 years. Always had plenty, in fact, his crops never failed, his was a splendid farm. He knew his age by the age of his first born in 1806, when he was 18 and he was named Williams. Great grandfather McCrary had his house burned in North Carolina and of course his family record was burned up. Therefore, he knew his own age by the age of his first child. His first children numbered 12 and his last wife’s was 5.

George Rogers, my father, married Eliza McCrary, who was of the first family in about 1834 or 1835, and my sister Betty was born in 1836, and I in 1838. So you see I will be 85 my next birthday which is the 14th of next May. Sister Bettie will be 87 her next birthday. My mother’s 10 children with 3 exceptions lived to a good old age. Brother Jim, when 18 years old, went to War between the States and lost his dear precious life in the great battle of Chickamauga. Brother Sam was with him in the battle but came through without getting hurt. Brother Sam after a long tedious illness, passed away the last day of July, 2 years ago, nearly 80 years old. My father and Brother Sam joined the first company that went from Stevenson, Alabama, to the War of 1861. I went to war in 1862. Brother Jim went to the war in 1863, at the age of 18. I will never forget the lamentations of my dear mother when she heard of the death of Brother Jim. He was a fine young man. Your Uncle Mike is a good type of your Great Uncle Jim. There are only 5 of mother’s children living, 4 sisters and one brother living.

As I did not finish the write up of the Allen kins, I will take up the family of Uncle Wilson Allen and his brothers and sisters. His brother Hiram Allen was an Old Baptist. Uncle Wilson and his wife and his son Nais and wife, who was my father’s half-sister , were Free Will Baptists. Uncle Nais Allen and his brother Dean Allen were in the War between the States and Uncle Mo’s was killed at Franklin, Tennessee, and Dean who married an other half- sister of my father was killed at Battle of Elkhorn, Arkansas. Uncle Dean was living in Missouri where the war come up. Those two brothers were good soldiers and very fine men. I was at Uncle Dean’s wedding. He married in a suit his mother made for him to get married in. The suit was blue jeans. It was so nice that it was an inspiration to all the people who were at the wedding-wife’s maiden name was Sally Matthews. Uncle Nais wife’s maiden name was Annie Matthews. Those 2 Allen brothers were my mother’s first cousins. My Great Aunt Annie married Amos Grider .She was good Old Baptist and so was her daughter Sallie Ship. Now I will write about a number of Old Baptists. Uncle Hiram Allen was a former Old Baptist. He had a deaf mute son, Bob Allen, who joined the church I belong to. I saw him baptized. My Grandmother Matthews joined the same church. Aunt Prudence McCrary was an Old Baptist. My Great Grandmother Gonce and her son, Randolph, and his wife were Old Baptist. My Grandfather William Rogers was an Old Baptist for he live many years before the new Order of Baptist came along. I think Aunt Anna Stubblefield was an Old Baptist. Great Grandfather and Great Grandmother Williams were Old Baptist. Grandfather Williams had a brother who was an Old Baptist. Preacher Uncle San and Annie Wilson were Old Baptist.

I will now take up the Matthews family. Jerry Matthews married Jenny and Bill Matthews, his brother married Rachel Williams. Two brothers married sisters, my father lived neighbor to Jerry Mathews one on the Tennessee side of the state side and one on the Alabama side about 1f2 mile apart. Jerry Mathews was my wife’s father and his children were born in Tennessee. My father’s children were all born in Alabama. My mother said that Jerry Mathews was one of the best neighbors she ever knew. Jerry and Jenny had 3 sons and 4 daughters. Jerry Mathews died of consumption in 1847. He and his wife went to see his sister, Aunt Betty Willis to spend the day and he laid down on the bed and died right away. My wife was 10 years old at the time. The names of their children were Mike, Jasper, Lenta, Clamenza, Lizzie, Sarah and Mary. All died of lung trouble except Mary. She was the mother of Tom Middleton and was the most beautiful one of the kinfolk. Your Uncle Mike and Marian and Uncle Pete Williams, Lark Willis and your Uncle John Thurman went to War with Mexico in 1846. The captain died in Mexico and Uncle Pete Williams was elected Captain. But the war was over when they arrived in Mexico. The kinfolks I have mentioned all returned home safe and sound, all got married pretty soon after they came home. John Thurman married Lizzie Matthews. Lark Willis married Surena Anderson. Mike Matthews married Sallie Thurman. Peter Williams married Lizzie Matthews a beautiful woman. Marion Williams married Dink Thurman. They all had large families except Mike Matthews had 2 girls. Uncle Marion and Aunt Dink had no one. Your Great grandmother Jenny Matthews lived . to a good old age, but her sister Rachel Mathews died middle age with a carbuncle on the back offer neck. Your Uncle Lent Mathews went to the War Between the States and was wounded in the Battle of the Seven Prairies. He was a fine soldier .He commanded his company in the Battle of Chickamauga. Your Great Uncle Jasper Mathews professes religion and joined the Presbyterian Church and prepared for ministry, but when the war was coming, he stumped Jackson County, Alabama, in apposition to secession. But when the State went out of the Union, he made up a company which was called Company J. He was very proud of Company J. He lost his health and died in middle of the War with consumption. He was the favorite brother of my wife. He married Mary Anderson. She died before the war and left 2 boys, Matt and John. Jasper was a good friend of mine. He was a brave soldier .

I will now take up the Williams family, the greatest family in middle Tennessee. Sherod Williams married Mary Looney in the beginning of the last century. They had 17 sons and 4 daughters. I knew 1h, of them. One son died when quite a child and the next one was a boy and Grandma named it Lent for she said the Lord had Lent it to her. So you will understand how the name Lent came in the family. Grandpa Williams was away from home some place in the south and died there in 1835. 5 years after his death, 2 of his sons went and brought his remains home. He was buried in the family graveyard near his home. I was at the tombs of both the old people and read the beautiful inscriptions on tomb of old Grandfather Williams, “I heard a voice from Heaven saying write, blessed are the dead that die in the Lord (from Proverbs) yea saith the Spirit. They rest from their labors and their works do follow them. ” He was a great man among the Old Baptist. Grandmother was baptized a while before Uncle Siah Williams was born, by Elder Josiah Con, and after the babe was born was named Josiah after the old preacher. The dear old grandmother lived about 20 years after she was left a widow. Her first born was named Mike who was named after old grandmother’s father Mike Looney. So you see how the name Mike in our peoples given names. Mike Looney was a very fine man .Uncle Jim Williams was married to Katie Taley of Alabama, and he owned a fine farm on the Tennessee River. They had a large family of sons and daughters. Their eldest son Jerry Williams went to the War with Mexico with the other kin in 1836. That was the time the war came up. All our soldiers went later. In fact, the war was over when they arrived in Mexico. Uncle Jim’s 4 daughters married husbands with the given names Bill. Bill Blake, Bill Genver, Bill Holder, Bill Sells. Uncle Jim said the devil owed him a debt and said paid him off in bad Bills. Your Uncle Jasper died at his Uncle Jim’s. He stopped there on his way home from Florida, when he was very weak from his lung trouble. His mother went there when he passed away or rather she was there some time before he died. He was buried in his Uncle Jim’s orchard. When his mother was anxious for his body to remain for all time to come, but the Masons went and took up the remains and moved them to where his wife was buried over in Tennessee. Uncle Jim Williams was one of the most prominent men in Jackson County, Alabama.. He represented his county in the Legislature time and again. He was a delegate to the State Convention to reconstruct the state which was held after the close of the war. He was a Methodist, but his eldest son, Jerry, was a Camphelite, also Uncle Bill Williams was a Camphelite. Jerry and his wife Jenny Mathews went to Methodist and all the children were Methodist or Presbyterian. Uncle Mat Williams was quite prominent in his native county of Franklin, Tennessee. He owned a Negro quarter. The broadway from the public highway to his big gate had Negro cabins 3 on each side of the broadway. Inside of the gate, was ample space for all sorts of beautiful plants. But the interesting growth in his yard was the greatest grapevine in all that country. He had it running on a from one most of the yard. He was in the Tennessee Legislature when the war broke out and his vote defeated the Bill to arm the state. You see, he was not for the war .He had lost 2 sons in the war and they were good soldiers. I was at his funeral and for the first time saw the Masons bury their dead comrades. 3 brothers emigrated to Texas before the War Between the States to wit: Uncles Pete, Bill and Mike Williams and settled in Barker County. Big valley 10 miles west of Westford, but after the death of Uncle Pete’s wife, he went back to Tennessee and died and was gathered to his fathers in his native state. In conclusion, will say the 4 sisters I knew only 2. Aunt Margaret Copenhaven and her family emigrated to South Texas and settled in South Texas, Calwell County. Soon after the War with Mexico, some of the Copenhavens were still living in Calwell County some years after .Of all that large family of21 children, not one is living. They were a great people. I am proud that my children and grandchildren are related to that family of Williams.

The musical talent of our people came from the Allen’s and McCrary’s. In a large connection of the Mathews kin, there was only one fiddler .He’s name was Hasdaway Mathews. There was no musical talent among the William ancestors or their descendants. So we get our musical talent from my mother’s side of the house.

When the War Between the States broke out, my father, George Rogers, and Brother Sam went in the first Company from Stevenson, Jackson County, Alabama, in March 1861. I had married the 26111 [as transcribed] of November 1860, to Mrs, Sarah A. Gover of Tennessee, so I did not go to the war till July 1862. I was a lieutenant in father’s company. My father, George Rogers, was a brave soldier and was in favor of the war. I was not for the war all was gaining by the rich and the poor fight the battles. Therefore, the old saying is true. It’s a rich man’s war and a poor man’s fight.

I with a family of 6 children, 2 step-sons and an orphan girl, Nance Nicie Mills, and my wife emigrated to Texas, 50 years ago last September. My father, mother, 3 sisters and Brother John, and W. L. Willis (sister Prudie’s husband) came to Texas the next year. We all settled in Hood County. But in a few years, all my kinfolk moved to Young County, where Sister Nanie and her husband, George Carton, had settled 2 or 3 years before. Father and mother died many years ago. Sister Nanie Carlton died about 2 years ago. 7 of our father’s and mother’s children were Old Baptist. I joined the Old Baptist the 1 si Sunday in October 1858, 65 years ago. Brother Sam and 4 sisters joined the Old Baptist in Alabama over 50 years ago. My youngest Sister Margaret Turner joined the Old Baptist in Texas many years ago. I saw my father baptized in the fellowship of the Old Baptist about 40 years ago. So there were 8 of the family Old Baptist. In May 1872, my wife was baptized by Elder Jim Wagner of Tennessee in the full fellowship of the Wagner’s Creek Church of Old Baptist. In June 4th, Sunday, 1872, I was ordained to the full work of the ministry by Elder James Wagner, J. W. Holdman, and Elijah Rogers. The following September, we started our long journey to Wood County, Texas. I have had the care of Old Baptist Churches since 1879, 44 years, served as Moderator of Associations for years had great meetings at Acton, Texas, Joshua, Texas, Burn, Texas, Toorlee, Springtown, Hogg Creek, Texas and other meetings besides as societies at Lane Prairie, 5 miles north of Cleburne which was well attended. I suppose I was gifted to feed the sheep and lambs of the flock and met t make them you see Melrose. God makes the sheep and his ministers feed them. My wife died the 17th of August 1892. I am glad that she had no fears of death, but her hope was well ground and it was that sure hope. In 1894, I married Mary S. Crazier Donaldson, who had 2 sons and 5 daughters and I had 7 sons and 2 daughters. Mary Rogers joined the church at Acton, and I baptized her in November 1894. She has been a great nurse as was my first wife in sickness and all manner of troubles. They were great hands to entertain company at big meetings. Your Grandma Rogers had 200 to eat at her table on Sunday of the associations when it was held at Acton, Texas. Your Grandma Mary entertained 150 when we held the association at Blum. Your first Grandma Rogers was such a fine nurse as well as good too. We had to call (next page lost).

..life he was a teacher in the public school area and published a newspaper for 25 years. He was one of our dear kinfolks who it seems died in his prime of life, leaving his dear wife one of the best women among all our dear people.

William Leroy Rogers March 8, 1923