Today, August 6th, I'm recognizing the birth anniversaries of the two eldest children of Sidney David Rogers and Susan Elizabeth Lloyd — Frank (b. Aug 6, 1885) and an unnamed baby boy (b. Aug 6, 1886). Sadly, both boys died young: Frank passed away on July 4, 1888, and the unnamed baby died at just six weeks of age. Having married on October 5, 1884, this was a tragic start to Sidney and Susan's marriage. With Frank conceived so shortly after their wedding, their first two children were gone in a flash.
South Carolina did not mandate birth and death certificates until 1915. Records prior to this date are sparse or non-existent and were generally not tracked by local governments, meaning researchers must rely on substitute records.
So how do we know about these two boys? Their short lives were preserved through private family correspondence and home records.
In an undated document written in my wife's grandmother's handwriting titled "Rogers Clan: Children and Grandchildren of Sidney D. and Susan Elizabeth Lloyd Rogers," the list details the children and spouses of Sidney and Susan (noting whether they were living or deceased), along with their addresses and phone numbers. It also includes their grandchildren. Listed among the children of Sidney and Susan are Frank and a boy named Rick.
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Where this initial list came from was a guess at first, but I found a potential clue in a second family document.
The second document is a March 1, 1977 letter from my wife's grandmother's cousin, Richard. In this letter, Richard writes: "I do appreciate all the information that you sent, especially the addresses and telephone numbers of all these long lost Cousins." Based on this, we can reasonably assume he is referring to the list of Sidney and Susan's descendants. Following that, Richard notes: "I found in Mom's [Minnie] papers an envelope with the note 'Family Record' and here is what it says:" He then transcribes the details of Sidney and Susan's family.
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Richard likely confirms where the original list originated when he adds: "...so this confirms what Charlotte found in Aunt Bessie's records."
Without official records from Marion County, South Carolina, we must rely on home records, Bible pages, and family letters to give a voice to these forgotten boys. But what about the name "Rick" for the second infant?
We don't know for sure. Was "Rick" a misreading, misinterpretation, or informal placeholder added by Bessie? Or did Bessie remember her brother's name as "Rick," while Minnie's list recorded him as an unnamed boy? Without further documentation, we may never know. If I ever get the chance to visit Rose Hill Cemetery in Marion, South Carolina, perhaps cemetery records will reveal burial details for Frank and "Rick" in the Rogers family plot, even though no headstones exist for them today.
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| Rogers Family marker, photo courtesy of S. Curry via FindaGrave.com |
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