Ethan Rogers Family

News Article

    Ethan Rogers was born 22 Oct 1756 in Branford, New Haven County, Connecticut.  He served in the Revolutionary War as a Private in Col. Josiah Starrs Company of the 1st Connecticut Regiment.  He enlisted on 15 July 1780 for six months and was discharged on 5 Dec1780.
    He married ____ Fisher about 1796 and they had the following children:  Daniel; Mary, who
married a ___ Van Branner of Catskill, Greene county, New York; Clarissa 10 Sep1801 NY;  Nancy, who also married a _____ Van Branner of Catskill, Greene County, NY; and Ethan.
    Ethan Rogers passed away on 20 Sep1849 while visiting his daughter and family.  He is buried in
Wright Cemetery, Salem Township, Steuben County, Indiana.  His tombstone lists his military service and there is a DAR marker at his grave.
    Daughter Clarissa Rogers married 2 Feb 1820 in Greene County, New York to Darius Dryer who was born in Bristol Co., Mass. on 11 Apr 1796, the son of William and Deliverance (Briggs) Dryer, and of English descent.   In 1837, Darius Dryer, his wife, and children moved to Noble County, Indiana. Then in 1840, they moved to Milford Township, LaGrange County, Indiana.  Darius was a clothier by trade, a soldier in the War of 1812, and he started the first carding-mill in LaGrange County.  He also followed teaching as a vocation, and four of his children were school-teachers. He died on 2 Feb 1861, Clarissa his wife, died on 18 Jan 1885, both are buried in Wright Cemetery.  They had the following children, most of whom are buried in Wright Cemetery, Salem Township, Steuben County, Indiana.
    1.  Welcome Dryer was born 4 May 1821 in Lexington, NY and died  24 Jan 1863.
    2.  Ann Elizabeth Dryer was born 11 Dec 1822 in Lexington, NY and died 9 Jan 1848
    3.  Laura  Dryer was born 12 Jun 1825 in  NY and died on  22 Jun 1898, she was the first school teacher in Salem Township.
    4.  William Tell Dryer was born 12 Jul 1827 in NY and died 27 Mar 1830 in NY.
    5.  Noel Byron Dryer was born on  9 Aug 1829 in Green County,  NY and died on 19 Dec 1906.  He married on  22 Mar 1855 to Mary Arminda Tinklepaugh, the daughter of Peter and Maria (Nifer) Tinklepaugh.  She was born 14 Sep1834 in Madison County, New York,  and died on 24 May 1908.  They had eight children as follows:  Dewight W.;  Romaine P.; Charles D. was born 12 Aug 1859 and died 3 Oct 1880, age 21 y, 1m, 21days;  Zenas E., Lillie L., William B.,  Mary Edna and an infant.  Noel B. Dryer was a teacher for six terms and then became a farmer exclusively.  He served as an assessor for two terms and Mrs. Dryer was a member of the Baptist Church.
    6.  William Laurent Dryer was born on 1 Dec 1831 in Green County,  NY and died on 20 July
1884.  He married on 23 Dec 1858, Lodema Taylor, daughter of Theston and Nancy (Blair) Taylor.  She was born on 20 Apr 1841, in Milford Township, LaGrange County and died in 1907 in Milford. William Dryer learned the wagon making trade, served in an apprenticeship as a carpenter and then became a farmer.  He also served as a pathmaster and school director a number of terms each.    They had five children; an infant; Laura; Morton W. was born in Jan 1864 and died 27 Apr 1867, age 3y, 4m, and 15 days;  Lura was born in 1868 and died 7 Oct 1869, age 1y, _m, and 3days old;  and Mary Aurelia born 25 Oct 1870 in Milford Township. After the death of her husband, Lodema Dryer married George Gunn, who was still living in 1920, at the age of 80 years.
Mary Aurelia Dryer married Howard B. Perkins on 25 May 1898.  He was the son of Job and
Sarah (Landers) Perkins, born 18 Oct 1867, and  became a farmer and stock raiser.  They had five
children:  Harold B. Perkins Jr. born 30 Apr 1899; Gerald D. Perkins was born 5 Aug 1900 and died 3 Feb 1916; Laurent Roger Perkins was born 24 May 1902; a son that died soon after birth in 1908; and Mary Beth Perkins who was born 5 Mar 1909.
    7.  Zenas Briggs Dryer was born on 27 Dec 1833 in  NY and died on 11 Sep 1862.  He enlisted in 1861 in the 21st Indiana Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War and died at New Orleans, where it is believed he is really buried.  A tombstone has been  placed here with his family.
    8.  Mary A. Dryer was born 29 Feb 1836 in NY and she died 14 Apr 1914, she  married Abel B. Bennett, who was born in 1834 and died in 1905.   They had at least two children, Hal D. Bennett 1864 - 1936 and Laura Bennett 1868 - 1934.
    9.  Harriet Augusta Dryer was born 29 Aug 1838 and died 29 Dec 1838.
    The Family Bible was owned at one time by Laura Bennett of Stroh.

Compiled by Jean Ann Childers

*Note:  More information can be obtained on the above families by researching in the LaGrange County, IN court records and library.

Sources:
Index to the Revolutionary War Service Records    1995   transcribed by Virgil D. White   Vol.3 p. 2304
Records of the Pokagon Chapter, NSDAR
Graves of Revolutionary Patriots  1987  by Patricia Law Hatcher   Vol. 3 p. 228
1850 Census of Milford Township, LaGrange County, Indiana  (Household  385 387)
LaGrange County History  1882   P. 413  Milford Township (Biographies of N.B. Dryer,  W.L. Dryer)
History of Northeast Indiana  1920  Vol.2 p. 222-223 (Biography of Howard B. Perkins)
History of Steuben County  1955
Cemeteries of Steuben County Indiana   1990 by  Audree’ Lewis (Bennett, Dryer, Rogers)  http://familysearch.org  ( LDS On-line Records, Darius Dryer Family )
Ancestry of Rufus K. Dryer With Notes On William Dryer of Rehoboth and Some of His Descendants 1942   by Joseph F. Dryer      The Du Bois Press, Rochester, N.Y.