NOT Your Maiden Aunt
Occasionally as you're researching a family tree, you'll come across a family with daughters that never marry. It's possible sons may never marry as well, but somehow that doesn't seem to create the same questions in our mind. When a woman doesn't marry, particularly in the days when a woman didn't have an easy means to support herself outside of marriage, it's easy to start wondering what happened. Were there just no eligible men for her to marry? Did she have some physical difficulty that prevented a gentleman from seeking her out? Was she caring for family members, and so didn't have time to pursue a family of her own? There are lots of questions, but rarely answers, because the truth is that unmarried women just don't often make it into any of the records that tend to be kept by society and found by researchers. They often just end up names on our family tree, but not much more. I'm sure we have some in our tree as well, but it is hard to tell the story of someone you know nothing about.
Which is why I got to wondering what I COULD write about. If not the suggested "maiden aunt", then whose story might be interesting to tell? It wasn't a big step to get from aunts to uncles.
One "uncle" in the family tree has always intrigued me. I'd love to learn more about him, and so I occasionally revisit the family stories about him, just to see if there are any more clues that I can follow ... any unexpected sources I may have discovered that can be searched.
His name was William Crozier Rogers. He was my great-Grandfather's brother, and so my Grandpa Glenn always called him "Uncle Crozier". He was born on December 5, 1896 in Johnson County, Texas. His next older brother, Archie, was born in 1895, and was my great-Grandfather. In 1900, Crozier was living in Johnson County with his parents and two older brothers. Between 1900 and 1904, the family moved to the Oklahoma territory, where Crozier's father continued farming, as he had done in Texas. The family was blessed in 1904 with the birth of a little girl they named Lorine. Archie and Crozier are both listed in the third grade of the Walters Public School for the 1906-1907 school year, in what was then Comanche County and then later Cotton County, Oklahoma. Also listed at the school were Edith Rogers (7th grade), Rance and Roy Rogers (3rd grade), and Drusie and Ira Rogers (1st grade). Most, if not all, of these other Rogers children were cousins.
In 1907, Oklahoma became a state, and I'm sure things seemed to be going well for the family. Unfortunately little Lorine was only with them for a short while ... she died just a few days past her 4th birthday in 1908. Oklahoma began keeping death records in 1908, but they weren't actually required by the state until 1917, so I don't know what caused her death. I expect that the family would have taken it hard, and with Crozier being the next closest child in age, I can't help but wonder how it affected him. Another sister, Merle, was born in 1909, and was the last of the siblings to be born.
According to the 1910 Census, the family was living in what was then Comanche County, Oklahoma, where 13 year old Crozier attended school and worked on the farm. This was probably the normal pattern of life for him for the next several years. In 1917, the United States entered into the Great War (also known as World War I) which had begun in Europe in 1914. About a year later, in March of 1918, 21-year old Crozier joined the Army. I have not seen records of his military service, so his role is uncertain. The end of the war came with the signing of the Armistice in November of 1918, however, so it is quite possible that young Crozier never actually saw any fighting. He was released from service in December of 1918. By the time of the 1920 Census, he was living in his parents' home and farming once again.
Crozier didn't seem to be in any hurry to marry and start a family of his own. Whether that was circumstances, or choice, or some combination of the two is a bit of a puzzle. He registered for the World War II draft, and listed his father as his contact. Since he would have been 45 years old in 1941, he was older than most folks that were chosen to go to war. According to family stories, however, he went to work for the Secret Service or a similar agency. In 1944, Princess Martha of Sweden and her three children were staying in a large home rented from a movie actor on Long Island Sound. Crozier was said to have been working as part of the guard for the family. A hurricane blew into the area, and according to what I could learn about it, it was a pretty strong storm. It had skimmed along the Virginia coast of the United States in that second week of September, and landed almost directly over the area of Long Island Sound as a category 3 hurricane. Needless to say, the family and guards were stuck in the house for a while.
According to the family story, the royals "always had a lot of beer and whiskey", and one night one of the daughters invited Crozier to join the family for their evening meal. He decided to accept, and the young lady went to get some beer for him. Apparently her father was not too happy about the situation, though, and was overheard scolding her in the hallway, and then he followed her angrily back into the room. When the young lady finally brought Crozier his beer, he told her not to open it, because if drinking it would anger her father, he wasn't going to do it.
He spent a number of years in government service, apparently. I have notes suggesting that he served during the Presidencies of Rooselvelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy & Johnson. During this time period he moved from place to place fairly regularly. Perhaps that is part of the reason he had not married ... either he was never in one place long enough, or his work simply didn't allow him a lot of down time. Sometime around 1950, though, that finally changed when Crozier met Velma Smith in Jackson County, Missouri. They married in January 1951. Velma was 40 years old, Crozier was 54.
Crozier lived to be 90 years old, passing away in February 1987. He had outlived all of his siblings, and he and Velma, married later in life, had no children. He is buried in Dallas, Texas. All we have left of him are a few pictures and a few family stories. But his life was definitely an interesting one, and one I'd love to learn more about.
Which is why I got to wondering what I COULD write about. If not the suggested "maiden aunt", then whose story might be interesting to tell? It wasn't a big step to get from aunts to uncles.
One "uncle" in the family tree has always intrigued me. I'd love to learn more about him, and so I occasionally revisit the family stories about him, just to see if there are any more clues that I can follow ... any unexpected sources I may have discovered that can be searched.
His name was William Crozier Rogers. He was my great-Grandfather's brother, and so my Grandpa Glenn always called him "Uncle Crozier". He was born on December 5, 1896 in Johnson County, Texas. His next older brother, Archie, was born in 1895, and was my great-Grandfather. In 1900, Crozier was living in Johnson County with his parents and two older brothers. Between 1900 and 1904, the family moved to the Oklahoma territory, where Crozier's father continued farming, as he had done in Texas. The family was blessed in 1904 with the birth of a little girl they named Lorine. Archie and Crozier are both listed in the third grade of the Walters Public School for the 1906-1907 school year, in what was then Comanche County and then later Cotton County, Oklahoma. Also listed at the school were Edith Rogers (7th grade), Rance and Roy Rogers (3rd grade), and Drusie and Ira Rogers (1st grade). Most, if not all, of these other Rogers children were cousins.
In 1907, Oklahoma became a state, and I'm sure things seemed to be going well for the family. Unfortunately little Lorine was only with them for a short while ... she died just a few days past her 4th birthday in 1908. Oklahoma began keeping death records in 1908, but they weren't actually required by the state until 1917, so I don't know what caused her death. I expect that the family would have taken it hard, and with Crozier being the next closest child in age, I can't help but wonder how it affected him. Another sister, Merle, was born in 1909, and was the last of the siblings to be born.
According to the 1910 Census, the family was living in what was then Comanche County, Oklahoma, where 13 year old Crozier attended school and worked on the farm. This was probably the normal pattern of life for him for the next several years. In 1917, the United States entered into the Great War (also known as World War I) which had begun in Europe in 1914. About a year later, in March of 1918, 21-year old Crozier joined the Army. I have not seen records of his military service, so his role is uncertain. The end of the war came with the signing of the Armistice in November of 1918, however, so it is quite possible that young Crozier never actually saw any fighting. He was released from service in December of 1918. By the time of the 1920 Census, he was living in his parents' home and farming once again.
Crozier didn't seem to be in any hurry to marry and start a family of his own. Whether that was circumstances, or choice, or some combination of the two is a bit of a puzzle. He registered for the World War II draft, and listed his father as his contact. Since he would have been 45 years old in 1941, he was older than most folks that were chosen to go to war. According to family stories, however, he went to work for the Secret Service or a similar agency. In 1944, Princess Martha of Sweden and her three children were staying in a large home rented from a movie actor on Long Island Sound. Crozier was said to have been working as part of the guard for the family. A hurricane blew into the area, and according to what I could learn about it, it was a pretty strong storm. It had skimmed along the Virginia coast of the United States in that second week of September, and landed almost directly over the area of Long Island Sound as a category 3 hurricane. Needless to say, the family and guards were stuck in the house for a while.
According to the family story, the royals "always had a lot of beer and whiskey", and one night one of the daughters invited Crozier to join the family for their evening meal. He decided to accept, and the young lady went to get some beer for him. Apparently her father was not too happy about the situation, though, and was overheard scolding her in the hallway, and then he followed her angrily back into the room. When the young lady finally brought Crozier his beer, he told her not to open it, because if drinking it would anger her father, he wasn't going to do it.
He spent a number of years in government service, apparently. I have notes suggesting that he served during the Presidencies of Rooselvelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy & Johnson. During this time period he moved from place to place fairly regularly. Perhaps that is part of the reason he had not married ... either he was never in one place long enough, or his work simply didn't allow him a lot of down time. Sometime around 1950, though, that finally changed when Crozier met Velma Smith in Jackson County, Missouri. They married in January 1951. Velma was 40 years old, Crozier was 54.
Crozier lived to be 90 years old, passing away in February 1987. He had outlived all of his siblings, and he and Velma, married later in life, had no children. He is buried in Dallas, Texas. All we have left of him are a few pictures and a few family stories. But his life was definitely an interesting one, and one I'd love to learn more about.
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