Family Lore and the Apple Orchard

 Family Lore and the Apple Orchard

Family tradition had said that my 2nd (maternal) g. grandfather, Hezekiah Rogers (1815-1904), owned an apple orchard in Saratoga County, New York before he and his family relocated to Frederica, Kent Co., Delaware about 1867.

That he owned a farm in Clifton Park, Saratoga Co., NY is undisputed. But what kind of farm?
In 1850, he had a considerable farm worth $4400.00. The 1850 Agriculture Census for Saratoga Co. [Ref 1], says he had 100 acres improved farm land and 16 acres of unimproved land. He had:
3 Horses
3 Milk Cows
11 sheep
12 swine
280 bushels of rye
300 bushels Indian corn
360 bushels of oats
100 bushels Irish potatoes
30 bushels buckwheat
400 lbs butter
20 tons Hay
Value of animals slaughtered: $100

No apples. Not to say he didn’t have an apple orchard, but the agriculture census shows he had grains and animals.

On 1 April 1867, he and his wife Harriet Clark Rogers, sold their 116 acres of land in Clifton Park, for $4500 [Ref 2]. By the 1870 census for Frederica, Kent Co., Delaware, he had real estate property valued at $10,000. [Ref 3] According to the Frederica Directory, he was a successful phosphate manufacturer. [Ref 4] But no apples.

But, there was his son, Cyrus P. Rogers! Born 11 May 1840 in Clifton Park, Saratoga Co., NY [Ref 5], he was a successful farmer in his own right. In the 1865 NY State Agriculture Census, he had 116 acres of land in Clifton Park values at $4500. He had animals and grains and 60 apple trees producing 250 bushels of apples and a bushel of apple cider. [Ref 6]

So, there was an apple orchard after all, just that it wasn’t the patriarch, Hezekiah Rogers, but his son, Cyrus P. Rogers.  Cyrus sold his land and moved with the family to Frederica, Kent Co., Delaware where he owned over 300 acres over land and he became a very successful and prosperous fruit canner. In 1880 he had 100 employees and produced 300,000 cans of fruit every year from his factory, which had 3 buildings. [Ref 7]

Sources:
[Ref 1] 1850 U.S. Census, Saratoga County, New York, agricultural schedule, p. 829, Hezekiah Rogers; New York State Library Archive A7, Roll 7.

[Ref 2] Saratoga Co., N.Y. Deeds 107:190, 1 April 1867 [FHL 556615].

[Ref 3] 1870 U.S. census, Kent County, Delaware, population schedule, South Murderkill Hundred, 13, dwelling 100, family 100, Hezekiah Rogers; image, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/ : accessed 4 June 2021); citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 119.

[Ref 4] U.S. City Directories 1822-1995, database w/images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2469/ : accessed 1 January 2023) > Delaware > Dover > 1879> The Kent County Directory (Wilmington, Delaware: James & Webb, Printers, 1879-1880), Hezekiah Rogers, 115.

[Ref 5] Mary Helen Alexander Rogers. Family Bible Records, 1815-1984, The Holy Bible (Troy, New York: Merriam, Moore & Co., 1848), Births; privately held by Mary Helen Alexander Rogers, Milton, Kent Co., Delaware, 1987.

[Ref 6] 1865 New York State Census, Saratoga Co., agricultural schedule, Clifton Park, p. 49, Cyrus P.  Rogers; N.Y.State Archives, Albany. N.Y. State Census, 1865, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7218/ : accessed 8 June 2023).

[Ref 7] Richard Edwards, ed., "City of Frederica,” Industries of Delaware, Historical and Descriptive Review, Cities Towns and Business Interests, Institutions, Manufacturing, and Commercial Advantages (Wilmington: Richard Edwards, 1880), 149-151.