Rodgers Family Papers, The Historical Society of Pennsylvania

John Rodgers, born in Maryland in 1773, entered the United States Navy in 1798 as a lieutenant. He was soon promoted to captain and later became a commodore. Rodgers's distinguished naval career lasted more than forty years and included service during the Tripolitan War, the War of 1812, and more than two decades of service on the Board of Navy Commissioners, of which he was president. Three of his sons, Frederick, Henry, and John, followed him into the navy, as did several of his grandsons and great-grandsons. Other family members who served in the navy included his brother George Washington Rodgers, his son-in-law Matthew C. Perry, his nephew Christopher Raymond Perry Rodgers, and his brothers-in law John D. Henley and Henry Denison.

This collection contains more than seventy volumes of records pertaining to John Rodgers's naval career, including correspondence, general orders, requisition books, and ships' logs. Similar records highlight the careers of Commodore Matthew C. Perry, Rear Admiral John Rodgers, Rear Admiral Frederick Rodgers, Rear Admiral John Augustus Rodgers, Captain George Washington Rodgers, Commodore John D. Henley, naval Purser Henry Denison, and Midshipman Frederick Rodgers. Civil Engineer and Civil War Colonel Robert Smith Rodgers is represented by diaries, accounts, and correspondence. A handful of personal papers concern other members of the extended Rodgers family, including Minerva (Denison) Rodgers, Sarah (Perry) Rodgers, Julia (Slidell) Rodgers, John Slidell, Jane (Slidell) Perry, and Louisa Rodgers.

Background note

The Rodgers family is perhaps the most noted family in the history of the United States Navy. Several generations of the family served, and between 1798 and 1926 the navy could count at least one John Rodgers in its ranks. This naval dynasty began with John Rodgers, one of eight children born to Scottish immigrant John Rodgers and his wife Elizabeth Reynolds. The elder John Rodgers was active in the Maryland militia during the American Revolution. Born in 1773, near Havre de Grace, Maryland, young John exhibited an early interest in sailing and was apprenticed to a Baltimore captain at the age of fifteen. He then worked on or captained merchant vessels for the next decade or so.

In 1794 Congress authorized the construction of six frigates, the first naval vessels built under the United States Constitution. In 1798 the first three ships were completed, and John Rodgers was appointed second lieutenant of the USS Constellation, then in the command of Captain Thomas Truxtun. Rodgers distinguished himself during the undeclared war between the U.S. and France, fought from 1798 to 1801, and was promoted to captain in 1799. He eventually commanded the vessel that conveyed the peace treaty to France. At the close of the war, he took a brief hiatus from the navy and returned to merchant service. While in Santo Domingo as the master of a merchant vessel, Rodgers was apprehended by the French and imprisoned in a dungeon. After being forcibly held for several months, he was finally ordered off the island and was recalled to the navy shortly thereafter.

Rodgers spent most of the next few years cruising the seas off the coast of Africa as part of the navy's Mediterranean Squadron. His many successful performances during the Tripolitan War further burnished his reputation, and in 1805 he was appointed commodore of the squadron, with the Constitution as his flagship.

After serving in the Mediterranean, Rodgers returned to the United States to command the New York Flotilla, a small fleet of gunboats assigned to protect the port of New York and enforce the 1807 embargo on trade with Britain and France. He then took command of the North Atlantic Squadron, which he led throughout the War of 1812. During this period Rodgers was the ranking officer in the navy. He was hailed as a popular hero for capturing twenty-three prizes and lending critical assistance to the defense of Fort McHenry. Near the end of the war, while stationed near Washington, D.C., Rodgers helped coordinate the defense of the nation's capital. During this time, John's brother, George Washington Rodgers, also served as a naval captain.

In 1815 John Rodgers was appointed to the Board of Navy Commissioners, a group formed to assist and provide support for the secretary of the navy. Rodgers served as president of the board and worked in that capacity until the mid-1820s, when he returned to active service. In 1823, amidst rumors of terrible fever outbreaks in the fleet near Thompson's Island (now Key West), he led a brief expedition there to provide relief and assistance. Shortly thereafter, he took command of the Mediterranean Squadron, with the North Carolina as his flagship. The squadron's presence in the Mediterranean helped lay the foundation for the 1831 commercial treaty with Turkey, which opened the Black Sea to United States commerce. Rodgers returned to his work on the Board of Navy Commissioners in about 1827. He retained that post until his death in 1838.

A well-known figure in Washington society for much of his life, Rodgers's friends and associates included high-ranking officers and influential politicians such as John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay. In 1820 he attended his friend Commodore Stephen Decatur's duel with Commodore James Barron and remained at Decatur's side until he expired from his wounds. The Rodgers' extended family included Tobias Lear and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Even John Rodgers's house would have an interesting history; built by the commodore in 1835, it was subsequently the home of several government officials, and is the house in which Secretary of State William H. Seward was attacked on April 14, 1865.

John Rodgers's sons and grandsons continued this tradition of military service, most of them by rising in the ranks of the navy. John Rodgers had married Minerva Denison, the daughter of a wealthy Maryland merchant, in 1806. Although John spent many years at sea, the couple still managed to produce ten children: Robert Smith, Frederick, John, Elizabeth, William Pinkney, Henry, Ann, Augustus Frederick, Louisa, and Jerusha. Four of their sons became active in the military and two of their daughters married army officers. Robert Smith Rodgers, their eldest son, was a civil engineer who served as a colonel during the Civil War. Frederick Rodgers, a midshipman who served with his father in the Mediterranean, drowned with two of his friends near Norfolk in 1828. Henry Rodgers was lost off the coast of California in 1854. John Rodgers (1812-1882), a naval engineer, served in the Civil War and achieved the rank of rear admiral before his death in 1882. John and Minerva's daughter, Louisa, married Montgomery C. Meigs, quartermaster general during the Civil War. Their daughter Ann married Colonel John Navarre Macomb.

The Rodgers family's connection to the navy was reinforced by marriages to other families with naval backgrounds. Minerva (Denison) Rodgers's brother Henry served as the purser on several naval ships, including the brig Argus, which wreaked havoc on British merchant vessels near the English Channel after running the British blockade of New England during the War of 1812. Argus was eventually sunk in a confrontation with the HMS Pelican, and Henry Denison and his surviving shipmates were imprisoned in England for more than a year. After his release Henry spent much of his time tending the family's home in Sion Hill, Maryland. Henry and Minerva's sister Eliza married Commodore John D. Henley, a hero of the Battle of New Orleans. Their sister Louisa married Captain Alexander Wadsworth.

Robert Smith Rodgers, John and Minerva's eldest son, maintained the family property at Sion Hill after his Uncle Henry's death. In 1841 Robert married Sarah Perry, the daughter of Commodore Matthew C. Perry, who had an illustrious naval career himself. Perry served for many years under the command of John Rodgers before he was appointed captain. He is best known for his expeditions to Japan in the 1850s, which resulted in the opening of trade between Japan and the United States. In the 1840s Perry commanded the African Squadron, which was formed to suppress the slave trade and to protect American blacks who had settled in Africa. In the late 1840s Perry served in the Mexican War and helped the U.S. Army capture the city of Vera Cruz.

The Perry-Rodgers connection had been forged many years before, when Matthew Perry's sister Ann married George Washington Rodgers, the brother of John Rodgers. Perry's older brother was the famed naval captain Oliver Hazard Perry, with whom Matthew also served for a time. Their father was Captain Christopher Raymond Perry. Matthew's wife, Jane (Slidell) Perry, had a younger brother, Alexander Slidell (who later changed his named to Alexander Slidell Mackenzie in order to inherit money from his uncle), who also served as the captain of a naval ship and achieved notoriety in 1842 when he executed three members of his crew on the Somers, whom he suspected of mutiny. He went on to write a number of well-known books, including biographies of Stephen Decatur and Oliver Hazard Perry. Alexander and Jane's brother William was one of the midshipmen who drowned with his friend Frederick Rodgers in 1828. Another Slidell, Julia, married Rear Admiral Christopher Raymond Perry Rodgers, the son of George Washington Rodgers and Anna (Perry) Rodgers.

Two of Robert and Sarah (Perry) Rodgers's children, Frederick and John Augustus, also served in the navy. Both achieved the rank of rear admiral. Subsequent generations of the Rodgers family continued this tradition of naval service well into the twentieth century.

Scope and content

This collection chiefly relates to the naval service of several generations of the Rodgers family, with the bulk of the materials pertaining to career of Commodore John Rodgers (1773-1838). Included are records regarding his service in the Tripolitan War and the War of 1812, as well as his work on the Board of Navy Commissioners. Records for other members of his family, including his sons Henry, John, and Frederick; his grandsons Frederick and John Augustus; his brother George Washington Rodgers; his brothers-in-law, John D. Henley and Henry Denison; and his son-in-law Matthew C. Perry, pertain to their services in the Mexican War, the Civil War, the African Squadron of 1843, and the Asiatic Squadron of the 1870s, as well as other minor assignments. These records include logbooks, signal books, journals, requisition books, general orders, sailing instructions, and letters. Although these records are by no means complete, they do cover most aspects of naval service and they collectively represent most of the major naval campaigns undertaken by the United States in the nineteenth century.

There are several areas for which documentation is quite rich. Commodore Rodgers's papers concerning his command of the North Atlantic Squadron during the War of 1812 include detailed log books that describe encounters with British vessels. The USS President's clash with the HMS Little Belt in 1811, one of the engagements that precipitated the war, is recorded in the ship's log. Also included are general orders, volumes pertaining to the outfitting and supplying of ships, and letters pertaining to Rodgers's work assisting the defense of Washington, D.C. in 1814. Henry Denison's papers pertaining to the Argus , sunk by the British in 1813, contain lists of sailors taken prisoner, money and supplies distributed to them, and papers relating to their release.

Many records relate to John Rodgers's work as commander of the Mediterranean Squadron in the mid 1820s, and other records contain fairly rich documentation of his work on the Board of Navy Commissioners, on which he served from 1815 until his death in 1838. These records include opinions on various aspects of the navy's regulation and the board's opinions on proposed changes. Commodore Matthew Perry's papers include records regarding his command of the African Squadron, as well as detailed correspondence concerning his service in the Mexican War.

Although the collection includes records for many members of the Rodgers family, several individuals are represented by just a few items documenting their naval careers. Personal papers are few and far between, although they do provide some clues about the lives and interests of some family members. Robert Smith Rodgers's papers include personal correspondence and scattered diary entries, and his son John Augustus's diary from the Macedonian contains his impressions of France. Sporadic family correspondence can be found throughout the collection (usually filed with the addressee), and Series 7 contains correspondence of Julia (Slidell) Rodgers, Minerva (Denison) Rodgers, Sarah (Perry) Rodgers, and other family members concerning engagements, deaths, and other family news.

Please note that that many of the individuals represented in this collection have not only a close personal connection, but also close professional ties. For example, Matthew C. Perry was not only John Rodgers's son-in-law, he was a midshipman on Rodgers's ship during the War of 1812. Rodgers's son Frederick served with him in the Mediterranean Squadron. Robert Smith Rodgers appears to have played a minor role as Matthew Perry's prize agent during the Mexican War. Although ships' logs and other records were typically kept by midshipmen or lieutenants, here they are organized by squadron and commander. Perry's log kept aboard the President is therefore with other records of the North Atlantic Squadron, which was commanded by John Rodgers. The only exception to this is for records that were clearly kept for personal, unofficial use while on ship.

Arrangement


Series I	John Rodgers (1773-1838), 1799-1838
	a. Mediterranean Squadron, 1799-1806	3 vols., 1 folder
	b. New York Flotilla, 1807-1812	9 vols., 1 folder
	c. North Atlantic Squadron, 1809-1814	13 vols., 2 folers
	d. Board of Naval Commissioners, 1815-1834	8 vols., 10 folders
	e. Mediterranean Squadron, 1824-1828	38 vols.
	f. Miscellaneous, 1802-1838, n.d.	4 vols., 5 folders
Series II	Henry Rodgers (d. 1854), 1837-1854	9 vols., 1 folder
Series III	Robert Smith Rodgers (1810-1889), 1830-1885	8 vols., 7 folders
Series IV	Frederick Rodgers (1842-1917), 1854-1878	7 vols., 6 folders
Series V	Matthew Calbraith Perry (1794-1858), 1821-1849	12 vols., 2 folders
Series VI	Henry Denison (1782-1822), 1799-1822, n.d.
	a. Purser's accounts, 1807-1822	7 vols., 11 folders
	b. Personal, 1799-1819	5 vols.
Series VII	Other family members, 1792-1894, n.d.
	a. John Rodgers (1812-1882), 1840-1849	2 vols., 2 folders
	b. Frederick Rodgers (1811-1828), 1825-1827	3 vols., 1 folder
	c. Louisa Rodgers (1817-1869), 1826-1836	2 vols.
	d. John Augustus Rodgers (1848-1933), 1867-1869	2 vols.
	e. John D. Henley, 1815-1821	2 vols., 2 folders
	f. Miscellaneous, 1792-1894, n.d.	3 vols., 6 folders
Series VIII	Miscellaneous, 1796-1874, n.d.
	a. Ships' papers and naval records, 1796-1874, n.d.	19 vols., 8 folders
	b. Miscellaneous, 1823-1872, n.d.	3 vols.

Administrative information

Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Provenance

Purchased.

Preferred citation

Cite as: [Indicate cited item or series here], Rodgers Family Papers (Collection 1208), The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

Processing information

Processing made possible by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Several volumes have been cleaned for mold.

Alternate formats

Volume 65 (the "black book" containing lists of punishments meted out on the USS North Carolina) has been microfilmed (call number XR 994).

Additional information

Separated material

None.

Related material

Meigs / Rodgers family papers. Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia Libraries
Matthew Calbraith Perry Correspondence, Houghton Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
Matthew Calbraith Perry, Addresses and Family Papers, Houghton Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
Matthew Calbraith Perry, Journal of Cruises in the United States Frigates Independence, Potomac, and Brig Dolphin,General Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
John Rodgers (1773-1838) Letters, Portsmouth Athenaeum, Portsmouth, N.H.
John Rodgers Papers (1773-1838), Clements Library, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
John Rodgers (1773-1838) Papers, Georgetown University Library, Washington, D.C.
Robert S. Rodgers, Account Book Relating to the Ship Mississippi, Western Americana Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
Rodgers Account Book, MS.1055 , Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore, Md.
Rodgers-Archer Correspondence, MS.1599, Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore, Md.
Rodgers Family Papers, MS. 1665, Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore, Md.
Rodgers Family Papers (1740-1987), Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Rodgers Family Papers (1788-1944), Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Rodgers Papers, MS.1410, Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore, Md.

References

Department of the Navy, Navy Historical Center, "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships," http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs (January 9, 2004)

Dictionary of American Biography, __ ed., s.v. "Rodgers, John (1773-1838)."

Dictionary of American Biography, __ ed., s.v. "Rodgers, John (1812-1882)."

Dictionary of American Biography, __ ed., s.v. "Perry, Matthew Calbraith."

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Washington, D.C.: Navy Department, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division, 1959.

Paullin, Charles Oscar. Commodore John Rodgers: Captain, Commodore, and Senior Officer of the American Navy. Cleveland, Ohio: The Arthur H. Clark Company, 1910.