William Penn Adair Rogers (1879 - 1935)

Born 4 Nov 1879 in Oologah, Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory

Ancestors

Husband of Betty (Blake) Rogers — married 25 Nov 1908 in Rogers, Benton County, Arkansas, USA

Descendants

Died 15 Aug 1935 at age 55 in Point Barrow, Territory of Alaska

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Biography

Will Rogers is Notable.

Dawes Enrollee

Cherokee by Blood

Dawes Card Number 4747

William Penn Adair "Will" Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American cowboy, vaudeville performer, humorist, social commentator and motion picture actor. He was one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s. He was referred to as "America's Favorite Cowboy" and "The Cowboy Philosopher."

Will was born in Oologah, Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory; his parents, Clement Rogers and Mary Schrimsher, were both Cherokee. Cherokee Nation recently purchased the home where he was born. ^[1] Will appears with his parents and siblings on the 1880, 1890, and 1896 Cherokee censuses, ^[2] living in the Cooweescoowee District, Cherokee Nation. Rogers quipped that his ancestors did not come over on the Mayflower, but they "met the boat."

Rogers was the youngest of eight children. He was named for the Cherokee leader Col. William Penn Adair. Only three of his siblings, sisters Sallie Clementine, Maude Ethel, and May (Mary), survived into adulthood. Will was enrolled by the Dawes Commission in 1902, Cherokee by Blood, Card #4747, Roll # 11384, ^[3] and was approved for a share of the 1907 Eastern Cherokee {Guion Miller) payment. ^[4]

In 1908, Rogers married an Arkansas schoolteacher named Betty Blake, ^[5] and the couple had four children: Bill Rogers, Mary (Rogers) Brooks, Jim Rogers, and Fred Rogers. ^[6] The 1920 census lists his occupation as "Actor," (he appeared in more than seventy films) living in the City of Los Angeles but by 1930, he reported his occupation as "Newspaper Writer" (he is credited with thousands of newspaper columns) in Beverly Hills. ^[7]

In the 1920s, he purchased land in Santa Monica, which he developed into a ranch. This area eventually became known as Pacific Palisades. After his wife's death, it became a California State Historic Park. ^[8]

Will Rogers and aviator Wiley Post died on August 15, 1935, when Post's aircraft crashed on takeoff from a lagoon near Point Barrow in the Territory of Alaska. Will is buried on the grounds of the Will Rogers Museum in Claremore, Oklahoma. ^[9]

In 1948, the US Postal Service issued a stamp in his honor, which had been frequently requested since his death. ^[10]

Sources

1. ↑ Cherokee Nation formalizes purchase of Will Rogers Birthplace Museum in Oologah, Anadisgoi, Cherokee Nation Businesses, 4 Nov 2020
2. ↑ Cherokee Census, 1880 (Cooweescoowee District, p. 161 #2331-2337), 1890 (Cooweescoowee District, p. 14),1896 (Cooweescoowee District, #123). Series 7RA-07. Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Record Group 75. Digitized at ancestry.com The National Archives at Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas.
3. ↑ The National Archives at Ft Worth; Ft Worth, Texas, USA; Enrollment Cards for the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914; NAI Number: 251747; Record Group Title: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs; Record Group Number: 75
4. ↑ National Archives and Records Administration, Eastern Cherokee Applications of the Court of Claims. Application #9735, William P. Rogers. Digitized at Fold3, images begin at Eastern
5. ↑ "Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N9Q8-HQG : 18 March 2019), William P Rogers, 25 Nov 1908; citing Marriage, Benton, Arkansas, United States, county offices, Arkansas; FHL microfilm 1,034,753.
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHQN-HZW : accessed 17 December 2020), William Rogers, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States; citing ED 170, sheet 14B, line 63, family 324, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 106; FHL microfilm 1,820,106.
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCFJ-XZZ : accessed 17 December 2020), William P Rogus, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 819, sheet 11B, line 63, family 178, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 124; FHL microfilm 2,339,859.
8. ↑ Will Rogers State Historic Park, California Department of Parks and Recreation.
9. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (www.findagrave.com : accessed 17 December 2020), memorial page for Will Rogers (4 Nov 1879–15 Aug 1935), Find A Grave: Memorial #894, citing Will Rogers Museum Grounds, Claremore, Rogers County, Oklahoma, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave.
10. ↑ Steven J. Rod, "Will Rogers Issue (1948)," Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

See Also:

• Wikipedia: Will_Rogers

• Wikidata: Item Q457840, en:Wikipedia

• Find A Grave: Memorial #894

• Will Rogers Official Website http://www.cmgww.com/historic/rogers/