John Bond Rogers (1914 - 1991)

Born 18 Apr 1914 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Peggy Decamp — married 28 Aug 1952 in Massachusetts, United States

Died 25 Jan 1991 at age 76 in Pittsfield, Berkshire, Massachusetts, United States

Biography

John Bond Rogers

John Bond Rogers, the only son of John Alexander and Mildred Rogers and grandson to Charles and Isabella Bond, was born in 1915. He grew up enjoying all of the privileges that his parents’ wealth could offer- attending Middlesex School and the Hun School. During the summers, he accompanied his parents as they traveled to Daytona Beach, Montana, Martha’s Vineyard, Europe and other interesting places. As a young man, his social group dubbed the “jet set” by Cholly Knickerbocker, a syndicated columnist, gathered at popular night clubs such as the Stork Club, El Morocco, and the Colony Club. John was a popular escort of debutantes and actresses such as Barbara Hutton and Jane Meadows. He was often photographed in the company of beautiful women.

John served in the in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II (1941-1945) as a C-46 pilot in the Air Transport Command. He completed 23 missions flying over “The Hump”, a dangerous, and for a good part of the war, top secret route from Burma to China. He and his squadron transported cargo over the Himalaya Mountains, with elevations as high as 20,000, causing dangerous air currents. They flew with poor visibility and few navigational tools by following deep gorges cut by the Salween, Mekong, and Yangtze Rivers. John and his fellow pilots earned the respect of their contemporaries and he received the Presidential Citation for his participation in that campaign. His last post served was as aide de camp to Lieutenant General Grunert, the Commanding General of Eastern Defense Command. He left active duty in December of 1945. In 1947, John married former Miss Dorothy Johnson.

John Bond Rogers donated the contents of the Rogers Family Collection to the Herbert H. Lamson Library on October 20, 1979. It documents and preserves examples of the people, places, eras, and events in the development of our town, our state and our country.

Sources

• "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2Q2-WRB1 : 6 April 2020), John Bond Rogers, 18 Apr 1915; citing Birth, , Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007604997.

• "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MJBP-VNC : 2 February 2021), John B Rogers in entry for John Rogers, 1920.

• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X428-RWT : accessed 30 September 2022), John B Rogers in household of John A Rogers, Manhattan (Districts 0501-0750), New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 633, sheet 16A, line 24, family 455, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1562; FHL microfilm 2,341,297.

• "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKG-WGM9 : 9 September 2022), John Bond Rogers, ; Burial, Holderness, Grafton, New Hampshire, United States of America, Trinity Churchyard Cemetery; citing record ID 46963952, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.