Daniel Dennison Rogers,
son of Rev Daniel Rogers. born May 11 1751. He was educated for a mercantile life and settled in Boston, where he pursued business ( afterwards in England with Henry Bromfield, son of Henry Bromfield Esq, of Harvard ) until somewhere between 1790 and 1800 when having accumulated a handsome estate, he retired from active business, living in Boston until the time of his death. He was a man of sound judgement, of wnspotted integrity, a sincere Christian and gave liberally of his money to benevolent objects. He married Oct 16 1781 Abigail Bromfield, daughter of Henry Bromfield Esq. who died without issue Oct 7 1791. He married again Jan 18 1796, her sister Elizabeth ( not of the same mother ) by whom he had the following children
Elizabeth born Sept 11 1798 Daniel Dennison Tan 22 1799 John May 11 1800 Henry Bromfield Apr 4 1802 Daniel Dennison Mar 26 1805 Hannah Dec 21 1806 died Aug 16 1803 June 4 1803 June 15 1884 Mar 30 1887 Sept 14 1816 June 291872
Mrs. Rogers, the mother of these children, was a woman of distinguished piety. She suffered much from sickness much of her married life, but bore her pain and confinement with Christian fortitude and resignation and died May 5 1833 aged 70 years. ( There is evidently some mistake in dates of birth of the first two children as above. I suspect the date of birth of Elizabeth should be 1797. (J.G.P. )John Graeme Purdon) The Manor House where all these children were horn and the parents died was on Beacon St. Boston and stood where the block of houses now ( 1852 ) on the corner of Beacon and Sumner Streets facing westerly towards the State House. From Family Papers - See also Daniel Dennison Rogers House
THE DANIEL DENNISON ROGERS HOUSE |
| From a address delivered for the Old Boston Society by Daniel Dennison Slade in the Council |
| Chamber of the Old State House |
| In this mansion I, my brothers and sisters were all born. " It was built of brick brought from Philadelphia at great expence. It was three stories high with an ell for the kitchen. There were only two rooms on a floor in the main house; the kitchen formed an ell. On the other side they are building a new State House. The rooms are extremely lofty and spacious, and upon the whole it has a striking effect." quoted from an account of it written by JOHN SINGLETONCOPLEY |
| Quite faithful representations of the house are not infrequently seen upon crockery of the day, whenever the State House is depicted with cows grazing upon the Common, there will probably be seen at the right the house of my father's ( D.D. Rogers ) surmounted by its |
| cupola. By a singular and quite ingenious disposition of the ground in front of the mansion, a stable for several horses, as well as a carriage house was provided, one on either side of the gateway: and looking on from the house, all this was entirely concealed from the eye. In addition on the corner of Bowdoin Street, there was a carriage house intended for the family coach, to which the horses would be attached, being brought from the stable, separated by a paved court yard. Across the upper portion of the court yard communication between the lower kitchen and Bowdoin St. was an enormous woodshed capable of containing many cords of hard wood, much of it in huge logs — all of which was sawed and piled away in the hottest days of July. I well remember for several years the same faithful excellent man with grown up sons industriously sawing day after day on this apparently inexhaustible supply of wood. It is a pleasure in these demoralized times to remember and record the services of such honest and efficient servants. Their days have been departed, apparently to return no more. The grounds in front of the house were disposed in terraces corresponding to the flight of steps, while on the other side of the broad walk, there was a large area of gravelled tar, which formed a roof for the stable as well as for the store and cattle shed. Elsewhere, there was turf intersected with flower beds and ornamented with shrubbery disposed in groups. Behind the house was a large garden area extending back to Beacon Hill Place, devided into an upper and lower level connected by a flight of stairs The upper level was gravelled with a large circular grassy mound in the center of the space. The lower level was laid out in walk and borders , with flowers, shrubs and fruit trees, where various grape vines covered the walls bounding the several streets. The two houses now standing, one on Mount Vernon St, the other on Bowdoin St were afterwards built upon the northern section of the garden. The western one was erected for Mr. Roger's eldest daughter, Mrs. Slade, after her marriage, and communication could be had with her fathers family by means of a postern gate in the division wall. |
| There was an iron balcony over the front door of the house. Upon the opening of which one entered a capacious hall, from which on either side doors communicated on the left with |
| the grand drawing room, and on the right with the Parlor or common living room. The drawing room extended the entire length of the building with a large fireplace in the centre of the western wall. It was furnished with sofas, chairs, upholstered in green silk, and with other pieces of furniture, elegant in design, which had been brought out from France, and were the spoils of its Palaces which had so lately been in the hands of the revolutionists. Family portraits, conspicuous among which was Copleys painting of Mrs. Abigail Rogers, adorned the walls, while gracious drapery and various artistic objects served to complete a very elaborate and luxuriously furnished apartment. The common living room or parlor on the opposite side of the hall was a sunny charming room with a south-easterly aspect and furnished with a turkey carpet, a large mahogany dinning room table and chairs, with side board, while on the walls hung huge engravings after Copley, and I remember the portrait of Mr. Rogers by Stuart, "painted about the year 1815. The large and generous fireplace with its pile of logs ablaze gave a comfortable and homelike appearance to the hospitable parlor. A large entry way separated this room from the northern wall of the building rendering it much warmer in the inclement seasons of the year and serving as a means of communication between the kitchen and the front hall, and also with an enormous china closet at the rear of the house. A spacious stairway led from the front hall to the second stair, and on the landing, looking to the north was a large window over-looking the garden in the rear. The upper hall way was of the same dimensions as the lower. Upon the flight was a door leading to the apartment directly over the grand drawing room, and of the same size. It was divided however by a folding partition in which were inserted numerous french mirrors. This was known as the tea-room, and was intended for receptions, tea drinking and social occasions as which time as the drawing would not be in use. It was a delightful room and its outlook upon the Mall, Common and State House was very pleasing. Opposite the tea room was Mrs. Rogers chamber, very capacious, sunny and also commanding a fine view. In the upper story were various sleeping apartments. The southeast was the nursery from the windows of which a noble view of the harbor and Charlestown was presented. Especially on Election and other holidays, so dear to youthful hearts, was the scene presented on the Common, by the perspective vendors of ginger beer and lobster candy, mingling among the masses, most picturesque. But at all times when the family or guests desired to view the complete panorama which was spread out before them and at night also, when the heavens were illuminated by the torch of the incendiary and the sweet slumber of the children was interrupted were rudely disturbed by the rushing upward of the servant to ascertain whether the alarm was given out by the indescribable sounds of the watchmans rattle was false or true. I must not forget the spacious kitchen with its array of chimney sweep was sent, seeming - in our youthful minds," to infernal regions. - The enormous cellars which extended beneath the entire building deserves a moments notice. |
| These all communicated with each other, and externally, entrance was effected through the main kitchen through the coach yard. They were thoroughly constructed, entirely dry and well ventilated. Beneath one of the cellars, at about the centre of the building was dug a second or sub cellar, a truly subterranean excavation. A flight of stairs led down to this abyss which of course was removed from all light from heaven. It contained a large tank for bathing, and was one of those whims the origin of which no one can explain. The house was taken down in 1834. In a letter to Mr. Clark, who was at the time living in Montreal, Mr. Rogers writes, " Mr. Copleys hills are wheeling down on to the flats at the expence of fifty thousand dollars at least, and a road along the bottom of the Common from Pleasant St to the Cambridge is making. |
| Directly opposite to me, the old alms house is building an enormous double house which will cost no less than $ 60,000; it is five stories high above the cellar, besides garrets for sleeping. These ate a part of doings in the line of building and land speculation. Application will be madeat the next legislative for a bank in this town with a capital of three million. I suspect you think we are going on rather fast. |
