Rogers, Mary Martin and Family. Papers, 1851 - 1954

Collection — Container: Box 1

Identifier: SMHC Collection 1332

Staff Only

Abstract

This collection consists mainly of copies of letters written to Lavina Wood from members of her family. Most of the letters came from Lavina Wood’s brothers and sisters, and date from 1851 to the early 1900s. The letters from 1901 to 1905, which were written by Mary Martin Rogers, Lavina’s sister, are original. The letters discuss everyday pioneer life, and contain information about other family members, problems with farming, and financial advice. They provide a good look at the lives of women on the homesteading frontier. Also included in the collection is a photocopy of a newspaper article from the Evening Leader of New York, which discusses a journal, compiled by the son of Rhoda Lodema Martin Marcy. A family genealogy chart constructed for Seneca Marcy is also included in the collection.

Dates

1851-1954

Conditions Governing Use

There are no restrictions on use of this collection for research purposes. The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property and libel laws as they apply.

Biographical / Historical

The family which this collection focuses on began with Sylvester Martin. He moved his family to Canton, New York around 1830. The family included seven children – Lavina, Rhoda, Lodema, Eliza, Mary Ann, Nathan, Joseph, and Ferdinand.

Joseph died at the age of sixteen. Lavina married Lewis Wood and spent her entire life in Canton, New York. Lodema married and moved west with her husband, Seneca Marcy. They eventually settled in Clarence, Iowa. Slyvester, his wife and family also moved west and lived in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Mary married Martin Rogers and lived in Zumbrota, Minnesota. Ferdinand lived in Wisconsin until his wife died, and then he moved to Iowa. Eliza was married and lived for a time in Cedar County, Iowa. She later moved to Zumbrota, Minnesota. Nathan never married and lived in Wisconsin.

The original letters in the collection were written from 1901 – 1905 by Mary Martin Rogers, and were sent to Lena Wood, her niece, the daughter of Lavina and Lewis Wood.