Cyntha Cannon Rogers

Born in Sevier County, Tennessee, on August 24, 1800, Cyntha Cannon was the daughter of  William Henry CANNON who came from Cumberland County, VA and his wife Catherine Henderson who had been born in North Carolina.  Cyntha was the oldest of 8 children, all of whom lived to become adults.

When she was 18 she married the son of Rev. Elijah Rogers, Micajah Clack Rogers (1795-1873) who was  the eldest of 11 children born to the Reverend (from Farquier County, VA) and his wife, Catherine Clack Rogers, who was born in Henry County, VA.

Smoky Mountains

These were pioneering people.  These parents arrived in Sevier County, on the western side of the Appalachian ridges that would be called the Smoky Mountains in years to come.   And Cyntha and Micajah Rogers were among the first generation to be born there.

 Sevier County as it is known today was formed on September 18, 1794 from part of neighboring Jefferson County, and has retained its original boundaries ever since. The county takes its name from John Sevier, governor of the failed State of Franklin and first governor of Tennessee, who played a prominent role during the early years of settlement in the region.  Since its establishment in 1795, the county seat has been situated at Sevierville (also named for Sevier), the eighth-oldest city in Tennessee. (Wikipedia)

Micajah had lots of interests in business, resulting in part ownership of several, owning lots and buildings in Sevierville, and even part of a foundry, the Sweeden Furnace.

A Historic Marker now stands to remind us of the Sweeden Furnace, from Sevierville, TN located...

 5 miles northwest, (of Sevierville downtown) this was first called Short Mountain Furnace using local ore bank ore. Started about 1820 by Robert Shields, William K. Love and brothers operated it about 1830. Micajah C. Rogers bought it and changed its name in 1836. It closed in 1840, following the panic of 1837 and deterioration in quality of ore.

Another marker stands on Hwy 441 in nearby Pigeon Forge, TN which after all, was also the site of iron mining. Do you know what Pig-eon Iron is?  And most of you have heard of a forge...right?

About 3/4 mile southeast, Issac Love operated a forge on the site of the flour mill on Pigeon River in 1820, making bar iron. Ore came from an orebank about 3 miles east, later, pig iron came from Sweden Furnace, 5 miles east. Forge hammer and fittings are nearby. 

Micajah and Cyntha did not fare well as the economy had a down turn around 1840 while he was living still in Sevier County.  Cyntha's last child was born in March of 1941, and died in Oct. of that year in  Sevierville.  I'm pretty sure the Rogers family and the Gibbs family from South Carolina merged and moved west and south, and some of them stayed in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.  The Rogers Family Bible was a wedding present for Cyntha's eldest son, George Washington Rogers, as he married one of the 8 Gibbs  children, and his sister married another.

By 1846 Cyntha and Micajah were living in Walker County, Texas.

My cousin Pat Rogers Seliger, joined a Pioneer Society for Walker County Texas, based upon Micajah Clack Rogers arriving there before Oct. 5, 1850.

I won't go into more on Micajah's life here, because he'll have his own birthday next May 7, and I can tell you all about his ventures and adventures then.

Cyntha had 11 children, and perhaps because of the economy, some of them didn't live very long.  Catherine Louisa died at 5. Amelia Amanda was 1. And Cyntha's last 3 children died within a few months of their births, all in Sevierville, TN.  The other 6 did live to become adults.

 She only lived to be 55 years old, dying in her new home town of Huntsville, Walker County, Texas.
  The Rogers were founding members of the Baptist Church in Huntsville.

Out of focus photo of marker for First Baptist Church of Huntsville, TX.

Cyntha's middle name was Cannon, on all records except her tombstone, which says Cyntha O. Rogers.  Maybe whoever was in charge of it didn't know her real middle name.

Her son, George Washington Rogers, was my grandfather's grandfather, thus my name Rogers.  I believe that makes Cyntha my 3 times great grandmother.  Happy birthday Granny!