Title: Charles B. Rogers Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1824-1960

Creator:

• Rogers, Charles B., 1871-1960

Call Number: Whitewater Mss D

Quantity: 11.4 cubic feet (19 archives boxes and 30 oversize volumes)

Repository:

Housed at the University Archives & Area Research Center, Harold Andersen Library, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

UW-Whitewater Library / Whitewater Area Research Ctr. (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Papers of Charles B. Rogers, a Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, attorney, consisting of correspondence, diaries, and material relating to civic projects; diaries of his mother, Angenette H. Rogers; and diaries, correspondence, and sermons of a great uncle, Reverend Joshua Britton, a Universalist preacher in New England prior to 1869 and at Fort Atkinson during the later years of his life. Rogers' correspondence concerns largely his interest in the University of Wisconsin and in alumni affairs. A few letters between 1893 and 1906 show his advocacy of the Single Tax. From the World War I period, the collection contains records of his chairmanship of the Liberty Loan Speaker's Bureau, 1918-1919, and Mrs. Rogers' records of her chairmanship of the county organization for The Fatherless Children of France, 1918-1920. Rogers' professional papers include records of the legal firm of his father, W. H. Rogers, and himself. Other papers include records of the City Hall Company of Fort Atkinson, 1881-1910; a volume listing cases tried in a justice court in Jefferson County, 1860-1868; and a record of receipts and expenditures of the First Universalist Church at Fort Atkinson, 1891-1899 and 1904.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-whit000d

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Charles Britton Rogers was born in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin in 1871, the son of a lawyer, W. H. Rogers. His mother, before her marriage, was Angenette (Nettie) Horton, a music teacher. The parents moved to Wisconsin from New England in the 1860s and became active members of the Universalist church as well as leaders in the civic life of Fort Atkinson.

When Charles and his brother, Frank, were small boys their mother's uncle, Reverend Joshua Britton, lived with them. Reverend Britton had preached in New England for thirty-eight years, and moved to Wisconsin with his wife in 1869, taking up residence with the Rogers because they had reared Angenette Horton. Reverend Britton had charge of a church in Fort Atkinson for one year, and continued to take part in Universalist meetings and the distribution of church literature in Wisconsin.

Charles B. Rogers attended the University of Wisconsin and received his law degree there in 1895. He returned to Fort Atkinson to practice with his father, served as district attorney for Jefferson County, 1898-1902, and was Jefferson County Judge from 1906 to 1914. Always interested in the University of Wisconsin, he served as president of the Alumni Association in 1916-1917, and was a member of its Board of Directors. During World War I both he and his wife, Effie, were active in war work, he as chairman of the Speaker's Bureau for the Liberty Loan drives, and she as chairman of a county organization cooperating in the foreign aid project called “The Fatherless Children of France.” Rogers was a Democrat, and a strong advocate of the Single Tax.

He practiced in Fort Atkinson almost until the time of his death in 1960, and through many years his daughter, Neal, served as his secretary. During the last fourteen years he wrote a series of articles for the Daily Jefferson County Union, called “Reminiscences of a Country Lawyer,” for which he drew on his extensive diaries.

Correspondence (arranged chronologically) in the Rogers papers is not continuous but rather falls into groups. Between 1825 and 1878 most of the letters concern Joshua Britton and his life as a minister in New England. Between 1889 and 1895 the correspondence consists of exchanges between Charles, while a student at the University of Wisconsin, and his parents. Rogers' letters at this time contain detailed accounts of student activities, especially debating, class work, and entertainment; descriptions of professors; and numerous characterizations of campus speakers such as Woodrow Wilson, William McKinley, and Robert Ingersoll. Since Rogers was an advocate of the Single tax, there are scattered letters referring to this between 1893 and 1906. Letters of 1915-1917 relate to his interest in the University of Wisconsin and alumni matters, and deal with tuition policies, the legislative committee, and appropriations. Correspondence of 1918-1920 includes communications Mrs. Rogers had in connection with her association with The Fatherless Children of France. Rogers' correspondence of 1930-1951 relates to reunions of the class of 1893 and the law class of 1895 at the University of Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin Alumni Association, and the Wisconsin X Club.

Miscellaneous materials include records of the Liberty Loan Speakers' Bureau, records and accounts for The Fatherless Children of France, typewritten copies of “Reminiscences of a Country Lawyer,” and various class notes and papers relating to the University of Wisconsin.

The Rogers papers include three very interesting collections of diaries, due partly to the periods covered and partly to the subject matter. 1) Between 1824 and 1878 Reverend Joshua Britton kept daily journals and diaries which reflect the life of a preacher in New England--a preacher who very often filled pulpits in two or three states in the course of a year. His diaries of the 1870s are concerning his life after he moved to Wisconsin. 2) Reverend Britton's niece, Angenette (Nettie) Horton Rogers (mother of Charles B. Rogers) kept diaries from 1856? to 1905. These record the daily activities of a housewife and mother. 3) From 1882 to 1960 Charles B. Rogers faithfully kept his own diaries, recording daily activities relating to his school work at the University of Wisconsin, his personal life, and his legal practice in Fort Atkinson. Filed with the diaries are other bound records of individuals plus a few unbound papers of Joshua Britton.

Filed at the end of the collection are the records of Rogers and Rogers, records of the City Hall Company of Fort Atkinson, a list of cases tried in a justice court in Jefferson County, and a record of receipts and expenditures of the First Universalist Church at Fort Atkinson.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Charles B. Rogers, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, 1951; and Miss Neal Rogers, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, 1960 and February 1964.

Processing Information

Processed by Margaret R. Hafstad, 1964.

Whitewater Mss D	Series: Correspondence
Box   1-3	1825-1952 and undated
Box   15	Additional Joshua Britton correspondence, 1848-1878
Box   16	Additional Charles B. Rogers correspondence, 1930-1951
	Series: Miscellaneous Records	⇧
Box   3	Records of the Liberty Loan Speakers' Bureau, 1918-1919
Box   3	Records and accounts for The Fatherless Children of France, 1918-1920
Box   4	Typewritten copies of “Reminiscences of a Country Lawyer”
Box   4	Debates, University of Wisconsin
Box   4-5	Class notes, University of Wisconsin
Box   5	Rogers on bicycle laws of Wisconsin
Box   5	Articles and speeches
Box   6	University of Wisconsin alumni matters
Box   6	Material relating to Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin
Box   6	Genealogy: Rogers, Britton, Horton families
Box   6	Miscellaneous
	Series: Diaries and Other Bound Volumes of Individuals	⇧
	Joshua Britton
Box   7-8 Volume   1-67	Daily journals, 1824 May 16-1878 August 28
Box   9 Volume   81	Daily journals, 1878 August-October
Box   9 Volume   68-77	Diaries, 1869-1978
Box   9 Volume   78-79	Expense books, 1862, 1868
Box   9 Volume   80-81	Pastoral record, 1831 July 10-1865 May, 1867 November 18-1878 March
Box   9 Volume   82-83	Ministerial compensation, 1831-1849, 1861
Box   9	Miscellaneous record and expense lists
Box   9	Sermons, with dates and places preached
Box   10	Sermons and notes
Box   10	Articles, etc. published by Britton
Box   10	Miscellaneous documents, printed letters, receipts
	Angenette (Nettie) Horton Rogers
Box   10-11 Volume   84-130	Diaries, 1856 April 5-1905 January 14
Box   11 Volume   131	Grocery expense book, 1883-1891
	Charles B. Rogers
Box   12-14 Volume   132-188	Diaries, 1882-1935
Volume   189-218	Lawyer's day books, 1931-1960 Note: 1931-1935 overlap previous volumes.
Box   14 Volume   219	Expense book, 1883-1891
	Series: Rogers and Rogers	⇧
Box   17 Volume   220	Cash book, 1898-1904
Box   17 Volume   221	Day book I, 1884-1891, 1894-1897
Box   17 Volume   222	Day book II, 1897-1904
Box   18 Volume   223	Day book III, 1901-1916
	Series: City Hall Company, Fort Atkinson	⇧
Box   18 Volume   224	Account book, 1881-1904
Box   18 Volume   225	Minutes, 1896-1910
Box   18 Volume   226	Series: Justice Court, Jefferson County: Cases tried, 1860-1868	⇧
Box   19 Volume   227	Series: First Universalist Church, Fort Atkinson: Receipts and Expenditures, 1891-1899, 1904	⇧