1734 On 14 January, John Rogers Junior a yeoman of ye one part of Burlington Twp, Burlington County, and Sarah Stokes, a spinsteress of Wellingborough Twp, Burlington County, of ye other part were granted a marriage license. [1] [2]
1734/35 On 1st month [March], 3rd day, Sarah Rodgers, daughter of John Stoaks was dis mou (disowned for marrying out of unity). [3] Sarah Stokes married Rogers [4].
1739 John Rogers Junior and John Rogers Senior were on the election returns list for Burlington County, New Jersey.
1740 On the 27 of June, the will of John Rogers Junior, yeoman in the city of Burlington, named wife Sarah and children Isaac and Rebeckah, both under age. The estate included real and personal estate and a Negro boy. Executors: wife and friend Revell Elton. Witnesses: John Deacon, Samuel Laning, and Jos. Scattergood. Proved Aug. 13, 1740. [5]
1740 On Aug. 12, the inventory of the estate of John Rogers Jr was valued at £281.0.7; made by Jacob Lippincott and John Deacon. Included note of James Hapes. [6]
1743 The will of John Stokes Sr named daughter Sarah Rogers. [7]
1749 Son Isaac Rogers age 14+, son of John Rogers of Burlington, requested guardianship by Thomas Gill of Chester; bondsmen Thomas Gill and Joseph Biddle.
[placed here out of chronological order] The will of William Hewlings of Burlington, Burlington County, dated 1783, referred to a plantation he had bought of Fretwell Wright and Samuel Shaw, trustees of John Shaw and Isaac Rogers [perhaps the son of John]. [8]
1751 The will of Sarah Stokes Rogers' mother, Elizabeth Green Stokes, named daughter Sarah Biddle with children Isaac, Rebecca, and John Rogers. [9]
1764 Son John Rogers junior died in Burlington County naming brother William Biddle, sister Sarah Biddle, sister Rebekah Eayre married to John Eayre and naming brother Isaac as executor in his will. [10]
The sequence of records above suggests that Sarah was pregnant with future son John at the time of death of John Rogers, unknown when John wrote his will, and that Sarah Stokes Rogers subsequently married a Joseph Biddle (there are two candidates, see below). The remainder of these notes are about Joseph Biddle, to figure out what happened to Sarah Stokes Rogers Biddle:
1771 Joseph Biddle witnessed a will in New hanover Twp, Burlington County.
1776 The will of Joseph Biddle yeoman of Springfield Twp, Burlington County named wife Sarah, son Joseph, daughter Mary Shinn, grand daughter Elizabeth Biddle, son Arney, son Jonathan, grand daughters Amey, Rebekah, and Catherine, daughter-in-law Abigail Biddle, daughter Sarah Monroe, grand daughters Rebekah and Elizabeth Howard. Executors were son Joseph and son-in-law Restore Shinn. Witnesses were William Fox, Ebenezer Antram, and John Robinson. Inventory by Jonathan Hough and William Fox. [11]
1778 Joseph Biddle witnessed a will in Springfield Twp, Burlington County.
1780 Joseph Biddle of Springfield Twp witnessed a will.
1783 Joseph Biddle of Springfield Twp was bondsman for the estate of Reuben Eldridge.
1785 Joseph and Sarah and Stacy Biddle witnessed the will of William Fox in Springfield Twp, Burlington County. [12]
1790 Samuel Norcross of Burlington, son of Joshua and Theodocia (died 1786 with inventory by Thomas Platt) Norcross, chose Joseph Biddle as guardian.
1791 The will of Joseph Biddle of Springfield Twp, Burlington County dated 7 April and proved 14 Feb 1792 named wife Sarah, daughter Beulah, son Stacy, brother-in-law Joshua Shreve, sister Mary Shinn, the children of brother Arney Biddle deceased. Executors were son Stacy and wife Sarah. Witnesses were Joshua Shreve, William Corlis, Jonathan Stockton, and Job Lippincott. Inventory made by Joshua Shreve and Job Lippincott. [13]
1791 On Nov 3, Stacy and Beulah Biddle were named as heirs 20 years hence in the estate of William Welch, if no heirs appeared. Sarah Biddle was a witness. Joseph Biddle made inventory on Jan 1, 1791. [14]
Research Notes:
Some sources [15] [16] name Isaac (not John) Rogers as the husband of Sarah Stokes, daughter of John and Elizabeth Green Stokes. However, the 1751 will of Sarah's mother Elizabeth Green Stokes names Sarah and her children by this John Rogers, so the name Isaac is apparently in error.
The relationship to John I Rogers (shown here as the grandfather of this John), born c 1660, is not well-documented. The relationship to Samuel Rogers, if any, born c 1692 in Ireland and died 17 September 1756 in Allentown, Monmouth County, New Jersey, is unknown.
1868 Sarah Anna Biddle (late Rodgers) Biddle married contrary to discipline and was granted certificate to Upper Springfield in 1873. This lead has not been followed.
[1] New Jersey, County Marriages, 1682-1956, [FamilySearchImage], [FamilySearchRecord].
[2] William Nelson, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 22. (Marriage Records, 1665-1800) (1900), 326, 386, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks], [InternetArchive].
[3] William Wade Hinshaw, Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, Vol. 2 [NJ and Pennsylvania] (1938), 265, [HathiTrust].
[4] Richard Haines, George Haines, Charles Stokes. Genealogy of the Stokes Family (1903), 12, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks].
[5] A. Van Doren Honeyman, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 30. (Wills and Administrations 2, 1730-1750) (1918), 405, citing Lib. 4, p. 250, [GoogleBooks], [HathiTrust].
[6] A. Van Doren Honeyman, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 30. (Wills and Administrations 2, 1730-1750) (1918), 405, citing Lib. 4, p. 250, [GoogleBooks], [HathiTrust].
[7] A. Van Doren Honeyman, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 30. (Wills and Administrations 2, 1730-1750) (1918), 461, citing Lib. 6, p. 314, [GoogleBooks], [HathiTrust].
[8] Elmer T. Hutchinson, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 35. (Wills and Administrations 6, 1781-1785) (1939), 191, [InternetArchive].
[9] A. Van Doren Honeyman, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 32. (Wills and Administrations 3, 1751-1760) (1924), 311, citing Burlington Wills, 4085 C, [InternetArchive].
[10] A. Van Doren Honeyman, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 33. (Wills and Administrations 4, 1761-1770) (1928), 361, [InternetArchive].
[11] A. Van Doren Honeyman, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 34. (Wills and Administrations 5, 1771-1780) (1931), 42, [InternetArchive].
[12] Elmer T. Hutchinson, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 35. (Wills and Administrations 6, 1781-1785) (1939), 152, [InternetArchive].
[13] Elmer T. Hutchinson, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 37. (Wills and Administrations 8, 1791-1795) (1942), 35, of 35-36, [InternetArchive].
[14] Elmer T. Hutchinson, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 37. (Wills and Administrations 8, 1791-1795) (1942), 391, [InternetArchive].
[15] Richard Haines, George Haines, Charles Stokes. Genealogy of the Stokes Family (1903), 12, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks].
[16] Francis Bazley Lee, ed., Genealogical and Memorial History of the State of New Jersey, Vol. 2 (1910), 580, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks].