Monument Dedication
In Memory Of
California’s Unsung Hero
John H. Rogers
Saturday, April 28,
2007
Merced Cemetery District
1300 B Street
Merced, California
11:30 a.m.
In Conjunction With
Death Valley ’49ers, Inc.
Merced Historical Society
Merced Cemetery District
John Haney Rogers
1822 - 1906
It is unfortunate that so very little
is known about the life of John Haney Rogers and especially that to date
no picture has been located. He was born in Tennessee in 1822. After
escaping from Death Valley, he arrived in Los Angeles and shortly headed
north to mine for gold. In 1852 he was living in Santa Clara County and
in that year he was the first constable for the City of Gilroy. He later
moved to Merced County where he remained the rest of his life. Rogers was
a farmer and at one time owned his own farm in Merced County. In later
life he had a portion of both feet amputated because of mercury poisoning
brought on from his gold mining days or working in a quicksilver mine in
Santa Clara County. Rogers passed away on December 29, 1906, in Merced,
at age 84.
The
Heroes of Death Valley
John H. Rogers & William L. Manly
Rogers and Manly met in 1849 as they
were both coming west to California and became close friends. After
arriving near Salt Lake City they joined the wagon train known as the Sand
Walking Company, which was organized to go to Los Angeles. The Bennett
and Arcan families were members of that wagon train and Manly knew the
Bennett family as neighbors in Wisconsin. Along the route the wagon train
leaders were shown a map that indicated a short cut to California through
the Great American Desert. Many took the short cut including Rogers,
Manly and the Arcan and Bennett families. This was in October of 1849.
Those that took the short cut soon came upon difficult times as water was
hard to locate and food supplies were running low. The once organized
wagon train became disorganized and split into several separate groups.
In December of 1849 they found themselves in what is now known as Death
Valley. Rogers and Manly remained with the Arcan and Bennett families
and eventually camped at the base of the Panamint Mountains. There the
two families, who had children with them, found they were exhausted and
were running too short of supplies to carry on. It was decided that
Rogers and Manly would take what supplies they needed and walk out and
find civilization, not knowing how far away that would be. The pair
walked 250 miles and found the Rancho San Francisquito where they bought
the needed supplies and walked back to the families. Over three weeks had
elapsed but they found the families alive and they all nourished
themselves a few days. They then abandoned their wagons leaving all their
worldly possessions behind and walked the 250 miles to civilization. The
Rogers and Manly rescue is still considered one of California’s most
heroic deeds
The Rescued Families
The Arcan’s
  
Jean Baptiste
Abigail Charles
Jean Baptiste was born in Versailles,
France in 1813. Abigail was born in Massachusetts about 1814. Charles
was born on May 1, 1848 in Illinois. After escaping from Death Valley the
family settled in Santa Cruz, California. Abigail carried out a table
cloth she refused to leave behind.
The Bennett’s
  
Asahel
Melissa
Martha
Asahel Bennett was born in New York
about 1814. His wife Sarah (no photo) was born in 1825 in Ohio. They had
three children with them when they came west in 1849, George (no photo)
age 7, Melissa age 4, and Martha age one. It was the strong desire of
Rogers and Manly to save the children which drove them to make the heroic
rescue.
William Lewis Manly
He was born on April 6, 1820 in
Vermont. He met Asahel Bennett
when he lived in Wisconsin and they would hunt together.
After some mining in California Manly settled in San Jose and in
1862 married Mary Woods. In
1894 he published his life story in the book
“Death Valley in 49.”
It is still available and is highly
recommended reading.
Death Valley ’49ers, Inc.
The Death Valley ’49ers was organized
in 1949 as part of the Centennial Celebration of the State of California.
It is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that seeks to expand public
awareness of Death Valley and its natural resources. The mission of the
’49ers is to foster appreciation of Death Valley, preserve its history,
with special recognition to the wagon train of 1849, and to provide
scholarships for students in the Death Valley region.
Acknowledgements
Marvin
Jensen, President Death Valley ’49ers
Ray Sisson.
Past President Death Valley ’49ers
Lois Jimenez,
Merced Historical Society and
Board Member
Merced Cemetery District
Jimmy Frye,
Supt., Merced Cemetery District
Merced Monuments
Special
thanks goes to Lois Jimenez.
Her
assistance in the research and
planning
has made this event possible.
|
