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Rogers, Henry Cassady, Postmaster, Peterboro’, Ontario, was born at Grafton, Northumberland county, Ontario, on the 16th of July, 1839. He is the second son of the late Lieut.-Col. James G. Rogers and his first wife, Maria Burnham. His father died at his residence in Grafton on the 27th of November, 1874, in his seventieth year, greatly regretted by all who knew him. He (J. G. Rogers) came to Grafton with his parents from the village of Brighton, his birthplace, when he was only five years of age, and his life was spent amidst a people many of whom were the contemporaries of his youth. He was an upright magistrate and a sincere Christian. His grandfather, David McGregor Rogers, was a U. E. loyalist, who came to this country from New England with the first loyalists after the termination of the revolutionary war in 1776. He settled first on the Bay of Quinté, afterwards moving to Presqu’Isle, and finally to the township of Haldimand (now the village of Grafton), where he opened the first post-office between Kingston and York (now Toronto), and where three generations of the family have been born. The homestead is now occupied by his brother, Lieut.-Col. R. Z. Rogers, commanding the 40th battalion. He (D. McG. Rogers) was for twenty-four years a member of the Upper Canada legislature; and died on the 13th July, 1824, in the fifty-third year of his age. In his political opinions he was a warm admirer of the British constitution, and during the time he sat in the legislature no member guarded the rights and interests of the people more zealously than he did. His great-granduncle was the famous Col. Rogers of “Roger’s Rangers,” who was a man of note during the last century,—best known as Major Rogers. He first became famous as a scout in the Indian troubles. His exploits furnished Fenimore Cooper with the ground-work of his tales of the “Leather-stocking,” and “Horrors of the Backwoods.” He was commissioned to raise and organize a regiment of scouts during the French war. This corps rendered valuable service at the taking of Canada from the French, and on its surrender Rogers was entrusted by the commander-in-chief with the arduous duty of proceeding west from Montreal, and taking possession in the name of the king of Great Britain, of the country including forts Frontenac (Kingston), Niagara, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Mackinaw, etc., as far as the Mississippi in the west and Lake Superior north. He had therefore the honour of commanding the first British expedition that passed through the great chain of lakes, interesting accounts of which may be found in his “Journal,” published in London, England, in 1765; “Heely’s Wolfe in Canada,” “Parkman’s Conspiracy of Pontiac,” chap. vi.; and many others. The Rangers were re-organized on the breaking out of the rebellion in 1765, by a brother of the first commanding officer Colonel James Rogers who was the great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, commanded at St. John’s, Quebec (the key of Canada as it was then called), and were called the “Queen’s Rangers,” but many of the leading spirits joined the rebels, among others Putnam and Stark, who were lieutenants in the Rangers, and who became celebrated generals in the American army. Great inducements were offered the Rogers to join Washington, but they remained staunch to the Crown, for which they not only lost their homes and possessions (some 30,000 acres of land in New England), but had their good name calumniated, being called traitors and spies by the partisan press of the revolutionists. The mother of H. C. Rogers was third daughter of the late Hon. Zaccheus Burnham, of Cobourg, who came to Cobourg with his four brothers from New Hampshire at the end of the last century, and who carved out homes and affluence from the forest, and left a large circle of descendants who are filling many positions of trust and honour throughout the Dominion. Henry Cassady Rogers, the subject of our sketch, received his primary education in the public school at Grafton; then when twelve years of age he was sent to the Model School at Toronto, and finally to the Grammar School at Kingston where he graduated. He then apprenticed himself to his uncle, the late Lieut.-Colonel R. D. Rogers, of Ashburnham, who learned him how to conduct a commercial business, and with this uncle he remained from 1855 to 1860. He then went into business in Peterboro’ with his brother-in-law, Harry Strickland, son of Colonel Strickland, of Lakefield, and for ten years they carried on a successful mercantile lumbering and mining business under the name of Strickland & Rogers. In 1871 Mr. Rogers retired from the firm and was made postmaster of Peterboro’, which office he now fills with satisfaction to the public. Mr. Rogers has inherited from his illustrious ancestors a love of military life, and when only sixteen years of age, on the Rifle company being formed at Peterboro’ in 1855, he joined that corps; and in 1866, on the promotion of Captain Poole, he was given command of the company, and acted as its captain during the various Fenian raids of that period. In 1867, when the 57th battalion was formed, he and his companions became No. 1 company of the battalion. In this connection, we may here say, that his brother, Lieut.-Colonel Robert Z. Rogers, commands the 40th (Northumberland) battalion; and his cousin, Lieut.-Colonel James Z. Rogers, the 57th battalion Peterboro’ Rangers. In 1872 he raised and commanded the Peterboro’ Cavalry troop, which now forms C troop of the 3rd Prince of Wales Canadian Dragoons. Mr. Rogers is an active member of the Masonic brotherhood, and belongs to Corinthian lodge, No. 101, Peterboro’. He crossed the Atlantic in 1862, and made himself familiar with many cities of the old world. In politics he is a Liberal-Conservative; and in religious matters he is an adherent of the Episcopal church. In 1863 he was married at Smith’s Falls, to Maria, eldest daughter of Dr. W. H. Burritt, a scion of an old U. E. loyalist family of the Rideau, who settled at Burritt’s Rapids many years ago.