The Rogerenes: some hitherto unpublished annals belonging to the colonial history of Connecticut

In Short

This volume serves as a historical reclamation, recovering the annals of the Rogerenes—a 17th-century religious movement founded by John Rogers in New London, Connecticut. The Rogerenes earned the ire of the colonial establishment by rejecting infant baptism, working on the Sabbath, and famously disrupting Congregationalist services to protest the mandatory taxation of dissenters. Through legal transcripts, personal testimonies, and historical defense, the book documents generations of fines, imprisonment, and physical scourging endured by these families. It stands as a testament to their unwavering commitment to religious liberty, documenting how their early radicalism eventually paved the way for modern secular governance and the separation of civil and religious authority.

The Story

The narrative begins with the prosperity of the Rogers family in mid-17th-century New London. James Rogers, a wealthy baker and businessman, holds a position of significant influence in the colony. However, the family’s peace is shattered when they embrace beliefs that place them at odds with the "standing order" of the Congregational Church. As James and his children begin to observe a scriptural Sabbath—working on Sunday and absenting themselves from state-mandated worship—they find themselves systematically targeted by the colonial government.

The conflict escalates with the rise of John Rogers, whose uncompromising character becomes the movement's focal point. He is repeatedly arrested, fined, and imprisoned for "blasphemy" and disturbing the peace. The state, led by figures like Governor Saltonstall, attempts to crush the sect through heavy taxation and the seizure of property, yet the Rogerenes survive by practicing extreme frugality and mutual support. The struggle reaches a harrowing peak when John Rogers is separated from his wife, Mary, and his children, who are taken from him through biased court proceedings and claims of illegitimacy designed to break his resolve.

As the generations turn, the persecution shifts from outright physical torture—such as public whipping and long-term incarceration—to social ostracization. The Rogerenes continue to meet on their own terms, often holding services in the woods or at private homes, and they grow adept at using the legal system to challenge the validity of their fines. They maintain a distinct identity, settling in areas like "Quakertown," while their descendants increasingly integrate into the broader society.

The latter half of the book chronicles the decline of overt hostility as the American colonies move toward a more pluralistic society. The Rogerenes’ once-radical demand for the separation of church and state gains wider acceptance, rendering their specific, combative form of protest less necessary. By the 19th century, the sect has largely dissolved into other denominations, though their legacy lives on through the history of Connecticut’s peace movements. The story ends not with a grand triumph, but with the quiet fading of a "despised" band whose persistence helped dismantle the dark, intolerant machinery of early New England theocracy. The final pages reflect on this transformation, observing that the fires of persecution were extinguished only when the surrounding society finally adopted the very principles of liberty for which the Rogerenes had suffered and bled for nearly two centuries.

How It Unfolds

The establishment of dissent James Rogers and his family, among the wealthiest in New London, abandon the Congregational church to join the Seventh Day Baptists. This break prompts immediate state retaliation, beginning with fines for non-attendance and labor performed on the Sabbath.

The rise of John Rogers John Rogers emerges as the sect’s leader, characterized by his refusal to pay church taxes or acknowledge the legitimacy of the state-run clergy. His outspoken critique of the governor and the ministry leads to repeated trials, long imprisonments, and the public branding of his character.

The legal assault The colonial courts, dominated by Rogers’ personal enemies, weaponize the legal system to ruin his finances and domestic life. Judges and ministers systematically strip him of his property and separate him from his family under the guise of maintaining public order and morality.

The era of physical suffering The conflict turns violent, with the state using public floggings to punish those who refuse to conform. The book provides graphic accounts of the scourging of Rogerenes, emphasizing their refusal to renounce their testimonies even under intense physical agony.

The survival of the community Despite the state's best efforts to destroy them, the Rogerenes maintain their cohesion through shared labor and deep religious conviction. They establish tight-knit enclaves like Quakertown, where their traditions are preserved through oral history and quiet defiance.

The transition to acceptance As the 18th century progresses, the harsh laws against religious dissent fall into disuse. The Rogerenes begin to mingle with other citizens, and their core message—that the state has no authority over the soul—slowly becomes a foundational American value.

The People

John Rogers acts as the primary protagonist and the soul of the resistance. He is portrayed as a man of iron will and deep, if unconventional, piety, who refuses to yield an inch to the authorities, even when it costs him his property, his freedom, and his family. His father, James Rogers, represents the initial, respectable class of dissenters, a man whose wealth and stature provide the early resources necessary for the movement to survive its first decade of state-imposed poverty.

Governor Gurdon Saltonstall emerges as the primary antagonist, representing the cold, calculating power of the established church and colonial government. He is depicted as a man who hides his malice behind legalistic formality, using his position to orchestrate the persecution of Rogers while claiming that Connecticut is a land of religious freedom. Peter Pratt and other local ministers serve as the enforcement arm of this system, providing the "theological" justification for the violence inflicted upon the dissenters.

Mary Rogers and later family members like Delight Rogers illustrate the collateral human cost of the struggle. These women are shown enduring the emotional and physical strain of imprisonment, their sufferings highlighting the brutality of the laws governing marriage and family life. Finally, later figures like John R. Bolles serve as the chroniclers, aiming to clear the names of their ancestors and frame the Rogerenes' long, painful journey as a necessary crusade for the eventual triumph of individual conscience over institutional tyranny.

In Its Own Voice

“If John Rogers was such a terrible sinner for what he did to them, how much greater accountability will they have to meet who, without any just cause, made their attack upon him!”

This observation appears in the defense of John Rogers, questioning the moral authority of the ministers who orchestrated his imprisonment.

“The laws that nerved to heroic protest a people resolved to obey no dictation of man in regard to the worship of God lie dead upon the statute book—although as yet not buried.”

This sentence describes the shift in the 18th century, when legal persecution faded even as the memories of the struggle remained fresh among the surviving descendants.

“This whipping was executed in a very barbarous manner, for the rods were trimmed, and long sharp fangs left on them, to tear the flesh of the sufferers.”

This harrowing detail is provided in an account of the physical torture applied by colonial officials to break the resolve of the Rogerenes.

What It's Really About

The central argument of the book is that the Rogerenes were not the "fanatics" depicted by contemporary colonial historians, but rather early, essential martyrs for the cause of religious liberty. The text contends that the persecution they suffered was not about maintaining order, but about preserving the power of a specific state-sponsored church against those who questioned its divine authority.

Beneath the historical narrative lies a profound inquiry into the nature of true faith versus institutional religion. The author argues that when a church requires the force of the state—the "whips, stocks, fines and imprisonments"—to maintain its standing, it has already lost its moral legitimacy. The book interrogates the hypocrisy of the early Connecticut colony, which fled religious persecution in England only to replicate that same intolerance upon its own shores. Ultimately, it seeks to prove that the Rogerenes' defiance was a necessary, even noble, struggle that helped forge the modern ideal of a free, pluralistic society.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in the history of civil liberties, the American colonial experience, or the sociology of religious fringe groups will find this volume deeply engaging. It provides a rare, raw look at the mechanics of state-sponsored intolerance, stripped of the patriotic veneer often applied to early New England history. The writing is passionate and unapologetic, written by someone who views the Rogerenes as his own kin, which adds a distinct, personal urgency to the text.

However, the book is not without its difficulties. The prose reflects the 19th-century academic style—dense, sometimes repetitive, and filled with long, archaic legal citations and transcriptions. A reader must be prepared to navigate these interruptions to find the core narrative. Furthermore, the author’s strong, partisan voice is ever-present; he does not attempt to be a detached observer but rather a vigorous advocate for his ancestors. For those who enjoy uncovering the "hidden" or suppressed voices of history, the effort of wading through these old, sometimes clunky annals is well rewarded. What stays with the reader is the image of a small, resilient group of people standing firmly against the entire force of their society, armed only with their reading of the New Testament. It is a striking, somber, and ultimately hopeful account of how a single, persistent voice can, over time, help shift the moral compass of an entire nation.