Thomas and Maria Rogers in 1900

In 1900, Thomas Rogers was a Blacksmith and a Wheelwright. Wheelwrights worked with iron and wood to produce the wheels for carriages, wagons, and riding chairs that navigated rugged colonial roads. These wheels had to be strong and tight. But first and foremost, the wheels had to be perfectly round for a smooth ride and years of use. Producing such wheels required strength, ingenuity, and the talents of both a carpenter and a blacksmith. Precise measuring skills were also critical.

The portion of the Twelfth Census of the United States of America in which we are interested was taken on 13 June 1900. Thomas and his family lived in District 19 of the Township known as Town Creek, in Brunswick County, North Carolina. Some of the dates recorded contradict my records, but errors in the U.S. Census records are relatively common.

Those in the household were:

• Thomas, age 45 and married for 21 years. He and his parents were born in North Carolina.
  
• Maria, age 45, the mother of six, with five children still alive. She and her parents were born in North Carolina.
  
• Harvey, an 18-year-old son who is single and working as a Farm Laborer.
  
• Fannie, their 14-year-old unmarried daughter.
  
• Loyd, their 9-year-old son, who will eventually become Kathleen May Rogers’ father.
  
• Kate, a 20-year-old daughter, whose married name is Merrett. Married for about two years, she has two children, both of whom are alive, and living in this household. Her husband, not recorded here, was born in North Carolina.
  
• Leola, one of Kate’s daughters, born in January 1899.
  
• Vania, the second of Kate’s daughters, born in March of this year.
  

Next time I'll share what I found in the 1910 census records.