William Hazen Rogers, or “WM. Rogers” was a brilliant and successful American silversmith. His achievements exceeded the already exciting bounds of silverware, but, to stay on topic, he was a prolific master of designing and creating beautiful kitchen utensils. Silverware enthusiasts everywhere know his name by heart and dream of the stunning designs he left us with at night (A bit hyperbolic, but maybe some of them do).

Historical Context

There were many events that took place in the US in the year 1801. Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated, subsequently establishing key institutions of our nation, such as the West Point military academy. Jefferson also officially declared a war against the barbary states that same year, leading to the First Barbary War (1801-1805). It was no more than three years later, in 1804, that the Lewis and Clark expedition began. The year prior, in 1803, the country recognized a new state in the union, Ohio, as well as a wealth of unexplored territory with the addition of the Louisiana purchase. Also in 1803, the Supreme Court ruled on one of the most significant cases in our history, Marbury vs. Madison, establishing the principle of judicial review, and significantly strengthening the power of the judiciary branch. Massive changes were taking place at a fast pace during this period in American history, but one industry, that would soon see a monumentally transformative change, was the silverware industry.

Not quite in its infancy, but still ancient compared to the mass manufacturing processes of today, in the year of 1801, a year that I will soon uncover the significance of, silverware was the product of genuine silversmiths. Each piece was hand-crafted. Forged, so to speak, into utensils with intricate artisanal designs by masters of their craft. Often accompanied by an apprentice, but incorporated within the product was no more than the hard labor of a smith, to which he deposited into each individual piece of silverware. If a piece of silverware were to be silver-plated during this time, if ever at all at this time, it would have been “soldered” on silver plating. Meaning that the silver would have been essentially melted onto the utensil, forming a thin, flaky, coating of silver. These products, if they existed at all in the year of 1801, would not have held any significant place in the home of even the poorest citizen of that time. The coating would not have withstood extended wear, and would have appeared uneven in places, with no efficient way of evenly coating anything using this method. This method would face an undeniable defeat with the invent of electroplating nearly 40 years later by George and Henry Elkington. However, they are not the subjects of this article. Our subject was born in 1801, and his name was William Hazen Rogers.

1801: The Beginning

Rogers lived from 1801 to 1873, having left the world with the legacy of over a dozen silversmithing companies¹ and possibly hundreds of genuinely unique silverware designs and patterns, he passed away at the age of 71. Rogers was the eldest son of Asa Rogers, and Sarah Rogers, having two notable younger brothers, Asa and Simeon, who would follow William on the path to becoming silversmiths, in addition to a staggering 10 other siblings.² The three brothers who would go on to reinvent the meaning of silverware were born on their family farm in Hartford, CT³ alongside their 10 siblings, but they were not destined to be farmers. These brothers (William, Asa, and Simeon) would, instead, go on to revolutionize the world of silver plating and leave their marks (literally) on the industry of silver-plated flatware.

In his time on this planet as an individual, aside from his achievements in business, not much is known about the personality of William Rogers, again, aside from his ambitious nature and perfectionist tendencies.⁴ It could be said, or presumed, that he was somewhat of a family man, having left the world with 8 children to carry on his name.² His first Marriage to Parthania Tyler presumably ended in tragedy, with their marriage lasting until her death at the age of 29.⁵ William had one child with Parthania, a baby girl named Frances, who also tragically passed away suddenly, at the age of three, before Rogers remarried. His second wife, Nancy Wilson, survived him in death along with their 8 aforementioned children.² Further personal details about Rogers are elusive, but there are records indicating that he was a deeply religious man, having spent “many years” as the Sunday school superintendent of a Methodist church in Hartford.⁶

It was as a young man that Rogers began his journey into silver under the guidance of Joseph Church, an already well established silversmith and watchmaker in the Hartford area. This apprenticeship, which began in 1820,⁷ would turn into a partnership merely five years later with the introduction of the first commercial business to which William Hazen Rogers was a partner and co-founder, “Church & Rogers,”³⁷ under which he would later teach his two brothers the art of silversmithing. Church & Rogers was just the beginning of a long (and frankly, confusing) trail of companies and partnerships that ultimately formed a foundational part of the International Silver company and the “1847 Roger Bros” Trademark, found commonly on IS plated silverware.

I will do my best to summarize the timeline of these companies, keeping focused primarily on William Rogers as the article pertains to him and not necessarily to his brothers, or his son, all of which were notable figures as well. It should be noted that the dates listed in the headings of each section are meant to represent the time periods of which William Hazen Rogers was in cooperation with each individual partnership/company, not necessarily the dates of which the partnership or company was active, although the two might, at times, coincide.

1825 – 1836 : Church and Rogers

Starting with the aforementioned Church & Rogers company, which lasted from 1825-1836, in which Rogers got his start in the silver industry alongside his mentor, Joseph Church, we find that Rogers, still a young man at the time, had yet to perfect his craft.³ It would be a long time still until he and his brothers pioneered the use of electroplating for the first time ever in the commercial silverware industry.⁸

During this time, it was not uncommon for Rogers to stamp his products with his personal marking, (Eagle) WM Rogers (Star), despite being partnered with Church.⁷⁹

1832 – 1834 : Asa Rogers Jr. & Co.

During the period in which William was working with Church as a partner, his younger brother Asa began a company with another gentleman by the name of John A. Cole in a joint venture, “Rogers & Cole,” a partnership that lasted until Cole retired in 1832. After or around the period in which Cole was set to retire, William joined Asa as a partner in this business.¹⁰⁷ The business, with William as a partner, was renamed “Asa Rogers, Jr., & Co.” and continued until 1834 when William left the company.¹¹⁹⁷ Presumably, as Church & Rogers was still operational during this time period, William was splitting his time between the two companies as partners in both. This would become a theme throughout his life.

Historical Context (1825 – 1836)

1825:

John Quincy Adams was inaugurated as the 6th president of the United States. Quincy was the second, and, so far, the final president to be decided upon by the House of Representatives, due to no candidate receiving enough electoral votes to win the presidency, with the first being Thomas Jefferson in the year 1800.

The Erie canal was finished in late 1825, connecting the Hudson River to Lake Erie. Considered a marvel of its time, this canal had a profound impact on the transportation of goods in the United States.

Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin, passed away in 1825.

1826:

50 years after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, founding fathers Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams passed away. Jefferson was 83, and Adams was 90.

James Fenimore Cooper published his novel, “The Last of the Mohicans”

In France, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce may have created the first permanent photo image using the process of heliography. (The exact date is apparently debated)

1827:

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was first incorporated in 1827.

The first African-American owned and published newspaper, “Freedom’s Journal” was founded by Rohn Russworm.

Ludwig Von Beethoven passed away at the age of 56.

George Ohm publishes the first book recognizing Ohm’s Law for the first time.

1828:

Noah Webster released the first edition of the “American Dictionary of the English Language”

1829:

Andrew Jackson was sworn in as the 7th president of the United States.

1830:

1832:

1833:

1834:

1835:

1836 – 1841 : William Rogers

William, after leaving his brother’s company, and, two years later, after the dissolution of his own company with Joseph Church, began operating independently under the name “WM Rogers” for the first time in 1836.¹²⁹ During this period he ran ads indicating his silverware to be of the “pure sterling silver” variety,¹² – a notable difference from the accepted norm of the time which was to melt down various currencies and create “coin silver” flatware.¹² This distinction between himself and from his mentor, as well as from the industry norm, was one of the first notable instances of Rogers mind for innovation. He may have even been one of the first, if not the very first person in the country to advertise pure sterling silver flatware.¹²⁷

During this time, Rogers continued marking his products with (Eagle) WM Rogers (Star) until 1841.⁷⁹ The trademark was later adopted by International Silver along with several other attributable Rogers marks.¹³

1841 – 1856: William Rogers & Co.

William’s solo operation ceased when he admitted his brother, Simeon, to the business and renamed it to “William Rogers & Co.” in 1841.¹²⁹⁷¹⁴ William, after partnering with his brother Simeon, became financially invested in one of Asa’s ventures, “WM B. Cowles & Co.,” but there is no evidence that he was ever an active partner in producing silverware.¹⁵ Despite not being an active partner in the venture, William Rogers & Co. later distributed ads offering Cowles’ silver plated cutlery for wholesale distribution.¹⁵¹⁶

During this time, presumably until the advent of the “Rogers Bros” company in 1847, Rogers began marking his silverware with (Eagle) WM. Rogers & Co. (Star).¹⁷¹⁴⁹

1845 -1846: Rogers & Mead

In 1845, (Although possibly as early as 1844¹⁸), William partnered with his brother Asa, and a Philadelphia silversmith, J.O. Mead,¹⁹ as the first company in the country to manufacture electroplated silverware²⁰ until 1846 when the company was dissolved. A result of both Asa and Mead having been satisfied with their time at WM B. Cowles & Co and ready to part ways, with Mead returning to Philadelphia to continue his experimentation with electroplating, and, more importantly, with Asa returning to Hartford.

1847 – 1853: Rogers Bros.

A new partnership was formed in 1847 when Asa departed from Wm B. Cowles & Co. and returned to Hartford. Uniting their abilities and reputations for the first time, the three brothers created the iconic “Rogers Bros.” trademark and began producing electroplate silverware in the basement beneath William’s store.¹⁵ The new partnership worked as the production wing of the operation, producing electroplated silverware to be sold by William Rogers & Co. Meaning that, despite being the production outlet for Rogers’ silverware, the advertisements they [the brothers] ran, at the time, implied that William Rogers & Co. was the producer of the product they were selling.⁴¹⁷

During this time, the silverware being produced by William and Asa were marked “Rogers Bros.,” or “Rogers Brothers²¹” the iconic trademark later adapted to “1847 Rogers Bros.” by Meriden Britannia in 1862 and used again, even later, by International Silver in 1898.¹⁷

1853 – 1856, 1861 – 1862: Rogers Brothers Mfg. Co.

In 1853,^211310224 due to the sales company, William Rogers & Co., being unable to keep up with the high demand caused by their aggressive marketing strategies of the Rogers Bros. products they were selling, William and Asa erected a new building, big enough to be all-inclusive for their purposes. This building would be the location of the newly created “Rogers Brothers Mfg. Co.” replacing Rogers Bros. as the production outlet for their silverware.⁴

Sometime around 1855⁴ would have been Wm Rogers’ first use of the sectional process, a process that deposits additional plating to parts of the silverware that are subject to increased wear.²³

During this time, there are indications²² that the “Rogers Bros.,” trade mark may have been replaced by a circular stamp including the name of the new manufacturing company.

1856 – 1861: Rogers Smith & Co.

William left Rogers Bros Mfg. Co. to partner with George W. Smith and form “Rogers, Smith & Co.” in 1856²⁴²⁵²⁶ or 1857.²⁷ For the most part, this company focused on hollowware, but did produce a line of flatware as well.²⁶ Rogers consolidated Rogers Smith & Co. into the Rogers Bros. Mfg. Co. in 1861 due to financial difficulties²⁷ and sold the flatware division of the company to Meriden Britannia in 1862.²⁷²⁶

During this time, Rogers would stamp produced flatware with either “(Heart) Rogers & Co.,” or “Rogers Smith & Co.,” continuing until 1862.²⁴

1862 – 1873: Meriden Britannia

Despite their modest success and immense reputation, having failed to integrate the two aforementioned companies,²⁸ Roger, and his brothers, shortly after consolidating the two companies, “Rogers Smith & Co” and “Rogers Bros. Mfg. Co.,” into one, would sell the rights to their name, as used for trademark purposes, as well as their equipment to the ambitious “Meriden Britannia Co.,” as well as agree to employment in lead positions under the company.²⁶ Rogers would lead the production of the company’s new flagship line of “1847 Rogers Bros.” plated silverware.¹⁷²⁶

1865 – 1873: William Rogers & Son

Rogers joined with his son in 1865 to form “Wm Rogers & Son,” rivalling his employer of the time, Meriden Britannia.²⁹ (See “William Rogers Mfg. Co.” below)

1865 – 1873: William Rogers Mfg. Co.

Despite his employment under Meriden Britannia, Williams struck up a new partnership with his son, William Rogers, Jr., as well as Thomas Birch, William J. Pierce, and nephew of his brother Asa,¹⁷ William H. Watrous under the company name “William Rogers Manufacturing Company” in 1865.¹⁴²⁸²⁶

For a brief period of time, under this new company, William would stamp his products “1946 (Anchor) Rogers (Anchor)”

During this time, Rogers incorporated several trademarks attributed to the company, namely “Wm Rogers & Son,”²⁶ as well as “(Anchor) Rogers (Anchor)”²⁸, “Wm Rogers Mfg. Co.,”²⁸ and “1865 Wm Rogers Mfg. Co.”²⁸

1. B, G. (n.d.). Rogers: American silver and silverplate manufacturers. [↩]
2. FamilySearch.org, n.d.[↩][↩][↩]
3. William Rogers and His Brothers in the Silverware Industry | CT Digital Archive, n.d., p. 2[↩][↩][↩]
4. William Rogers and His Brothers in the Silverware Industry | CT Digital Archive, n.d., p. 7[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
5. Parthenia Tyler Rogers – Works – eMuseum, n.d.[↩]
6. Encyclopedia of Connecticut Biography, n.d., p. 241[↩]
7. Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers : Dorothy T. Rainwater, 2004, p. 202[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
8. William Rogers and His Brothers in the Silverware Industry | CT Digital Archive, n.d., p. 5[↩]
9. William Rogers Manufacturing Company – People – eMuseum, n.d.[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
10. The Heritage Foundation Collection of Silver : With Biographical Sketches of New England Silversmiths, 1625-1825 : Heritage Foundation , 1968, p. 314[↩][↩]
11. William Rogers and His Brothers in the Silverware Industry | CT Digital Archive, n.d., p. 3[↩]
12. William Rogers and His Brothers in the Silverware Industry | CT Digital Archive, n.d., p. 4[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
13. American Electroplaters’ Society. Monthly Review 1935-06: Vol 22 ISS 6 , 1935, p. 39[↩][↩]
14. Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers : Dorothy T. Rainwater, 2004, p. 209[↩][↩][↩]
15. William Rogers and His Brothers in the Silverware Industry | CT Digital Archive, n.d., p. 6[↩][↩][↩]
16. American Electroplaters’ Society. Monthly Review 1935-06: Vol 22 ISS 6 , 1935, p. 38[↩]
17. Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers : Dorothy T. Rainwater, 2004, p. 203[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
18. Golden Jubilee Number, July 21, 1934, Section 2 : [50 Years of American Newspaper History, 1884-1934], 1934, p. 275[↩]
19. There seems to be some ambiguity about the name of Mead. Although the surname is generally agreed upon, you may find him referred to as “John C. Mead,” “O. D. Mead,” and “John O. Mead” throughout the various sources I have cited, although “J. O. Mead” or “John O. Mead” seems to be the most common.[↩]
20. The Whitesmiths of Taunton; a History of Reed & Barton, 1824-1943 : Gibb, George Sweet, 1916-1989 , 1969, p. 127[↩]
21. Connecticut Reports: Containing Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of Errors. (1886). United States: Press of Case, Tiffany and Company., p. 123[↩][↩]
22. B, G. (n.d.). Rogers: American silver and silverplate manufacturers. [↩][↩]
23. Edwards, Richard. New York’s Great Industries: Exchange and Commercial Review, Embracing Also Historical and Descriptive Sketch of the City, Its Leading Merchants and Manufacturers …. United States, Historical Publishing Company, 1884., p. 284[↩]
24. Connecticut Reports: Containing Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of Errors. (1886). United States: Press of Case, Tiffany and Company., p. 124[↩][↩]
25. Victorian Silver: Hollow and Flatware, Sterling and Plated : Larry Freeman , 1967, p. 57[↩]
26. William Rogers and His Brothers in the Silverware Industry | CT Digital Archive, n.d., p. 9[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
27. Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers : Dorothy T. Rainwater, 2004, p. 206[↩][↩][↩]
28. The Jewelers’ Circular. (1919). United States: Jewelers’ Circular Company., p. 423[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
29. Victorian Silver: Hollow and Flatware, Sterling and Plated : Larry Freeman , 1967, p. 58[↩]