The Story of Sharper Rogers
By Eli Grutzendler ’28
We are lucky to be studying Sharper Rogers because many enslaved people were not documented. Rogers was a Black enslaved man in the mid-late 1700s. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and fought for David Humphreys' troop against the British. We have limited information about Rogers but by looking at many primary documents we know he fought in the war, information about his second wife, and where he likely lived. His story helps us restore the humanity that slavery tried to erase by dehumanization and racism.
Many people only know slavery in the south but it also existed, and thrived, up north. Though in Connecticut the enslaved didn’t work as much on large scale cotton plantations, enslaved people would work on house keeping and helping in the home. We do not know exactly when or where Rogers was born, but records suggest he was likely born in the mid 1700s, perhaps in Guilford, Connecticut. The fact that Rogers had to have a manumission document to become free demonstrates that enslaved people were treated as property by the law. A man named “Sharper” was freed by Samuel Robinson, on February 23, 1770. Robinson writes that in “consideration of the faithful services performed for me by my Negro man servant Sharper and the love and affection I have and do bear to him, I … give and grant to him said Negro Sharper his freedom from servitude to be by him freely, peaceably and quietly enjoyed from the date hereof until his death.”
The fact that Robinson apparently had “affection” for Rogers and wanted to give him a “free and peaceful” life shows paternalism because Robinson acted like he had the authority to choose whether Rogers deserved freedom. Even after freedom slavery affected Rogers’ life and future opportunities.
Although there is no marriage record, it is assumed that Rogers may have married a woman named Flora. She was the daughter of Montros and Phillis who were enslaved to David and Ruth Naughty. Although Montros and Phillis were eventually freed, their children were sent to serve at what Ruth Naughty called a “good christian home”. This illustrates the reality of slavery where families were separated from each other. Records show Flora had a son named Cesar, and historians believe that Rogers may have been Cesar’s father because later Cesar took the last name Rogers when he was free’d, although there are no documents for proof. Even without records, this reminds us that enslaved people created families and communities despite the struggles they faced.
During the Revolutionary War, Rogers served under David Humphreys company of colored troops in the 6th regiment. Initially George Washington wasn’t sure about allowing Black soldiers to fight, but then eventually let free and enslaved Black men serve in the Revolutionary War. Many black men joined the war hoping to gain freedom, money, and better opportunities. Records show Rogers served as a wagoner in the war who was responsible for transporting food, water, clothes, and ammunition for the troops. Disease spread very quickly in the military camps, and Rogers was on furlough in the Danbury hospital multiple times in the span of the war. Smallpox was one of the deadliest diseases during the Revolutionary War, and it is possible that Rogers was in the hospital because of smallpox.
During the war Black and White soldiers were paid equally which was an important step, because it recognized that Black soldiers were seen as doing the same war effort as whites. After the war many Black veterans struggled with poverty and discrimination. Being free did not come with great opportunities to thrive and didn’t guarantee land, wealth, and equality. Rogers' experiences in the Revolutionary War highlight bravery of the black soldiers and the inequality they faced.
In 1784, we find in the New Haven Church records that a man named Sharper Rogers married a woman named Phillis. Rogers was described as free while Phillis was shown as “belonging to John Whiting.” A few years later, in his 1786 will, Whiting freed Phillis and left her property in New Haven. Phillis Rogers appears in census and Congregational church records in the 1800s in Guilford. In the records she is working alongside Cesar Rogers, the man we believe may be Sharper Rogers' son from his first marriage. After his marriage, there are no other records of Sharper Rogers. We know that he did not apply for a pension in 1818, so we can assume that Sharper had either moved out of the area or died by then.
Sharper Rogers' story helps us understand the harsh cruelty of slavery. Enslaved people weren’t just workers without an identity, they were smart, skilled, brave human beings who were striving for their freedom and equal opportunities. Rogers was able to survive slavery, obtain freedom, build a life with his family, and serve in the Revolutionary War under David Humphrey, despite the hardships and racism of his time. His experiences reveal the harshness of slavery and the resilience of Black Americans. The Witness Stones Project helps restore the humanity that slavery tried to erase and reminds how enslaved people played an important role in American history.