Frances Elizabeth Rogers née Jones, 1892-1943
Headstone GPS Coordinates: Burial location unknown.
Birth: 12 January 1892, Afton, Union County, Iowa
Death: 16 May 1943, Steilacoom, Pierce County, Washington
Relatives in Seabeck Cemetery: Albert Rogers
American Revolutionary War Patriots*: Joseph La Follette (New Jersey)
Disclaimer: These lines have not been officially proven by NSDAR standards.
Frances Elizabeth Rogers née Jones, was born on January 12, 1892, in Afton, Union County, Iowa, the youngest of nine children born to Henry T. and Pary (LaFollett) Jones. Her parents had married in Wapello County, Iowa, before settling in Union County, where her father farmed his own land. Tragedy struck early in Frances’ life when her mother died shortly after her birth, leaving her to grow up largely under the care of her father and older siblings.
By 1910, Frances, her father, and one of her brothers had relocated to Fairview in Douglas County, Washington. While the exact reason for the move is unknown, it is likely influenced by family ties—her eldest sister had already settled there, and three older brothers were living nearby in Entiat, Chelan County. The move connected Frances more closely with her extended family during her young adulthood.
Around this time, she met Dr. Albert “Almanza” Rogers, a physician practicing in Okanogan County, Washington. Born January 25, 1867, in Shelby, Ohio, Albert was the only child of Andrew Jackson and Katherine (Hammen) Rogers. After graduating from Shelby High School in 1886, he earned his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1896 from Starling Medical College in Columbus, Ohio. He later traveled extensively abroad and practiced medicine in Manila in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War, likely as a civilian physician. Eventually, he established medical practices in Alaska and Washington.
Despite a twenty-five-year age difference, Frances and Albert married on Thanksgiving Day, November 30, 1916, in Chelan, Washington. Her brother, Thomas I. Jones, served as one of the witnesses. In 1917, the couple welcomed their first child, Andrew “Andy” J. Rogers, while living on Lopez Island. Two more children followed: Rosemary and Almanza H. Rogers.
By 1919, Albert had retired from medicine, and the family moved to Stavis Bay in Seabeck, Washington, where he began farming. During the construction of their cabin, Frances and her young family lived with the Baer family. Life in Seabeck demanded hard work and resilience. Albert cleared land, blasted stumps with dynamite, installed more than a mile of underground drainage on their three-acre property, and helped build the Stavis Bay Road.
Frances, however, became the heart of the household and a beloved figure in the community. She carefully chronicled daily life in her diaries, preserving the rhythms and challenges of rural living. Known throughout town for her exceptional bread-making, she welcomed neighbors who came to barter for bread, eggs, or produce. Visitors were often invited inside for games of caroms or 500, making her home a place of warmth, hospitality, and fellowship.
In 1930, Frances faced profound loss when Albert died of cancer on August 4. She recorded in her diary that his funeral was well attended, with Seabeck residents bringing many flowers to honor him. After his death, Frances temporarily moved with her children to Entiat to live with family before eventually returning to their Seabeck home.
Frances continued raising her children there until her health declined. She was later admitted to Western State Hospital, suffering from what was then termed dementia praecox or cognitive disintegration. After several weeks, she passed away on May 16, 1943, from dilation of the heart and congestion of the lungs.
Her eldest son, Andrew “Andy,” helped dig her grave in Seabeck Cemetery, laying her to rest beside her husband. In keeping with his deeply private nature, he chose not to mark their graves, believing it was no one’s business to know precisely where his parents were buried.