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I reunite identified family photos that I find in antique shops and second hand stores with genealogists and family historians. If you see one of your ancestors here and would like to obtain the original, feel free to contact me at familyphotoreunion [ at ] yahoo [ dot ] com. I also accept donations of pre-1927 images to be reunited. I hope you enjoy your visit!
~The Archivist


Friday, May 25, 2012

Isabel, Joe & Evelyn Rogers, Raleigh Co., West Virginia, 1923



I was browsing a local antique shop when I discovered this portrait of three siblings.   "J. T. Rogers, 59 -3rd Ave. 1923.  Isabel, Evelyn & Joe" is written in pencil on the back of the photograph.  When I brought it to the till, the shop owner began to share a little history about the eldest child in the photograph.  Isabel Rogers Lewis had passed away just three years earlier in Parksville, BC.  The shop owner had known Isabel personally which helped tremendously in piecing together the history of the three children, but especially the life of Isabel.  The store had acquired quite a few pieces from the estate of Isabel Rogers that are currently for sale there.

Isabel (b. August 7, 1914), Evelyn (b. 1918) & Joe (b. 1921) were the children of Joseph Trivilla Rogers (b. 29 Apr. 1890) and Rachel Reed Rogers (b. abt. 1890).  In the 1920 & 1930 US Federal censuses the family is living in Pemberton, Raleigh County, West Virginia.  Mr. Rogers owned Rogers & Co. Mercantile.  Joseph and Rachel were married in 1913.  At the time of the WW2 draft, Joseph Trivilla Rogers lived at 102 Virginia Street in Beckley, WV. 

Joseph Trivilla Rogers, Jr. became a cardiologist and moved to Arizona.  Evelyn married Joseph William Broderick in 1944, raised a family and passed away in Clearwater, Florida in 1984.   In 1930, Isabel graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley, Raleigh County, West Virginia.  According to the antique dealer, Isabel met her husband, John Lewis (b. 1905 Nantymoel, Wales), at University in Texas, they married  and the couple went on to Berkley, California. John was just a small boy when his family came to Vancouver Island around 1911 but John left to pursue his education in the US and did not return to the Island until 1970. At the University of California at Berkeley Isabel earned her PHD in Psychology. 

Isabel and John Lewis came to Vancouver Island to vacation for the next few years before eventually making the San Pariel area of Parksville their home.  The antique dealer told me that John had something to do with the early years of the Nanaimo Concert Band.  I found an interesting interview with John Lewis on the Nanaimo Community Archives website about early days in Nanaimo.  Isabel shared John's love of music and was also active in Nanaimo Concert bands and choir after moving back to the island in the 1970s.

I also found an obituary in the November 10, 1980 evening edition of the St. Petersburg Independent, Clearwater, Florida for Isabel's father, who died in Nanaimo, BC in 1980:

Evening Independent, Nov. 10, 1980, page 15

It would appear that Joseph T. Rogers died while visiting his daughter.

John Lewis died on December 6, 1993 in Parksville.  His obituary appeared in several local papers, including the Arrowsmith Star on the 10th of Dec., 1993.  It tells us that his father was John Lewis, Sr. 

Isabel Rogers Lewis passed away peacefully in her sleep on May 4th, 2009.  Her full obituary appears in the Parksville-Qualicum News in the Monday, May 4th 2009 edition.



3 comments:

  1. Hello Archivist,

    Thank you so much for posting this image of Isabel. I've been interested in her for years and have been researching on her life and it's great to come across another image of her. I've always wanted to see a picture of her in her pre-teen years and this image is a delight.

    I'd like to make a request: could you post more pictures of her in this site? Perhaps you can purchase all of the items related to Isabel from the shop you got this photo and post their images here or maybe have the permission of the owner to have images of the items posted here in your site. It would be much appreciated.

    Thanks once again and I look forward to your reply.

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  2. Unfortunately, this was the only image of Isabel or item of genealogical value on display at the antique shop. I can certainly pass on the name of the shop & their phone number to you, so you may contact the owner directly. The owner mentioned in passing that she had some of the Lewis' household items. If you would like the telephone number of the store, please email me privately. It's wonderful that you are researching her life story. What is your connection to Isabel?

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  3. I am the son of Evelyn and nephew of Isabel. I just ran across a picture of Isabel c.1950 along with her Mother Rachel and her son Joe. If anyone is interested I will scan and post it.

    ReplyDelete