[williamDavis.FTW]

THE CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE Sept 3, 1931 shows a picture of a charred Biblecourtesy of the New York Bible Society with the following text:

The Bible of the Rev. John Rogers, who was burned at the stake forhis faith at Smithfield, London, on St. Valentine's Day, 1555. He wasthe first Protestant martyr in the reign of "Bloody" Mary. Seventhousand people witnessed the execution and shouted for joy that he stoodfirm. The charred leaves of this Bible suggest the tragedy of that hour.

Little did we dream, in the days of our boyhood, while, with eagercuriosity and childish simplicity we used to pore over the pages of theNew England Primer, and pause with almost tearful sympathy over thequaint old woodcut representing the burning of the martyr John Rogers atthe stake, attended by "his wife and nine small children, with one at thebreast," that we should ever behold the Bible--the veritable Bible, read,pondered, and prayed over by that noble martyr to the Christian faith.But we have the privilege of recording the strange fact--that we haveseen, handled, and perused this identical precious relic of the days ofthe Smithfield fires, and the bloody persecution of the reign of thecruel Mary.

The book itself is a small, thick quarto, containing the New Testament,(the translation of Cranmer in 1639,) the Psalms, and a portion of theLiturgy of the Protestant Church at that time. The titly page, a few ofthe first and the last leaves have been lost, the book having been twicerebound. It is printed in the large, full, ancient German Text, withornamental letters to a portion of the chapters, and a few marginalreferences. The chapters are divided in King James Version, but theyhave no division into verses, capital letters in the margin indicatingthe commencement of paragraphs as they occur in each chapter. In variousparts of the book we find brief notes and memorandums by differentpersons, relative to its carefully cherished and authentic history.

This venerable book, by a careful comparison with a number of ancientcopies in the Library of Yale College at New Haven, is ascertained byantiquarians to have been printed in 1549, in the days of Edward VI,under the patronage of Thomas Cranmer the primate of England, who wasburnt at Oxford, March 1st, 1556, in the third year of Mary's reign, alittle more than two years after Rogers was burnt at Smithfield. TheBible was kept as an heirloom by the family descendants of the veneratedmartyr, having been concealed from the minions of the bloody Queen duringthe remainder of her reign, in a bed, and carefully preserved, until itpassed into the hands of James Rogers, a descendant (great-greatgrandson, as by himself stated,) of the martyr, by whom, when twentyyears of age, it was brought over to this country. He emigrated to NewHaven in 1635 and most sacredly kept the precious relic in all hissojourns in this wilderness, as a protection against the attacks ofsavage foes or a talisman against misfortune. It came into thepossession of Jonathan, the fifth son of James Rogers, descended to hiseldest child, who by marriage became connected with the Potter family atHopkinton, RI. This Bible has been most religiously cherished in thisfamily about 100 years, and is now the property of Mrs. Saunders, nieceof the late Miss Polly Potter, of Potter Hill, RI. It has been confidedfor a short time, as a precious relic, to Capt. Daniel Rogers of thiscity, by whose indefatigable antiquarian genealogical researches itshistorical connection with every family through which it has passed hasbeen fully established back through the descendants of the former owner,James Rogers, who came to America in 1635 as above stated.
--New London Repository.

If I'm not mistaken, Alfred U has this Bible. Despite the laudable workby Capt. Daniel Rogers mentioned above, there is no solid evidence thatJohn Rogers ever owned this Bible.

There appears to be at least two Bibles that have been attributed to JohnRogers.
This second book which some say has been erroneously linked to JohnRogers is a New Testament and Psalms translated by Cranmer in 1539 (thedate on the spine says 1549)

Here is how it was passed down.

Thomas Hubbard m Audrey Hare
James Hubbard, (Hobart) their son m Naomi Cooke
Samuel Hubbard (Hobart) their fourth child m Tacy Cooper
Rachel & Ruth, their daughters. Ruth m Robert Burdick

May 26, 1555 Thomas Hubbard burned at the stake for Protestantism. Samuelreceives from his grandfather Cooke the Hubbard Bible.

This is the testament that Samuel Hubbard mentioned in his Journal: Now,1675 I have a testament of my grandfather Cocke's printed in 1549 whichhe hid in his bed-straw lest it be burnt in Queen Mary's days.

Samuel gives the Bible to his granddaughter, Naomi, who marries JonathonRogers. Their son, Jonathan, married Judith Potter.

Their grandson Caleb made the following inscription at the end of theGospel of John: "This book was my grandmother's great grandmother's andI know not how many generations before. It was given me by mygrandmother, Judith Rogers AD 1762". Caleb Potter.


It was through this line that the Bible came to the Historical Committeeof the Seventh Day Baptist General Conference, which at one time waslocated at Alfred University and moved with the holdings to Plainfield,NJ, and then in 1982 moved to Janesville when the Historical Societymoved to Janesville.