Will Rogers

Anne Shirley (photo, left) and Will Rogers (photo, right) star in Steamboat Round the Bend, a 1935 comedy film directed by John Ford. The film was released a few weeks after Rogers' death in an airplane crash. The steamboat that Rogers pilots in the film is named The Claremore Queen.


The Union League in Philadelphia sends out links of Civil War interest, and this is the latest:

Will Rogers, (born on 4 November 1879 and died on 15 August 1935) the world-renowned humorist and Oklahoma's favorite son, had a direct Confederate connection. His father, Clem Vann Rogers, served as a captain of scouts in Stand Watie's Indian Brigade and also participated in the Cabin Creek raid in September of 1864. Will's full name was William Penn Adair Rogers; he was named for William Penn Adair, a Cherokee leader and a colonel in Watie's Indian Brigade.
After the war, the senior Rogers rebuilt his Dog Iron Ranch near Oologah, Oklahoma and prospered in the cattle and banking businesses. He also helped write the Oklahoma state constitution. Rogers County was named in his honor.
A certification of the elder Rogers' Confederate service from the United Daughters of the Confederacy is displayed at the Will Rogers Memorial in Claremore, Oklahoma, and Will Rogers' Days are still an annual celebration in Claremore.