Obit: James Samuel Rodgers; 1951 Plain Dealing (Bossier Parish), La.

Submitted by: Kay McMahan**
Date: 2-3-1999



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James Samuel Rodgers, 93, retired planter and merchant, died at his home
near here at 8 a.m.Tuesday, following a brief illness. 
Born in Pachuta, Mississippi, Mr. Rodgers came to Bossier Parish in
1878. His first occupation was a cattle buyer. He often bought herds of
cattle locally and drove them to market in Shreveport and Fort Worth.
Mr. Rodgers on horseback would ford Red River at Shreveport driving his
herd ahead. Later when there was a bridge across Red River but before
the coming of the Cotton Belt Railroad, he would buy cotton locally and
haul it by wagon train to Shreveport.
He was one of the first to advocate the draining of Phelph lake,
northwest of here, into fertile farmland, and later served as President
of the Parish Levee Board. He retired from the mercantile business 20
years ago.
His first wife was the former Miss Mary Charlotte Dudney and after her
death (1898) he married the former Mattie Pope Smith. They bought the
William Whitley Cavett Home near here and lived there continuously. The
home is now more than a hundred years old. The couple celebrated their
fiftieth wedding anniversary in March of last year.
Survivors besides the widow are 7 daughters, 5 sons, 20 Grandchildren,
and 13 Great-Grandchildren. The children are:
Charles Arthur Rodgers Sr., John Clifford Rodgers, Milton Ben Rodgers,
Mrs. D,W, (Lucille) McCance, Mrs. Howard L. King all of Plain Dealing.
Mrs. H.F. (Ethel) Willis, Mrs. C.R. Mattie Virginia) Craft, Mrs. Charles
G. (Maggie) Boogaerts, all of Shreveport. Mrs. W.H. Aucoin of Dallas,
Texas. Rufus Eugene Rodgers of  Morganfield, Kentucky and Mrs. H.E.
Watson Jr. of Lewisville, Arkansas. 
Funeral services were to be conducted in the First Baptist Church  of
Plain Dealing, of which Rodgers was a member, at 3 p.m. Wednesday. The
Pastor, Dr. W.E. B. Lockridge, and a former Pastor, Rev. Ernest Scott,
now of Transvivania, La. were to officiate. Interment was to be in the
Plain Dealing Cemetery, with Norton Funeral Home in charge.
Pallbearers were to be: J.C. Allums, Henderson Winham, Cliff G. Lowe,
E.D. Barnette, J.B. Slack, Joe C. Colvin, Kip McKeller, and Dell
Sutherland Jr. Honorary pallbearers were to be sons-in-law,
grandchildren and a host of friends of the deceased.
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(**Note from submitter- Joseph Samuel Rodgers's first wife, Mary Charlotte Dudney was my
GG-Grandmothers (Charlotte Dudney Matlock) first cousin. 
Kay McMahan Noska)