Captain John H. Rogers, Texas Ranger

Acknowledgments

vii Because the bulk of the materials for this biography of John Harris Rogers came from the official records and files of the Texas Rangers , most of my work was done at the Texas State Library Archives in Austin. My sincere thanks to Donaly Brice and his staff for the hours of work they put in to assist me. This also includes the staff in the Genealogical Room and in the Government Documents archives. I am also indebted to Christina Stopka, Judy Shofner, and the staff at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum archives in Waco. A third source of Ranger materials came from the Center for American History (Barker Texas History Center) in Austin, and my appreciation to those who helped me there on several occasions. For the research on Rogers’ early years and the family’s arrival in Texas, I so appreciate the diligence of Jacki Gross, assistant library director at the Seguin-Guadalupe County Public Library in Seguin. Jacki tracked down several key pieces of information from deep within the county property and deed records. Archivists and staff at the libraries in La Grange, El Paso, Columbus, Laredo, and Del Rio also assisted me. Ron McCandless is a great resource for genealogical information on the Internet, and he solved several puzzles for me. The staff at the Texas Room of the Houston Public Library has helped me so many times and I appreciate their interest and support always. Both through e-mail and in person, the very helpful staff at the Austin History Center of the Austin Public Library system led me ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Acknowledgments viii ★ through many difficult paths to trace the family’s history in Austin between 1907 and 1930. Newspaper articles, city directories, police records, and early city and cemetery maps were all made readily available to me during my research. For the U. S. Marshal records, I was assisted by Cindy Smolovik and the staff at the National Archives and Records Administration, Southwest regional offices, in Ft. Worth. Anne Saba helped from the U. S. Customs archives office, and Keith Welch found resources for me at Central Presbyterian Church in Austin. The staff at the University of Houston main library helped on this subject as well. The other wonderful resource for this biography was the family of Captain Rogers, especially the Reeves kin in the San Antonio area. John Leslie Reeves, Charlie and Mills, and Bub and Marian Reeves were so delighted to help me with this project. I am also grateful to have spoken with Rev. Curren Rogers “Tex” McLane of Fort Worth, Kid Rogers’ grandson. They all told me great stories that had come down through three generations, and allowed me the privilege to sort through myriad letters, newspaper clippings, artifacts, and photographs —so much of what has personalized this book. I thank each of them and dedicate this book to the family. I am grateful to Harold J. Weiss, Jr. and Mike Cox for their critical eye and sound knowledge on the subject of the Rangers; they helped make this biography more polished and of broader interest to readers with their suggestions. And an understated word of appreciation to my family who still puts up with me as I go about my work of research and writing. Their encouragement is unflagging, their support unwavering. How invaluable that is to a writer. ...