Robert Rogers (1792-1870)

He was a merchant who went into business with his father-in-law, William DeWolf, until the latter died in 1829. He continued to run their various businesses and when he died in 1870 he left a fortune of $1.3 million, which made him the wealthiest man in Bristol. An avid reader, his wife built the "Rogers Free Library" to his memory in Bristol, donating 4,000 books which had been in his collection while purchasing a further 1,200. She donated the remainder of his book collection to the Redwood Library in Newport. His widow moved in with her sister to Hey Bonnie Hall.