Rorer Family Papers

Collection

Identifier: MGC-1204

Scope and Contents

The Rorer Family Papers consists of correspondence, newspaper clippings, some biographical information, a photograph, and miscellaneous papers relating to the Rorer and Thrasher family. Among the items are two Civil War letters written by Clinton to his mother. Shortly after the letters were written, Clinton died and a letter was written to Samantha notifying her of her son’s death. Other letters are written on company stationery by her sons during the late 1800s. Obituaries give information about the family as well as names of descendants.

Dates

Creation: 1819 - 1934

Creator

Rorer Family (Family)

Biographical / Historical

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George Rorer was born in Ohio in August 1819. He married Samantha McCollum who was born on December 12, 1831 in Ohio. The couple married in McHenry County, Illinois when Samantha was 16. Together they had three sons: Clinton, Leonard George (Sam), and Frank. Clinton enlisted in Company H, 18th Illinois Cavalry during the Civil War and died from typhoid fever at the age of 16. Leonard apprenticed with his uncle to learn the tinning trade. He and his brother Frank operated a hardware business, Rorer Bros., in Clifton, Illinois. George too enlisted in the Civil War in the Colorado Territory. He settled in Crandon, Wisconsin and married Mary who was almost 30 years younger than him. George died about 1909 according to his pension record. Samantha remarried at the age of 39 to James Button. She returned to McHenry County, Illinois after the death of her husband. She lived to the age of 102, outliving her husbands and her children. At the time of her death she was believed to be the only Civil War mother receiving a pension.