Mary Rogers (Bean)

Mary Rogers (Bean), Artist and Genealogist

Born at Powell and Fornance sts., Norristown, PA. to Theodore Lane Bean and Sarah Albertson Hunter

• grew up in Norristown, Conshohocken, & back in Norristown.
• Shipley School, Class of 1921 (high school)
• attended art school in Philadelphia where she met her future husband, "Dick". After her marriage she lived for her entire life on a significant historic property, the Rogers/Hiester house, in Sumneytown, PA (pictured in the media section of this record) (see attached document as Well
  

Mary studied several summers at the Breckenridge School of Art In Gloucester, Mass.
http://www.rockyneckartcolony.org/art_trail/RN_Art_Trail.pdf
Hugh Henry Breckenridge (1870-1937), avant garde painter, instructor and dean at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, founded a summer art school on Rocky Neck which was to become a critical force in bringing notable younger artists to the area during the period between the two World Wars.

here's a story about the Rogers/Hiester House w/video http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2012/03/15/souderton_indepen...
the property has been added to a preserve that honor the Leni Lenape Unami tribe.. As such, Mary may have listened to Waters of the Perkiomen with a special ear as such lore was so near and dear to her.
Many have written about this house including Henry S. Dotterer: Oct 1894 page 19 The Perkiomen Region Past and Present
"On the east side of the turnpike, close to Ridge Valley creek , he (Hiester) built a fine, two-story brick mansion,
bearing date of the year 1 757 . This structure is still standing , and its walls appear durable enough to last another century . A broad hall runs through the middle of the first story , on each side of which are spacious parlors . The second story is divided into bed-chambers ; and above this is the roomy garret of the Olden time . The rafters are of great strength . Heavy eaves run along the gable roof, and a corresponding cornice forms the lower part
of the gable . William J Buck , the historian, says
“ Nicholas Scull, in his map of Pennsylvania , published in 1759, thought it of sufficient importance to have it denoted thereon as Heister’s .”
It was a notable building in its day and, indeed , it is to-day . Doubtless, in the Revolutionary period, this residence was the scene of conferences between the patriotic leaders of that vicinity bearing upon subjects of great moment to the cause .
The late Dr . William B. Hahn, who was a great-grandson of the builder, and who was born in this historic home,
told the writer that it was originally provided with secret closets , which were used to hide the family plate in the times of danger before , during and after the Revolution. Associated with these contrivances used as safeguards there was something of mystery in the olden time; but this romantic interest, as might be expected, has been dissipated in our later, unsentimental days. "

Mary was well versed in the details of her family's PA genealogy , serving on boards and commissions. Her aunt Mary Louise Jones (Bean) was a mentor of sort. Together they focused on the work of the HSMC (Historical Society of Montgomery County), who premises were donated by the Bean family. Consequently, as a Schwenkfelder ( http://schwenkfelder.wordpress.com/ ) her heart kept a wide focus on her PA German/Polish/Czech heritage... The Heebner family is part of the Schwenkfelder immigrants from Silesia: http://schwenkfelderexilesociety.org/

Descendant of the founders of NJ through William Albertson (c.1630-1709), Irish Tenth, West Jersey Province
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenth_(country_subdivision)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bates_(Quaker)#Irish_Tenth