Mary Rogers facts for kids

Mary Cecilia Rogers (born around 1820 – found dead July 28, 1841) was an American woman whose mysterious death became a huge news story. She was known for her beauty and worked in a tobacco store in New York City. Many important men visited the store just to see her. Her body was later found in the Hudson River.

Mary's death was never fully explained. Her story inspired Edgar Allan Poe to write one of the first modern detective stories, "The Mystery of Marie Rogêt".

Mary Rogers' Early Life

Mary Rogers was likely born in 1820 in Lyme, Connecticut. She was the only child of her mother, Phoebe Rogers, who was a widow. Mary was known for her striking beauty.

When she was 17, her father died in a steamboat accident. Mary then started working at a tobacco shop owned by John Anderson in New York City. Anderson paid her well because her good looks attracted many customers. Some famous writers, like James Fenimore Cooper and Washington Irving, were among her customers.

Mary's First Disappearance

On October 5, 1838, a newspaper called the Sun reported that Mary Rogers had disappeared. Her mother said she found a note that seemed to suggest Mary wanted to harm herself.

However, the very next day, another newspaper reported that Mary's disappearance was a trick. It said she had only gone to visit a friend in Brooklyn. When Mary finally returned to work, some newspapers thought the whole event was a publicity stunt planned by the shop owner, John Anderson.

Mary's Story in Fiction

Mary Rogers' mysterious death became famous in books, especially in a story by Edgar Allan Poe. He wrote "The Mystery of Marie Rogêt" in 1842. In Poe's story, he changed the setting to Paris, France, and the victim's body was found in the River Seine.

Poe's story was a follow-up to "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1841), which is often called the first modern detective story. It featured Poe's famous detective character, C. Auguste Dupin. Poe said he used the story to analyze the real-life mystery of Mary's death. In the story, Dupin suggests several possible ways the crime could have happened, but he never actually names the killer.

See also

In Spanish: Mary Cecilia Rogers para niños