Died at age 35.∼Roger was the husband of Elizabeth (Wolcott) Newberry 1706-1775

He was the son of Capt. Benjamin Newberry and Hannah (Sackett) Newberry

He died from yellow fever on May 6, 1741 at age 34, on a ship retreating to Jamaica during n English expedition against the spanish West Indies, and was buried at sea.
(source: J. Gardner Bartlett, Newberry Genealogy: The Ancestors and Descendants of Thomas Newberry of Dorchester, Mass., 1634, 920-1914(Boston, Massachusetts: self-published)

CAPT. ROGER NEWBERRY (Capt Benjamin, Benjamin, Thomas), born inWindsor. Conn., 4 June 1706, inherited a good estate from his father who died in the military service when Roger was but three years old.After due preparatory study he entered Yale College where he was graduated with the degree of A. B. in 1726, later receiving in coursethe degree of A. M. He immediately settled in his native town where he established himself in business as a merchant, was successful inhis commercial enterprises, and soon was called into public service.In May 1735 he was chosen deputy for Windsor in the Connecticut Assembly, and was continually re-elected down to and including thesession of May 1740, thus serving at eleven of the semi-annual sessions. (P) Inheriting the martial spirit of his ancestors, heearly became active in military matters, and in May 1728 wascommissioned ensign, and in May 1729 lietenant of a Windsor company inthe Connecticut militia. (Records of Connecticut, printed vol. 7, pp.156 and 226.) This preliminary training led later to active servicewhich cost him his life in the early prime of his manhood. (P) Latein 1739 war broke out between England and Spain, and in the autumn of1740 the former nation dispatched an expedition against the Spanish West Indies, the armament consisting of over a hundred ships withfifteen thousand sailors and marines and over twelve thousandsoldiers. Nearly a thousand troops from New England took part in thisexpedition, and Roger Newberry went as captain of one of the Connecticut companies. The expedition started under the command of Lord Cathcart who soon died, and he was succeeded by General Wentworthas commander of the army, Admiral Vernon having the command of the fleet. The commanders were incompetent and failed to work in harmony,valuable time was wasted, and it was not until early in March 1741that the combined forces reached CAthagena, Columbia. After furtherprocrastination, a gallant but reckless assault was made on the cityon April 9, which was repulsed with heavy losses. At just this timethe rainy season commenced, and in a few days yellow fever made frightful havoc in the English army, over three thousand men dying intwo days; and of the thousand soldiers who went from New England, only about one hundred survived to reach home. On April 17 the miserbleremnant of the army re-embarked on the transports and soon started forJamaica. Capt. Newberry had contracted the fever, died on shipboard 6May 1741, and was buried at sea. Tradition relates that on thisretreating voyage the combination of a terrible Carribean storm andthe frightful ravages of the fever drove the officers and seamen onthe vessel to reckless despair and impelled them all to get helplesslyintoxicated; and in this dire emergency Capt. Newberry struggled ondeck from his sick-berth, mustered some of the soldiers, took commandof the ship, confined the mariners in irons, and himself navigated the vessel for two days until the tempest abated and the crew had becomesober; then returning to his berth he soon expired from the fever and his exertions. (P) The following contemporary obituary of him has still been preserved:
"Windsor, 29 July 1741. Last Monday we had the Melancholy news of the Death of the Worthy Capt. Roger Newberry who went from this Town on the Expedition. He was well descended. The Honorable Major Benjamin Newberry, that had adventured his Life in his Country's Service in the Indian war, and sat several years at the Council board, was his Grandfather. Capt. Benjamin Newberry, who died ofSickness in the Expedition against Canada in 1709, was his father.
"This Gentleman had a Liberal Education Bestowed upon which he wascareful to Improve, and was an accomplished mathematician and Good Historian. He always carryed about with him a Lively Sense of the Divine providence and of man's accountableness to his Maker for all his tho'ts, words, and actions, and gave his constant attendance on the Worship of God in the Public and Private Exercises of it, was Justin his Dealings, a Sure friend, and faithful Monitor.
"He had a very Quick and Clear apprehension of things, a solid Judgement and Tenaceous memory; his Discourse and Conversation was affable and Instructive and so peculiarly winning that most were his real friends as were acquainted with him. His mind was formed for Business, which he followed with an Indefatigable aplycation, by which he not only discharged to Good Acceptance the public Trusts that were put upon him, but also advanced his own Estate.
"In May 1740, he being then a member of the General Assembly, waspitcht upon by the Governor and Council, yea he had the suffrage of the Assembly to Invite him to Lead one company of the Troops from this Colony in this Expedition .....
"He was at the Takeing of Botochico, from which fort two Days after he wrote a chearful Letter to his Wife, Expressing his Great Hopes of Takeing the Town of Carthagena and thereby finishing the Expedition and opening a way for his Return.
"But soon after this he was Taken Sick and Languished until the fifth of May, When he had almost completed the thirty-fifth year of his age, he not far from Jamaica Departed this Life, and we Shall see his face no more untillthe Sea gives up the Dead that are in it.
"He hath Left his antient mother to Lament the Death of this her only Son. His own Widow with seven small children, one at her Breast, a Family to mourne under this heavy Bereavement and Combat with the Difficulties of an unquiet World." (History of Windsor,Conn., vol. 1, pp. 244-5.)