Sylvia J. Rogers (maiden name: Lyon) was born around 1835 in Allegany County, New York, to Spencer and Betsey Rogers. Her father was a farmer who owned $7,560 of real estate by 1850. The family lived in New Hudson, New York. She married George D. Rogers on July 4, 1850, and they had at least three children: Allen, born on January 26, 1853; Alva, born on September 10, 1858; and Altha, born on July 19, 1860. They lived in New Hudson, and her husband worked as a farmer. By 1860, they owned $1,200 of real estate and $300 of personal property.
Her husband served in the Union army, and he died on August 15, 1864. She applied for a federal pension in March 1865 and eventually secured one. She married Stephen Gay on October 6, 1869, and they had at least two children: Clara, born around 1869; and Steven, born around 1874. Her husband worked as a farmer in New Hudson, and he died on December 11, 1894. She died in New Hudson on May 19, 1917.