Aiken has attracted the attention of a best-selling author who is doing research for a book that he might write.
Andrew Morton, who is seeking information about Herman Rogers, contacted the Aiken Standard and local resident David Tavernier by phone and email earlier this month.
"He (Rogers) led an interesting life, and I am just putting my toe in the water to see if it is worth writing a book about him," Morton wrote in a May 5 email to the Aiken Standard.
Morton is the author of "Diana: Her True Story," which is an autobiography of Diana, Princess of Wales, that originally was published in 1992. The subjects of his other books include Monica Lewinsky, Tom Cruise, Madonna and Angelina Jolie.
Rogers was a close friend of King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. Edward gave up the British throne to marry Simpson, a twice-divorced American, in 1937, creating a scandal that threatened to weaken the monarchy.
After relinquishing his crown, King Edward VIII was known as the Duke of Windsor. Wallis Simpson was the Duchess of Windsor.
"He (Rogers) advised the Duke and Duchess throughout the abdication," wrote Morton in the May 5 email.
Rogers and his wife, Katherine, also played major roles in making the arrangements for the Duke and Duchess' marriage in France.
Rogers' connection to Aiken was through his brother, sportsman Edmund Rogers. Edmund's second wife was Dorothy Knox Goodyear Rogers, whose father, Seymour H. Knox I, was a founder of the F.W. Woolworth Company.
Edmund and Dorothy Rogers were the owners of Aiken's Rye Patch, where they lived in the winter.
The Duke and Duchess of Windsor also apparently stayed at Rye Patch during a visit to Aiken. They were scheduled to arrive on Dec. 1, 1938, according to an article that appeared in the Aiken Standard and Review.
"When Edmund and Dorothy knew for sure that the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were coming, they wanted to assure that they had total privacy," Tavernier said. "The wall that fronts out on Whiskey Road had arched openings, and they were bricked up. They also added another wing to Rye Patch's main residence to accommodate the Duke and Duchess."
While in Aiken, the Duke and Duchess went to Banksia, which is now the Aiken County Historical Museum. Back then, Banksia was the winter home of International Harvester Company executive Richard Howe.
"Mr. Howe was quite a card player, and that was one of the things that the Duke of Windsor loved to do," Tavernier said. "From what I understand, the Duke and Duchess would go over to Banksia and play cards while they were here."
The Duke and Duchess also socialized with another affluent Aiken Winter Colony member, Clarence Dolan, Tavernier said.
Tavernier is the author of two books about former wealthy Aiken residents: "Stories of the Rich and Famous: Aiken's Winter Colony in the Gilded Age," and "More Stories of the Rich and Famous: Aiken's Winter Colony in the Gilded Age."
In addition, Tavernier is the president of the Friends of Hopelands and Rye Patch Inc., which helps the City of Aiken maintain and preserve Rye Patch and neighboring Hopelands Gardens. Following Dorothy Knox Goodyear Rogers' death in 1984, her children bequeathed Rye Patch to the City of Aiken.
"Edmund and Herman Rogers were close to each other," Tavernier said. "Andrew Morton knew (they) were in frequent communication with one another, and he was trying to find out if there was someone here in Aiken who had in their possession or knew about any correspondence between Edmund and Herman that might exist. He also wanted to perhaps speak to anyone in town who might have some knowledge of the relationship between Herman and the Duke of Windsor. He (Morton) was interested in hearing about Dorothy Knox Goodyear Rogers, as well."
Morton told the Aiken Standard via email that he was "trying to track down relatives of Dorothy Knox Goodyear Rogers."
Morton's latest book is "17 Carnations: The Royals, The Nazis and the Biggest Cover-Up in History." It is about the Duke of Windsor's close ties to Adolf Hitler and an alleged affair between the Duchess of Windsor and the German foreign minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop.
Dede Biles is a general assignment reporter for the Aiken Standard and has been with the newspaper since January 2013. A native of Concord, N.C., she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.