Hello Brandon -- Thanks for your message. As far as I know, the Ropers are not part of my DIRECT ancestry. My great grandfather was John Roper Billingsley, who was born in 1847 in Alabama. He was the son of Christopher Columbus Billingsley Sr. In the 1860 Autauga Co. census, Christopher had listings of age 43 and occupation "minister BF." I had found J.T. Roper, age 50 and occupation "minister ME," in the 1860 Autauga Co. census, and had wondered if my John Roper Billingsley were named for J.T. Roper. I have a "testament" written by Christopher, in about 1900, that contains this phrase: "About the year 35 or 39 I professed religion and united with the Methodist Episcopal Church and served them as class leader and local preacher for about (21) years. I became dissatisfied with their faith and practice and joined the regular or missionary Baptist Church of Christ .... I have served them to the best of my ability over (20) years...." So, Christopher was a Methodist Episcopal minister at the time his son John Roper Billingsley was born in 1847, and J.T. Roper was an ME minister in 1860. Don't you think it's reasonable to conclude that Christopher and J.T. Roper knew each other and that Christopher gave his son John the middle name of Roper to honor his friend? But, the Billingsleys in the four generations from 1753 through the late 1800s all had many, many (10-13!!!) children, so another possibility is that there was a marriage between a Billingsley and a Roper, and that this relationship led to John Roper Billingsley's middle name. I have not yet researched any Billingsleys except those in my direct line, so I don't know whether there are Ropers there or not. I'll keep my eyes open. The Martha I mentioned was the wife of my John Roper Billingsley. She was born in 1856, and was still alive at the 1900 census. I don't know what her maiden name was -- in various census records the initials W, D, and E all appear at least once. But, she would not have been the source of my ancestor's Roper middle name, since she was his wife. Hope this is enlightening. Pat Salis Texas > -----Original Message----- > From: Brandon Wallace [SMTP:bwallace@huntingdon.edu] > Sent: Sunday, December 05, 1999 10:33 PM > To: ALCHILTO-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: ALCHILTO-D Digest V99 #83 > > Pat Salis!! Well I'll be. I thought no one would ever ask about any > Ropers. Which > Roper are you looking for. I have in my tree my g-g-g-g-grandfather one > John > Thompson Roper, who was a Methodist Minister from South Carolina. He was > born in > NC in 1810?, and settled in SC, then moved to AL , dying in Chilton > County. His > grave in located there. It is quite interesting this name Martha-it is > probably > recurring. My g-g-grandmother was Martha Roper, who was the daughter of > one > Caroline-who was the daughter/relative of said J.T. Roper. Let me know if > this > means anything to you. > Thanks, > Brandon Wallace > > > Subject: Surname BILLINGSLEY > > Date: Thu, 2 Dec 1999 10:27:16 -0600 > > From: "Salis, Pat" <SPH1538@sph.uth.tmc.edu> > > To: ALCHILTO-L@rootsweb.com > > > > Hello -- > > I've just joined this list. > > I am a descendent of (1) Clement and Cynthia/Rebecca Billingsley, > through > > this line: (2) their son William B. and his wife Nancy A., (3) their > son > > Christopher Columbus and his wife Nancy Griffis/Griffin, (4) their son > John > > Roper and his wife Martha, (5) their son Claud and his wife Georgia Mae > > McLemore, and (6) their daughter Jane Fair (my mother) and her husband > > Andrew Salis. I would like to communicate with relatives and others who > are > > researching this or a related line. > > Thanks. > > Pat > > Texas