This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: waroper Surnames: Roper Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.roper/1898.2.2.1.1.1.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Frank: I agree that the appearance of Allen YATES as a bondsman at the marriage of George ROPER and Agnes HARRIS is compelling evidence of a connection back to Caswell County, NC, and MORE persuasive than any speculative link to Dinwiddie based upon the subsequent appearance of Sally ROPER in Franklin, Williamson County. But I also believe that the early appearance of Benjamin MOORE in Franklin (a double grandson of Charles ROPER and Ann GOODWYN) ought not to be completely discounted. * I also think that we must be cautious about the pervasiveness of the naming of sons George W. ROPER. To the extent that several of these ARE George "Washington" ROPERs, and I suspect that several, but NOT ALL so denominated by inventive ROPER family historians, are named for :George Washington, we must not discount either George WASHINGTON's prominence as commander-in-chief during the Revolution OR his role as President of the United States. I have been intending to post some additional discussion and analysis of the Revolutionary War service of both James ROPER, as well as George ROPER. But it is noteworthy that BOTH served in the Continental line. In fact, your post above implicitly recognizes the pervasiveness of recognition when you state "And David C. Roper, son of John Roper of Caswell, named a son "George W. Roper", as seen in the 1860 census of WASHINGTON, Dallas, MO." People were naming both sons and towns after the first President. My DOUBTS about "Washington" as a middle name for George ROPERs are most acute in respect of those born BEFORE the Declaration of Independence and WASHINGTON's appointment as Commander-In-Chief by the Continental Congress. Even though George WASHINGTON served with distinction during the French and Indian War, it seems to me that it is far LESS LIKELY that someone would have named a son after George WASHINGTON prior to 1776 UNLESS they had actually served or been personally acquainted with WASHINGTON. Thus, I believe that the ascription of "Washington" as the middle name of the Revolutionary War Veteran George ROPER is completely specious and INVENTED by family historians that probably couldn't do better than a "C" in history. Similarly, I doubt that the George ROPER who married Rachel STOCKTON had a middle name of "Washington". A George W. ROPER named before 1776 would be more likely to be a George William ROPER by chance and the incidence of the given name in the ROPER family alone. "George Washington" as a given name no doubt first exploded after the American victory in the Revolution and reached new levels of use after WASHINGTON's inauguration as our first President in 1789. Naming of sons George Washington also probably rebounded in the year of WASHINGTON's death (1799). Once the name was introduced into a branch of the family, its recurrence, like the name "Andrew Jackson" is not altogether unsurprising. But trying to ascribe a person as fitting into a particular branch of the family based upon being named "George Washington ROPER" or "Andrew Jackson ROPER" is a bit more problematic. Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board. <br>