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/1897.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: This post collects the identified ROPER mentions within Maury, Tennessee Will Book "A" and briefly discusses inferences which can be reasonably drawn therefrom. Images of this Maury, TN, Will Book are available for free viewing by registered users at the FamilySearch.org web site. The primary file discussed in this post is shown as "Wills, 1806-1815, Vol. 1" and can be opened from this page from which ALL of the posted Maury, Tennessee, probate files (within the larger collection "Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927") are linked: https://familysearch.org/search/image/index#uri=https://familysearch.org/recapi/sord/waypoint/M6QS-BNL:179637301?cc=1909088 * In one sense, this particular post is significant NOT for the ROPER mentions it shows, but rather for the ABSENCE of ROPER mentions. You might ask WHY post findings showing the ABSENCE of ROPERs from a particular place, however since there are several ROPER households in Maury, TN, shown within the 1820 Census and there are NO EXTANT Census returns for 1810, we should be curious precisely WHEN the ROPER family first appeared in this County. While ABSENCE from extant periodic records, such as probate records, is NO ASSURANCE that the family was NOT present, identification of the FIRST mentions of a family in a place is some indication of the time of arrival. * INDEX ENTRIES FOR BOOK "A" Index entries for this Volume appear at Images 2 through 25 of 156. See: "Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1940-656441-1-53?cc=1909088&wc=M6QW-G68:179637301,180234501 : accessed 15 Apr 2014), Maury > Wills, 1806-1815, Vol. 1 > image 2 of 156 It is probably most important to note that the most significant inference that may be drawn from this Will Book is that NO ROPERs seem to have died leaving an estate in Maury, TN, during the interval covered by these probate records. This can be seen by reference to the "R" Index page within the Index for this volume: "Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-195-2078921-1-94?cc=1909088&wc=M6QW-G68:179637301,180234501 : accessed 14 Apr 2014), Maury > Wills, 1806-1815, Vol. 1 > image 19 of 156. Entries for a David YEATS (YATES) are shown to appear at pages 16, 156, and 191: "Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1940-656332-1-65?cc=1909088&wc=M6QW-G68:179637301,180234501 : accessed 15 Apr 2014), Maury > Wills, 1806-1815, Vol. 1 > image 25 of 156. I HAVE NOT LOCATED AND INSPECTED THESE DAVID YATES PAGES. A researcher who believes that the Maury ROPER family is related to the YATES family may wish to look at these records. * * * FINDING AIDS FOR IMAGES WITHIN THE FAMILYSEACH IMAGE FILE Since the FamilySearch.org images are NOT yet Indexed, it is helpful to understand that each Image typically contains TWO pages of this Will Book. Record Book "A", Maury County Wills and Inventories [Page 1] begins at Image 26 of 156. * Page 50 of this Volume (Will Book "A" ) is found at FamilySearch.org Image No. 52 of 156: "Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-195-2080645-1-42?cc=1909088&wc=M6QW-G68:179637301,180234501 : accessed 15 Apr 2014), Maury > Wills, 1806-1815, Vol. 1 > image 52 of 156. * Will Book "A" Page 100 of this Volume is found at FamilySearch.org Image No. 77 of 156: "Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-195-2080644-1-37?cc=1909088&wc=M6QW-G68:179637301,180234501 : accessed 15 Apr 2014), Maury > Wills, 1806-1815, Vol. 1 > image 77 of 156. * Will Book Page 150 of this Volume is found at FamilySearch.org Image No. 102 of 156: "Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-195-2080584-1-62?cc=1909088&wc=M6QW-G68:179637301,180234501 : accessed 15 Apr 2014), Maury > Wills, 1806-1815, Vol. 1 > image 102 of 156. * Will Book Page 200 of this Volume is found at FamilySearch.org Image No. 127 of 156: "Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-195-2080373-1-45?cc=1909088&wc=M6QW-G68:179637301,180234501 : accessed 15 Apr 2014), Maury > Wills, 1806-1815, Vol. 1 > image 127 of 156. * Will Book Page 250 of this Volume is found at FamilySearch.org Image No. 152 of 156: "Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1940-657825-1-17?cc=1909088&wc=M6QW-G68:179637301,180234501 : accessed 15 Apr 2014), Maury > Wills, 1806-1815, Vol. 1 > image 152 of 156. * The LAST numbered page in this Volume is page 256 [Image 155], which is followed by an UNNUMBERED page showing that this is the end. The last IMAGE seemed to be the back inside cover of the Volume [Image 156]. * * * * * An Abstract of this Volume was completed by Paulette Carpenter, in November 2004, and is posted at the Tennessee GenWeb site at: http://tngenweb.org/maurytn/wills/willpg1.htm http://tngenweb.org/maurytn/wills/willpg2.htm http://tngenweb.org/maurytn/wills/maury1.txt THERE ARE NO ROPER ENTRIES IN THIS VOLUME SHOWN WITHIN MS. CARPENTER'S ABSTRACT. * * This Volume is also abstracted by by Jill K. Garrett and Marise P. Lightfoot (March 1964): http://genealogytrails.com/tenn/maury/willssettlements.html There are NO ROPER ENTRIES in the Book "A" abstract compiled by Jill GARRERTT, either. * * Separately, there exists a printed copy of the published abstract of this Volume by Jill Knight Garrett, "Maury County, Tennessee will books A, B, C-1, D, and E, 1807-1832" (Southern Historical Press, 1984), ISBN-13: 978-0893083625. I have NOT inspected this book. * * * In my view, the absence of ROPER entries within this Volume supports the weak inference that the ROPER family arrived in Maury, TN, AFTER 1810, and the strong inference that NO ADULT ROPERs WITH PROPERTY DIED THEIR PRIOR TO 1810. 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>