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/1875.5/mb.ashx Message Board Post: I have previously discussed several of the weaknesses of the analysis ascribing members of the Maury, TN, ROPER family to William ROPER and Keziah YATES. I wanted to touch on other premises presented in your exposition which also appears to me to be faulty. You stated: "One William Roper had marital problems with his wife Polly, who was not faithful. He moved to Summer, TN in 1806. This is not the William Roper I will be concerned with. Another William Roper married an Elizabeth Brown on June 26, 1816 in Knox, TN. I am not concerned with this William Roper either. The William Roper that I will be concerned with will first show up in Davidson County, TN and then probably move to Maury, TN. Davidson County, TN was first formed in 1783. Williamson County was then formed out of the southern portions of Davidson County in 1799, Maury County was carved out of the south end of Williamson in 1807, and Giles County would be carved out of the southern end of Maury in 1809. William Roper first shows up residing in Davidson County, TN, while purchasing property on Flat Creek in Maury County, TN: "County Records: First Deed Book-Maury Co. 1807-18. p.62: 4 Dec 1809 Perry Coper (Cooper or Roper) of Maury Co., TN conveys 200 acres on Flat Creek to Wm. Roper of Davidson Co., TN " (L. David Roper database). A William Roper is still seen in the 1811 tax list of Davidson County, TN. Then on September 10, 1817, a William Roper conveyed property in Maury County, TN:" * More specifically, you stated "He moved to Summer, TN in 1806." Where did you get this "fact"? I am NOT aware of any specific evidence that the William ROPER who had marital problems moved to Sumner, TN, in 1806. IF you have looked at the underlying Divorce Petition and it SAYS THAT, this would be very interesting information. More likely, someone just MADE THIS UP. Perhaps William ROPER DID move to Sumner, Tennessee. IF SO, this would be apparent from an examination of the extant Tax Lists for Sumner County. While I have NOT examined the images of extant underlying Sumner, TN, Tax Lists myself, the posted transcriptions seem NOT to bear out the settlement of a William ROPER in Sumner, though my notes indicate that a William ROPER DID at least pass through Sumner in 1799. * You go on to state "Another William Roper married an Elizabeth Brown on June 26, 1816 in Knox, TN. I am not concerned with this William Roper either." I already showed in another post that this William ROPER may be the William ROPER (b abt 1774) who appears in the 1850 Census residing in Smith County, TN, and that this William ROPER MIGHT have been the William ROPER who was residing in Williamson County, TN, in 1820. * Later, you state "The William Roper that I will be concerned with will first show up in Davidson County, TN and then probably move to Maury, TN." After having dismissed the possibility that you are interested in the William ROPER who sought a divorce from Polly in October 1812, you then seem to simply ASSUME that the William ROPER, of Davidson, was NOT the William ROPER who sought a divorce (which William ROPER you have relocated to Sumner, TN). But even without looking at the actual divorce petition, which no one seems to have ever bothered to obtain, it seems VERY CLEAR that the William ROPER who sought a divorce from Polly was the VERY William ROPER who was residing in Nashville, Davidson County, TN, in the 1811 Tax Lists! This is clear from an examination of the Tax List itself! Have you ever actually looked at it or are you again relying on Dave's woefully deficient abstract?? I will confess that I have NOT gone back year by year to look at the extant 1789 or 1805 Tax List for Davidson County. But I have a reasonably high degree of confidence that when those Tax Lists are actually examined that William ROPER's name will NOT be on these lists because he FIRST ARRIVED in Davidson County in 1806 when he relocated there AS HE STATES IN HIS DIVORCE PETITION. * Now if William ROPER, of Davidson, TN, is the William ROPER who purchased land in Maury, TN, in 1809, then it is precisely the William ROPER who divorced Polly who is most directly connected to the Maury ROPERs, if only by the implication of proximity. Even so, I am NOT yet persuaded that the Maury ROPERs are directly related to William ROPER, of Nashville. Perhaps they are. The Tax Lists are very likely to tell us! * The problems with the analysis do NOT end there. Next, you have omitted the rather critical fact that the William ROPER shown in the Davidson Tax List also seems to be the William ROPER who is KNOWN to have DIED in 1814, as reflected in the death notice published in the Clarion and Tennessee State Gazette on Tuesday, March 1, 1814: "On Saturday last, William Roper, for some years a citizen of this town (Nashville)." This seems to reflect a death of William ROPER on Saturday, February 26, 1814. * For this reason, I believe that it is exceptionally UNLIKELY that either of the William ROPERs found in Williamson County OR in Maury County in the 1820 Census enumeration was the SAME William ROPER shown in the 1811 Tax List for Davidson, TN. Neither do I believe that the 1817 conveyance in Maury was executed posthumously by William ROPER, though it COULD have been executed by an executor or administrator of William ROPER, Deceased, of Davidson, TN. But instead of obtaining the DEEDS for Maury, which would clear this up, everyone wants to continue to rely upon the posted abstracts at Dave ROPER's site. * While there are only extant Tax Lists for Davidson for the years 1789, 1805, 1811, 1829, 1839, 1871-1873, 1881-1900, the extant Tax Lists for Maury County include 1808-1818, 1824-1826, 1830-1837. Wouldn't it make more sense to examine the actual Maury deeds and the Maury Tax Lists to see precisely WHEN each ROPER first appears and when various ROPERs also depart the County? In some instances, the first appearance on the Tax List will also give us a very good indication that a particular ROPER turned 21 that year! 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>