This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: batchelorw Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.roper/1875.1.1.2/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Bill, As you know, the onomastic system of naming children in Virginia is not something I invented. I am relying on David Hackett Fischer and his book "Albion Seeds: Four British Folkways in America" when I use the naming system as one tool to determine who an ancestor might be. Of course, there are exceptions, especially it seems as we get farther into the 19th century. Today's parents seem to have no appreciation for the honor given to a parent or grandparent by naming their children after them. Both early Virginians and Backcountry people typically named their first child after their on parents. According to Fischer, "60 percent of eldest sons in Virginia received their grandparents' names, compared with 37 percent in Massachusetts." Further, he points out that "one study of naming patterns in Middlesex County, Virginia finds that only 27 percent of eldest sons and 19 percent of first-born daughters were given their parents' forenames, compared with more than 67 percent in Massachusetts." Ibid., p. 308. So, perhaps Tennessee Roper was an exception. However, the general rule has been a useful tool for me. For example, I stopped looking for the parents of David Roper of Caswell and Cumberland, KY in Edgefield, SC, when I realized that, based on his family naming pattern, I should be looking for a John Roper. And there he was in Caswell, NC, the place were David had married Nancy Lewis. 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>