This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: waroper Surnames: Roper, Lea Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.roper/1893/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Almost thirteen years ago a researcher posted a Query at the Genealogy.com ROPER Message Board inquiring as to information about two ROPER grandchildren of William LEA/LEE, of Wilkes County, GA: "Searching for William Roper and his sister Sarah Roper, heirs to William Lee and Nance Ann Graves. Roper children listed as grandchildren [sic] in William's 1794 will in Wilkes Co., Ga. Roper children probably born in N.C. and may have remained in N.C. Their mother may have been Sarah Lee ." Secondary sources seem to believe that this William LEA migrated to Wilkes County, Georgia, from Caswell County, NC, about 1788. The source and reliability of this secondary information about the timing of the LEA migration is UNKNOWN to me. See: "William & Sarah Roper-Caswell/Orange Co." (July 28, 2001 at 19:17:00) http://genforum.genealogy.com/roper/messages/840.html Secondary sources show William LEA's Will to be recorded with Wilkes County, Georgia Will Book 1792-1801 at p. 112. The Will is purported to make these bequests: "Lea, William. To Wife Nancy for life or widowhood, the plantation whereon I now live, all the furniture within the walls, stock, etc., and slaves Ben, Jude, Jenney and Osborn. To son Thomas slave Hannah. To son John slave Daniel. To son Jonathan slave Dinah. To dau. Nancy for life slaves George, Milly and Elix, the still, 100 acres of land, etc., at her death the land to be given to my son Solomon, the negroes and stock to Nancy's five children (not named). To grandchildren William and Sarah Ropers slave Jenny at the death of my wife, when they come of age. To grandau. Susannah Lea slave Osborn at wife's death. £30 to be divided among the heirs of my dau. Rosanna Gean at wife's death. Aquilla Burroughs, John Lea, and Joseph Henderson, Excrs. Signed Jan. 9, 1794. Probated May 3, 1794. Spencer Runnels, Geo. Griggs, John Henderson, Test." William LEA's Inventory was apparently recorded on 01 Jul 1794 at Pages 62-4. Secondary sources further report that estate papers reflect the following additional information: "In the lifetime of Aquilla Burroughs, (the other excr.), and after the death of Nancy Lea the wid of the testator, towit on 28th, day of Jan. 1809 a certain negro woman and her two children which by the will belonged to the wid for life, final division to two grandchildren, were exposed to public sale, Richard Peteet became the purchaser." A LOT of additional information, seemingly specific and credible, about William LEA appears at this Ancestry page, seemingly maintained by the Caswell County Historical Association: http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=caswellcounty&id=I3438 * The secondary source seem to assert that William LEA had a daughter named "Sarah" who was married to a ROPER. While perhaps this is indicated within some other evidence, what I garner from the Will is that William and Nancy LEA had an UNNAMED DAUGHTER who predeceased them (d bef 1794) and that this daughter had a son named "William" and a daughter named "Sarah." One might draw a very weak inference that William and Sarah ROPER might have been orphans with their father predeceasing them, as well, but it seems to me that this inference would strain what can be reasonably garnered from the Will. While William LEA MIGHT have made the bequest to his son-in-law rather than his grandchildren, IF the grandchildren's father had remarried and the grandfather had intended only his actual grandchildren to benefit, the specific bequest to the grandchildren would seem to make sense whether his ROPER son-in-law was living or dead. After Nancy LEA died, the slave Jenny and her two children were sold and the bequests to the two ROPER grandchildren were apparently paid. * * * Secondary sources suggest that this William LEA previously resided along County Line Creek in Caswell County, NC, where he is represented to own 1,052 acres according to the 1784 Tax Lists (I have NOT seen the referenced Tax List). The proximity of William LEA's land to the ROPER property is suggested by these deed abstracts posted at Dave ROPER's North Carolina ROPER Families Page: "A:520: William Lea to Major Lea for 100 lbs, 240 acres on Country Line Cr adj Wm. Lea's corner, a beach on Roper's Br, corner James Lea's line. 19 Dec 1780." "J:344: Major Lea to Hearndon Lea for 50 lbs 86.5 acres on Country Line Cr adj John Lea, Roper's Br, being part of tract major Lea surveyed for himself. 3 Mar 1796. Wit: J. Carter, John Lea." "N:133: John Roper to William Yates for 50 lbs 50 acres W side Country Line Cr. at Roper's Spring Br. 13 Nov 1798 Wit: Saml S. Farley, Abner Robinson." See: http://www.roperld.com/rnc1617.htm Dave also shows this abstracted record: "NC Gen. Soc. Journal V.3 p.191: William & Nancy Ann (Graves) Lea from Caswell Co. NC c1788 to Wilkes Co. GA. William d Wilkes Co. GA c1794. Legatees: Thomas Lea, John Lea, Jonathan Lea, Nancy Lea, & her five Chn: Rosanne Jean, Sarah Lea, William & Sarah Roper (grandchn), wife Nancy Lea." * * * Although I have seen secondary sources which seem to identify the UNNAMED daughter of William LEA as "Sarah" and some other records which seem to ascribe the son-in-law's name as "William ROPER," I have seen NO PRIMARY EVIDENCE which would support either ascription. On the other hand, there are a number of ROPER names which we commonly associate with the ROPER properties at or near Rattlesnake Creed or Country Line Creek. In 1790, the only two ROPERs shown on the Tax Rolls for Caswell County seem to have been James ROPER and William ROPER. On the other hand, it seems as though no researcher has ever bothered to try to gather all of the extant Caswell Tax lists. There seem to have clearly been two different David ROPERs at this location in the years both before and after this Tax List. James ROPER is KNOWN to have had a brother George ROPER who was from Caswell County. * The precise identity of the William ROPER and Sarah ROPER named within William LEA's Will remain UNIDENTIFIED. We KNOW that these seemed to be minors at the 09 Jan 1794 date of William LEA's Will (b abt 1773-93). This makes the grandson far too YOUNG to be the William ROPER who married Keziah YATES, although these grandchild could be children of William ROPER (b bef 1759), particularly if they were born either before William ROPER's marriage to Keziah in 1781 OR if William survived and remarried after Keziah ROPER's death. * One interesting set of candidates might be the William ROPER and Sarah ROPER who later appear in or near Sumner County, Tennessee. I noted in another recent post the presence of William ROPER (b abt 1774 - NC) who is enumerated residing in Smith County, TN, in 1850. He would have been (barely) a minor at the date of William LEA's Will. This possibility is made somewhat more intriguing by the marriage of a Sally ROPER ("Sally possibly a nickname for "Sarah") to William HAYES in Sumner County, TN, on 21 Jul 1810. What makes this seem LESS plausible is that Sarah ROPER would probably have first wed at age 16 to 20. If this was Sally ROPER's age range in 1810, then she would have been born 1790-94. While this is within the age range for her to have been a minor at William LEA's death, it is seemingly INCONSISTENT with the possibility that Sally ROPER would be a younger sister to William ROPER (b abt 1774 - NC). If anything, the age range is more consistent with the possibility that William ROPER (b abt 1774 - NC) might have been Sally ROPER's father. Some further investigation into the age and genealogical information of Sally Roper HAYES would seem to be in order. * Another possible candidate to be the Sarah ROPER named within William LEA's Will would be the Sary ROPER who married Robert BOYD on 18 Sep 1794. This construction would have Sarah ROPER MUCH OLDER, perhaps still a minor, but of marriageable age by September 1794. * * It should probably be here noted that David ROPER (d 1803 - Edgefield, SC) seems to have had a son named William and a daughter named Sarah. However, he also seems to have had a younger son named Daniel. But it is also possible that this David ROPER had more than one wife. There is more than a little evidence that this David ROPER might have been in Rutherford or Caswell County, NC. * * * I am NOT here attempting any ascription, but the healthy recent interest in the Caswell, North Carolina, ROPER families brought about by Frank BATCHELOR's recent investigations suggests that we ought to be considering the puzzle of the William and Nancy LEA grandchildren as we otherwise assess the Caswell, NC, and Tennessee ROPER families! Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. 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