This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: waroper Surnames: Roper, Hubbard, Walker, Stephensen, Stevenson, Cummins, Pool, Pettypool, Childress, Long, Rippee, Hardin, Miller, Turner, Foster Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.roper/1899/mb.ashx Message Board Post: One ROPER ancestor about whom a great deal is known, but who still presents a bit of a puzzle as to the prior generation is John ROPER (b 08 Jan 1788 - NC, d Oct 1863), of Greene and Pulaski Counties, Missouri. This John ROPER seems to first clearly appear in the U.S. Census as a head of household in 1840, residing in Pulaski County, MO. John ROPER: 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 2 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 2 - 1 - 3 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- No Slaves [Pulaski, MO 1840] This John ROPER is shown to be age 50 to 59 (b abt 1781-90) with a wife age 40 to 49 (b abt 1791-90). See: "United States Census, 1840," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XHT3-3F2 : accessed 19 Apr 2014), John Roper, Not Stated, Pulaski, Missouri; citing "1840 United States Federal Census," Ancestry.com; p. 227, NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 229, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C.; FHL microfilm 0014857. * Also enumerated in Pulaski County, MO, that same year is an Elizabeth ROPER, APPEARING IN THE IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT RECORD. Elizabeth ROPER: 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 -- No Slaves [Pulaski, MO 1840] As can be seen, Elizabeth ROPER is shown to be age 80 to 89 (b abt 1751-60). Secondary sources and family lore identify this Elizabeth ROPER as John ROPER's widowed mother. I will further discuss Elizabeth ROPER in a future post. See: "United States Census, 1840," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XHT3-3NH : accessed 19 Apr 2014), Elizabeth Roper, Not Stated, Pulaski, Missouri; citing "1840 United States Federal Census," Ancestry.com; p. 227, NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 229, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C.; FHL microfilm 0014857. * This John ROPER, shown to be age 62 (b abt 1788) and born in North Carolina, next appears in the 1850 Census residing in Wright County, MO, residing with William ROPER, age 33 (b abt 1817), Letitia ROPER, age 19 (b abt 1831), Louise ROPER, age 16 (b abt 1834), and Eli RIPPER, age 3 (b abt 1847). The birth places of the younger members of the household in this Census give some sense of the prior migrations. William was born in Tennessee. Letitia was born in Illinois. Louisa was born in Missouri. See: "United States Census, 1850," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MDZR-JQ2 : accessed 19 Apr 2014), John Roper, Wright county, Wright, Missouri, United States; citing family 32, NARA microfilm publication M432. Enumerated immediately after John ROPER on the same Census page is John H. ROPER, age 31 (b abt 1819 - TN), residing with wife Nancy, age 22 (b abt 1828 - TN), and daughter Mary, age 1 (b abt 1849 - MO). In the household immediate preceding that of John ROPER is the household of John CUMMINS, age 43 (b abt 1807 - MO) and Rebecca CUMMINS, age 38 (b abt 1818 - TN). John and Rebecca seem to have children Drucilla, age 14, William, age 10, Nancy, age 7, Mary, age 5, and Margaret, age 2. ALL of the children are born in Missouri. As will be further shown, Rebecca seems to be John ROPER's daughter and the birthplace of the children seems to show that Rebecca arrived in Missouri by 1836. * * * A correspondent who is a descendant of this ROPER family, Curt WRIGHT, has furnished me with information transcribed from the Family Bible of John Henry ROPER (b 27 Jan 1819 - TN). The typewritten transcription shows that this Bible is "Now in possession of great grand daughter, Mrs. Irene Hubbard WALKER, of Mountain Grove, Missouri." The type appears to be from a manual or very early electric typewriter and the page is therefor probably at least several decades old. Irene HUBBARD (b 21 Aug 1898 - MO) was the daughter of James McBride HUBBARD and Ella GREEN and granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson GREEN and Mary Elizabeth ROPER, of Mountain Grove, Wright County, MO. Irene was married to Kenneth WALKER. She is shown to have died in 1977 and is interred at the Hillcrest Cemetery in Mountain Grove, Wright County, MO. I therefore believe that the typed transcription is at least 27 years old. As will be further shown, much of the secondary information floating around online seems to have at its origin genealogical work done by Mrs. Irene Hubbard WALKER during her lifetime. I do NOT have an image of the Bible page from which this transcription was taken. If anyone knows the present whereabouts of this family Bible, I would encourage you to contact the owner and encourage the owner to make a photocopy of the genealogical information to (a) share with other members of this branch of the ROPER family and (b) to make a copy available to the State Library and Archives of both Missouri and Tennessee! One secondary posting online suggests that this Bible might now be in the possession of Vickie DOOMS. I give below a complete transcription of precisely what appears in the typed transcription (EXCEPT that the information shown in square brackets was separately interlineated by hand): "Material copied from Bible of John Henry Roper (born 1819) Now in possession of great grand daughter, Mrs. Irene Hubbard Walker, Mountain Grove, Missouri. John Roper, born January 8, 1788--died October, 1863 Nancy Roper, born October 18, 1792--died April 5, 1845 Mary Roper, born March 11, 1810--Married November 21, 1830 [STEPHENSEN] Rebecca Roper, born February 6, 1812--Married November 19, 1831 [CUMMINS] Yewel Roper, born September 16, 1813--Married October 19, 1837 [POOL] William Roper, born November 16, 1816--Married November 23, 1854 [CHILDRESS] John H. Roper, born January 27, 1819--Married October 22, 1848 [LONG] Elizabeth Roper, born December 30, 1820--Married November 2, 1845 [RIPPEE] Sarah Roper, born March 22, 1823--Married December 25, 1845 [HARDIN] Nancy J. Roper, born March 8, 1825--Married September 5, 1848 [LONG] Margaret A. Roper, born January 17, 1827--Married January 23, 1849 Marthy G. Roper, born December 4, 1828 Telethe E. Roper, born October 27, 1830 Louisa C. Roper, born November 17, 1833--Married February 8, 1857 [TURNER] Rebecca Cummins died April 19, 1851 Elizabeth Rippee died May 1849 J. H. Roper and Nancy Irene Long married October 22, 1848 Mary Elizabeth Roper, born July 21, 1849--died November 21, 1869 William Beveridge Roper, born January 27, 1852--died March 29, 1881 Ella Green, born July 14, 1867 (Note: Nancy Jane Foster 1880?)" [This concludes the TYPED information] * In addition to the typed information, there is some additional information interlineated on the typed page both in pen and pencil, seemingly by a different hand. I believe that most of these interlineations are also reliable, though at least one piece of information appears to me to be erroneous, as further related in posts to follow. Interlineated after the word "born" following the names of John and Nancy Roper near the top of the page are the abbreviations "NC", seemingly to indicate that both John ROPER (b 08 Jan 1788) and Nancy ROPER (b 18 Oct 1792) were born in North Carolina. To the right of both entries is the further indication in pen "Both Born NC." I believe that the indication that John ROPER was born in North Carolina is CORRECT, as it is confirmed by extant 1850 Census data. I believe that the indication that Nancy ROPER was born in North Carolina is probably erroneous for reasons further shown in a forthcoming post. Interlineated immediately below Nancy ROPER's name is the elaboration in pen in cursive writing "Nancy Agnes," as well as a separate indication in lighter ink, possibly photocopied with the original typed transcription "Maiden name unknown." To the left of Yewel ROPER's name is a single capital "P", the meaning of which is unclear. Similarly, there is a capital "P" preceding the name Marthy G. ROPER. Interlineated after the name William is the initial "M." Below and to the left of the name of Louisa C. ROPER and just before the name of Rebecca CUMMINS is the name "Telita," which I take to be a variation of the name "Telete" given in the name Telete E. ROPER. To the right of nine of the names printed in pencil in ALL CAPS are surnames of the person to whom children are married. The given names of the spouses are NOT provided in the transcription that came to me. These are the names shown in square brackets in the transcription above. As explained, this information was printed in by hand rather than typed. It is UNCLEAR whether this information appeared in the original Bible or was ascertained later by another researcher or the identity of that researcher. * * * Although I include the date of death purportedly taken from the Bible in the Subject of this thread, I do so with some reservation. Usually, a death date is a little more specific as to exact day and place of death. The absence of a place and failure to find either a grave or a probate record makes me a little uneasy. The date given of Oct 1863 should be treated with caution unless and until either a grave or probate record can be found. * * * Key unresolved issues for this John ROPER include the precise identity of his wife Nancy or Nancy Agnes, the precise locations John ROPER and his family resided prior to their arrival in Missouri, the correct identity of John ROPER's parents and the place of John ROPER's death and burial. I will discuss each of these issues in several follow up posts, but those with specific knowledge of this ROPER family are requested to share the factual information as well as analysis you have! 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>