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/1888/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Henry Roper, b. abt. 1782, d. abt. 1845, Caswell, NC has been shown by secondary sources as being a son of William Roper, b. abt 1754, Orange, NC, m. Keziah Yates. I think there is a better case that Henry Roper, b. between 1780 and 1790 in Halifax, VA, was a son of John Roper, b. abt. 1754, Virginia. John Roper, b. abt 1754, first makes his appearance in Caswell, NC in 1797, having recently moved from Halifax, VA. He buys land in Caswell, NC, his son David Roper marries Nancy Lewis in 1801 in Caswell, and he appears in a number of deeds in Caswell during the early 1800's. Henry Roper first makes his appearance in Caswell, NC in 1809. John Roper is shown deeding 100 acres to Henry Roper: Q:76: John Roper to Henry Roper for $500 100 acres on Country Line Cr. adj. William Yates, heirs of Thomas Boulton 3 Nov 1809 Wit: Jno Stanfield, Durrett Richards, Archd Samuel. Henry Roper is then seen marrying Rachel Farley on October 4, 1810: Marriage records of Caswell Co., NC: Henry Roper m Rachel Farley 4 Oct 1810 Abner Burton John Roper and Henry Roper are the only two Ropers shown residing in Caswell, NC in 1810, according to the L. David Roper database: 1810 US Census of NC: 0-10 10-20 20-30 40up (M - F) slaves Caswell Co.: John Roper 0 1 0 0 1 - 1 0 2 0 1 - 1 499; Henry Roper 0 0 1 1 0 - 0 0 1 0 0 - 6 499 There are two males shown in Henry Roper's household, one age 26-45 and the other 45 up. There is one female shown as age 26-45. Later records will show Henry born in the 1780's. There are no minor children as Henry and Rachel have only recently married. John Roper is shown to be 45 , old enough to be Henry's father. John Roper then has a judgment executed against his land in 1811 and no longer appears in Caswell, NC records. My belief is that he has moved to Cumberland, KY to be near his son David Roper, as shown in an 1820 Cumberland, KY census Henry Roper remains in Caswell, NC, where he is shown in several deeds (L. Roper database): "Q:65: Jesse Carter to John Swann for $500 140 acres & 38 acres on Rattlesnake Creek adj. David Roper, John Carmon 2 Jan 1810. Wit: A. L. Bennett, J. Barker. Q:211: Matthew Terry to heirs of Thomas Boulton for $300 pd by Thomas Boulton decd, 88.5 acres on Miry Br of Country Line Cr adj John Roper 13 jan 1810. Wit: Danl S. Farley, Archd Samuel, John Hubbard. Q:523: John Stamps sheriff to Thomas Fisher whereas Benjamin Stephens assignee of Gatewood & Co. recovered judgment against John Roper for 133 lbs 16s 10p, goods & chattels 484.75 acres whereon Roper lives on Country Line Cr. adj Boulton, Henry Roper, Fisher, Solomon Merrett sold to Thomas Fisher the high bidder. 15 Oct 1811. Q:512: Henry Roper to Thomas Fisher for $267.90 41.9 acres NW side Country Line Cr. Adj John Roper former line, Boulton, Fisher. Wit: Danl S. Farley, William Fisher. Wit: E. D. Jones, Geo. W. Willson. Q:408: Jeremiah Samuel to Edward Samuel of Lincoln? Co. GA for $500 200 acres on Country Line Cr. adj Stephens 9 Jan 1812. Wit: Samuel Pittard, Henry Roper, Archd Samuel. R:12: Josiah Samuel to Walker Samuel for 134 lbs 13.4 acres on Country Line Cr adj Henry Roper, William Rainey, John Rogers Apr 1813 Wit: Chas Willson, Danl Darby. R:80: John Swann to Jacob Sryer for $400 140 acres on Rattlesnake Cr adj David Roper, John Carmon, Slade; also 38 acres adj Roper. 20 Oct 1813 Wit: John Carter, Jesse Thompson. R:190: Walker Samuel to Josiah Samuel for 134 VA money 134 acres on Country Line Cr adj Henry Roper, John Rogers. 2 Mar 1815 Wit: Z. Samuel, James Towler, James H. Willson. R:199: Lewis Vaughan to William Rainey for $200 a saw mill on Country Line Cr 7 Apr 1815 Wit: Henry Roper, E.D. Jones, Abel Taylor R:347: Jacob Gryer to Moses Kitchen for $400 140 acres both sides Rattlesnake Cr adj David Roper, John Carmon, Slade; also 38 acres adj Roper 17 May 1815. Wit: A. L. Bennett, Stephen Kitchen (name possibly same as Grider). R:384: Thomas Fisher to Phoebe Boulton for $1759.60 252.8 acres W side Country Line Cr adj Henry Roper, Merritt 13 Dec 1816 Wit: Danl S. Farley, A. Gordon." Henry Roper then has a child by Henry's wife's slave named Moses Roper in about 1816. This is a fascinating story in itself, which I will not go into at this time. For those interested, they can view the story at the L. David Roper database of Roper Families in North Carolina, 1800-1899. The L. David Roper database has many documents from 1816- 1849 concerning this Henry Roper, which are too numerous to repeat here. They do show Henry Roper dying abt 1845 and the subsequent inventory of his estate. Rather than repeating that information, I want to return to my primary purpose of showing that this Henry Roper is probably the son of John Roper, b. abt 1754, (VA?) and not William Roper, b. abt. 1766, Orange, NC. Henry Roper was shown in the 1810 Caswell, NC census as age 20-30. Henry also appears in the 1820, 1830, and 1840 Caswell, NC census records: 1820 US census of NC: Page Caswell Co.: Henry Roper 2 0 0 0 1 0 - 4 0 0 1 0 41 Henry is shown age 16-45, with a female 26-45. 1830 US census of NC: Caswell Co. Henry Roper 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 - 1 2 1 1 2? 0 1 - 7 268 Henry is indexed as Henry Raper by Ancestry.com. There are four males, the oldest two being 30-40 and 40-50. Based on the 1840 census, Henry would have been the older of the two. 1840 Caswell NC census: 000100010000 0220010000000 Henry is shown as 50-60. So Henry was born between 1780 and 1790. His new wife, Mary Ann (Polly) Elmore, is shown as 30-40. Rachel Farley died in about 1831. Henry had about 10 children, 11 counting Moses Roper. Three of the children were Hezekiah Roper, John E. Roper, and Francis Catherine Roper. Hezekiah Roper was named after Rachel Farley's father, Hezekiah Farley. He is shown as an orphan in the inventory of Henry Roper's estate: Caswell Co. NC Will Books 1777-1814: p.19: Book G 1816-1817: p.42: Div of negroes belonging to estate of Isekiah Farley on 24 Dec 1819 to: Rachel Roper.. p.74: Book K 1825: Sales property of Hezekiah Farley decd to: Henry Roper 77 p.178: Guardian accounts 1845-1847: 1847 guardian Thomas C. Pass orphan Hezekiah Roper. Pd R. John E. Roper is also shown as a son of Henry Roper: Caswell Co. NC Will Books 1777-1814: p.19: Book G 1816-1817: p.189: John E. Roper of Cole Co., MO to ThomasC. Pass of Caswell Co. to receive from estate of decd father Henry Roper of Caswell Co. 17 May 1847 GG 831 Francis Catherine Roper is also shown as an orphan of Henry Roper: Caswell Co. NC Will Books 1777-1814: p.19: Book G 1816-1817: p.178: Guardian accounts 1845-1847: 1847 guardian Thomas C. Pass orphan Hezekiah Roper. Pd R. Crittenden for boots, Mrs. Gordon for making coat; Samuel Watkins store acct. 372 guardian Thomas C. Pass, orphan Frances C. Roper 389 Francis Catherine Roper was born July 8, 1828, Caswell, NC; d. January 22, 1896, Milton, Caswell, NC. She married Thomas Samuel Brandon, Jr. Francis Catherine Brandon, age 50, and Hezekiah Roper, age 52, brother and sister, both show up residing next to each other in the 1880 Milton, Caswell, NC census. Both Francis Catherine Brandon, indexed as F.C. Brandon, and Hezekiah Roper state that they were born in North Caroline, that their mother was born in North Carolina, and that their father was born in Virginia! With this information, it appears that William Roper, abt. 1766 in Orange, NC is probably not the father of Henry Roper. William's father, David Roper, Sr, b. abt. 1727, was in Orange, NC by at least May 12, 1757, when he purchased property on Rattlesnake Creek. William Roper was deeded 224 acres by his father David on January 20, 1779 on Rattlesnake Creek in Caswell, NC. William Roper married Keziah Yates on August 31,1781 in Caswell, NC. William Roper is also shown in the 1786 Richmond District, Caswell, NC Tax list. William Roper appears in the 1790 Hillsborough District, Caswell, NC census. To my knowledge, William Roper never lived in Virginia from 1780-1790, the time period that Henry Roper would have been born in Virginia. Thus, considering that John Roper shows up in the 1782 Halifax, VA tax list, that he apparently remained there until he moved from Halifax, VA to Caswell, NC in 1797, that John Roper deeded land to Henry Roper one year after his marriage to Rachel Farley, that John Roper and Henry Roper are living next to each other in Caswell, NC, that Henry Roper names a son John E. Roper, and that Henry Roper's children state that their father was born in Virginia, I believe it is probable that Henry Roper is the son of John Roper and that Henry Roper is not the son of William Roper. 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>