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/1923.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Although the 1790 and 1800 Census records for John ROPER do NOT give us a clear sense of the identity of the children of John ROPER (b abt 1756-66), of Pendleton, SC, they DO afford a tremendous amount of insight into the composition of his household, giving use clues that can help us ascertain the identity of the children: John ROPER: 1 - 3 - 2 -- 0 [Pendleton, SC 1790] John ROPER: 2 - 2 - 0 - 1 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 [Pendleton, SC 1800] >From the 1790 Census, we can see that John ROPER has three males under age 16 residing within his household. Implicitly, these three males must have been born abt 1775-90. If these are, in fact, sons, and the additional female is a daughter, we would expect the daughter would likely fall in this same age range. Assuming, without concluding, that John ROPER's household in 1790 included ONLY members of his immediate family, a wife, three sons and a daughter, we might expect John ROPER had at least these children in 1790: Son (abt 1775-90) Son (abt 1775-90) Son (abt 1775-90) Daughter (abt 1775-90) * The 1800 Census data gives much more specific information. There are shown to be two males under age 10 (b abt 1791-1800). There are also two males age 10 to 17 (b abt 1783-90). There is one female age 18 to 25 (b abt 1775-82). If the Census data is precisely correct and all persons residing within his household in 1790 and 1800 are members of his immediate family, John ROPER seems to have had a total of five sons, with one either dying or leaving the household by 1800. The female in John ROPER's household in 1800 is too young to be the mother of the elder sons and seems more likely to be the daughter implied by the 1790 Census data. This is also suggested by the appearance of ONLY two sons under age ten and NO FEMALES in this age range. For a young couple, it would be more common for there to be more than two sons in the decade from 1790 to 1800 UNLESS the wife had died, probably during childbirth. Thus, we have a possible household composition of: Daughter (b abt 1775-82) Son (b abt 1775-90) Son (b abt 1783-90) Son (b abt 1783-90) Son (b abt 1791-1800 - SC) Son (b abt 1791-1800 - SC) Since the possible daughter seems to be unmarried, this suggests that she is probably at the low end of the possible age range, which is also more consistent with her appearing within a continuous birth sequence with her brothers. Of greatest significance is the fact that the two youngest sons would have been BORN IN SOUTH CAROLINA. Realize that while there was a genetically distinct ROPER family descended from immigrant William ROPER seated at Charleston and continuously occupying the South Carolina low country from the 1730s, that the FIRST persistent KNOWN appearance of MUR ROPERs in upper South Carolina was with the arrival of THIS John ROPER enumerated in the 1790 Census. There is also an ambiguous Thomas RAPER or ROPER record, also in Pendleton. While there were quite a few ROPERs shown to have arrived in Pendleton, Edgefield and possibly Greenville, SC, by 1800, this John ROPER is the ONLY ROPER KNOWN to have inhabited South Carolina in 1790. Thus, ANY MALE ROPER shown to have been shown to have been born in South Carolina in the early 1790s would be a good candidate to be one of the younger sons of John ROPER shown in the 1800 Census record. * * * * * We are presented with precisely such a candidate in the person of David ROPER (b 08 Jun 1792 - SC, d 17 Apr 1878 - Lawrence, MO), of Greene County, and later Lawrence County, Missouri. Within this David ROPER's 1850 Census record, he is shown to be born in South Carolina. It should be noted that while residing with his son William Fagg ROPER in Lawrence, MO, in 1870, this David ROPER is shown to be born in Alabama, this seems UNLIKELY for several reasons. First, Alabama did NOT exist as a state at the date of David ROPER's birth. Second, Alabama was part of the Mississippi Territory and wasn't then occupied by white settlers except for the Spanish presence at Mobile. Third, there is NO EVIDENCE of the residence of any ROPER family in Alabama prior to 1810. For these reasons, the assertion that David ROPER was born in Alabama should probably be discounted. Thus, David ROPER (b 08 Jun 1792 - SC, d 17 Apr 1878 - Lawrence, MO), of Greene, MO, seems to be a particularly compelling candidate to be a son of John ROPER (b abt 1756-66), of Pendleton, SC. * * * * * Secondary sources have suggested that David ROPER, of Greene, MO, was a brother of John ROPER (b 08 Jan 1788 - NC, d Oct 1863), of Greene and Pulaski Counties, Missouri. There are abundant reasons to suspect that David ROPER and John ROPER might have been brothers. But of greatest significance is my finding suggesting that John ROPER, of Greene and Pulaski, is the SAME John ROAPER shown in the 1830 Census in Monroe County, Tennessee. That John ROPER or ROAPER is enumerated adjacent to a household denominated that of John ROAPER, but containing what appears to be John ROPER's widowed mother (or stepmother). Thus, there is already much reason to suspect that John ROPER's (b 08 Jan 1788 - NC, d Oct 1863) father was also named John ROPER. That David ROPER (b 08 Jun 1792 - SC, d 17 Apr 1878 - Lawrence, MO) is KNOWN to have been from East Tennessee, where he is KNOWN to have served in the Blount County militia during the War of 1812 would seem to further strengthen the ascription. * * * * * A third possible brother would be James ROPER (b abt 1786 - NC) enumerated residing in Monroe County with wife Margaret ("Peggy") McNally ROPER in 1850. David ROPER named his son William Fagg ROPER (b 10 May 1819 - TN). James ROPER and Peggy McNALLY were married by Methodist minister William FAGG on 23 Dec 1819 in Blount, TN, where David ROPER served in the militia. See my posts: "James ROPER (b abt 1786 - NC) m Peggy McNALLY in Blount, TN, on 23 Dec 1819" (14 Mar 2014 3:41AM GMT) http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.roper/1787.5.1/mb.ashx "Error in Inferred Year of Birth of James ROPER (b abt 1786 - NC)" (14 Mar 2014 1:15AM GMT) http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.roper/1787.5/mb.ashx * * * * * A fourth brother is suggested by the coincident appearance of a Ewel ROPER in the same Blount County militia unit in which David ROPER served during the War of 1812. While coincident service in the militia is a rather thin basis to ascribe a relationship, John ROPER's (b 08 Jan 1788 - NC, d Oct 1863) named his eldest son Francis Yewell ROPER (b 16 Sep 1813 - TN). Since there is no further record of Ewel ROPER after the War of 1812, it seems likely that Ewel ROPER died young. * * * * * This accounts for four of the five possible sons of John ROPER, of Pendleton, SC. A fifth possible son is the Joseph ROPER shown residing in Pendleton in the 1800 Census: Joseph ROPER: 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 -- 1 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 [Pendleton, SC 1800] This Joseph ROPER is shown to be age 18 to 25 in 1800 (b abt 1775-82). There is a female of a comparable age and one female under age 10. This household has the indicia of a recently married couple. If the couple had been married longer than two years, we might expect there to be additional children. Joseph is found on the Census page immediately following that of John ROPER. Joseph ROPER's age range is consistent with the unidentified son (b abt 1775-90) implicit in the 1790 Census record who seems to have departed the household by 1800. * * * * * Thus, we have these possible sons of John ROPER (b abt 1756-66), of Pendleton, SC: Joseph ROPER (b abt 1775-82) James ROPER (b abt 1786 - NC) John ROPER (b 08 Jan 1788 - NC, d Oct 1863) David ROPER (b 08 Jun 1792 - SC, d 17 Apr 1878 - Lawrence, MO) Ewel ROPER (b abt 1791-1800 - SC) * John ROPER seems to have remarried after 1800 and may have OTHER sons born after 1800, probably born in South Carolina or Tennessee. 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>