This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: waroper Surnames: Roper, Yates, Abernathy Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.roper/1919.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Bravo, Frank! Well done!! I believe that we are beginning to see some accumulating evidence that the John Y. ROPERs of Sumner might have indeed had the middle name "Yates". Building a case with basic "facts" or circumstantial evidence may yet prove persuasive! * I am still particularly skeptical as to the ascription of the "Yates" name to David Y. ROPER, of Giles, TN. >From what I can see, almost ALL of the clues go the other way or, IF they support any inference as to a YATES connection, this may be support for the possibility of a particularly close connection between William ROPER and Charles ROPER, of Dinwiddie, VA. I would particularly recommend to you that you look closely at the ABERNATHY family into which David Y. ROPER married. ABERNATHY family historians claim that Dionysia ABERNATHY was a daughter of David ABERNATHY who they assert was born on 22 Jul 1759 in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, and who died on 23 Aug 1838 in Giles County, Tennessee. This David ABERNATHY was a Revolutionary War Veteran for whom there is an extant Pension application. See the transcription by Will GRAVES: http://revwarapps.org/s1609.pdf David ABERNATHY seems to have resided in Lincoln County, NC, which is to the Northeast of Mecklenburg County, NC. Bear in mind that this David ABERNATHY seemed to be residing in Lincoln County at the approximate date of birth of Dionysia ABERNATHY. This puts the ABERNATHY family geographically near to the family of Charles ROPER and Ann GOODWYN and later near to Jesse ROPER's family rather than near the Caswell ROPERs. I would also expressly call your attention to the fact that the ABERNATHY family believes that the middle name of Dionysia ABERNATHY's brother John was "Young" -- John Young ABERNATHY -- and Dionysia is purported to have a sister named Drusilla Young ABERNATHY. While I know of no evidence supporting these assertions, the assertions seem to me to be equally credible to the unsupported assertions that David Y. ROPER's middle name was "Yates". Also, the ABERNATHY family was intermarried with the YOKLEY family in Giles, TN, and members of the ABERNATHY family are interred in the YOKLEY cemetery there. While this does NOT disprove a connection to the YATES family, it seems to me that it is equally plausible that ROPER and ABERNATHY families may have migrated from Dinwiddie to North Carolina to Tennessee in a close trace, possibly accompanied by other Dinwiddie families. Thus, the possibility that David Y. ROPER's middle name might be "YOUNG", "YOKLEY" or "YEWALL" cannot be discounted. The ABERNATHY family seems to believe that David Y. ROPER and Dionysia ABERNATHY married on 27 Oct 1809 in "Robertson, NC". What is probably meant is Robeson County, NC, which is to the East of Mecklenburg County and just South of Cumberland County, NC, where Jesse ROPER's family first migrated and settled. Robeson County is adjacent the South Carolina border. Other South Carolina ROPER families would have been far closer than ANY of the Caswell, NC / Halifax, VA ROPERs. It would appear to me that the clues point mostly to a Dinwiddie point of origin for David Y. ROPER and a probable migration through the Cumberland, NC, Mecklenburg, NC, area or one of the adjacent NC or SC counties. By contrast, I believe that you are building an increasingly stronger case supporting a Caswell, NC, origin for John Y. ROPER. Closer scrutiny of the ABERNATHY family seems to me to be indicated. Study of the extant primary records for the ROPER families settling in the NC - SC border area will also be helpful whenever researchers finally get around to this. Because the Giles, TN, ROPER families continue to cling to fraudulent ascriptions, no one is bothering to look at the real records. 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>