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/1923.2.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: I agree that John Roper of Edgefield County, SC is the son of David Roper of Edgefield County, SC. However, I think this John Roper is a different person than the John Roper who is found in the 1800 Pendleton District, SC census. John Roper of Edgefield County, SC appears to be John M. Roper. According to secondary sources, he married Sophia Clackler, for which there is evidence. John Roper can be seen as John M. Roper and as a witness to a land transaction in 1809 in Edgefield County, SC: "1809 Jun 6 Bk(29-475 Mathew Gentry to Joshua Key for $60, all my claim by marriage to land formerly belonging to Dudley Carter, deceased, now to heirs of same, containing 150 ac adj lands of ...John Hancock... /s/Mathew Gentry Witness: Samuel Quarles, John M. Roper; ack 29 Jun 1809; rec 29 Sep 1809." John Clackler of Edgefield County, SC was the father of Sophia Clackler. John Clackler can be seen in the 1790 Edgefield County, SC census. He is also found as John Clackley in the 1810 Edgefield County, SC census, one the same page as Benjamin Roper and John Roper: 1810 Edgefield County, SC census: John Clackley 0-2-1-0-1*****0-2-1-0-1 Benjamin Roper 1-0-1-1-0*****1-0-0-1-0 John Roper 1-0-0-1-0*****1-0-1-0-0 John Clackler left a Will dated June 4, 1814 in which his daughter Sophia Roper is mentioned and in which John Roper is named as an executor (I have not seen the original of the Will, only this abstract): "Edgefield Co. SC Wills 1787-1836 p. 47, 4 June 1814: I, John Clacker, being sick & weak in body but of perfect mind & memory. I give unto my dtr. Sarah Rice one feather bed & furniture & two cows & calves which she received when she married.. I give to my dtr. Mary Garrett one feather bed & furniture & two cows & calves which she received when she married..I give to my dtr. Sophia Roper one feather bed & furniture & one cow & calf which she received when she married.. I give to my dtr. Margett Jones one feather bed and furniture which she received when she married.. I give unto my dtr. Elizabeth Butler one feather bed & furniture which she received when she married.. I give unto my son Solomon Clacker one bay mare which he now has.. I give unto my sons and dtrs. Jacob, John, Rebeecah & Martha Clacker each one feather bed & furniture when they come of age or marriage and my executors is to take charge of any minor children and their property.. I give to my wife Mary Clacker all my personal property that may remain after my decease and the children have received what was willed to them during her natural life & then to be equally divided among all my children or their heirs, I also give to Solomon, Jacob, and John.. I desire that the tract of land lying in the pine woods to be sold and the money equally divided amongst, Sarah Reice, Mary Garrett, Sophia Rober, Margarett Jones, Elizabeth Butler, Rebecca & Martha Clacker.. I appoint John Butler, John Roper as executors... Signed: John X Clacker Exrs.: John Butler, John Roper Wit: Joshua Key, David Rober, John Howard Written 4 June 1814, Proved 14 Aug. 1820". David Rober is probably the Rev David Roper who married Sally Stell and is probably the brother of John Roper. John Roper makes one last appearance as a witness to a deed, and shown in an abstract in the L. David Roper database: "Hollingsworth Genealogical Card File: John M. Roper wit. deed Edgefield Co. SC 1816 by Sarah Smith et al. to Thomas I. Shaw." I cannot find John M. Roper after 1816. I cannot find either John Roper or Sophia Roper in any 1820 census. Ancestry.com has nothing and after looking at all the images of the 1820 Edgefield County, SC census at USGWArchives, I can find only the following Roper's listed: Joel Roper 1-2-0-0-1-0*****1-0-1-0-0 Benjamin Roper Sen. 0-1-0-0-1-0*****0-0-0-0-0 Rececca Roper 3-0-0-1-0-0*****1-0-0-1-0 Elizabeth Roper 2-0-0-0-0-0*****1-0-0-1-0 Sophia Roper does appear in the 1830 Edgefield County, SC census on page 118 of the images of Ancestry.com: Sophia Roper 0-0-0-1-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0*****0-0-2-0-0-0-1-0-0-0-0-0-0 Sophia is shown as age 40-49, giving her a birth between1781-1790. There is one male 16-25, and two females age 10-14. On the following page 119, one can find the following living about 4 homes apart: John Clackler 0-0-0-0-2-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0*****0-0-0-0-0-1-0-0-1-0-0-0-0 Green Roper 1-0-0-0-1-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0*****1-0-0-0-2-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 John Clackler is one of the males 20-29. He is probably a brother of Sophia. Green Roper is shown as age 20-29. There are two females in the household age 20-29. There in one male <5 and one female <5. Green Roper would not appear to be a son of John and Sophia. Green Roper would have been born 1801-1810. There is only one son of John and Sophia that is <10 in the 1810 census, and, as can be seen later in this article, John and Sophia had a son named Freeman Roper who was born in 1809. However, if Freeman's birth date is off a couple of years, Green Roper might be that son shown in the 1810 census. Sophia Roper next appears as Sopha Roper in the 1840 Edgefield County, SC census on page 55 of Ancestry.com: Sopha Roper 0-0-0-0-0-1-0-0-1-0-0-0-0*****0-0-0-0-2-0-0-1-0-0-0-0-0 Sophia is shown as age 50-59. There is one male 60-69. There is one male 30-29 and two females 20-29. On the same census page 55, the following are found: Hartwell Roper 0-0-0-0-0-1-0-0-0-1-0-0-0*****0-0-0-0-1-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 Joel Roper, Jr 1-0-1-1-0-1-0-0-0-0-0-0-0*****2-1-1-1-2-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 Hartwell Roper appears to actually be Freeman Hartwell Roper. Freeman Roper went by F. H. Roper in his 1880 Edgefield County, SC census. On the preceding census page 53, George Roper can be found: George Roper 1-0-0-1-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0*****1-0-1-0-1-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 Sophia Roper can next be seen in the 1850 Edgefield County, SC census on page 163, living in the household of Freeman Roper: Freeman Roper 41M SC Charlsey Roper 26F SC John Roper 6M SC Charles Roper 4M SC Thomas Roper 2M SC Margaret Roper 0F SC Sophia Roper 68F SC Martha A. Roper 24 SC As can be seen, Sophia is shown as age 68, which would make her born in 1782. She is residing in the home of her son Freeman Roper. I cannot find a record for Sophia Roper after the 1850 census. Freeman Roper appears in the 1880 Edgefield County, SC census as F.H. Roper. He states that both his parents were born South Carolina. John Roper's birth in South Carolina presents a number of problems for your theory that this John Roper is the same John Roper seen in the Pendleton District census of 1800. First, the John Roper seen in the 1800 Pendleton District, SC census was likely born between 1756-66. To my knowledge, David Roper, b. June 29, 1742, VA, had not left Virginia before 1766 and does not appear in South Carolina until a much later date after he sold his land in Brunswick County, VA shortly before 1790. Second, John Roper seen in the 1800 Pendleton District census had two probable sons who were born in North Carolina. One of those sons, John Roper, is shown in the 1850 Wright County, MO census as age 62 and born in North Carolina. This means he was born about 1788 in North Carolina. David Roper of Dinwiddie, VA, to my knowledge, was never in North Carolina and was probably in Edgefield County, SC by that time. Also, James Roper, another probable son of John Roper of Pendleton District, SC, is shown in the 1850 census as age 64, born in North Carolina. This means he was born about 1786 in North Carolina. Again, to my knowledge, David Roper of Dinwiddie never was in North Carolina. One other probable son of John Roper of Pendleton District, SC was the Rev. David Roper. His memorial states that he was born on June 8, 1792 in South Carolina. But this would be about the time that John Roper of Pendleton District would have moved from North Carolina to South Carolina. Thus, I think it is more likely that the John M. Roper of Edgefield County, SC was a much younger John Roper that the John Roper born abt 1756-66. John M. Roper is more likely to have been born about 1782 in South Carolina, the same date as the birth of his wife Sophia Clackler. A minor supporting fact for a younger John Roper is the choice by John Clackler in his Will of 1814 to nominate John Roper as an executor of his Will. Most people late in life who make out their Will pick younger sons or son-in-laws to be the Executors of their Wills. If John Roper was born about 1755-66, he would have been 48 years of age. Also, if John Roper had sons and daughters from a previous marriage in Pendleton District, SC, those sons and daughters would have a claim against John Roper's estate, which would create a problem for John Clackler in guaranteeing that his property was inherited only by John Clackler's grandchildren. Also, I suspect that John Roper of Pendleton District, SC was a son of Meredith Roper. Bill, why do you only give that a 3% probability? 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>