This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: waroper Surnames: Roper, Butler, Moore, Shackleford, Ledbetter, Whitehead, Meredith Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.roper/1932.5/mb.ashx Message Board Post: In identifying the children of Charles and Eliabeth Butler ROPER, as shown in the MOORE Family Bible, we have the following information: Nancy ROPER (b 06 Apr 1777) m Benjamin MOORE on 22 Dec 1796 Elizabeth ROPER m Banister SHCKLEFORD Martha ROPER m Richard LEDBETTER Joseph ROPER m Miss WHITEHEAD Dolly ROPER m Louis MEREDITH Goodwin ROPER, died in youth Generally, I believe that almost any listing of children of this sort implicitly supports at least a WEAK INFERENCE that the children were listed in BIRTH ORDER. Such an inference is far from conclusive. But we have some other information which both supports and also contradicts this inference. Nancy ROPER's birth date is given. The MOORE Family Bible came from Nancy's family. Within my posts on Elizabeth Roper SHACKLEFORD and Mary "Dolly" Roper MEREDITH very specific informatioin about their likely birth year is given. I have some misgivings that Dolly's birth year is correct. I think she may have shaved a year or two OFF her age by her date of death. But Eliabeth Roper SHACKLEFORD seems to have been born about 1780. Accepting without concluding Dolly Roper MEREDITH's date of birth as 01 Nov 1790, we then have this data: Nancy ROPER (b 06 Apr 1777) m Benjamin MOORE on 22 Dec 1796 Elizabeth ROPER (b abt 1780 - Dinwiddie, VA) m Banister SHACKLEFORD Martha ROPER m Richard LEDBETTER Joseph ROPER m Miss WHITEHEAD Dolly ROPER (b 01 Nov 1790) m Louis MEREDITH Goodwin ROPER, died in youth Elizabeth's birth year is reasonably consistent with the idea that sh emight be the second child, supporting the inference that the children were listed in birth order. The ten year interval between Elizabeth's and Dolly's purported year of birth seems a little long given the presence of only two children. More problematic is Goodwin, who is shown on the 1800 Dinwiddie Personal Property Tax List as being over age 16 that year. Since we haven't seen the previous Tax Lists between 1782 and 1800, we do NOT KNOW the first year that Goodwin appeared on the list. Neither do we know when Joseph first appeared on the Dinwiddie Personal Property Tax Lists. But to the extent that the 1800 Tax List is correct, Goodwin would seem to have been born BEFORE 1784. It seems to me that this is readily reconcilable with the idea that the list in the Bible is generally in birth order. Whoever transcribed the information may have begun with the LIVING children in birth order, also showing the spouses and then added Goodwin, the unmarried and deceased child in as an afterthought. It seems likely that Goodwin is the third or fourth child. His more precise year of birth may be ascertainable by looking at the Personal Property Tax Lists for 1796, 1797, 1798 and 1799. Thus we might rearrange the list to reflect: Nancy ROPER (b 06 Apr 1777) m Benjamin MOORE on 22 Dec 1796 Elizabeth ROPER (b abt 1780 - Dinwiddie, VA) m Banister SHACKLEFORD Goodwin ROPER (b bef 1784), died in youth Martha ROPER m Richard LEDBETTER Joseph ROPER m Miss WHITEHEAD Dolly ROPER (b 01 Nov 1790) m Louis MEREDITH I suspect that Joseph ROPER was probably born between abt 1785 and 1788. His more precise year of birth may be ascertainable from the Personal Property Tax Lists of 1801, 1802, 1803 or 1804, if Dinwiddie continued to tax white males over age 16 and later tax lists if the tax started at age 21. (It seems likely that even though a male might be taxable at age 16, the tax was probably due from the father until the son reached age 21.) 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>