This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: waroper Surnames: Roper, Goodwyn Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.roper/1937/mb.ashx Message Board Post: The family of Charles ROPER and Ann GOODWYN has been the subject of frequent posts within this ROPER Message Board. However, there really hasn't been a central thread at which to collect the various posted information about this important ROPER family. This thread is intended as a place to collect some of the readily available primary information about this early ROPER family. Much of what we know with a reasonably high degree of certainty about the family of Charles ROPER and Ann GOODWYN appears within the MOORE Family Bible kept by Charles ROPER's grandchildren Benjamin MOORE (b 31 Aug 1771) and his wife Nancy ROPER (b 06 Apr 1777). These children of Charles and Ann ROPER are identified within the MOORE Family Bible: David ROPER (b 29 Jun 1742 - Bristol Parish, VA) Larell ROPER (b 29 Jun 1742 - Bristol Parish, VA) Jane ROPER (b 06 Mar 1744) Millie ROPER (b 27 Aug 1747) Annie ROPER (b 01 Aug 1749) Jesse ROPER (b 31 May 1751) William ROPER (b 26 Jun 1753) Allen ROPER (b 03 Apr 1756) Charles ROPER (b 19 Apr 1758) Josiah ROPER (b 26 Apr 1760) Ann ROPER (b 13 Apr 1763) Joel ROPER (b 26 Jun 1766) The MOORE Family Bible pages can be found within the collection of the Virginia State Library and Archives shown as "Moore family Bible record, 1742-1916." (LVA Call No. 25894): http://lva1.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/F * * * The information given in the MOORE Family Bible is corroborated by the Bristol Parish Register as to the birth of the twins David and Laura (or Loweral) ROPER [shown as ROUPERS] within the Parish Register [at page 360]: https://archive.org/stream/vestrybookandre01chamgoog#page/n374/mode/1up * * * Charles ROPER is shown to have patented 39 1/2 acres of land on both sides of Stills Road in Dinwiddie County on 10 Sep 1760 [Shown as Charles ROOPER]. http://image.lva.virginia.gov/LONN/LO-1/031-032/031_0457.tif A full description of this parcel is given within the Virginia Land patent readily available at the Library of Virginia website. * * * By 1782, Charles ROPER, Sen. had accumulated 200 acres of land in Dinwiddie, as shown in the Dinwiddie Land Tax Records. See: http://va-dinwiddiecounty.civicplus.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/119 By that same year, Charles ROPER's son Charles ROPER, Jr., had accumulated 330 acres of Dinwiddie land. * * * Also, by 1782 Charles ROPER is shown in Dinwiddie Personal Property Tax Lists residing in Dinwiddie County. Daniel FERGUSSON is shown to also reside within Charles ROPER's hosuehold and is taxable to Charles ROPER. Charles ROPER is shown to have TWO tithable white males (himself and Daniel FERGUSSON), two (1) adult slaves, one (1) slave under age 16, four (4) horses, and seventeen (17) head of cattle. See: https://archive.org/stream/jstor-1914860/1914860#page/n9/mode/1up Charles ROPER, Jr., is also shown in the 1782 Dinwiddie Personal Property Tax Lists. We can reasonably infer from the 1782 Dinwiddie Personal Property Tax List that ALL of Charles and Ann Goodwyn ROPER's eldest sons had LEFT the household and probably LEFT DINWIDDIE by 1782: David ROPER (b 29 Jun 1742) Jesse ROPER (b 31 May 1751) William ROPER (b 26 Jun 1753) Allen ROPER (b 03 Apr 1756) Josiah ROPER (b 26 Apr 1760) Joel ROPER (b 26 Jun 1766) was then still too young to be shown in the Dinwiddie Personal Property Tax Lists. * * * * * David ROPER and William ROPER age shown within the 1783 Tax Lists for Brunswick County, VA, District 1. Brunswick County is the adjacent County to the immediate South of Dinwiddie. This David ROPER and William ROPER seem likely to be Charles and Ann ROPER's sons: David ROPER (b 29 Jun 1742) William ROPER (b 26 Jun 1753) * * The Brunswick 1783 Personal Property Tax Records show these counts: William ROPER: 1 - 1 - 2 - 10 David ROPER:. 2 - 5 - 5 - 16 David ROPER is shown to own slaves named Tom, Sarah, Charles and Abram. See: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vabrunsw/taxlist/1783_10.pdf * * * Both Charles ROPER and Charles ROPER Jr. age again shown in the Dinwiddie Personal Property Tax Lists in 1790: http://www.binnsgenealogy.com/VirginiaTaxListCensuses/Dinwiddie/1790PersonalB/14.jpg Joel ROPER is also shown on the 1790 Dinwiddie Person Property Tax List residing within the household of Rev. Devereux JARRATT (b 06 Jan 1732/3 - New Kent, d 29 Jan 1801 - VA), the rector of Bath Parish: http://www.binnsgenealogy.com/VirginiaTaxListCensuses/Dinwiddie/1790PersonalB/09.jpg * * * NO ONE SEEMS TO HAVE OBTAINED, TRANSCRIBED AND POSTED THE PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX DATA FOR DINWIDDIE FOR YEARS 1783 TO 1789 AND FROM 1791 TO 1799. * * * Frank BATCHELOR has noted within a recent post on Charles ROPER Jr. that Charles ROPER, Senr., is last shown in the Dinwiddie Land Tax Lists in 1794 and that this same 200 acre parcel is listed to the Charles ROPER Estate in 1795. See: "Charles Roper b Apr 19, 1758, VA; d.1823 Dinwiddie VA; m Elizabeth Butler; and son Joseph Roper" (12 Jul 2014 12:40PM GMT) http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.roper/1932/mb.ashx Frank is citing this Land Tax List: http://www.dinwiddieva.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/148 Joel ROPER also appears for the FIRST TIME as a Dinwiddie Land Owner on this Tax List, shown as owning 14 1/4 acres purchased from James ANDERSON. * * While Frank is certainly CORRECT that Charles ROPER's Estate is listed in the 1794 Tax List, he has overlooked the fact that Charles ROPER's Estate is actually first shown in the 1791 Land Tax List (at Adobe Page 16): http://va-dinwiddiecounty.civicplus.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/135 However, in the 1792 Tax List the land is again shown as taxable to Charles ROPER (at Adobe Page 15): http://va-dinwiddiecounty.civicplus.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/137 * Similarly, in the 1793 Tax List the land is again shown as taxable to Charles ROPER [no estate] (at Adobe Page 16): http://va-dinwiddiecounty.civicplus.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/138 * * * The appearance of a Brunswick, VA, deed in 1793 gives a further indication that Charles ROPER was probably already dead by the date of this conveyance: William Roper to Charles Roper's Exors D.T. Joel Roper of Dinwiddie Co. deed 100 acres 1793 15-441 I have NOT seen the underlying image of this record. But in my view, the combination of this Brunswick deed and the 1791 Dinwiddie Tax List supports a conclusion that the elder Charles ROPER died BEFORE 1794 and probably BEFORE the compilation of the 1791 Dinwiddie Land Tax List. Further confirmation of Charles ROPER's date of death can probably be ascertained from the Dinwiddie Personal Property Tax Lists. It seems to me that we can reasonably infer that Charles ROPER was probably still living at the May 1, 1790, date he is shown on the Dinwiddie Personal Property Tax Lists and the date of the 1791 Land Tax Lists. As far as I can tell, no one has ever bothered to inspect other Dinwiddie records from this period. * * * * * It bears mention that Charles ROPER is shown in several land transactions in Brunswick, VA: Charles Roper of Bath Parish in Dinwiddie Co. from Hugh Williams & wife deed 200 acres south side of Nottaway River 1767 9-67 Charles Roper & wife Ann of Bath Parish in Dinwiddie Co. to Robert Read deed where David Roper, son of Charles Roper, now lives 1771 10-402 Charles Roper of Bath Parish in Dinwiddie Co. from Thomas Haley & wife deed 1778 13-96 The second of these records would seem to show that Charles ROPER's wife Ann (Goodwyn) ROPER was still living in 1771. * * These Brunswich deeds are taken from abstracts shown at Dave ROPER's page: http://www.roperld.com/rva17.htm * * * * * At some juncture, those who are descended from Charles and Ann Goodwyn ROPER, probably about 40% of the ROPERs in the American South, may actually take an interest in their ancestor Charles ROPER and will take the time to look up the Dinwiddie Personal Property Tax records to get a bit of additional clarity about this important ROPER family. 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