This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: waroper Surnames: Roper, Rosser, Roser, Goodwyn, Goodwin, Butler, Moore, Hall, Carter, Fletcher Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.roper/1939.5/mb.ashx Message Board Post: While at the North Carolina State Library in September 2010, one of the secondary sources I consulted was the abtract of Brunswick, Virginia, Deeds compiled by Dr. Stephen E. BRADLEY, Jr.. Dr. BRADLEY compiled a number of Brunswick Abstracts, the study and analysis of several which will form the basis for additional posts. In respect of this post, I am concerned solely with Dr. BRADLEY's compilation of the anstracts of Brunswick Deed Books 1 and 2, appeaing in a book titled: "Brunswick County, Virginia, Deed Books, Volume 1, 1732-1745", Abstracted by Dr. Stephen E. BRADLEY, Jr. (Lawrenceville, VA: Stephen E. Bradley, Jr., 1997). * I some cases, consulting a source produces some windfall of useful genealogical information. Other times, it is useful to note a source consulted solely for the purposes of keeping tract of one's effort and to note the ABSENCE of mention, which absence supports a weak inference that the person(s) under study seemed NOT to appear in the place examined. In the case of BRADLEY's Volume 1, the primary purpose of this post is the LATTER, as there are NO MENTIONS of ANY ROPER records within this particular abstract. Even so, there are several other impressions and takeaways from reviewing the Abstracts of Deed Books 1 and 2. First, there are TWO very early ROSSER mentions on Page 5 of the book. These say: "John ROOK of North Carolina to John ROSER of Southward Parish in Surry Co. 6 Jun 1733. 5 shillings sterling. A 1-year lease for 285 acres which had been a patent to sd John ROOK (date blank), on both sides of Beaverpond Creek, joining a meadow, Reedy Branch. [witness & probate torn.]" Brunswick, VA, Deed Book 1, Page 49 "John ROOK of North Carolina to John ROSSER of Southwark Parish in Surry Co. 7 Jun 1733. £10. ROSSER's release from ROOK for 285 acres. [Witnesses torn.] Proved Jun 1733. Drury Stith CC." Brunswick, VA, Deed Book 1, Page 50 * I am inclined to believe that this record means precisely what it says. There is much other evidence that a ROSSER family as well as a ROPER family resided in Brunswick County. This record seems to show a John ROSER or ROSSER was resident in Sothward Parish, Surry County, in June 1733. * * * Separately, in examining the Indices of this particular Volume, I also noted the presence of a number of members of the GOODWYN family in Brunswick during this very early period. The Index shows the presence of GOODWYNs (various spellings of the surname) with these given names: Charles Elizabeth Hodges John Thomas William Hodges and Thomas GOODWYN have the most entries. The early presence of GOODWYNs within Brunswick County seems to me to present the bare possibility that Ann GOODWYN's family might have come from Brunswick or at least been early investors in land there. This also presents the possibility that the later appearance of Charles and Ann (Goodwyn) ROPER's sons and daughter Laura Roper MOORE in Brunswick might have reflected a settlement near one or more GOODWYN aunt or uncle. I present this simply as an additional avenue of possible study. I can hardly emphasize enough that NO ONE seems to have EVER undertaken a thorough study of Charles ROPER and Ann GOODWYN. Study of Ann GOODWYN's family might very well yield enormous insights into the origins of this couple. But instead of studying this couple, most family historians have simply republished completely DISHONEST ascriptions asserting descent from purely fictional ancestors and then simply PRETENDED that Charles ROPER and Ann GOODWYN never existed. * There is also a HALL family shown to be resident in Brunswick from a very early period. Often unnoticed by researchers are a number of HALL entries in the MOORE family Bible. These entries are hard to read, but since everyone dismisses Charles ROPER and Ann GOODWYN anyway, there is hardly any reason to study the HALLs. * Similarly, there are several entries in this Volume for the BUTLER family. This could be the family from which Charles ROPER, Jr.'s wife, Elizabeth BUTLER descends. Again, no study seems to have ever been made of the BUTLER family connections. * Several members of the CARTER family also appear in the early Brunswick records. CARTER records might connect Charles ROPER's famliy to the Charles City County, NC, Chowan, NC, and/or Anne Arundel ROPERs. No study of this CARTER family seems to have been done. * There also seems to have been an early presence of the FLETCHER family in Brunswick, VA. Jesse ROPER's family is intermarried with the FLETCHERs in Mecklenburg County, NC, eight decades later. * This is NOT intended as a thorough and comprehensive study of possible leads that might be found within this Volume. Instead, I merely copied several Index pages which seemed most useful for the most obvious avenues of study and several pages of those records which arguably might be relevant, such as the ROSSER records. The primary takeaway is that there is NO EVIDENCE in the Brunswick Deed records (Deed Books 1 & 2) that any ROPERs were land owners or resident in the County before about 1745. I will show in further posts when ROPERs first appear. 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>