This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: waroper Surnames: Roper, Peay, Bracken, Whitehead, Butler, Goodwyn Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.roper/1923.1.1.2/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Frank: During the interval when I erroneously believed that Joseph ROPER was in Jackson rather than Lincoln County, I was VERY skeptical about assertions that Martha was Joseph ROPER's widow. With the recognition and realization that Joseph ROPER was, in fact, in Lincoln County, an ascription that Martha ROPER was Joseph ROPER's widow make far more sense and seems to best fit the available data. There were two other considerations that also had led me to believe that Martha was NOT Joseph ROPER's widow, each of which is actually somewhat persuasive, but which I now believe is NOT correct. I have found that William ROPER, son of James ROPER, of Anson, NC, and brother of Green ROPER had married a Martha PEAY. Martha Peay ROPER had disappeared from the South Carolina records after 1820 precisely when Martha ROPER first appeared in Lincoln County, TN. This Martha ROPER later moved to Arkansas where she later appears in the tax and probate records. I have discussed this Martha ROPER in several posts. I had previously suspected that this Martha ROPER, married to a William ROPER, was the notorious "Polly" ROPER from whom William ROPER sought a divorce. "Polly" is often a nickname for Mary and sometimes a nickname for "Martha". However, I now no longer believe that this couple was the William ROPER -- Polly ROPER involved in the early and messy Tennessee divorce. I will separately post some updated theories about this at a later date. A second reason that I previously believed that Martha Peay ROPER was probably the Martha ROPER in Lincoln, TN, was because Martha Peay ROPER's brother had a franchise from the state of South Carolina to operate several ferries over SC rivers. And the ROPER family in Lincoln and/or Giles seems to have operated a ferry over the Elk River in Tennessee. Thus, I surmised that Martha's sons might have followed their uncle's commercial enterprise and gotten into the ferry business. While each of these might by itself be some reason to suspect that Martha Peay ROPER was the Martha who appeared in Lincoln, Tennessee, there were also a couple of dissonant facts which seem NOT to support this construction. First, the William ROPER who is shown to have been involved in the divorce with Polly seemed to have connections to Virginia rather than North Carolina. There was no reason to believe that William ROPER, of Anson, had ever lived in Virginia. Second, the account as to William and Polly ROPER puts this couple in Tennessee at an earlier date. But their location seems to have been Davidson County rather than Lincoln County. Third, I subsequently discovered records showing that Polly ROPER had remarried after her divorce and the probate records for Martha ROPER in Arkansas showed Martha using the ROPER surname. I still believe that Martha Peay ROPER WAS the William ROPER's widow and that she DID migrate from Fairfield, SC, to Arkansas. But I do NOT believe that she made an intermediate stop in Tennessee, nor do I believe that this Martha is the "Polly" ROPER shown in the divorce. Remarkably, though, the Polly ROPER who divorced William ROPER, of Virginia, and later Davidson, TN, DID seem to retreat to the VERY PLACE from which the PEAY family hailed. And there are apparently extant bastardy records there which pertain to the sordid "Polly" ROPER scandal, which is one hell of a coincidence! * * * Once one admits that there WAS a Joseph ROPER in Lincoln AND the likelihood that Martha ROPER was Joseph ROPER's widow, and this IS what the data seems to suggest, drawing the inference that Joseph ROPER probably migrated from Pendleton, SC, to Lincoln, TN, becomes much simpler. I belive that this construction is correct. * * * However, I am now reassessing the correctness of the ascription of Joseph ROPER as a possible son of John ROPER, of Pendleton, SC. While I DO think that Joseph ROPER, of Pendleton, probably migrated to Lincoln, TN, I now suspect that this Joseph ROPER was NOT the brother of John ROPER and David ROPER. Instead, I suspect that this Joseph ROPER was probably the son of Charles ROPER and Elizabeth BUTLER, of Dinwiddie, and the grandson of Charles ROPER and Ann GOODWYN. Upon realization of this possibility, I was re-examining the family of Charles ROPER and Elizabeth BUTLER. The really remarkable thing is that as many as 30% to 35% of the ROPERs in the American South are probably descended from Charles ROPER and Ann GOODWYN, and yet NO ONE has EVER BOTHERED to make any concerted study of this family. Instead, the ROPER family history fictionalists have created so many SPECIOUS and FRAUDULENT lineages, ascribing everyone to fictitious ancestors, and then left Charles ROPER's family almost completely UNEXAMINED. It is really APPALLING what these people have done to undermine ROPER genealogy! I continue to receive frequent communications from various people wanting help proving that they are descended from one or other completely FICTIONAL PERSON. When a complete and correct genealogy of Charles ROPER's and Ann GOODWYN's is completed and the various fictional ancestors and fraudulent lineages are deleted, MOST ROPER family histories will be reasonably correct. When pieces of the puzzle are inserted into the puzzle correctly, one is left both with fewer remaining pieces and a clearer view of what the puzzle will ultimately look like and reveal. Unfortunately, due to the rampant dishonesty, the family history now looks like a bizarre picture painted by a surrealist artist with very bad cataracts while stoned! It is both nightmarish and out of focus, more fitting for a horror movie than something to show to one's family. I continue to contend with hundreds who believe that Richard ROPER, of Greensville, VA, was conceived at age 8 and fought in the Revolution at age 80. Most of those who claim descent from Richard ROPER distinguish themselves mostly by both their dishonesty and there bald denial of overwhelming evidence that they are idiots! This is especially unbelievable given the important role of this branch of the family in the early history of the Methodist Church. And yet instead of claiming descent from a REAL itinerant Methodist minister, they cling to falsehood and deceit! It is simply mind numbing. * * * * * I have NOT yet reach firm conclusions about Joseph ROPER, but think you are generally now on the right track, but that we need to carefully assess whether Joseph ROPER may actually be Charles and Elizabeth Butler ROPER's son. I have been sidetracked recently and haven't been able to complete my inquiry into Joseph ROPER, but suggest that you remain open to and weigh this alternative possibility. Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. 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