This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Roper Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/kgDBAEB/777.1 Message Board Post: As you are no doubt aware, the 1840 Census data shows names only for the "head of household" and counts as to various other individuals residing within each household. The concept of "head of household" is somewhat vague. While this was usually the senior MALE in the household, this was NOT universally true. Very often, the individual who OWNED the land was viewed as the head of the household, though even this wasn't universally true. If a widow owned the farm or plantation and one of the sones or even a favored son-in-law operated the farm or plantation that individual who oversaw the farm might be designated the "head of household". Another consideration was whether the sennior male was married with children. If the eldest male was still single, the widow might have been shown as the head of household. In 1840, there were three ROPER households shown in the Census. These were: Fred S. ROPER: 1 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 1 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 6 -- 0 - 3 - 0 - 0 [1840, Image 9, 10 of 52*] Sarah ROPER: 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 -- 5 -- 0 - 3 - 0 - 0 [1840, Image 9, 10 of 52*] John W. ROPER: 1 - 1 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 1 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 -- 9 -- 0 - 5 - 0 - 0 [1840, Image 4, 5 of 52*] * Image references show the image number at the Ancestry.com presentation of the Census data for for Hyde, NC. * * * You will recall that Benjamin R. ROPER had a Sarah ROPER residing in his household in 1850: United States Census -- 1850 Mattamuskeet District, Hyde, NC 05 Aug 1850 Line 20, Dwelling 2, Family 2, Benjamin R. ROPER, age 33, Male, Farmer, RE $4,575, Born Hyde [NC] Line 21, Dwelling 2, Family 2, Susan ROPER, age 21, Female, Born Hyde [NC] Line 22, Dwelling 2, Family 2, Willliam F. ROPER, age 3, Male, Born Hyde [NC] Line 23, Dwelling 2, Family 2, Benjamin R. ROPER, age 9/12, Male, Born Hyde [NC] Line 24, Dwelling 2, Family 2, Christopher GASKINS, age 17, Male, Born Hyde [NC], Attended School Line 25, Dwelling 2, Family 2, Nancy ROPER, age 34, Female, Born Hyde [NC] Line 26, Dwelling 2, Family 2, Mary A. GIBBS, age 8, Female, Born Hyde [NC] Line 27, Dwelling 2, Family 2, Lucretia FARROWS, age 68, Female, Born Beaufort, NC [Image 14 of 56 at the Ancestry.com presentation of the 1850 Census data forthis jurisdiction.] * The other ROPER households in Hyde in 1850 were: United States Census -- 1850 Mattamuskeet District, Hyde, NC 10 Aug 1850 Line 24, Dwelling 5, Family 5, Alice ROPER, age 43, Female, Farmer, RE $380, Born NC Line 25, Dwelling 5, Family 5, John A. ROPER, age 21, Male, Labourer, Born NC Line 26, Dwelling 5, Family 5, Priscilla T.? ROPER, age 16, Female, Born NC Line 27, Dwelling 5, Family 5, Frederick T.??. ROPER, age 12, Male, Born NC Line 28, Dwelling 5, Family 5, Sarah A. ROPER, age 8, Female, Born NC [Image 30 of 56 at the Ancestry.com presentation of the 1850 Census data for this jurisdiction.] * United States Census -- 1850 Mattamuskeet District, Hyde, NC 05 Aug 1850 Line 18, Dwelling 3, Family 3, Frederick S ROPER, age 37, Male, Farmer, RE $5,160, Born Hyde [NC] Line 19, Dwelling 3, Family 3, Sarah A. ROPER, age 29, Female, Born Hyde [NC] Line 20, Dwelling 3, Family 3, Martha J. ROPER, age 3, Female, Born Hyde [NC] Line 20, Dwelling 3, Family 3, Nancy E. GIBBS, age 20, Female, Born Hyde [NC] [Image 13 of 56 at the Ancestry.com presentation of the 1850 Census data for this jurisdiction.] * * * It appears that Benjamin R. ROPER was the lone male age 20 to 29 living within the household of Sarah ROPER in 1840. Similarly, it appears that Alice is John W. ROPER's widow. * I believe that you can correctly infer that Benjamin R. ROPER, Jr. was born abt Nov 1849 based upon his 9/12 age at 05 Aug 1850.