This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Roper, Eppes Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/kgDBAEB/792 Message Board Post: Amongst the 18th Century ROPERs found in Charles City County is a Randolph ROPER. He seems to first appear in the tax lists about 1782-87 according to Fothergill's Virginia Taxpayers 1782-1787 lists. He seems to be shown in the list with ZERO white males age 21 to 50 and ZERO slaves. [Someone with a keen interest in this family may want to look at EACH of teh ORIGINAL Charles City County tax lists from this interval to ascertain precisely in which lists Randolph ROPER appears. The other ROPERs shown in the tax lists during this period are Benjamin ROPER, David ROPER and Samuel ROPER. Randolph ROPER is almost certainly NOT the son of David ROPER (b 1744, d 1808), whose sons are well identified in deeds of gift in 1804 and his 1808 Will. The first probate records from enjamin ROPER's estate appear in June 1786. David ROPER is shown to be the executor. Charles City County tax lists for 1787 seem to show (wm16-21, b>16, b0-16, horses, cattle): David Roper: 0 - 4 - 7 - 4 - 26 Saml. Roper: 0 - 1 - 1 - 3 - 6 Mary Roper :1 - 1 - 0 - 2 - 10 Mary ROPER seems to be Benjamin ROPER's widow. There is one white male age 16 to 21 shown in her household. This MIGHT HAVE BEEN Randolph ROPER. It appears that Benjamin and Mary ROPER also had a son Benjamin ROPER (b abt 1776-78 - Charles City, VA). Randoph ROPER next appears in the records in Cumberland County, where he served as a wittness to the marriage of James ROPER to Molly SIMS, daughte rof Benjamin SIMS, on 26 Jan 1793. This James ROPER seems most likely to be a brother or cousin of Randolph ROPER. Later the same year -- Sep 1793 - Randolph ROPER was one of the signers of a petition by residents of James City County to the Governor and Council demanding the immediate execution of a woman who had killed her overseer. In 1797, Randolph ROPER gave a bond in support of the purchase of the ninety acre Charles City plantation by Benjamin ROPER Jr. from the estate of Benjamin ROPER, deceased. It seems most likely that Benjamin ROPER Jr. (b abt 1776-78 - Charles City County) was Benjamin and Mary ROPER's son and a younger brother of Randolph ROPER. See Dr. L. David ROPER's page http://www.roperld.com/rva17.htm for the data cited above. Randolph ROPER does NOT appear in the 1800 Charles City County tax lists. Only these names appear (wm>21, horses, b12-16, b>16): Benja. Roper: 1 - 1 - 2 - 1 David Roper: 3 - 7 - 6 - 3 By contrast, he DOES seem to appear in James City in 1810: Schreiner-Yantis' Supplement to the 1810 census of VA James City Co. (white tithables, blacks >12 yr., horses): Randolph ROPER: 0 - 4 - 2 In 1820, Randolph ROPER is enumerated in James City County: Randolph ROPER: 2 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 1 -- 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 1 -- 0 - 66 - 0 - 0 -- 2 - 2 - 1 - 0 -- 2 - 1 - 0 - 1 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 Randolph ROPER is shown to be age 45 or more in 1820 (b bef 1776). * In 1830, there is a Randal W. ROPER in James City County: Randal W. ROPER: 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 2 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 1 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 13 This Randal ROPER is age 20 to 29 (b abt 1801-10). The eldest female in the household is shown to be age 50 to 59 (b abt 1771-80) and is presumably Randolph ROPER's widow. The IGI suggests to us that the son is probably the Randolph ROPER shown in this marriage record: Randolph ROPER m Martha Ann EPPES on 18 JUL 1822 -Prince George, Virginia A secondary source reporting to the IGI shows a Randolph ROPER (b 1761 - VA, d 06 AUG 1822). This information is generally consistent with what is shown above. These records also show Randolph ROPER's widow to be named "Ann". I am unacquainted with the information supporting this ascription. The son Randolph William ROPER seems to have migrated to Pickens, Alabama by 1840. He is enumerted in the Census as "R. W. ROPER". R. W. ROPER: 1 - 1 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 1 - 0 - 2 - 0 - 0 - 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 - 1 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 10 -- 0 - 3 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 * The same year the Randal W. ROPER first appears in James City County Census enumeration, a William C. ROPER also appears there: William C. ROPER: 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 3 [Images 11, 12 of 26] Recalling that Randolph ROPER seemed to have three sons in 1820, two under age 10 and one age 10 to 16, it seems likely that William C. ROPER is another of Randolph ROPER's sons (by proximity). But this should be considered a SPECULATIVE ascription. It is unclear what became of Randolph ROPER's other son. Perhaps someone with ready access to James City County records can give us some additional insight. * I would be very interested in hearing from anyone who is a male ROPER-surnamed descendant of Randolph ROPER or anyone with additional information or insight into this family.