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| The genealogical charts for the participants
shown on this poster can be seen at Massachusetts Roper (Nicolas James Roper) Virginia Ropers |
"Ropers are more interesting with faces."
L. David Roper
540-951-7047 (9 AM-9 PM)
roperld@vt.edu
http://arts.bev.net/roperldavid
The nice thing about knowing 6th and 7th cousins is that you have many more to choose from as friends.
On 11-13 October 2002 six 7th cousins in the Majority USA Roper (MUR) family met to discuss the genealogy of the MUR and plan a Union of the members of MUR for 2003.
On 2-5 Oct in Williamsburg, Virginia sixteen cousins and family members (total of twenty-three people) in the Majority USA Roper (MUR) family met. They represented Roper families who have been shown to be related by genealogy and by the Roper male-line Y-chromosome project: http://www.roperld.com/ropergenetics.htm. Most attendees had never met before. That is the reason we call the meeting a Roper Union, rather than a reunion.
The New Kent and Charles City County areas are where most of our Roper families originated. The Northampton/Accomack Counties area where William Roper [b 1606, a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses] was in the early 1600s is 100 miles farther east. He may be the ancestor of the NKC/CCC Ropers of the mid 1600s. (His wife Katherine Graves is a relative of mine through my mother.)
Many pictures, books, posters and other items about the families represented were on display. Examples are:
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| The genealogical charts for the participants
shown on this poster can be seen at Massachusetts Roper (Nicolas James Roper) Virginia Ropers |
The memorial service was very inspirational and emotional for many who attended:
At the Sunday, 5 October services at St. Peter's Church the following was in the announcements: The flowers today are given to the Glory of God by the Roper family in loving memory of their ancestor, John Roper (ca. 1645-1697) who served as a vestryman at St. Peter's Parish Church (1685-1687), Warden (1786-1690), and Boundary Committee (1686-1697).
Richard Samuel Roper (mailto:Roper@erols.com) arranged for a hotel in the Williamsburg area as the location of the meeting. It is Ramada 1776 Inn at 725 By Pass Road Williamsburg 23185 VA. It shares a 45 acre park with Fairfield Patriot's Place, a Condominium Rental location. It is far enough off the "main drag" that there is no problem with undue noise and is in easy access to the interstate to the New Kent Roper locations we wish to visit. Included in the $40 registration fee was breakfast and dinner on Friday. The Roper Union for 2004 will probably be at the same location.
Download a map
of the hotel location.
Download a map of the route from the
Richmond Airport to Williamsburg.
| Thur 2 Oct 2003 7-9 PM: Get acquainted. |
| Fri 3 Oct 2003: 9-12 AM: Registration. Get acquainted. Set up materials to share. |
| 2-5 PM: Registration. Get acquainted meeting, followed by a discussion of colonial Ropers in Virginia led by Richard Samuel Roper and L. David Roper. Display of pictures and documents about different branches of the Roper family were set up for others to see. Some took driving tours of New Kent/Charles City Counties Roper sites or other attractions (Directions and maps were supplied.) |
| 7:30-9 PM candle-light memorial service for John Roper at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, where he was a member of the vestry c1685-1697 (death). (Map will be supplied.) Memorial plaque for John Roper |
| Sat 4 Oct: 8-10 AM: Breakfast together at hotel. |
| 10-12 AM: Get-acquainted meeting. Some discussion about Roper genealogy. Some took driving tours of New Kent/Charles City Counties Roper sites or other attractions. |
| 2-5 PM: Discussion about Roper genealogy including Y-chromosome testing, led by L. David Roper. Some took driving tour of New Kent/Charles City Counties Roper sites or other attractions. |
| 6-9 PM: conference dinner followed by discussion about the possibility of future Roper Union meetings. A decision was made to have Roper Union III in October 2004 at the same location. |
| Sun 5 Oct: Nine of the group attended the 11 AM church service at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, where John Roper was on the vestry 1685-1697. (Thomas Roper may have helped lay the bricks in 1704.) |
| John Roper, Jr.(1660VA) | ||||
| Thomas(1700VA) | David(1728VA) | John(1708VA) | Meredith(c1735VA) | Joseph(1711VA) |
| | | | | | | | | | |
| Shadrack(1719VA) | Benjamin(1760VA) | David(1727VA) | Charles(1774NC) | Joseph Jr(1730VA) |
| | | | | | | | | | |
| Samnuel(1756VA) | John(1781VA) | James(1766NC) | John(1779SC) | Joseph III(1782VA) |
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| Joseph(1781VA) | Leroy(1808VA) | Samuel(1806NC) | Alfred W(1846GA) | John White(1811TN) |
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| Joseph Murrell(1813KY) | Bartlett(1837VA) | Wm. Washington(1844NC) | Jesse B(1869GA) | Samuel Brashear(1834AL) |
| | | | | | | | | | |
| James Edwin(1837KY) | Paul Spotswood(1870VA) | Joshua Rufus(1869NC) | King Samuel(1888GA) | Elizabeth Mary(1867AL) |
| | | | | | | | | | |
| Charles Wesley(1878AR) | Paul Jr(1912VA) | Fred Lloyd(1907MO) | Mary(GA) | Myra Browne(1890AL) |
| | | | | | | | | | |
| Richard Samuel Roper(1922KS) | Paul Spotswood Roper III(1949VA) | Leon David Roper(1935OK) | Kevin Roper O'Brien | Myra Browne Koenig(1922AL) |
| (Dick) | (Spot) | (Dave) | Mary Alice O'Brien | | |
| 7th cousin | 7th cousin | 7th cousin | 7th cousin | Myra Browne Lewis (1844AL) |
| 7th cousin 1 generation removed | ||||
| The earliest generations are uncertain in all cases. | William Alexander Roper, Jr. believes that Paul Spotswood Roper III descends from John Roper, Sr., a contempory of John Roper, Jr. in early Charles City Co. VA. | |||
| Y-chromosome markers: | (Markers for 4th cousin David Lee Roper) | |||
| 13 24 14 10 11 16 12 12 12 13 13 30 17 9 10 11 11 25 15 19 30 16 17 17 18 | 13 24 14 10 11 15 12 12 12 13 13 30 17 9 10 11 11 25 15 19 30 16 17 17 18 | 13 24 14 10 11 16 12 12 12 13 13 30 17 9 10 11 11 25 15 19 30 16 17 17 18 | 13 23 14 10 11 16 12 12 12 13 13 30 17 9 10 11 11 25 15 19 30 16 17 17 18 | No markers for this branch yet. |
This following group agreed to serve as the organizing committee for the Roper Union II meeting on 2-5 October 2003:
People who attended are (Initials indicate those who have had their Y-chromosomes tested.):
A CD-ROM or DVD will be available from Mike (Paul Michael) Roper and John, his son, in a short time. Any attendee who wishes to include pictures taken at the meeting should contact Mike.
L. David Roper
540-951-7047 (9 AM-9 PM)
roperld@vt.edu
http://arts.bev.net/roperldavid
