L. David Roper
roperld@vt.edu
(www.roperld.com)
The First Two Centuries of Ropers in Arkansas (1800-1999)
Arkansas Tax Lists 1830-1839:
county
page
Austin P. Roper
Phillips
022
Austin P. Roper
Phillips
016
John A. Roper
Crittenden 010
John A. Roper
Crittenden 008
Martha Roper
Phillips 016
Martha Roper
Phillips 022
William George Roper
Phillips 022
William George Roper
Phillips 017
William George Roper
Phillips 016
William Green Roper
Phillips 016
William Green Roper
Phillips 022
William Green Roper
Phillips 017
Index of
Name
Date Record Page
Martha Roper
1839 2
214
William G. Roper 1843
B 71
George L. Roper
1854 B 366
Sarah G. Roper
1860 G 234
1840
Name
County
Page Township
A. P. Roper
Phillips
060 planter
Charles Roper
Scott
187
William George Roper Phillips
090
William Green Roper
Phillips
087
Another index shows:
Charles Roper
Searcy
Johnson Co. AR Chancery Court Record Book A:
James K. Jones & James Roper vs. Thomas G. Robinson, Jacob
Robinson and Greenberry Robinson...Bill bring to
enjoin collection of certain notes-sale of certain lands. Contract be set aside...
Barbara Wills,
Biddy Roper b c1793 TN m John W. Linn (
Arlene Willis, 1739 Cascade
Mary Elizabeth Roper (d/o William Roper) b 14 Oct 1849 m John Henry Willis (according to family in 1866 in Russellville or Dardanelle m Yell Co. AR. Told family that her mother was a Shoptaw. It seems more likely, however, that she remembered the person who raised her as being a Shoptaw.
Names
Date
Selitha Roper & George W.
McKinney
Silina Roper & Arannal
Hill
1850 AR census
Name
County
Page Township
Austin P. Roper Monroe
365 Hampton
Biddy T. Roper Jackson
04 Taylors
Charles Roper
Conway
255 Cadron T.
Edwin Roper
Franklin
12 Mulberry
Pope Co.:
John W. Linn 53 miller TN Biddy 55 TN Marion 16 M TN Robert
14 KY George Roper 22 TN 284
Crawford Co.:
John Roper 28 VA 287 Big Cree Elvira 27 KY Sarah 17 KY
John L. Roper
Phillips
147 Big Cree
Melvina Roper
Phillips
137 Helena
Name
Value
Born
Carroll Co.
Yewell Roper 36 p.145
Prairie $100 TN Mary 27 GA Caroline 12 MO John H. 10
MO Margaret E. 8 MO Jane 5 MO Thomas L. 2 AR Louisa F.
1 AR
Another index shows a Roper in Montgomery Co.
Johnson Co. AR Record Book O 1848-1858
William Roper $1 County Tax Delinquent for the year; 1851
Pope Co. AR marriages: B-31
George Roper 24 & Martha J. Thomas 17 15 Jun 1851 by B.B.Sublett J.P
Jerry E. DuVAll 22 & Miss Mary Roper
23 both of Moreland Twp 23 Dec 1877 by J.W. Sugg
J.P. E-185
Arkansas Family Historian, V.13, 1975:
Liberty Baptist Church Cemetery, Lafayette Co. 3 mi. SE of Stamps on Oak
Grove Rd.
Charles S. Roper b 23 Apr 1852 d 25 Jul 1910 husband of M.
E. Roper
Caudie M. Roper b 1893 d 1949
wife of Lonnie O. Roper
Infant Dau. Roper b 1914
d 1914 dau. of L. O. & C. M.
Roper
Lonnie O. Roper b 1884 d 1929 husband of Claudie M. Roper
M. E. Roper b 2 Feb 1860 d 29 Oct 1911 wife of Charles
S. Roper
William Roper b 1911 d 1919 son of L. O. & C. M.
Roper
Tax Records of Yell Co. AR:1854
George Roper, 1855 William Roper &
George Roper, 1856 George Roper, 1857 no Ropers,
1858 George Roper,
1859 George & William Roper
Phillips Co. AR marriages: Green Roper 21
& Eliza Evans 18
Martha E. Roper 18 & William Porter 38
Pleasant G. Roper 25 Milly A.
Russell 24
Sam Roper 54 & Catherine Lounden (Landen?) 25
History of
Thomas Albert Roper, Sr. was born in
Lillian M. Roper married C. B. Willard and had nine children.
T. A. Roper, Jr. married Hardella Jones,
dau. Of A. F. Jones on
Phyllis Arnold,
Mathew Shoptaw left the CSA & joined the
Union Army and received a pension. Pension record:
Shirley Coyle,
Sarah Serrilda Roper d 3 Feb 1891 Ft.
Smith, Sebastian Co. AR
History of
1860 AR census 25 Jul 1860:
P.O. Berryville, Prairie Twp Carroll Co.:
Ewel Roper 48 farmer tanner $580
TN p. 765 547/536
Mary 37 GA Nancy C. 20 MO John H. 19 MO Margaret E.
18 MO Mary J. 15 MO Thomas L. 11 AR Louisa E. 9 AR Pleasant
E. 7 M AR Bedeanis 5 F AR William A.
1 AR
John C. Stephens 24 farmer IN Catherine 36 GA Huddah
A. 3 MO Caroline Roper 20
Pope Co. Clark Twp Russellville 3 Jul 1860:
Mathew T. Shoptaw 28 M lumberman KY Sarah 15 F
AR (m within year) Bridget Roper 5 AR
Yell Co., Delaware Twnshp: William Roper
35 AL boatman Margarete 17 TN Mary 10
AR Jenks B. 7 AR male twins Artemissa
and Narcissa 5 AR James Telford 3 AR and Jacob
Cowger, Jr. 1 AR
Phyllis Arnold told the compiler that it should read “female
twins.”
Neighbors are another Roper family all born in TN
George Roper 35 boatman Martha Ann 25, Nancey
E. 11, William D. 8, Alfred 7
Mortality Schedule AR 1860:
Alabama Roper 1 Yell Co. F Aug b AR whooping cough
George Roper 15 Yell Co. M Aug b AR typhoid fever
Ira G. Roper 25 Phillips Co. M Mar b TN pneumonia
Lucinda Roper 30 Yell Co. F Aug b AL typhoid fever
AR Damn Yankees: Enlisted
History of Freestone Co. TX: p.634:
Cantrell Bethel Willard was the oldest of ten children born to James
Aaron and Nancy E. Willard. He was born on
Cantrell Bethel, Jesse, Velma and James Daniel;
Tolbert Young b 1 apr 1894 d
Charles B. Willard b 11 Jul 1896 d
Dollie b
Second child of Martha Jean, Karen Denise b 2 Jan 1951 m Dorman
L. Leach. One child: Shawni Kay b
Cantrell Bethel had a cotton gin, gristmill and a country store at Ward
Prairie. He was considered by his associates and friends in the community to be
a "high-toned," honest, upright gentleman in every respect, good for his
contracts and worthy of the confidence and respect of all good citizens.
This couple lost six children in six years: Lena Rivers b 19 Aug 1885
d 12 Aug 1889; Jennie Mae b 28 Oct 1887 d 4 Aug 1889;
Cantrell Thomas b 31 Dec 1891 d 8 Feb 1894; Lona b 29 Jul 1898 d 11 Apr 1906; Lillian
M. b 23 Sep 1903 d 20 Sep 1905; James Daniel was
killed at the age of 24. They are all buried in the
After suffering such a great loss, Cantrell decided a change would be
good for them both. Hearing of the prosperity of the truck farmers in MS from Lillian's
brother, T. A. Roper, Jr., he sold his home and business and moved to
Crystal Springs MS in 1907. Here their last child was born Dollie B. In 1918 Cantrell
became constable for Copiah Co. MS. He was well liked by all and
respected in the community. He died of a heart attack on
AR Family Historian, V.13, p.208: Mrs. Phyllis Arnold,
1870 census of Johnson Co. AR Pittsburg
Twp:
Amanda Kilburn 37 TN Artemissa Roper 14
AR
Perry Co. Bentley Twp,
Mathews Shoptaw 32 farmer KY Sarah 26
AR Mary A. 8 AR Cordelia 1 AR Miles M. Harris 48
farmer KY Jenks B. Roper 18 AR
1870 Mortality Schedule for Ar:
Mary Roper 16 F Drew
Johnson Co. AR Marriage Records, Book N, p.99:
David Jones 27 Yell Co. m Artemissa
Roper 20 of said county & state.
History of
Phyllis Arnold,
I have in my possession a page torn from a Bible. ... this
page was from her grandmother's Bible:
Glola Roper b Perry Co. AR
David Roper b Perry Co. AR 19 Mar 1877 d 19
1877 Roland Twp, Pulaski Co. AR personal
property tax list:
Jenks Roper, William Roper
1878: J. B. Roper, William Roper
The AR Gazette,
1880 census of AR: Pulaski Co. Roland Twp.
William Roper W M 63[1] farmer AL AL AL Sarah Roper W F 53 AR AL KY Joseph L Wise
(stepson) 16 AR GA AR
(Bible record: Milledge Wise d Perry Co. AR
George Henry W M 45 farmer
Goly Roper W F 6 AR - AR David Roper W M 4 AR - AR
AR Family Historian Mar 1887: Newspaper clipping from Baxter
Co.
Baxter Co. has lost three sheriffs in the line of duty: Sheriff A.J.
Byler, the first man to hold such office, was killed on 25 Jun 1892.by the
young outlaw Jesse Roper at the Twiggs Ranch south of Mountain Home. It
was a direct result of the Denton-Twiggs feud at Gassville,
where Roper's uncle, John Twiggs, was killed on
CA newspaper clipping: Crystal Smith. Former county resident
Crystal Smith 88
1900 AR census for Sevier Co. AR, Bear Creek,
Following census is of Louise Evelina Roper. M
(1) Honeycutt and (2) [1]Atkinson aka Martholomew 453/463
Robert W. Atkinson 45 b Jun 1854 TN fb
NC mb NC lab. Sawmill Louise 50 b May 1850
MO fb TN mb GA md 12 yrs. George Hunnicut
18 b Apr 1882 MS fb
Pope Co. AR marriages:
Bill Vinson 26 & Miss J. C. Roper 16 both of London, Pope
Co.1 Jan 1902 Bk H-231
John J. Gotcher 24 & Annie Roper 18
both of Delaware, Logan Co. 2 Mar 1902 by H.J. Chastain J.P. Bk H-253
F. L. Roper 25 & Minnie Reynolds 25 both of Appleton 15
May 1904 by J.W. Stround J.P. Bk
I-147