Within the diary of Joseph Fincher ROPER (b 05 Dec 1808 - York, SC, d 14 Sep 1860 - Lowndes, AL), an early Methodist minister in Alabama, is this entry:

"July 1, 1847 I have been here on my mission constantly and up to this date have not missed a single appointment. And I trust also that I have labored with tolerable success among the coloured brethren of this charge. The number of deaths that have occurred among my relatives and acquaintances during the past spring is remarkable. My oldest Sister (Elizabeth Roper) died on the 8th April last, her husband Jacob Ross died on the 17 June, and he had a brother Israel Ross who died in the intermediate space. I have heard of a very unusual amount of sudden deaths during the spring from various sources. ..."

Joseph Fincher ROPER was the son of Revolutionary War Veteran John ROPER (b 24 Feb 1763-6 - Brunswick, VA, d 25 Jul 1852 - Oak Level, Cleburne, AL) and Sarah FINCHER. It is KNOWN that John ROPER married Sarah FINCHER on 16 Nov 1797 in Mecklenburg County, NC.

John ROPER may have been previously married and Elizabeth Roper ROSS (d 08 Apr 1847) could have been from a prior marriage.

The Jacob ROSS (d 17 Jun 1847) and Israel ROSS (d 1847) mentioned would almost certainly have been from the South, probably from Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia or Alabama, depending upon when Elizabeth ROPER married, as this was her father's migration trace.

John ROPER is enumerated residing in Mecklenburg, NC, in the 1810 and 1820 Census:

John ROPER: 5 - 1 - 0 - 1 - 0 -- 0 - 1 - 0 - 1 - 1 -- 0 - 0 -- 0 - 100 [Mecklenburg, NC 1810]
John ROPER: 1 - 3 - 1 - 3 - 0 - 1 -- 2 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 1 -- 0 - 6 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 [Mecklenburg, NC 1820]

These records are suggestive that there might have been a daughter age 10 to 15 in 1810 (b abt 1795-1800) who married in or near Mecklenburg, NC, between 1810 and 1820. If Elizabeth ROEPR married Jacob ROSS in the decade after 1820, the marriage would have more likely taken place in or near Gwinnett, Georgia.

*

During the decade previous to 1810, John ROPER seemed to live in South Carolina very near the state line with NC. Here is what Rev. Jospeh F. ROPER's diary says about early family migrations:

"I Joseph F. Roper was born in York District South Carolina on the big Saluda road, in the Stony fork of big fishing creek about one mile from where it empties into said big fishing creek on the fifth day of Dec. one thousand eight hundred and eight, at which place my father lived but a short time after my birth, when he moved to a mill on half mile creek about 2 miles from old nation ford on the Catawba river, at which place he lived about 3 years, and then moved to J. Finchers place in North Carolina Mecklenburg Co. at which place he lived about 1 year and then moved to a place called Stinson's, at which place he lived about 6 years, from which he removed to John Riche's place where he lived 2 years and then moved to Patterson's place Providence Settlement, at which place he lived 2 years and then moved to the Wiley place and lived 3 years and then he moved to Gwinnette Co. Ga. Where I lived ten years and where I married my first wife, Margaret H. McEwen, daughter of Robert and Rachel McEwen. I moved from there to Benton Co. Ala where I lived 9 years and then moved to Macon Co, Ala where I lived 3 years, from here I moved to Coosa Co., Ala., where I lived 1 year. I resided here when I joined the Ala. Con. [Conference of the Methodist Church] It held its session in Mobile as stated in the beginning of this book. I travelled Tombigby circuit the first year. Big Swamp Mission the second year, Catoma Mission the third year in Dec. of which my first wife died. Awful! Awful! Awful! day for me. In losing her I lost all I had, or ever shall have except my children that was worth living for."

*

John ROPER's parents were Jesse and Obedience ROPER, so the presence of a Jesse or an Obedience or "Biddy" in a ROSS family might be some indication of Elizabeth's intermarriage.

Does anyone have any suggestions or insight into the more precise identities, dates and places of the Jacob ROSS, Elizabeth Roper ROSS and Israel ROSS mentioned in Joseph Fincher ROPER's diary entry?