Roper Church Road
Replies: 21
Re: Roper Property in the Vicinity of Roper Church Road
| William Alexander Roper, Jr. (View posts) | Posted: 28 Apr 2002 7:12AM GMT |
Classification: Query
Surnames: Roper, Hix, Jones
Upon further investigation, it appears to me that there must have been a Roper property at the northern end of Roper Church Road near Stage Road.
Although I am NOT aware of any Roper patents or deed descibring this parcel, it is implicitly located by the property description of Edward Hix's patent of 11 Jan 1804. This patent is online at:
http://lvaimage.lib.va.us/LONN/LO-3/118/118_0163.tif
The tract is described as "lying and being in the County of New Kent in Blisslan parish ... Beginning at a dogwood corner of Samuel Tylor, from thence North forty seven degrees east seventy poles to a gum, corner to Mrs. Elizabeth Jones, north forty two degrees east forty poles to an oak on Wm. Jones' line, north fifty-one degrees east sixty poles to a pine standing on the south side of the stage road, corner to John Roper and Wm. Jones, from thence up the stage road north thirty two degrees west thirty eight poles to an oak on said Ropers line, north two degrees west fifty poles to an oak standing on the edge of Warren I. Swamp, John Ropers line, thence down said swamp to a maple corner to Hix and Tylor thence south thirty five and a half degrees east fifty poles to the beginning ..."
Clearly, Warren I. Swamp is what is now known as "Wahrani Swamp". There must have once been a "Warren Island", possibly before the Diascund Creek Reservoir was created, as there is a Warren Mills nearby in James City County.
There is currently a "Stage Road" probably exactly where the old Stage Road was located.
Roper Chuch Road seems to run roughly parallel to the Wahrani Swamp at just over one half mile distance.
The Edward Hix Traxt is oriented from Southwest to Northeast with Wahrani Swamp furnishing the West border to the property. Samuel Tyler's porperty is adjacent to the Southwest, sharing a boundary of 55 poles (907.5 feet). Two Jones properties lie to the East probably between the Hix tract and what is now Roper's Church Road. Elizabeth Jones Property is apparently to the south and William Jones' property is to the north.
We are told that one corner of the Edward Hix, John Roper and William Jones property is situated at a pine standing on the South side of the "stage road". And John Roper's property seems to continue along this road for at least 38 poles (627 feet). Thereafter, Roper's property line heads north and reaches the Wahrani Swamp.
John Roper's property would therefore appear to be immediately to the north of the Stage Road at least at the point where it joins the Hix and Jones properties. If the "Roper Church" was on the old John Roper property, it may have then been at the END of Roper Church Road where it meets Stage Road.
It appears that the Hix property extended from Stage Road southwest to a point just beyond the Sothern edge of the Interstate 64 right-of-way.
There is no way of ascertaining the other dimensions or size of the John Roper from this patent.
Here is the area of the property as it appears in the USGS maps:
http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?S=11&T=...
Here is the satellite image:
http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?T=1&S=1...
The Edward Hix Patent is truly remarkable and may be a "Rosetta Stone" for Roper family history research. Dr. William Jones is the name of a witness to the Will of Thomas Roper of Anne Arundel, Maryland, in 1677.
"Hix" is a variant on the name "Hext". William Roper (d 14 Feb 1772) of Charleston on 5 Sep 1745 married Grace Hext, daughter of David Hext, of Charleston.
Here we find John Roper's New Kent County property adjacent to those of Jones and Hix in 1804.
This property is also in Blissland parish, which is highly suggestive that it might have been the ORIGINAL Roper property in New Kent County, given that we know that there was a John Roper who was on the verstry of Blissland Parish before St. Peter's Parish was formed.
Although I am NOT aware of any Roper patents or deed descibring this parcel, it is implicitly located by the property description of Edward Hix's patent of 11 Jan 1804. This patent is online at:
http://lvaimage.lib.va.us/LONN/LO-3/118/118_0163.tif
The tract is described as "lying and being in the County of New Kent in Blisslan parish ... Beginning at a dogwood corner of Samuel Tylor, from thence North forty seven degrees east seventy poles to a gum, corner to Mrs. Elizabeth Jones, north forty two degrees east forty poles to an oak on Wm. Jones' line, north fifty-one degrees east sixty poles to a pine standing on the south side of the stage road, corner to John Roper and Wm. Jones, from thence up the stage road north thirty two degrees west thirty eight poles to an oak on said Ropers line, north two degrees west fifty poles to an oak standing on the edge of Warren I. Swamp, John Ropers line, thence down said swamp to a maple corner to Hix and Tylor thence south thirty five and a half degrees east fifty poles to the beginning ..."
Clearly, Warren I. Swamp is what is now known as "Wahrani Swamp". There must have once been a "Warren Island", possibly before the Diascund Creek Reservoir was created, as there is a Warren Mills nearby in James City County.
There is currently a "Stage Road" probably exactly where the old Stage Road was located.
Roper Chuch Road seems to run roughly parallel to the Wahrani Swamp at just over one half mile distance.
The Edward Hix Traxt is oriented from Southwest to Northeast with Wahrani Swamp furnishing the West border to the property. Samuel Tyler's porperty is adjacent to the Southwest, sharing a boundary of 55 poles (907.5 feet). Two Jones properties lie to the East probably between the Hix tract and what is now Roper's Church Road. Elizabeth Jones Property is apparently to the south and William Jones' property is to the north.
We are told that one corner of the Edward Hix, John Roper and William Jones property is situated at a pine standing on the South side of the "stage road". And John Roper's property seems to continue along this road for at least 38 poles (627 feet). Thereafter, Roper's property line heads north and reaches the Wahrani Swamp.
John Roper's property would therefore appear to be immediately to the north of the Stage Road at least at the point where it joins the Hix and Jones properties. If the "Roper Church" was on the old John Roper property, it may have then been at the END of Roper Church Road where it meets Stage Road.
It appears that the Hix property extended from Stage Road southwest to a point just beyond the Sothern edge of the Interstate 64 right-of-way.
There is no way of ascertaining the other dimensions or size of the John Roper from this patent.
Here is the area of the property as it appears in the USGS maps:
http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?S=11&T=...
Here is the satellite image:
http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?T=1&S=1...
The Edward Hix Patent is truly remarkable and may be a "Rosetta Stone" for Roper family history research. Dr. William Jones is the name of a witness to the Will of Thomas Roper of Anne Arundel, Maryland, in 1677.
"Hix" is a variant on the name "Hext". William Roper (d 14 Feb 1772) of Charleston on 5 Sep 1745 married Grace Hext, daughter of David Hext, of Charleston.
Here we find John Roper's New Kent County property adjacent to those of Jones and Hix in 1804.
This property is also in Blissland parish, which is highly suggestive that it might have been the ORIGINAL Roper property in New Kent County, given that we know that there was a John Roper who was on the verstry of Blissland Parish before St. Peter's Parish was formed.