Susan:

What a TERRIFIC FIND!

It seems to me that this record also vastly improves our understanding as to Jesse ROPER's year of birth. I had expressed some reservation about making a strong inference that Jesse ROPER, Jr., was at least age 21 when he witnessed the HANCOCK-MEACHAM deed on 07 May 1798.

But while a Court might have accepted a younger witness, the Court almost certainly would NOT have accepted a bond from a minor nor would a minor have been appointed Walter ASHMORE's administrator. The administrator's bond is dated 27 Oct 1798 and is shown to be signed by Jesse ROPER, Jr.!

This would seem to me to be rather conclusive evidence that Jesse ROPER, Jr., was born before 27 Oct 1777.

Moreover, implicit in Jesse ROPER, Jr., being named administrator is that he was ALREADY MARRIED to Hannah ASHMORE at the date he sought the administration. (I was tempted to say at Walter ASHMORE, Jr.'s's date of death, but I am LESS CONFIDENT that we can make a strong inferenece about that.) It seems most likely that Jesse ROPER, Jr., was already married to Hannah ASHMORE, though based upon laws in effect at that time he probably could have sought to be named Walter ASHMORE, Jr.'s, administrator if he was married to Hannah even AFTER Walter ASHMORE's death, as long as no one else had then been already named.