Surname Saturday ~ ROPER of Hampton, New Hampshire and Ipswich, Massachusetts

An early map of Hampton, New Hampshire

ROPER

This is a new blog post on my 10th great grandfather, Walter Roper (1614 - 1680), an early settler at Hampton, New Hampshire and Ipswich, Massachusetts.  Walter Roper’s origins are unknown.  He was born about 1614 and he was a carpenter.  He was given a grant of land in Hampton, New Hampshire in June 1640 [Documents and Records relating to the Province of New Hampshire Volume 1, page 152].  In 1642 he became a freeman in Hampton, and served as a selectman in 1644.  Sometime in the 1640s he removed to Ipswich, Massachusetts. 

The will of Walter Roper, dated 15 July 1680 and proven 28 September 1680

In the name of god amen, I Walter Roper of Ipswich in Newengland being at this present time of perfit understanding & memory though weake in body comiting my soull into the hands of almighty god & my body to deasent buriall in hope of Resorection to eternal life by the power & merit of Jesus Christ, my most mersyfulle savior & redemer, doe thus dispos of the temporal estate that god hath graciasly given me.

Imprimis I give to Susan my wiffe the bed she layeth on with all that belongeth too it, with liberty to dispose of it as she pleaseth amongst my Children at her death; my will is that my sonn John shall maintaine my wiffe Conveniantly Comfortable in diet & Clothis;

& also that my wiffe shall have haife the fruit of my orchard, & also the use of the roome she now lodgeth in which is the parlor, & also the use of the rest of the rooms of the hous that I leave to my sonn John for her nesesary ocations, & if it shall faale out that my wiff doth not like her waye of living, then my will is that my wiffe shall have the use of my household goods, alonge with my sonn John; & allso my sonn John Shall maintaine her one Cow & four sheep, winter & somer, & if any one of th¹¹¹ miscary, he to put another in the roome of it; also to Kepe her one hogg yearly & also to find her nessesary firewood and a horse for her necessary use, & also paye to her therre pounds a yeare, one haife in wheet & mault, the other half in Indian corn, all marchantable, all which she shall injoye so longe as she shall remaine a widdo;

also if my wiffe shall marrye, my sonn John shall paye to my widdo fouer pounds a year, and be freed from all the particulars above expressed. I give to my sonn Nath^### [Nathaniel] four accers of marsh I bought of Nehemiah Jewet or twenty pounds in Currant pay® after my wiffes desseas, also half my Carpenters tooles at my desseas, also eight pounds, foure pounds of it to be p^### within one year after my wiffs desseas, & foure pounds foure years after my wiffes deseas. I give to my dafter Mary five pounds to be p^### one half within one yeare after my wiffes decceas, & the other haife foure years after my wiffes decceas. I give to my dafter Elizabeth five pounds to be p^### one haife one year after my wiffes decceas, & the other haife foure years after my wiffes decceas. I give to my dafter Sarah tenn pounds to be pd one haife one yeare after my wiffes decceas, & the other haife fourer years after my wiffes decceas. I give to my grandchild Elizabeth Sparks five pounds to be p^### at the age of twenty one years. I give grandchildren Susan, Margarit, Rose & Sarah Sparks twenty shillings a pecce to be p^### at the age of twenty one years.

I give my grandchild John Sparks forty shilings to be pd at the age of twenty one years.

I give my grandchild John Duch [Dutch] forty shilings to be pd at the age of twenty one years; & also to my grandchildren Elizabeth & Susan Duch [Dutch] twenty shilings apecce to be p° at the age of twenty one years.

I do apoint my loving trends John Deneson, Senr. , John Brewer, Senr. , & John Whipple, Senr. of Ipswich the overseers of this my last will & testament & I doe hereby give them power to determin any differancs that maye arise betwen my executor & any of the Legatates aforesaid abought the payments afores^###. I doe ordaine & appoint my Sonn John Roper my sole executor of this my last will & testement, to whome I give all the rest of my estate, both houses, lands & Cattle, goods of alsorts, & depts from whomsoever due unto him [&] his heyers forever. In Confirmation whereof I have heruntoe sett my hand & sealle this fivetenth of July 1680 in pressents of us This will proved in court at Ipswich the 28 of Sept 1680. To be the last will & testament of Walter Roper by the oath of Capt John Whipple & John Denison to the best [of] there knowledge and that he was of a disposeing mynd, as attest 

Robert Lord clerk

[From the Sparks Family Association website http://www.sparksfamilyassn.org/pages/164-A.html  Essex County Probate 24143]

For more information on Walter Roper:

There is no sketch of Walter Roper in the Great Migration series.  There are very brief sketches of Walter Roper listed in Savage’s Genealogical Dictionary of New England and Torrey’s New England Marriages Prior to 1700.  There is also a sketch of him Massachusetts and Maine Families in the Ancestry of Walter Goodwin Davis, by Walter Goodwin Davis, Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1996, Volume III, pages 239 – 241.  There are several land transactions and lawsuits concerning Walter Roper in the Essex Quarterly Court record.  Don't forget that Hampton, New Hampshire was part of Old Norfolk County, Massachusetts at this time period, there are several records of Walter Roper in the Old Norfolk County records, too. 

My ROPER lineage:

Generation 1: Walter Roper, born about 1614 in England, died between 15 July and 28 September 1680 in Ipswich, Massachusetts; married to Susan Unknown. Six children.

Generation 2: Mary Roper, baptized on 22 August 1641 in Hampton, New Hampshire, died in 1712 in Ipswich, Massachusetts; married John Sparks. He was born about 1630 and died before March 1704 in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Eight children.

Generation 3: Elizabeth Sparks m. Jacob Perkins

Lineage A:

Generation 4: Elizabeth Perkins m. David Burnham

Lineage A1:

Generation 5: David Burnham m. Elizabeth Marshall

Generation 6: Amos Burnham m. Sarah Giddings

Generation 7: Judith Burnham m. Joseph Allen

Generation 8: Joseph Allen m. Orpha Andrews

Generation 9: Joseph Gilman Allen m. Sarah Burnham Mears

Generation 10: Joseph Elmer Allen m. Carrie Maude Batchelder

Generation 11: Stanley Elmer Allen m. Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)

Lineage A2:

Generation 5: Westley Burnham m. Deborah Story

Lineage A2a:

Generation 6: Westley Burnham m. Molly Woodbury

Lineage A2ai:

Generation 7: Asa Burnham m. Polly Bray

Generation 8: Lydia W. Burnham m. Samuel Mears

Generation 9: Samuel Mears m. Sarah Ann Burnham

Generation 10: Sarah Burnham Mears m. Joseph Gilman Allen (see above)

Lineage A2aii:

Generation 7: Henry Burnham m. Sally Poland

Generation 8: Sarah Ann Burnham m. Samuel Mears

Generation 9: Sarah Burnham Mears m. Joseph Gilman Allen (see above)

Lineage A2b:

Generation 6: Sarah Burnham m. Abner Poland

Generation 7: Sally Poland m. Henry Burnham (see above)

Lineage B:

Generation 4:  Jacob Perkins m. Anna Littlefield

Generation 5:   Stephen Perkins m. Comfort Chesley

Generation 6:  Mary Perkins m. Nathaniel Batchelder

Generation 7:  Jonathan Batchelder m. Nancy Thompson

Generation 8: George E. Batchelder m. Abigail M. Locke

Generation 9: George E. Batchelder m. Mary Katherine Emerson

Generation 10:  Carrie Maude Batchelder m. Joseph Elmer Allen

Generation 11: Stanley Elmer Allen m. Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Surname Saturday ~ ROPER of Hampton, New Hampshire and Ipswich, Massachusetts”,  Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 1, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/12/surname-saturday-roper-of-hampton-new.html: accessed [access date]).