Ephraim Roper

Biography

Ephraim Roper was the son of John and Alice Roper, and the husband of 1) Priscillla ____; and 2) Hannah Brewer, widow of Daniel Goble. He served in King Philip's War, surviving both the first Lancaster Raid, and Turner's Falls Fight under Capt. William Turner. In 1697 he and his second wife Hannah were killed by Indians during the second Lancaster Raid during King William's War.

• Reference: Find-A-Grave

Children:

1. Priscilla Roper b: 5 Feb 1679 in Concord, , MA
2. Ruth Roper b: 7 Jan 1681 in Concord, , MA
3. Elizabeth Roper b: 17 Jan 1683 in Concord, , MA
4. Bathsheba Roper b: ABT 1685 in Concord, , MA
5. Ephraim Roper b: 1687 in Sudbury, , MA

Source: wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=ausanc&id=I7138

In early 1676 the town was attacked by the Indian leader known as King Philip and perhaps as many as 1500 warriors. Forty-two or more settlers, including Ephraim, his wife and infant daughter sought refuge in the partially fortified house of the Reverend Rowlandson. The house was attacked shortly after dawn and as Mrs. Rowlandson wrote in her "Removes," 'quickly it was the dolefullest day that ever mine eyes saw." Of all the people in the Rowlandson house, only Ephraim Roper managed to escape while the rest were killed or captured. His wife and daughter perished and the town was burned.

Roper joined the command of Captain Turner sent to attack King Philip and they did so at the falls of the Connecticut River on May 18 1676, killing many in what a contemporary called "a great and noble slaughter." But Philip counterattacked as Turner and his men retired and Turner was killed. The falls near where he was found are named for him.

Ephraim Roper lived in Cambridge for some time after the massacre but returned to Lancaster early in 1684.

Twenty-one years later the Indians, this time stirred up by the French, attacked the rebuilt town once more and this time twenty-one were killed, among them Ephraim, his second wife, and one of their daughters. Their son Ephraim was captured and lived with the Indians for two years. He was married to Hannah on Nov 20 1677 in Concord, Massachusetts.

917. Hannah (117) died on Sep 11 1697 in Lancaster, Massachusetts. Hannah, although not present in Lancaster when the massacre took place, suffered from it in a curious way. On Aug 7 1676 three Indian women and three children were murdered near Huckleberry Hill outside of Lancaster in an act of cold-blooded revenge for the massacre. Four soldiers confessed to the crime or to having been present. The two perpetrators, Daniel Goble and his brother Stephen, Hannah's husband, were hanged on Sep 26 1676 as was an Indian named One-eyed John, who had played a major part in the massacre. The other two soldiers, who had merely been present, had their sentences commuted.

Source: http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc3500/sc3520/002100/0...

Ephraim Roper was the son of John and Alice Roper and the husband of 1) Priscillla ____; and 2) Hannah Brewer, widow of Daniel Goble. He served in King Philip's War, surviving both the first Lancaster Raid, and Turner's Falls Fight under Capt. William Turner. In 1697 he and his second wife Hannah were killed by Indians during the second Lancaster Raid during King William's War. Marker is missing.

Origins

Widow Alice Allin died at Salisbury on April 1, 1687. [6] Her will dated on March 24, 1686/7, but not proved, names: [8]

• daughter Ruth Haines/(Haynes)
• grand daughter Sary Adams
• grandchildren Thomas Adams wife and Samuel Adams
• all my surviving children and my grandchildren of my three children, deceased
• daughter Coursers
• granddaughter ?Goodhues/Goodnow's, child she had by John ?____
• my grandson ?Goodhue/Goodnow to be my administrator
• Benjamin Sto___ to be overseer [8]

Administration of her estate was granted to son Ephraim Roper on April 26, 1687. [8]

References

1. Mahler, Leslie and Nathan W. Murphy, THE ENGLISH ANCESTRY OF ALICE REYNOLDS, WIFE OF JOHN1 ROPER OF DEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS in: The American Genealogist, Volume 85, D. L. Jacobus, New Haven, Connecticut, 2011, p. 222-234, (Online database. < AmericanAncestors.org >. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - .)
2. WikiTree contributors, "Alice (Reynolds) Allen (abt.1609-1687)," WikiTree: The Free Family Tree, (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Reynolds-15957 : accessed 04 April 2024).
3. Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: May 22 2019, 11:18:35 UTC
4. https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LCPZ-8FC