Her tombstone leans heavily to one side. The years have taken a toll…after all, it has guarded her resting place since 1846. The grave has caved in leaving a depression surrounded by remnants of a stone box burial. Read the words inscribed on her stone:
Sacred to the Memory
of
Rebecca Roper
B: 6 Jan 1795
D: 4 Dec 1846
Rebecca was the wife of David Roper, a gentleman who came to Greene County, MO. Ca 1831 (Holcombe’s Historv of Greene County, p. 143. “Opening the Ozarks: First Families in Southwest Missouri 1835-1839” says he was married to Rebecca Cannon on 10 Sep 1813 in Blount Co., Tennessee. His name appears on the 1833 Greene County Tax List. He obtained his parcel of land by the Preemption Act of 1834.
Children of David and Rebecca (Cannon) Roper:
- Elizabeth Roper b: 2 Sep 1818 in TN
- William Roper b: 1820 in TN
- ?Ann Eliza Roper b: ca. 1822 in TN
- ?Jane Roper b: ca. 1824 in TN
In the 1840 Census of Greene Co. MO, Rebecca is listed only as white female, as 40-50 years.
The above scant details are all we know about her life. But, as we walk through the oldest section of Union Campground Cemetery, we observe her tombstone and pay tribute to her life.
Submitted by Jean Rayl 2008