• Barbara appears to have inflated her age as she became elderly, and a claim in her bio of being 106 years old at death cannot possibly be true, at least not unless John had a prior wife because, if she were that old, she would have been born before our subjects married in 1788.
• Jacob's age varied wildly in the later censuses (and, no, there's no doubt these are his records), but early censuses indicate the span shown.  His wife's birthyear (1800) and his marriage date (1819) both suggest a birth year for Jacob ca. 1796 because, on average, a man is four years older than his wife and marries first at the age of 23, and such a birthyear fits in the span suggested by early censuses.

1.  Jordan R. Dodd, ed.  1993.  KY, NC, TN, VA, WV Marriages:  Early to 1850.  Liahona Research, Orem, UT (Broderbund CD-229):

Strope, Peter

Venerick, Magdalin

5 Mar 1788

Montgomery Co., VA

2.  1790 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com):  not found, but the 1790 Virginia census was destroyed.

3.  1800 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com):  not found, but the 1800 Virginia census was destroyed.

3.  1810 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com; Image #34 of 39; extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):¤•

1810

VA

Wythe Co.

Roll 71

p. 857

Ln. 11

John P Stroup

13001-32110-00

These data indicate:

No. & Sex	Age Class	Therefore Born	Individuals Inferred
1 male	9 or under	1800-1810	= George (b. 1800)
3 males	10-15	1794-1800	= Jacob = John (b. 1794/5) = Peter (b. 1793/4)
1 male	45 or over	in or bef. 1765	= John Peter
3 females	9 or under	1800-1810	= Susan (b. 1809/10) = Margaret (b. 1806-10) = Elizabeth (b. ca. 1800)
2 females	10-15	1794-1800	= Mary Ann (b. 1796/7) = Daughter A
1 female	16-25	1784-1794	= Barbara (b. 1788-90)
1 female	26-44	1765-1784	= Molly

4.  1820 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com):  can't find.

5a.  1830 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com):  can't find Peter.

5b.  1830 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com; Image #89 of 100 — indexed "Shamp"; extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):¤•

1830

VA

Wythe Co.

Roll M19_200

pp. 355B-356A

Ln. 14

Molly Straup

110 - 000 010 010

no slaves

These data indicate:

No. & Sex	Age Class	Therefore Born	Individuals Inferred
1 male	4 or under	1825-1830	= grandson?
1 male	5-9	1820-1825	= grandson?
1 female	20-29	1800-1810	= Susan?
1 female	50-59	1770-1780	= Molly

Molly appears to be fibbing about her age.

6a.  1840 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #9 of 84; extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):¤•

1840

VA

Wythe Co.

Roll 579

pp. 80B-81A

Ln. 21

George Stroup

200 000 100 100 - 011 100 110

no slaves

0100000

These data indicate:

No. & Sex	Age Class	Therefore Born	Individuals Inferred
2 males	4 or under	1835-1840	= Solomon (b. 1836/7) = John (b. 1835)
1 male	40-49	1790-1800	= George (b. 1800)
1 male	70-79	1760-1770	= Peter? (b. 1760-65)
1 female	5-9	1830-1835	= Daughter B
1 female	10-14	1825-1830	= Saphronia (b. 1827/8)
1 female	15-19	1820-1825	= Daughter A
1 female	40-49	1790-1800	= Elizabeth
1 female	50-59	1780-1790	= ?
1	person employed in agriculture

Is the elderly man George's father?  I can't find Peter elsewhere.  The woman in her 50's is too young to be George's mother.  Listed five lines above George's brother, Jacob STROUP.

6b.  1840 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #71-72 of 84; extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):¤•

1840

VA

Wythe Co.

Roll 579

pp. 111B-112A

Ln. 23

Molly Stroup

000 - 000 000 000 100

0000000

no slaves

These data indicate:

No. & Sex	Age Class	Therefore Born	Individuals Inferred
1 female	70-79	1760-1770	= Molly (b. 1765-70)
1	person employed in agriculture

7a.  1850 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com; Image #41 of 235):  Poor House, 68th District, Wythe Co., VA, Roll M432_982, p. 244A, 285/285, enumerated 24 Jul 1850, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1850 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):¤•

Peter Stroupe

80

M

None

Virginia

Pauper

One of many residents in said institution.  In a group home such as this, you can't depend too much on the age and birthplace being accurate.

7b.  1850 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #192 of 235):  Sixty-Eighth Dist., Wythe Co., VA, Roll M432_982, p. 319B, 1323/1323, enumerated 20 Sep 1850, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1850 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):¤•

Mary Stroupe	95	F				Pennsylvania
Mary    "	17	F				Va

The elder Mary does appear to be our subject's wife, although her age is inflated.  I don't know who the younger Mary is.  Listed next to daughter, Margaret STROUPE, who is next to son, George STROUPE.

7c.  1850 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #111 of 235 — indexed "Stroufer"):  Sixty Eighth District, Wythe Co., VA, Roll M432_982, p. 279A, 767/767, enumerated 12 Aug 1850, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1850 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):¤•

Susan Stroupe

40

F

Virginia

8.  Mary B. Kegley.  1995.  Early Adventurers on the Western Waters, Vol. 3: The New River of Virginia in Pioneer Days, 1745-1805.  Kegley Books, Wytheville, VA (excerpt courtesy of Glenn Stroup):

p. 118	Survey Book 1, Wythe County, 1791-1800 pp. 160-162 January 22, 1795... including the following prior claims: 200 acres for Isaac Newhouse, 200 acres for ___ Stroupe on head of Cripple Creek...
p. 119	p. 183 May 16, 1795, Isaac Newhouse, 200 acres on an entry based on a Treasury Warrant, 1783, assigned by James Newell, headwaters of Criple Creek, adjoining Stroup.

This STROUP/STROUPE has to be our subject, as the only STROUP known in the county old enough to own land in 1795.  What's very interesting is that his land is adjacent to Isaac NEWHOUSE, the NEWHOUSE family with whom one of John Peter's descendants has a DNA match.

9.  Messages in the Stroup Family Genealogy Forum (online at GenForum.com).