Sarah was the daughter of John Gustavus Perry and his wife Cassandra Holloman.

In her father's will on file in Stewart County, GA, her name is clearly written as Sarah 'William,' having been given the name "William" as one of her given names in honor of her Grandfather William Perry, a very wealthy GA Planter who was still alive at the time she was born. [Will information provided by Lindy Hard]

Sarah Perry and Roburtus M. Copeland were married in Stewart County, GA on 24 May 1849.

They had their first child the following year, and continued growing their family, having a child every year or two until the war began. Census Source: Heritage Quest

COPELAND, ROBERTUS   (1860 U.S. Census)
GEORGIA , STEWART, 19-DIST
Age: 32, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: GA
Series: M653 Roll: 136 Page: 288
Enumerated 1 June 1860

10/11 Roburtus Copeland 32 m Farmer 4000/12000 (real estate/personal property) GA
Sarah W. 28 f
John 11 m
William 08 m
Richard 06 m
Penelope 04 f
Early 01 m

Troubled times followed the war, and by 1870 they were in Pike County, AL where a couple of her husband's brothers had settled in the 1850s. They settled near his brothers, and are there on the 1870 Census. Source: Heritage Quest

COPELAND, ROBERTUS   (1870 U.S. Census)
ALABAMA , PIKE, TROY P O
Age: 43, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: GA
Series: M593 Roll: 37 Page: 346
Enumerated 21 July 1870

#195/195 Copeland, Robertus 43, farmer, value real estate 1000, personal property 1100, GA.
Sarah 37 f GA
John 20 m GA
William 18 m GA
Richard 16 m AL
Cornelia 13 f GA
Earley 11 m GA
Fannie 09 f GA
Roburtus 06 m GA
Lula 04 f GA {moved to AL after Lula was born 20 Oct 1866 GA
Mattie 10/12 f AL*
*arrived in AL before Mattie (Martha) was born 01 Sep 1869

Sarah & Roburtus' last son Gustavus Hendrix "Guss" was born 1 Dec 1871 in Pike County; however, by the mid 1870s they (as well as some of Sarah's Perry siblings from GA, their in-laws and kin) had relocated their families to settle in Gonzales County, TX. One of Sarah & Roburtus' sons (Richard) married and subsequently settled in AL, but the rest of their immediate family settled in TX and most remained in Gonzales County to rear their own families.

Sarah and Roburtus lived out the rest of their lives in the house they built near what became the community of Smiley in Gonzales County, TX.

In their older years, they are on the 1900 Census with their son Robertus M. Copeland listed as the head of household. Source: Heritage Quest

COPELAND, ROBERTUS M   (1900 U.S. Census)
TEXAS , GONZALES, 5-PCT
Age: 36, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: GA
Series: T623 Roll: 1639 Page: 213
Enumerated 1 June 1900

3/3 Copeland, Robertus M. Jr. Head w m Aug 1864 35 m 10 GA/GA/GA
Margaret M. Wife w f Oct 1869 30 m 10 3 children/2 living TX/TN/MS
Lula P. dau w f July 1890 9 s TX/GA/TX
Auvie M. son w m Jan 1892 8 s TX/GA/TX
Robertus M. Sr. Father w m Mar 1827 73 m 51 GA/VA/SC
Sarah W. Mother w f May 1832 68 mar. 51 yrs 11 children/9 living GA/GA/GA

They had eleven children, all but one of which lived to adulthood and had families of their own. Their daughter Willie H. Copeland was born 11 Aug 1855 and died 27 July 1856, age 11 months.