Tope Family Page

Chapter II 

But before we carry forward this history, let us go back and see how we came to be here, why we are here, and if we have any right to be here! According to the very best accounts, the first paternal ancestor of this race of people in this country was John Tope, who emigrated from Germany [see note]. It is not positively known, though, whether he came from Germany, or was born here; neither is there anything known as to his wife; or whether he was married when he came to America, provided he was not born here. Figuring on it as closely as I can, I conjecture that he came from Germany somewhere in the 1750's or 1760's, and not earlier than 1492! And it may be of interest to note here that the George W. Tope, of White, Gallia County, Ohio, in one of his letters to the writer, states that there was a man at his daughter's a few days before he wrote (Sept. 27, 1892) who said that he knew men by the name of Tope in Germany, and that they were very rich.
 It is known, however, that he had three sons: George and John (the two spoken of on this page) and Frederick. It seems, at least that Frederick was the youngest. These may all have been in Germany and emigrated to this country, or they may have been American born, so far as any well established evidence is concerned. It is stated in the "Commemorative Record of Harrison and Carroll Counties" that George Tope was born in Maryland. We have found nothing definite to the contrary, and is is not improbable that his father came came to America as a single man or just after marrying, and that these boys were all born in Maryland.
It seems to be a well established fact, though, that he settled in Maryland near Harper's Ferry; and his sons, George and John, have related to their children how they used to work in and around that place, when boys, as carpenters, coopers, farmers, and sorts of jacks-of-all trades.
It is related also that they lived at or near Pittsburgh for a while and there followed butchering during or a part of the time of the Revolutionary War, which was, as everybody knows, in the years of 1775-1781. And some of our friends have told us that they remembered of hearing the old lady relate how she carried big loads of silver money in her apron while her husband was pursuing that occupation. It has been said also that se was a washer-woman for a while.
The Tope's lived for a time at Redstone, Fayette County, Pennsylvania. But at what time they moved to that place is not told; - - another missing link in the chain of history. It was from here that the two brothers moved when they came to Ohio, in the year 1800.
Note by Don Kear: Germany was not formed until after the three sons were born. Until that time there were a number of Germanic states. People of German extraction tended to say they were from Germany. John probably was from Bavaria or Prussia.