Tope Family Page

Index

THE TRIBE OF JOHN

Chapter III (continued)
    Concerning John Tope's children, in the different generations down, it is to be greatly regretted our information is very meager. Most of this has been gained from Mr. William Lease of Salem:
    1. Abram was the oldest son.  He went to the war of 1812 and died in the war—thought have killed battle [ Note 1 ].  Some think he was a single man; by others claimed he had a wife and two children, but as to what has become of them deponents say not. [ Note 2 ]
    2. John Tope grew to manhood and was married, but to whom we do not know. It though by someone that he, too, went to war and died there, but seems a mistake.
    3. Henry married a Miss Hazlett, had no children, moved to Illinois and died there. This is the one who found Uncle Frederick and brought him to his brothers in Ohio after they had been separated for thirty-seven years.
    Old John, as he was sometimes called, gave the two boys, John and Henry, a piece of land consisting 80 acres in Union Township,Carroll co., (a mile south-east of Petersburg now). John sold his  farm to Thomas Brooks and moved to Jackson county. The farm is now owned by James Brooks.  This John Tope was nicknamed "Pussy John." He had one son, Amos Tope.  Henry soldto Thomas Brooks also when he moved away.
    4. Jacob Tope was married to a Miss Cross.  He went with his uncle George to Harrison (now Carroll) county and helped to build Tope's mill and for some years tended the mills.  He served a term or two as a Justice of the Peace and hence was called "Squire Tope." From his coarse, black hair and beard he was also nicknamed "Black Jake," to distinguish him from others of the same name.  It is related of him, as characteristic of his genial disposition, that when living by the mill his only pig died, and while the friends were lamenting the loss and consoling him the best they could he lightly remarked, "Them that have must lose, but them that haven't can't!" He kept tavern for a number of years in the town of New Rumley, Harrison county, 0., and about 1855 moved to Iowa, where he died.
    He had a number of children: Mary Ann, Sarah, Fannie, Deliah, John, George, Lucinda and Barbary.
    While living at New Rumley, the two daughters, Lucinda and Barbary, started on horseback to Carrollton one Saturday to get new bonnets to wear at some public gathering the next day.  A storm came up and when nearing the town (Carrollton) a stroke of lightning killed Lucinda and both of the horses and greatly stunned the other girl. This sad event has been so often and generally related that almost everybody in this country has heard of it.
    Barbary married a man by the name of Ralph Joslin, of Cincinnati.  He drove stage at New Rumley, and followed tailoring at Cincinnati.
    Mary Ann married John Kail, of Algonquin, and lived w Rutledge lives now. She died of cancer.
    Sarah married John Johnson, of Virginia.
    Fannie married Zephaniah Keys, of Perrysville (post-office Lamartine), Carroll county, Ohio.
    Deliah married a man by the name of James Reed, a tailor. They moved to Iowa when her father went, came back in a year or so, lived in and moved to some other town in Ohio. His daughter by his first wife married a man who put him in control of a tailoring establishment and he got well off.
    John married Peggy Ann Stahl, of Salem, and moved to Iowa with his father.

p. 22

The above text is from History of the Tope Family, by Melancthon Tope, 1896, revised by A. D. Maddux, Copyright © 1981, 1989 (used with permission)

Go to TOP


Notes:

1. The War of 1812 Service Records on Ancestry.com lists Abraham Tope in 1 Regiment (Andrew's), Ohio Militia as a Private, Roll Box 210, Roll Exct 602. [Return to text]

2. Abram married Elizabeth RAPP on 30 April 1811 in Jackson Co., Ohio.  (Marriage information from Gail Carraway)

Elizabeth remarried to John FARVER on 3 Nov 1816 in Coshocton, Ohio.  (Remarriage information from Joanette Saba-Sturm email Sep 19, 2000.) [Return to text]

Updated Friday, 26-Jan-07 12:38:46 PST by Donald L. Kear.
Today's date: