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George Washington Tope, son of Jacob Tope and Elizabeth Fisher, was born 12 May 1824 [note 1], in Cobden, Union County, Illinois, and died 12 Aug 1895 in the St. Louis Baptist Hospital St. Louis, St. Louis County, Missouri [note 2]. He is buried in Pottersfield Cemetery, St. Louis, St. Louis County, Missouri [note 3]. He first married Barbara (Badera/Badeura) T. Hodges, daughter of Hezekiah Claibourn Hodges and Nancy O. Daniel, on 10 August 1847 in Anna, Union County, Illinois [note 4 ]. Barbara was born in 1827 in Alabama, and died in 1860 in Rockwood, Randolph County, Illinois.
    George's occupation was that of an engineer and a hotel keeper.

George and Barbara had two children:

1. William D. Tope, born 1855 in Jackson County, Illinois.
2. Dewitt Clinton Tope, born 1859 in Rockwood, Randolph County, Illinois., and died 17 January 1884 in Topeka, Shawnee Co., Kansas. He married Iowa Shively, daughter of William T. Shively  and Nancy Marshall, after 1880. Iowa was born 31 August 1853 and died 5 September 1917 in Topeka, Shawnee Co., Kansas [note 5 ].  Dewitt is buried in the Topeka City Cemetery. Shawnee Co., Kansas.
   Dewitt and Iowa had two children:
   
   1. Elizabeth Tope, born December 1881
   2. Will Clenton Tope was born 11 June 1884 in Topeka, Shawnee Co., Kansas [note 6 ].
      

    After Barbara's death, George married Catherine Spears (Spherse)  on 21 March 1861 in Chester, Randolph Co., Illinois [note 7]. Catherine was born in 22 September 1835 in Goldust, Lauderdale Co., Tennessee, and died 1 July 1898 in Rockwood, Randolph Co., Illinois [note 8]. Catherine was the sixth of eight children

George and Catherine had three children:

1. Chloe Elizabeth Tope 
2. James Harvey Tope
3. William Hezekiah Tope

 George enlisted on 24 June 1846 a Private in Company I, 2nd Regiment, Illinois Volunteers, serving under Captain Madison Miller [note 9]. He saw action in the battle of Buena Vista on 23 February 1847 [note 10], and Mustered out 18 June 1847 at Camargo, Mexico [note 11].

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The text above was comstructed from data in Now You Know Who That Is, by A.D. Maddux (used with permission.)

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Notes:

1. Mexican War Pension Records, Act of January 29, A.D. 1887, Declaration of Survivor For Pension, State of Illinois, County of Monroe, statement by George W. Tope dated 18 April 1887, "That I am 65 years of age having been born in Illinois on the 12th day of May 1821," cited by Maddux, p. 27. [Return to text] 
2. Death Records, St. Louis County, Missouri, 1834-1931, No. 5549. [Return to text]
3. Ibid.
4. Marriage Records, Union County, Illinois, Book I, p. 207. [Return to text] 
5. Email from Gail Caraway to Donald Kear, 15 December 2006 citing research by herself and Patricia Staley. DeWitt's death notice was in 26 January 1884 issue of Jonesboro Gazette. [Return to Text]
6. Op sit.  The middle name is from World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Roll 1683382 [Return to text]. 
7. Marriage Records, Randolph County, Illinois, Book A, No. 469. [Return to text]
8. Mexican War Pensions,Declaration of Widow For Pension, State of Illinois, County Randolph, cited by Maddux, p.30. [Return to text]
9. U.S. Pension Agency, Chicago, Illinois, August 17 1898, cited by Maddux. [Return to text]
10. Record and Pension Office, War Department, June 21 1893, cited by Maddux, p. 28.
11. Mexican War Pension Records, ob sit, cited by Maddux.

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Updated 3 Aug 2009
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