Pope Pedigree: Henry Morris Pope

Even though I descend from many generations that mostly lived and died in the same general area where I grew up, many people in my extended tree had more adventurous spirits and planted family roots elsewhere. I enjoy exploring those lines and stories, contemplating the way some of us take different paths and ultimately lead very different lives than even our closest family members.

One such ancestor is my 2nd great grand uncle, Henry Morris Pope. Henry, born 28 Dec 1835, is one of several siblings of my 2nd great grandfather Micajah Felton Pope. He lived in East Armuchee and was counted there at age 15 on the 1850 census. On 27 Dec 1855, he married Mollie E. Rea, through which there is an interesting connection. Mollie was a daughter of William Tinsley Rea and Rhoda Marie Brown (Biographical 225). Rhoda was a sister of Delila Brown, my 4th great-grandmother in the Ward line on my father’s side of the family (while the Pope’s are on my mother’s side). You can learn more about Delila in the Jordan’s Journey book (UPDATE 20 Jun 2012: and in a new series of posts here on the blog, too).

According to a sketch of Henry in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Eastern Arkansas, “Mr. Pope found employment in teaching” after his marriage. In 1860, he was counted in south Georgia in Mitchell County. Henry’s brother Jefferson Austin Pope also settled in this general area of the state (being counted on censuses there in Thomas and Grady counties). It is reported that when the Civil War reared its head, Henry was mustered into the Confederate army but, unable to stand muster, was soon discharged. In 1867, Henry Morris “removed to Jefferson County [Arkansas] and taught school, and two years later came to White County” and “in March, 1878, he came to Cane Township” where he was a successful farmer (Biographical 225).

A couple of photos of Henry have survived and have been passed down through my Pope family. One included above has handwriting that identifies Henry as the Honorable H.M. Pope, House Representative, Little Rock, Arkansas. I have not been able to dig up any documentation about this, so I have no further information. This is a point for further research. [UPDATE: This particular image appears to be a cabinet card, a format of photographic print that was widely popular during the last decades of the 19th century.]

Henry and Mollie had twelve children, through whom, most likely, there are many descendants today. I do not know any of these descendants, so please drop me a line if you are out there. Henry and the family were “members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South” and he took “an active interest in the temperance movement” (Biographical 225). While it appears Henry lived in Cane Township in White County for the rest of his life, his death is a bit of a mystery. He died in Texas on 21 Dec 1902, and is buried in Hico Cemetery, Hamilton County, Texas (Find A Grave). The rest of his family seems to have remained in Arkansas, so I speculate he was traveling at the time and not living there, though I do not know for sure. This is yet another point for further research. If you have any information about this, please get in touch.

In future posts, I will explore other members of the Pope family who left the Armuchee Valley. What drove some siblings and descendants to remain in that valley–even over 150 years later to the present generations–while others have spread far and wide? Family lines are like a web, fragile and delicate, converging at points unexpected while also covering vast distances. Through this web, we are all connected, and we are all as one.

SOURCES

Find A Grave. Memorial# 37081437. Web. Accessed 15 Feb 2012.

Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Eastern Arkansas: Comprising a Condensed History of the State, a Number of Biographies of Distinguished Citizens of the Same, a Brief Descriptive History of Each of the Counties. Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Co, 1890. Print. WorldCat. Internet Archive.