Pope Family Origins

The Pope Family story started in Chowan County, North Carolina before the 1700s. The family eventually left this area and moved to Hancock County, Georgia.

Jesse Holmes Pope

Jesse Holmes Pope was the father of Pinkney Hill Pope. Jesse was born in Hancock County, Georgia on August 8, 1796. He was one of 5 children. He also was the oldest son of Allen Pope and Lydia Trippe.

He married Nancy Wright on October 22, 1818 in Warren County, Georgia. Nancy was born on October 22, 1802. She died on August 13, 1860 in Panola County, Texas

He was a professor of religion for 26 years.

During his life, he lived in Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.

He moved to Panola County, Texas by January 1, 1839

He died August 11, 1848 in Panola County, Texas

Pinkney's Biography

Overview

Pinkney Hill Pope was the fourth of nine children born to Jesse H. Pope and Nancy Wright Pope. He died on his farm which later became known as Pope Cemetery.

Pinkney dearly loved his farm, his neighbors and the pioneer town of Aurora, which was their post office and the place where his children went to school.

He loved to fish in the Trinity River and to hunt opossums, coons, squirrels and rabbits on his upland pasture. He enjoyed resting under the big trees on the hilltop.

Here he could view his growing crops and spot his cows and horses grazing in the bottom land.

In time he became so attached to the restful hilltop that he requested that at his death his body be laid away on it.

Marriage

Indian Creek Era

He came to Texas with his father and family in 1838. He was living at Indian Creek (near Dido) or before. Pinkney and Melissa moved to Texas and settled on farm land in the cross timber section east of the Trinity River. The farm was on the cast side of the Trinity River near the town of Newark. They farmed here several years until they made enough money to buy a Trinity River bottom land farm on the west side of the river.

Pinkney Farm Era

Pinkney Farm Land Purchases

• October 1873 – 160 acres purchased

• November 1873 – 160 acres purchased

• April 1874 – 160 acre land grant from the State of Texas signed by Governor Richard Coke (1st elected Governor after “Reconstruction)

• The three land purchases made up the 480 acres of the original farm.

• 1881 – 160 acres purchased

• 1881 – Additional 36 acres purchased

• 1881 – 120 acres purchased

• 1882 – 107 acres purchased

• 1882 – 50 acres purchased

• 1884 – 94 acres purchased

After 1884 Pinkney Farm owned 1,047 acres.

Pinkney Farm Land Sales

Pinkney Farm land was sold or traded through the years. Pinkney Farm only had 500 acres, at the time the land was sold to the Texas Land Board in 1931.

Pope Cemetery Land

The acre for the original cemetery was excluded from the deed to the Texas Water Board, thus the old cemetery was not a part of the sale.

In 1975, Pinkney’s grandson, Robert P. Pope & his wife Mildred Pope, purchased 1.9 acres back from the Texas Land Board. In 1980, they donated the 1.9 acres to the cemetery.

With the 1 acre exclusion from the original sale and the 1.9 acres donated, the cemetery is now 2.9 acres.

In November, 1882, Pickney passed away with pneumonia. His neighbors, the McGowans, Harmon, Baynes, Tallants, Robersons and his brother Jesse and others dug his grave on top of the hill in his pasture. They hauled his body in a homemade coffin in a wagon to the burial spot and laid his earthly remains away.

At first a rail pen was made around the grave. Soon afterwards, his widow, Mrs. Melissa, had Mr. Enoch McCord to construct a rock wall around the grave and place a marble stone marker at the head of the grave engraved with-“Pinkney H. Pope, Born August 28, 1826; Died November 3, 1882, A Kind Husband, A Faithful Father and Grandfather”

Melissa Pope wife of Pinkney Pope, died Nov 18, 1911. Her sons had the north wall of the rock wall fence torn away so her body was laid to rest on her husband’s left. A Mr. Miller replaced the wall on the north side.