San Joaquin County
Biographies
THOMAS J. POPE
THOMAS J. POPE, a farmer of
Castoria Township, was born in Bledsoe County, Tennessee, November 3, 1831, the
third child of J. H. and Jane (Shoemate) Pope, native of North Carolina, who
had thirteen children: eight of these are still living and are all in this
country and in prosperous circumstances. The parents left their native State,
North Carolina, when very young and settled in East Tennessee in 1818. They
were married in 1827, and removed in 1841 to Arkansas, and in 1861 came on to
California, both of them dying ten years later, and leaving the ten children
only $22 each. This is the only money or property which the subject of this
sketch ever received during his life without directly earning it by hard work.
On coming West they left Washington County, Arkansas, March 10, and with ox
teams and with some live stock they crossed the plains and mountains, having
some trouble with the Indians on the way, who stole their cattle, two horses
and two mules. Thomas pursued the Indians and recovered the cattle, but not the
other property. They landed in San Joaquin County September 6. By this time the
subject of this sketch had married Miss Morning West, September 6, 1849, and
had seven children. He went to work for $35 a month, but the great floods of
1861-’62 washed away his house, with everything in it; they had left only the
clothing they were wearing, and they indeed very narrowly escaped with their
lives. Mr. Pope then purchased a settlers’ right to 160 acres of land near
Woodbridge, and afterward obtained for it a homestead title from the
Government. Here he began clearing the ground and raising barley, which he
hauled over the foot-hills to the mines; and thus he was soon able to make
further purchases of land and rapidly increase his business. To a great extent
he bought and sold land as a dealer, in places all the way from Shasta County
to Los Angeles. He now resides on a fine ranch of 860 acres of improved land
six miles from Stockton, where he is now erecting a $4,000 residence. He also
owns 800 acres sixteen miles southeast of Stockton, 400 acres twenty miles east
of Stockton, 160 acres near Lodi, and six seven-acre lots adjoining Lodi. He is
well known throughout the county as one of the largest land owners and successful
farmers.
In 1888 he visited his native place in
East Tennessee, from which he had been absent forty-seven years. Singular must
have been his memories and feelings, contrasting what he found with what he had
left so long before. After spending there one very enjoyable month he returned
to spend the rest of his days in the best State in the Union. He is now living
with his third wife, and has had nineteen children, only nine of whom are now
living; their names are Anna Eliza, Amanda, Fannie, Alexander, John, James,
Thomas, Grant, Viana, Selina, Matilda, Willie, Margaret, Lizzie, Catharine,
Lily, Bertie and Robert. The two last named are by the second marriage. Mr.
Pope was brought up a Methodist, but now enjoys a freedom from the cages of
religious creed that he can never abandon.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
An Illustrated History of San Joaquin County,
California, Pages 544-547. Lewis Pub.
Co. Chicago, Illinois 1890.
© 2009 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County
Biographies
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County
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