Pope Family - Grady County, Oklahoma Submitted by: Claudia Lackey 18 Oct 2009 Return to Grady County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/grady/grady.html ===================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ===================================================================== The Pope Family of Minco, Oklahoma By, Louise "Pinky" Pope The "Locals" in the Minco Minstrel reported that Mr. J. B. Pope and family arrived in Minco Tuesday, July 9, 1895 to take charge as manager of William Cameron & Co. Lumber Yard. At that time Minco was a thriving community with the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad extending from Union City, Oklahoma Territory to Minco, Indian Territory. Vast cattle shipments were available for transport. Jerome Pope, the son of Thomas J. and Sarah Jane Bagnal Pope was born 24 September 1868 in Grayson County, Virginia. His father was a Methodist Circuit Rider and Jerome said the family was "as poor as Job's turkey". He met Era Velora Wheeler in Vernon, Texas, where he was an employee of the lumber company. Era was the daughter of Alexander and Elnora Echols Wheeler and was born 3 April 1872 in Wood County, Texas. They married in Amarillo, Texas 27 October 1889 and set up housekeeping in Vernon until Jerome was transferred to the Indian Territory. The William Cameron Lumber Co. was located on Main Street and became the J. B. Pope Lumber Company. The yard was sold back to Cameron & Co. of Waco, Texas in Dec. of 1902, but Jerome remained in charge, selling materials for some of the community's first buildings. At this time Chickasha was the closest town with attorneys. J. B. was interested in law and in 1913 received his license to practice. He was active in the general practice of law in Grady County until the time of his death on April 2nd, 1958. In Jan 1900 Jerome torn down Cameron Hall, which housed the office building of Cameron Lumber Company, and Minco's first Opera House, located on the second floor. With half of the building he constructed a residence for the family. In 1906 he sold this property and built the home on Highway 81. Ten children were born to Jerome and Era: Hugh, Bertha, Fred, Howard, Lucille, Arthur, Era, Eugene, Louise and Earl. Hugh Married Hannah Reynolds, daughter of C. A. Reynolds and had Winifred Brown and Luella Miller, both living in Calif. Bertha married Wm G. Van Buskirk and Chester Murphy. Howard married Amy Olive. Gene married Rosemary Madge Hale, daughter of Gary and Sarah Ione Chiles Hale, and had Barbara Gonzales and Jon, both living in Colorado. Louise "Pinky" married Ross Ferguson, son of Fab and Clara Maier Ferguson and they live in Yukon. Earl "Bill" married Anna Wallace daughter of Joe and Annie Hall Wallace and had Wally, deceased, Jerome of N. C., Nancy Cowan of Bethany and Judy Haley of Oregon. The other children of Jerome and Era died young. Era died 1921 and Jerome married Ruby Holman, daughter of James and Maggie Bryant Holman. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Grady County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/grady/grady.html