Levi Tope Memorial Tree Bill Tope, past Levi Tope Family Reunion President, standing by the Levi Tope Memorial Tree when it was planted in 1998 at the Van Wert County Fairground.

Small fry at the 2004 Reunion. Click on photo to enlarge.

     "Levi Tope was a school teacher and a farmer [note 1]. He was married to Sarah Davis [note 2], sister of George and William Davis, of Carroll county, Ohio. They went to Putnam county, 0., and it is thought that they died there. It is known that they had two children, Hiram and Martha, before moving to Putnam county, but here their history drops out. Some of our friends told us they thought they were living at or near Lima, 0., but we wrote to an acquaintance at that place, Clarence C. Price, to see if anybody by the name of Tope lived there. and he replied (July 8, 1895) that there were none. And we know nothing further."

Source: History of the Tope Family, pages 42-43 (used with permission)

     Levi and Sarah did not die in Putnam county, which they entered around 1842 and purchased property in 1849. They sold the property (which in 1848 became part of Allen County, Ohio) in 1861, and moved to Van Wert county, Ohio, where they purchased property in 1862. Six more children were added to their family after moving from Carroll county to Western Ohio.

Their children: