TOPE FAMILY PAGE

    On 12 December 1889, Mary Catherine Kear, widow, and one of the seven children and only heirs at law of Levi Tope sold Blue Creed Township, Paulding County, Ohio, property for $360.00 to George D. Tope, her brother in blood.  This was a small tract representing Six Thirty fifths of the West half of the South East Quarter of Section Five (5).¹³
    Another property transaction took place on 28 February 1893, when Hiram J. Tope sold property in Blue Creek Township, Paulding County, Ohio, to George D. Tope.¹⁴ Four years later, on 3 November 1897, George and Lavina sold this same property to William J. Grant.¹⁵ No conclusions are made about the sales of these properties, but this last transaction might have been in recognition of George being seriously ill.

After the death of George, Lavina sold 20 acres in Paulding County, Ohio, to Fem Dale Tope, described as:
The South half (¥2) of the North half (½) of the North half (½) of
the Southeast quarter W of Section number five (5) in Township
One (1) North of Range two (2) East, Paulding County, Ohio, con-

taining twenty (20) acres of land, be the same more or less.¹⁶

While George spent his life farming, he also was interested in serving the community and was elected Township Trustee, Supervisor and Constable in Paulding County, Ohio.¹⁷
    After the death of George, Lavina continued to live in Paulding County and with the consent of her children, sold the property to her daughter, Mary Lehman, on 15 August 1906.18 It was another interesting situation in which a small payment, $1.00, was divided between three children.
    Lavina had four sisters and two brothers, all of whom were living at the time of her death—Mahala Pence of Columbia City Indiana, Amanda Brown of Huntington, Indiana, Emma Rider of Whittier, California, Elmer Pence of Wren, Ohio, Ethleen E. Young and Charles Pence of Huntington, Indiana.¹⁹