Corwin
E. Tope, son of William Tope and Margaret E. Starner, was
born 19 May 1876 in Knox, Holmes
Co., Ohio, and died 23 January 1943 in Lakeville, Holmes Co., Ohio.
He married Lucy Donley, who was born
13 November 1876. She died 19 November 1955 in Lakeville, Holmes
Co., Ohio [note 1].
Corwin Tope lived on a farm.
He
was a yeller. When
he had a pain, he'd go
outside and
scream. Neighbors
from afar could hear him. He
was a mean and contemptible
man. He made his
son, John,
work like a man all day in the fields at
the age of
six. He had his own
philosophy for his children and grandchildren—"If
you don't
work, you don't eat!" Among
other things, he had the grandchildren go
into the
fields with paddles with holes in them to kill bumble bees.
His
wife, Lucy,
was just the opposite. She
was a very quiet woman. When she
was working
she would sing, "Bringing in the Sheaves," "Bye and Bye,"
and "Will
There be
any Stars in my Crown?" She
liked to quilt and cook up a storm.
The
parlor was
kept dark. It was
for company only. There
was a dry sink just
inside the
door. They had a
party for daughter, Ocy, in the parlor when she
married
Frank Beck. The
spare room had quilts, comforters, starched pillow-cases,
fancy
sheets and a feather bed—which was a luxury in those
days. His grandchildren
slept on straw beds. The
upstairs storage room had neat piles of
linens
wrapped in newspaper. Corwin
had a Victrola and he would play "Rock Candy
Mountain."
The barn was a hidden playground. The hole in the floor above
was
just perfect for jumping through into the hay mow. It was
also a
delight for the young
ones to
swing from one side to the other.
Children of Corwin and Lucy are: