HOPE

W. R. Hope and Mary Jane Chappell Hope arrived in Sweetwater in 1900. They traveled fourteen days by covered wagon and buggy from Denton County, with their five children, Arthur, Willie, Alvin, Bland and Annie, who ranged in age from nine to a few months.

Mr. Hope farmed, dairy farmed, ran a grocery store and operated the first dairy pasteurization milk plant in Sweetwater. The motto of Hope's Dairy was "Give the babies a fair chance. A careful feeding from Hope's pure milk is a positive assurance of a healthy baby."

After coming to Sweetwater, seven more children were born - Tom, Hazel, Carl, Claude, Ethel, Gladys and Holland, making a total of twelve children. Tom and Carl both died very young. From the year 1905 to the time Holland graduated, there was a Hope in the Sweetwater schools.

Mrs. Hope died in 1934. In his later years, Mr. Hope lived with his daughter and son-in-law, Attorney and Mrs. George Outlaw. Also in his later years he was a local distributor for the Abilene Reporter News and the Dallas News. He died in 1958.

Of the twelve children, six are still living.

Arthur worked for an oil company. He married Dora Harrison and both are deceased.

Willie married John Pence. He died many years ago. She now lives in Woodville, Texas.

Ethel also lives in Woodville. Her husband, Leffie Rainey, died several years ago.

Alvin married Consuelo Cummings. Both are deceased. He was an independent oilman and with his partner brought in the first oil well in the Lake Trammell, Rowan and Hope Oil Field.

Bland married Ola Pickett. She died in 1974. He continues to live north of Sweetwater.

Annie married Frank Wilson and both are deceased.

Claude lives near San Jose, Costa Rica, where he owns and operates a farm raising vegetables, flowers and produces seed for U. S. seed companies. When he went to Texas Tech as a freshman, he took two cows and put them in the Tech dairy herd to pay his school expenses. In 1982, Tech honored him as a Distinguished Alumnus.

Gladys married Cliff Lewis. Both are deceased.

Hazel married George Outlaw, who was then county attorney. He later served as district attorney and city judge. He died in 1965. She continues to live in Sweetwater.

Holland, a Methodist minister, married Burnice Ramsey. He spent thirty-two years as a military chaplain. They now live in El Paso, Texas.

Alvin was a veteran of World Wars I and II. Claude a veteran of World War II, and Holland a veteran of World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War. Bland was drafted in World War I, but as he was boarding the train, was notified officially that the war was over. Harold Hope, son of Arthur, died on the Battleship Arizona at Pearl Harbor.

The Hopes attended Highland Heights Methodist Church in Sweetwater.

Today, Bland Hope, his daughter, Billie Jean Hope Gillis and Hazel Outlaw are the only Hopes left in Nolan County, but there are many descendants.

From FIRST 100 YEARS NOLAN COUNTY TEXAS (published 1985), Page 225
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NOLAN COUNTY DEATH CERTIFICATE

name: Mary Jane Hope
death date: 17 Mar 1934
death place: Residence, Sweetwater, Nolan, Texas
cause of death: Angina pectoris
gender: Female
race: White
death age: 61 years 9 months 11 days
birth date: 06 Jun 1872
birthplace: Denton County, Texas
marital status: Married
spouse's name: W. R. Hope
father's name: Chapel
father's birthplace: Unknown
mother's name:
mother's birthplace: Unknown
occupation: Housewife
place of residence: 312 East Oklahoma, Sweetwater, Texas
cemetery:
burial place: Sweetwater, Texas
burial date: 19 Mar 1934
additional relatives/informant: W. R. Hope, Sweetwater, Texas
film number: 2115988
digital film number: 4165961
image number: 1422
reference number: cn 14554
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