David Hope August 10 1819 - November 16 1879 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/copyright.htm Contributed by: Charles Blankenship Email: Pylessrp@aol.com Author: Charles Blankenship David Hope, son of William Hope [Sr.] and Celia (Wright), was born in Liberty Co., Georgia. He grew up in Georgia and by his own admission on an Armed Occupation Act Land Permit form stated that he "came to Florida in August of 1837." At the age of 18, he would participate as a member of various Florida Militia Regiments for another five years during the Second Seminole Indian War that finally ended in 1842. Three of his brothers (John, William and Henry) preceded him into Florida between 1832 and 1833. Probably while stationed at Fort Walker in Alachua County, Florida, David met Frances Sophia Pyles [1828-1875], the daughter of Col. Samuel R. Pyles formerly of Glynn County, Ga and Charlotte Pyles from Savannah, Chatham Co., GA. At the end of the Florida Indian Wars in August of 1842, David and Frances took out a Territory of Florida marriage license [#90] in Alachua County and were married by Methodist Circuit Rider preacher, John L. Jerry on the 17th day of the same month. During the same time, land was to be opened up for homesteading south of Micanopy, Alachua Co., Florida and those Florida militia men that were head of households or over the age of 18, were allowed to take out land permits for 160 acres of land. David applied and was given AOA Land Permit #224 for land in what was then known as the Chocochatti Settlement in Alachua County, but today is in the general vicinity of Brooksville, Hernando County, Florida. Two of his brothers (William and Henry) also received AOA Permits and located in the same area as did two of Frances' sisters (Rebecca Pyles Harn & Jane M. Pyles Tucker). Her mother who was widowed in 1837 and remarried to Mr. Richard R. Crum also located in the same general area. Moving south to their AOA land was still hazardous as witnessed by the demise of Frances' mother on 12 September 1842 at the hands of some renegade Indians who had not gotten the word that the war was over. Still yet, the pioneer settlers located on the land and proved out their required five acres homesteading and had the land patented by the U. S. Land Office in February of 1845. The Territory became a State just one month later. David and Frances continued to live on their land and had 14 children born during the next two decades. Four (David B., Marianna Jane, Samuel R. and Leila Hope) died in infancy, while the other 10 grew up, married and left a legacy of descendants that still live in the general area. They are part of the Hope-Pyles descendants who hold a family reunion at Lake McKeithen, just northeast of Brooksville on the first Sunday of May each year. First born, Charlotte Cecellia (1843-1919)1m. Zachariah Seward and after his death, 2m. John A. Washington and moved to LA. Rebecca Jane (1844-1899) mar. Hill W. Howse and lived in what became Port Richey, Pasco Co. and later Ocala. William Maxie (1846-1900) 1m. Sophia Willie Alexander and 2m. Anna Olivia Sowers. They too lived in the Port Richey area in the middle 1870's. William participated in the Civil War and his widow received a Widow's Pension for his CSA service time. Frances Louise (1851-1915) mar. James W. Clark, a SC CSA Veteran and also moved to what became Port Richey before the City and County were formed. They invited Aaron Richey to move there and in the 1880's the town of Port Richey was named after him. Ann Pyles (1854-1935) married John W. Crum. Martha (Mattie) (1858- 1934) married James Jay Pyles. After living in Hernando Co., they relocated to Ocala. Matilda (Tilly) (1860-1883) mar. William H. Hancock. She was involved in a fire and died of her burns. Her infant son was adopted by her oldest sister and was reared in LA. The other son was taken by William Hancock's mother's sister. Lewis G. (female) (1864-1935) married the brother of Anna O., Winfield Scott Sowers in 1882 in Atlanta, GA. They lived their entire married life on Marietta St. in Atlanta. In January of 2004, a descendant made contact with this author and learned of their Hope-Pyles-Wynn ancestors. They also shared their lineage and made it possible to correct some minor errors on the family group sheet. David Wynn/Winn (1866-1891) mar. Gertrude Luella Cooper, became a big orange grove owner and eventually moved to southwest Florida. Henry Charity (female) (Chattie) (1871-1949) mar. Jacob Van Petten and moved to the Tampa, Hillsborough Co., Florida area. She also inherited the Family Bible and some artifacts of her mother. The Bible was shared and has been transcribed by descendant's of Charlotte Cecelia's line. Chattie was often visited by Lewis F. P. and Frances Louise's grand children, but each not knowing of the same until contact was made with this author. David Hope participated in the Second Seminole Indian War in the middle 1850's and was an officer in Rev. Capt. Leroy G. Lesley's men who moved Florida cattle north to feed the Confederacy. During the skirmish known as the Battle of Brooksville, David's plantation was burned by Union troops. In 1863 and 1864, David in partnership with Lesley and Ryals ran a "salt works" 25 miles southwest of Brooksville. That location would later become known as "Hopeville" and is very close by to what became "Port Richey." That fact probably explains why his son William and daughters Rebecca and Frances Louise settled there in the middle 1870's. Since William's second wife, Anna Olivia had a brother in the area, Lewis probably also visited there and met her future husband W. S. Sowers. After the death of Frances in 1875 and David in 1879, the next year during the 10th U. S. Census revealed that William Maxie had siblings Chattie and Winn in his household while Ann Hope Pyles had Tilly and Lewis in her household. Frances and David are buried in the Brooksville City Cemetery, but their markers are simple sandstone rocks that are etched with their names and almost unreadable. Perhaps someday, the descendants will properly mark the locations of their Georgia and Florida Pioneer ancestors. Additional Comments: Armed Occupation Act Land Permits are online at the Florida DEP: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/lands/ Use land tiltle search and AOP for names. The BLM-GLO online site contains the Land Patents and exact locations of the land. Seminole Indian War records are located in the Florida State Archives. Territory of Florida records, including Ancient Records of Alachua County have the Marriage Records and other records of the earliest pioneers. David Hope Bible Records and Family Group Sheets in descendant's possession. Rev. Capt. Leroy G. Lesley's story by Spessard Stone also online from Tampa Library records: http://www.lib.usf.edu/virtual/ldc/floridiana/sunland/v23n1_97/v23n1_97_025.pdf Brooksville Cemetery records online do not have the location of David Hope and Frances Sophia Pyles Hope. Additional notes: Alachua Co. Gen. Society (ACGS) quarterly: 'LATCHUA COUNTRY NEWS, V15, No. 2, June 1996, pp.5-7 Frances S. Pyles & V15, No.3, Sept. 1996, pp.8-9 David Hope.