GENEALOGY OF A BOWMAN FAMILY, BYRON WHITENER BOWMAN, 1956
- BIOGRAPHY OF SOPHIA WELKER POPE, 1846-1924
Sophia Perizade, the tenth child of Benjamin and Sophia Bowman,
was born March 3, 1846, at the Kanawha Salt Works in Virginia. As she grew to
womanhood, she had some serious trouble with her eyes and was practically blind
for a long time, though she so far recovered her sight that she was able to
perform her household duties, even reading if the print was fairly
good.
On February 19, 1865, she was married to William H. Welker, who
some time later was converted; and, though all his family were Methodists, he
united with his wife to the Baptist Church and soon began to preach, showing
great earnestness. He won many converts in the years to follow until his death
on April 12, 1888, which was very sudden. He had gone to the home of a friend to
spend the night, became ill, and died in a few hours.
Of his past life he would often say: "What a change His Word can
make, turning darkness into day." If he had been a very ungodly man before his
conversion, he was surely a very pious one afterward.
The children born to William and Sophia Welker were: Samuel, who
became a railroad worker at Fornfelt, Missouri; Mary, who married "Bud" Lewis, a
farmer at Allenville, Missouri; Ben, who became a telegraph operator and was at
one time located at Caliente, Nevada, and who is still living at this writing at
4401 Braeburn Rd., San Diego 16, California (his daughter Eugenia M. Welker now
lives with him); George, who became a farmer living near Blodgett, Missouri, but
so far we have been unable to locate him, if he is still living; Russell, who
died in Mexico City, Mexico, August 1, 1906, of smallpox; and James, who is a
deaf mute who became a worker in a shoe factory in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and
whose wife was also deaf and dumb. James, at this writing, is still living with
son, Woodrow, on Star Route out of Glen Allen, Missouri (his wife died in 1941).
James has three children, 10 grandchildren, and 15
great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Welker remained a widow until after all her children were
grown, after which she married Judge M. J. Pope, and they lived at Marquand,
Missouri. Judge Pope served two terms as Associate Judge from the southern
district of Madison County, having been elected on the Democratic ticket over
one of the most popular men in the Republican party who had served the county in
the State Legislature.
Sophia was naturally a good woman with a strong mind and a
bright intellect. She studied the Bible more than most people and was well
posted on questions of Biblican knowledge. Her disposition was a cheerful
one.
Besides the children mentioned above, four died in infancy and
were buried in the Old Salem graveyard, where the body of Mr. Welker lies, and a
marble shaft to mark the spot was erected by the Oak Ridge Baptist Church, of
which he was the highly esteemed pastor at the time of his death.
June 12, 1956
