William Henry Pope, Patriot Number 350252

William Henry Pope was born in 1757 within the western reaches of the Colony of Virginia.  He passed away in 1840 in what is now Camden County, Missouri.

Allee-Holman-Howe Funeral Home is incredibly honored to work with the Sons of the American Revolution to recognize this American Patriot. A US Military Monument and footstone now marks a space in Freedom Cemetery in Montreal, Missouri so people can pay their respects to William's service to this great nation. He is believed to be the only Revolutionary War Patriot interred in Camden County. We would like to thank the Sons of the American Revolution for the time and effort spent to find and verify William's history, and for their trust in us.

Service in the Continental Army

William Pope initially enlisted as a Private in the 2nd North Carolina Regiment under Colonel Alexander Martin and Colonel John Patton. 

The 2nd North Carolina Regiment marched north to join General George Washington's army at Valley Forge during the winter of 1977, they were also present at the Battle of Brandywine, Pennsylvania on September 11, 1777, Germantown, Pennsylvania on October 4, 1777, Monmouth, New Jersey on June 28, 1778, Stony Point, New York in July, 1779, and the Siege of Charleston in 1780 after a march from New York to South Carolina in snow as deep as three feet, where the unit was taken poisoner after heavy fighting. 

The Kentucky Years

Following the war, William returned to the District of Kentucky. In 1785, he married Jemimah Vardeman in Lincoln County. They established their early life there, had two sons, John and William Jr, and established a fine farm. The family then migrated west in the early 19th century.

The Final Migration: Settling the Missouri Ozarks

Between 1835 and 1837, the Pope family performed their final migration, moving from Kentucky to the Missouri Ozarks. William's son, John Pope, acted as the vanguard, arriving in the Wet Auglaize region as early as 1835 to establish the "Old Pope Mill."

By the late 1830s, William Henry Pope and Jemimah had settled in the Passover area of what was then Kinderhook (now Camden) County, Missouri (Township 39N, Range 15W). Living near the Grand Glaize and Wet Auglaize creeks, the veteran spent his final years surrounded by his children and grandchildren.

Legacy and Final Resting Place

William Henry Pope died in 1840 in the Passover settlement, a date confirmed by a history book, He was interred in an unmarked grave on the family settlement in Camden County which is now under the Lake of the Ozarks. A Military Remembrance Stone has been established in Freedom Cemetery in Montreal, Missouri on State Road A next to many of his family members, some of whom were moved there from other cemeteries prior to the Lake being filled.

Visit sar.org for more information and please consider a donation in memorial to William.