Wells Family :Information about Emma Eleanor Pope

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Emma Eleanor Pope (b. Mar 13, 1835, d. Jan 31, 1916)

Emma Eleanor Pope (daughter of Robert Hamilton Pope) was born Mar 13, 1835 in Paducah Kentucky, and died Jan 31, 1916 in Mokelumne Hill, California. She married (1) Green. She married (2) Charles Coverdale on Abt. 1851. She married (3) William Wells on Jul 19, 1857 in Moklumne Hill, Calaveras, CA. USA, son of Samuel Wells and Elizabeth Matheny.

Notes for Emma Eleanor Pope:
Emma Pope was one of the adventurous women who endured the same hardships as the men who pushed west only she did it without a man to accompany her.
\At 17 she ran away from Paduccha Ky and married a man named Charles Coverdale, gave birth to a son, Charles Jr. and ended an abusive relationship with a divorce. She met another man named Green and began a relationship with him. Coverdale kidnapped her son and she and Green gave chase across the Mississippi River. She shot and wounded Coverdale and regained possession of her son.

She and Green were married and began outfitting themselves with six wagons, drivers, cows, extra horses and some mules. Unfortunately while Green was shoeing a mule he was fatally kicked in the chest and died two weeks before the train was set to go.
Despite her parents pleadings the 19 year old woman and her two year old son, lined up her wagon with the others in the spring of 1853 and headed. The indians were fascinated with watching her unbraid her hair and brush the dust out at the end of the day. She wasn't sure if they were sizing her up for scalping. Other tribes were somewhat intimidating...following them for days and riding through the train in war paint. She wore a purple satin Basque and one Indian insisted that they trade for it. She gained Six pairs of moccasins for the Basque. His friend wanted one as well but all they could find was a pink silk one and disappointed they only offered two pairs of moccasins. for it. She saw them several times after the trade riding and wearing the basque.

The train found a sick man who had been left by another train to die and her train stayed and nursed him to health and was able to travel and help. Emma sold her animals upon reaching San Francisco and hired out as a chamber maid. She made her way to the gold country, Mokelumne Hill, where she worked as a chamber maid in the Ferguson House. She met William Wells there and they were married after a courtship. He adopted Charles Coverdale and they had four children of their own.
She used her strong will to promote the building of a church in Mok Hill. The men put off the task of actually building the church and she led a group of women with saws and hammers to the work site where they began driving stakes and setting string lines until the men were shamed enough to take over the building project. After William Wells death, she ran the livery stables which was not considered a womanly job.

More About Emma Eleanor Pope:
Record Change: Feb 09, 2005
Residence: 1900, Mokelumne, Calaveras, California.¹¹⁰

More About Emma Eleanor Pope and Charles Coverdale:
Marriage: Abt. 1851

More About Emma Eleanor Pope and William Wells:
Marriage: Jul 19, 1857, Moklumne Hill, Calaveras, CA. USA.

Children of Emma Eleanor Pope and Charles Coverdale are:

Charles Coverdale Jr., b. Abt. 1852.

Children of Emma Eleanor Pope and William Wells are:

Charles Coverdale Wells, b. Abt. 1852.
+Stella Wells, b. Abt. 1859, Moklumne Hill, Calaveras, California, USA.
+Mary Wells, b. Abt. 1854, Moklumne Hill, Calaveras, California, USA.
+Ellen Elsie Wells, b. Abt. 1871, Mokumne Hill, Calaveras, Califnornia, USA.
+Samuel Jenkins Wells, b. Sep 18, 1868, Mokelumne Hill, California, d. Mar 10, 1951, Sacramento, California.