John Hopkins (abt. 1606 - 1654)

Born about 1606 in England [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 14 Apr 1654 at about age 48 in Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut

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John Hopkins migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Great Migration (Series 2), by R. C. Anderson, vol. 3, p. 411) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

John Hopkins, of unknown parents, was born about 1606. This is based on his estimated first marriage by about 1631.^[1]

• See below: Could Stephen Hopkins be the father of John Hopkins.

John married Jane _____ by about 1631. She married (2) by 1657 Nathaniel Ward and married (3) Oct 1670 Gregory Wolterton.^[1]

• :Question of wife's maiden name:
  The identity of John Hopkins's wife as Jane Strong, daughter of Thomas & Joanna (Bagge) Strong, is controversial, and I have yet to find any hard evidence proving Mrs. Jane Hopkins is Jane Strong of Chardstock. The reason for its importance is that Jane Strong's grandfather, George Strong, has some illustrious descendants. The temptation to make the connection, despite lack of a firm connection, is very strong. On the other hand, there is no evidence disproving it, either. That is, the fate of Jane Strong of Chardstock in England appears to be unknown. Her parents died in England, so she could not have come to America with them. Social taboo would have prevented a single woman from making the journey on her own, so many have assumed she and John were married in England. That no record of their marriage has been found in New England supports that theory, though many marriage records have, of course, been lost. There is another possibility. Jane Strong's first cousin, John Stronge (aka "Elder John Stronge"), came to Hartford in 1635 on the Hopewell "with his family," which could have included Jane. An arrival of Jane Strong in Hartford in 1635 puts her in a position to meet and marry John Hopkins when he moved to Hartford in 1636. However, these circumstances only mean that it is possible that John's wife was Jane Strong. But we now have a Stephen born in 1637, which would make him four years younger than his wife, Dorcas. Not impossible, but unlikely.

John migrated to Cambridge, Massachusetts about 1634.^[1] He was a freeman 4 March 1634/5^[2]

4 Aug 1634, John was granted four acres in the Westend Field in Cambridge, and had other grants in Cambridge between 1634 and 1636.[CaTR 9, 11, 13, 15, 19].^[3] The Cambridge land inventory, 10 Oct 1635 listed three parcels "in the town one house with garden and backside about half a rood"; "by Pine Swamp about four acres": "and "by the Pine Swamp about one Rood"^[4] He sold his house and property about 1636.^[4]

John and family went to Hartford in 1636, where he is considered a Founder of Hartford and is memorialized on the Founder's Monument.

In the Feb 1639/40 Hartford land inventory, John Hopkins held fifteen parcels, some of which were acquired after his death. [HaBop 225-228]^[5]

7 May 1640 "John Hopkins of Hartford is also freed from watching until further order be taken by the Courte."^[6]

4 Sep 1643, John Hopkins served on the jury of the Particular Court.^[6]

Last Will & Testament

The Will of John HOPKINS of Cambridge, 1634^[7][8]

I, John Hopkins of Hartford, do make this my last will and Testament: I make my wife Jane Hopkins my sole Executrix of my whole estate, out of it she to pay my daughter Bethiah Hopkins £30. And my will alsoe is that the one-half of all my Lands and howsing should be my son Stephen Hopkins to be enjoyed by him and his heyers fforever, when he shall have attayned the adg off twenty-two yeares.

And my will further is That iff my said wiff should marry again, then the one-half off the Estate that she shall then possess, the former portions being paid, shall be paid in Equall proportions to my said Son and daughter or their heyers after the decease of my wiff, these children to be under the control of their Mother.

Bethiah until 18 years of age and Stephen untill 22 years of age Shall remain with and under the Government of my Said wife until they have attayned their several years aforesaid. As also they shall noe way Contract or Engadg themselves in way of marriage without the knowledge and Consent of my wife aforesaid. I desire Mr. John Cullick & James Ensign to be Overseers.

John Hopkins

Witness:

John Cullick

William Andrews

James Ensign

Children

1. Bethia Hopkins b. c. 1631; m. (1) at Hartford 27 May 1652 Samuel Stocking, son of George Stocking; m. (2) by 1685 James Steele, son of George Steele.^[1]
2. Stephen Hopkins b. say 1633; m. by 1657 Dorcas Brownson, dtr of John Brownson.

Could Stephen Hopkins be the father of John Hopkins ?

From the research of Evelyn Cole Peters, John Hopkins arrived in Boston. Settled at Cambridge by 1633, perhaps by 1630. Went to Hartford, Ct. with Hooker's company in 1636. Became a freeman in 1634.

Annie Arnous Haxtun, in "Signers of the Mayflower Compact", makes a strong argument that John Hopkins was the son of Stephen Hopkins, who came to America on the Mayflower. See this also

"Hartford, Ct Families" by L. A. Barbour, page 314" John Hopkins was in Cambridge in 1634; freeman Mass. March 4, 1635; removed to Hartford where he was an original proprietor; his home lot was on what is now the East Park; chosen townsman 1640; juror 1643.

"Genealogy of One Branch of the Hopkins Family (John of Hartford)", extracted from "Sketch of the Public & Private Life of Samuel Miles Hopkins of Salem, Conn", 1898, Rochester Historical Society, Rochester, NY, 1898. Before he left England, Stephen Hopkins had two children, Giles and Constanta, by a first wife, and at least one other named Damaris, by a second wife.

In Bradford's "History of Plymouth Plantation (pp. 448, 452), we find the list of passengers in the Mayflower. Among them are " Stephen Hopkins and Elizabeth his wife, and two children, Giles and Constanta, both by a former wife, and two more by this wife, called Damaris and Occanus, the last born at sea, and two servants, Edward Doty and Edward Litster."

It can be plausibly maintained that while Giles was the eldest son of Stephen by his first wife, there was a second son John, also by the first wife, and that this John, left behind in England on account of the second wife's jealousy and coming himself to Boston thirteen years after, is the ancestor of all our Hopkins tribe. It's certain that Elizabeth Hopkins exercised such a strong influence over her husband, Stephen Hopkins, that he made her son Caleb Hopkins his heir, regardless of the rights of Giles Hopkins, his eldest son by the former wife. It is also curious to find that Giles' first son was named Stephen, and that his second son was named John. The names Stephen and John indeed succeed each other continuously during the early history of the family.^[9]

What seems to be the record of Stephen's second marriage at St. Mary's Whitchapel, London, reads simply: "Stephen Hopkins and Eliza Fisher, March, 1617".^[10] The record of marriages at St. Mary Le Strand, London, adds other family names to the list: "November 23, 1612, John Hopkins and Jane Marshall";^[11] "February 15, 1616, Hugh Richardson and Mary Hopkins;" Samuell Hopkins and Mary Tumber 10 August. 1614.^[12] The "John" here mentioned may possibly be the brother of Stephen, from whom John of Hartford was named. The name Samuel is also perpetuated in the subsequent history of the Hopkins family. And, lest all these records from London churches should seem impertinent, we must remember that Bradford gives Stephen Hopkins as one of the Mayflower passengers "from the London section." Thus an argument has been constructed to prove that the Hopkins race is descended from Stephen Hopkins of the Mayflower.

We can trace our descent with certainty to John Hopkins who came from England to Massachusetts with the Reverend Thomas Hooker in 1633. It would be very pleasant to know that this John Hopkins was the Mayflower Stephen's son by the first marriage, early deprived of his mother by her death and left behind in England by his father thirteen years before. The age and name of the son, and the name which the son in turn gave to his son, corroborate the surmise. Dr. Samuel Hopkins of Newport, and President Mark Hopkins of Williams College, although their biographers throw ? upon this genealogy, both inclined to the belief that Stephen Hopkins of the Mayflower was their ancestor.

Yet the first link of connection still remains somewhat hypothetical, and the descent from so distinguished a member of the original Plymouth Company cannot be considered as absolutely proved.

Research Notes

Unsourced birth date: This profile previously showed a birth date of 1613, in St. Stephens, London, London, England. This information is unsourced and was removed.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume III, G-H, (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2003.) p. 411. Link at AmericanAncestors ($)
2. ↑ Shurtleff, Nathaniel. Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England (William White, Boston, 1853-) p. 370
3. ↑ The Records of the Town of Cambridge (formerly Newtowne) Massachusetts, 1630-1703 (Cambridge, Mass., 1901) p. 9, 11, 13, 15, 19
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} The Register Book of the Lands and Houses in the "New towne" and the town of Cambridge (Cambridge, Mass., 1896) inventory p. 26; [https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=Q2EDAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb_hover&pg=GBS.PA40 sold property pp 40-41
5. ↑ Original Distribution of the Lands in Hartford Among the Settlers, 1639, Collections of the Connecticut Historical Society, Volume 14 (Hartford 1912; rpt. Bowie, Maryland, 1989) pp 225-228
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Trumbull, J. Hammond. (transcriber). The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut Prior to the Union with New Haven Colony May 1665. (Hartford: Brown and Parsons, 1850.) AKA Colonial Records of Connecticut. Volume I. 1636-1665. Freed from watch p. 49; Jury p. 92
7. ↑ Timothy Hopkin's (1932) book, John Hopkins of Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1634, and Some of His Descendants, Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA, p. 6, citing Hartford Probate Records (2: 54-57) download from https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE223274&from=fhd
8. ↑ Manwaring's Digest of Early Connecticut Probate Records (1: 130). 1 January 1648-49.
9. ↑ If Stephen Hopkins had a brother named John, it would not have been unusual for Giles Hopkins to name his 2nd son "John". Chet Snow. See next paragraph. 11 Sep. 2017.
10. ↑ Marriage: "London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812"
    London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; London Church of England Parish Registers; Reference Number: P93/MRY1/001
    Ancestry Record 1624 #658774 (accessed 24 October 2023)
    Stephen Hopkins marriage to Eliza Fisher on 19 Feb 1617 in St Mary, Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex, England.
11. ↑ Marriage: "Westminster, London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1558-1812"
    City of Westminster Archives Centre; London, England; Westminster Church of England Parish Registers; Reference: SML/PR/1/1
    Ancestry Record 61865 #151220 (accessed 24 October 2023)
    John Hopkins marriage to Jane Marshall on 23 Nov 1612 in St Mary Le Strand, London, Westminster, England.
12. ↑ Marriage: "Westminster, London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1558-1812"
    City of Westminster Archives Centre; London, England; Westminster Church of England Parish Registers; Reference: SML/PR/1/1
    Ancestry Record 61865 #90151386 (accessed 24 October 2023)
    Anne Tumber marriage to Samuell Hopkins on 10 Aug 1614 in St Mary Le Strand, London, Westminster, England.

See also:

• Macdonough, Rodney. The Macdonough-Hackstaff Ancestry (Press of S. Usher, Boston, 1901) Page 349-55
• Roberts, Gary Boyd; Ancestors of American Presidents. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009. This person is an ancestor of President Millard Fillmore John Hopkins's wife is given only as "Jane ----."
• Shoemaker Book, Blair, Williams T., (Scranton, PA: International Textbook Press for J. I. Shoemaker, 1924), page 665.
• Barbour, Lucius Barnes, 1982, Families of Early Hartford, Connecticut, Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc., Baltimore, Maryland and Connecticut Society of Genealogists, Inc., Glastonbury, Connecticut pp. 314
• Timothy Hopkins. 1932. John Hopkins of Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1634, and Some of His Descendants. Stanford Univ. Press, Stanford, CA. John Hopkins's wife is given only as "Jane."
• Timothy Hopkins. 1948. "Stephen Hopkins of the Mayflower* and Some of His Descendants." New England Historical and Genealogical Register 102(1): 46-60. On p. 46 is an editorial footnote to the title of the article: *I have no reason to believe that John Hopkins of Hartford was related to Stephen of the Mayflower. I have seen statements that he was the son of Stephen; but as Stephen does not mention him in his will and Bradford makes no reference to such a son of Stephen and no one has found any authority which is based upon any fact, I do not think that any faith can be placed in such statements. (Letter of T.H., 28 April 1908.)
• John Farmer. 1829. Genealogical Register of the First Settlers of New England. Carter, Andrews & Co., Lancaster, MA (republ. 1964/69 by Genealogical Publ. Co., Baltimore; online at GenealogyLibrary.com). On p. 149: JOHN, Cambridge, was admitted freeman 1635.
• Clarence Almon Torrey. 1997. New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Genealogical Publ. Co., Baltimore. On p. 387: HOPKINS, John (-1654) & Jane __?__, m/2 Nathaniel WARD, m/3 Gregory WOLTERTON; b 1634; Cambridge / Hartford, CT. The "b 1634" is supposed to indicate the birth date of a child as an indication that the marriage took place before this time. I say "supposed to" because I know of no birth record for Stephen, 1634 or otherwise (see comments below). The locations given by Torrey are known residences of the husband, ending with the husband's place of death. An entry in Torrey does not imply a marriage in New England; it only demonstrates the presence of a married couple there before 1700. Torrey is not a compilation of primary records; it is a compilation of secondary published sources.
• Judd, Sylvester. Ancestors of Rev. Samuel hopkins, D.D., of Newport, and Their Children., The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, Mass., 1851) Vol. 5, Page 43-5
• "The Stocking Ancestry and History of a Stocking Family" compiled by Marie Stocking, May 15, 1963