Steven Hopkins
Privacy Level: Open (White)

Stephen Hopkins (bef. 1581 - abt. 1644)

Stephen (Steven) Hopkins
Born before in Upper Clatford, Hampshire, Englandmap
Brother of [half], [half] and
Husband of — married 9 May 1599 in London, Greater London, Englandmap
Husband of — married 19 Feb 1617 in St. Mary Matfellon, Whitechapel, Middlesex, Englandmap
Descendants descendants
Died about after about age 63 in Plymouth, Plymouth Colony, New Englandmap [uncertain]
Profile last modified | Created 27 Sep 2010
This page has been accessed 75,518 times.
The Mayflower.
Steven Hopkins was a passenger on the Mayflower.
Join: Mayflower Project
Discuss: mayflower
NOTE: That Stephen Hopkins of the "Mayflower" was the same as the Stephen Hopkins of "The Sea Venture" has not been confirmed. See Research Notes below for discussion supporting the conjecture.

Contents

Biography

Origins

Baptism Upper Clatford, 1581

Stephen Hopkins was baptised on 30 April 1581 at Upper Clatford Parish, Hampshire, England, the son of John Hopkins[1][2][3] and Elizabeth Williams. Shortly after his birth and baptism in Upper Clatford, the family moved to Winchester.

Marriages

Stephen Hopkins first married Mary Kent[4][5] by 13 May 1604 (baptism of a child) with a residence in Hursley. She died (no proof that it was of plague) while her husband was in Bermuda, on 9 May 1613, and was buried at Hursley, Hampshire. She bore him three children.

Stephen married second, Elizabeth Fisher 19 Feb 1617/18 at St. Mary's, Whitechapel, London.[6][4][7] Mayflower Families (1975)[8] stated that she died after 4 Feb. 1638/9. But a later edition (2001)[9] revises her death date to "before 06 Jun 1644, the date Stephen executed his will. February 4, 1638/9 is the date of the Plymouth court session that weighed the situation of Stephen Hopkins' pregnant servant, Dorothy Temple; Stephen's wife is not mentioned.[10] She was certainly dead by the time her husband executed his will as he directs his executor to bury him beside his deceased wife.[11] Together they had seven children.

Children of Stephen and Mary Kent

All baptized at Hursley:[12]

  1. Elizabeth Hopkins, bp. 13 May 1604, living in 1613 when she was mentioned in her mother's estate records; no further record found.
  2. Constance Hopkins, bp. 11 May 1606; m. Nicholas Snow, by 22 May 1627, when they appeared in Stephen Hopkins' "Companie" in the division of cattle.
  3. Giles Hopkins, bp 30 Jan. 1607/8; m. Plymouth, 9 Oct. 1639, Catherine Wheldon.[13][14]

The parish registers of Hursley contain the following baptismal entries, transcribed from the original Latin:[15]

  • (1604) decimo tercio die maij Elizabetha filia Stephani Hopkyns fuit baptizata [13th day of May, Elizabeth, daughter of Stephen Hopkins, was baptized]
  • (1606) undecimo die Maij Constancia filia Steph Hopkyns fuit baptizata [11th day of May, Constance, daughter of Steph(en) Hopkins, was baptized]
  • (1607/8) tricesima die Januarij Egiduis Filius Stephani Hopkyns fuit baptizatus [30th day of January, Giles (Egidius is the Latin form of the English name Giles), son of Stephen Hopkins, was baptized.]

The following burial record was also discovered, entered in English:

(1613) Mary Hopkines the wife of Steeven Hopkines was buried the ix (9th) day of May.

Children of Stephen and Elizabeth Fisher

The children of Stephen and Elizabeth (Fisher) Hopkins:[9]

  1. Damaris Hopkins, b. say 1618, d. before 22 May 1627 (division of cattle). Either Damaris or Oceanus must have d. before the 1623 land division, which indicates as Robert Wakefield has shown, that there were then five members in Stephen Hopkins' family.[16]
  2. Oceanus Hopkins, b. on the Mayflower (and named to memorialize that) between 6 Sept. and 11 Nov. 1620 (Old Style), the dates that the ship was at sea, d. before 22 May 1627 (division of cattle) and possibly before the 1623 land division.
  3. Caleb Hopkins, b. say 1623, living Plymouth, 30 Nov. 1644, when he signed an agreement with Richard Sparrow to rear his sister Elizabeth, d. Barbados, before spring 1651, when Bradford called him deceased.
  4. Deborah Hopkins, b. Plymouth, say 1626; m. Plymouth, 23 April 1646, Andrew Ring (widow Mary).[17][18]
  5. Damaris Hopkins (again), b. Plymouth, say 1628 (after May 1627 [division of cattle]); m. shortly after 10 June 1646 (antenuptial agreement), Jacob Cooke (son of Francis of the Mayflower).[19][20]
  6. Ruth Hopkins, b. say 1630 (after 22 May 1627 [division of cattle]), d. unmarried after [30 Nov.?] 1644 (distribution of father's estate) and before spring 1651 (since Elizabeth must be the unmarried sister mentioned by Bradford).
  7. Elizabeth Hopkins (again), b. say 1632 (after 22 May 1627 [division of cattle). She had left Plymouth by 29 7m [Sept.] 1659 when the process of settling her estate began; the records, however, are careful not to state that she was dead.

Voyage on the Sea Venture (1609)

Jamestown ships
Steven arrived in Jamestown aboard the ship Sea Venture in 1609.

It is stated by some that Stephen Hopkins, prior to his migration on the Mayflower, was hired as a clerk for Reverend Richard Buck, assisting aboard the 300-ton "Sea Venture,"[21][22][23] one of a fleet of 7 ships and 2 pinnaces that started a voyage from Plymouth, England to the Virginia Colony on July 23, 1609 and travelling with Sir Thomas Gates, Deputy Governor of the Virginia Colony, and "the old sea rover" Sir George Summers, Admiral of the Seas. The fleet was caught in a hurricane that began July 24, causing much damage.[24][25] The Sea Venture was wrecked on 28 July 1609, driven ashore on the uninhabited Somers Island in Bermuda with 150 men, women & children. The group survived on birds, wild hogs and turtles. A year later, survivors reached Virginia in a small boat they had built.

During the sojourn Hopkins undertook to persuade others that it was no breach of honesty, conscience nor religion to decline from the obedience to the Governor since the authority ceased when the wreck was committed. His arguments prevailed little and he was placed under guard, brought before the company in manacles and the Governor passed the sentence of a Martial Court upon him such as belongs to mutiny and rebellion. But so penitent he was and made so much moane...that the whole company besought the Governor and never left him until we had got his pardon.

This contemporary account of events is included in William Strachey's record of the voyage and the wreck of the Sea Venture, which also notes that while Hopkins was ultra religious, he was contentious and defiant of authority and had enough learning to undertake to wrest leadership from others. Strachey wrote,

"Yet could not this be any warning to others who more subtly began to shake the foundation of our quiet safety. And therein did one Stephen Hopkins commence the first act or overture, a fellow who had much knowledge in the Scriptures and could reason well therein, whom our minister therefore chose to be his clerk to read the psalms and chapters upon Sundays at the assembly of the congregation under him; who in January the twenty‑four [16101 brake with one Samuel Sharpe and Humfrey Reede‑who presently discovered it to the governor‑and alleged substantial arguments both civil and divine (the Scripture falsely quoted!) that it was no breach of honesty, conscience, nor religion to decline from the obedience of the governor, or refuse to go any further led by his authority, except it so pleased themselves, since the authority ceased when the wrack was committed, and with it they were all then freed from the government of any man; and for a matter of conscience it was not unknown to the meanest how much we were therein bound each one to provide for himself and his own family. For which were two apparent reasons to stay them even in this place: first, abundance by God's providence of all manner of good food; next, some hope in reasonable time, when they might grow weary of the place, to build a small bark with the skill and help of the aforesaid Nicholas Bennit, whom they insinuated to them -‑ albeit he was now absent from his quarter and working in the main island with Sir George Summers upon his pinnace‑to be of the conspiracy, that so might get clear from hence at their own pleasures; (that) when in Virginia, the first would‑be assuredly wanting, and they miglff‑well rear to be detained in that country by the authority of the commander thereof, and their whole life to serve the turns of the adventurers with their travails and labors."[26][27]

Although there is no complete list of the shipwrecked party who eventually reached Jamestown in the 2 pinnaces Patience and Deliverance built on the islands, Hopkins did not remain on the Somers Islands and the conclusion is that he traveled to Jamestown with the others before returning to England.[28]

Life on the island of Bermuda proved to be so easy, that when Sir George Summers ordered a smaller ship be built from the wreckage of the Sea Venture to take the survivors to Jamestowne, some members of the crew refused to cooperate. In September 1609 there were "dangerous and secret discontents" among the seamen, who tried to lure the would be settlers to the cause of abandoning the effort to reach Jamestown. Before they could carry out their plan, Governor Gates discovered their plot and gave them their wish. They were deposisted on a remote island without provisions, insted of sentencing them to death, the usual punishment for this type of offence.[29] [30] In January, the following year, another rebellion brewed and this time, their leader was Stephen Hopkins. He was apprehended and tried for mutiny and given a much harsher sentence than the sailors, sentenced to death. He was both the captain and only follower of this revolt so death seems rather extraordinary, given the light sentence previously imposed on the group of sailors. It may be due to him verbally opposing Gates right to authority when he spoke to the two listeners. He pleaded for his life, for the sake of his wife and children, so eloquently that he was pardoned. That may be due as much or more to William Strachey and Vice Admiral Christopher Ward who came to Gates asking for leniency. "With humble entreaties and earnest supplication...[we] nebver left him until we had got [Hopkins'] pardon."[31] [32]

Jamestown (1610)

What do Jamestowne, the Mayflower and Shakespeare have in common? The answer is Stephen Hopkins, a Jamestowne settler,[33] a Mayflower Pilgrim and a survivor of the wreck of the Sea Venture, supposedly the basis for Shakespeare's comedy, "The Tempest ".

In May, 1610, the survivors reached Jamestowne. His mutinous efforts in Bermuda gained him such notoriety that Shakespeare wrote him into "The Tempest" as the plotting butler. While "The Tempest" contains only one direct reference to the Bermudas, when Ariel tells how Prospero called him 'to fetch dew...From the still-vex'd Bermoothes' , Stephanos could easily refer to Stephen Hopkins, a caricature portrayed as a drunken clown or court jester with ambitions of grandeur. William Shakespeare moved in the same circle as a fellow writer, William Strachey. Both were writers. Strachey wrote a letter dated July 15, 1610, to an unnamed 'Excellant Lady'. The letter was started while in Bermuda and finished in Jamestown. [34] This letter was the original abbreviated account of the temporary exile and trip to Jamestown. A longer and more polished version was written after he became secretary of the Colony and was published in 1625, now known as A True Reportory. Both the letter and the longer account would have circulated quickly among the Londoners belonging to the Virginia Company. He may have even learned about the voyage from the sailors returning home or from his friends, the Earls of Southampton and Pembroke, who had business interest in the expedition.

The theory is that Stephen Hopkins remained in Virginia until at least late 1614, when the death of his wife (May 1613) forced his return to England. A brief English docket item dated 20 September 1614 records a letter was sent "to Sir Thomas Dale Marshall of the Colony in Virginia, to send home by the next return of ships from thence Eliezer Hopkins"[35] Apparently, an examination of the court record by Michael J. Wood verified that this is the correct reading, and the docket item does not refer to Stephen Hopkins. But, as is so often the case, the name could have been entered into the court record incorrectly. The original letter is lost. The date fits when that sort of an order would have been issued for Stephen. If he didn't leave then, he may have finished out the 7 year indenture agreement and left 1616.[36]

Back in England (1614-1620)

Back in England, Mary's Probate was executed at Hursley, Southhampton, England.[37] We learn from this record that they were shopkeepers, there was a lease on the home and she is listed as a widow, though the burial record calls her his wife. We can assume that the administrator or court thought it more expedient to list her as a widow so the estate could be available for their children's care more quickly, especially since they didn't know if he was alive or dead.[38]

Stephen married Elizabeth Fisher in 1617/8. Their home had been just outside of London Wall on the high road entering the city at Aldgate in the vicinity of Heneage House. In this neighborhood lived John Carver and William Bradford of the Mayflower Company; Robert Cushman, the London agent for the Pilgrims; and Edward Southworth, who later came to New England. Perhaps wanting more adventure, he returned to the New World, this time with his wife and three children as they joined the voyage of the Mayflower in 1620.

Mayflower Passenger (1620)

Stephen Hopkins was invited to and did return to America aboard the Mayflower departing London before the end of June, 1620, with his second wife, Elizabeth, and children, Constance (Constanta), Giles, and Damaris. A fourth child, Oceanus, was born on the ship during the voyage. Hopkins signed the Mayflower Compact on November 11, 1620.[39]

At the time of the voyage, he was considered a tanner or leather maker, but later was a merchant and planter.[40]

Hopkins was one of twelve Mayflower passengers given the title "Mr." which was reserved for men of high societal standing. This is also reiterated by the fact that he brought along two servants, Edward Leister and Edward Doty.

On the 6th of December Stephen Hopkins, in the company of 17 other men, Capt. Standish at the head, started on a second voyage of discovery, with the shallop, which lasted 5 or 6 days, during which they had an encounter with the Indians. They entered Plymouth bay and landed on the 11th of December.

In Pilgrim Hall, Plymouth, Mass., there is a painting by Henry Sargent, a Boston artist, a member of the family to which the celebrated John Singer Sargent belongs. A group of men, women, and children are greeted by the Indian chief, Samoset. In the background, a portion of a ship with a British flag can be seen. Text printed under image identifies the figures as: I. Allerton & wife; Elder Brewster; F. Billington; William White & child; Richard Warren; John Turner; Gov. Bradford; John Alden; Gov. Carver & Family; Miles Standish; Samoset; John Howland; Wife of Standish; Steph. Hopkins, wife & child; Gov. Winslow; E. Tilley; Dr. Fuller; Mrs. Winslow[41][42]

Life in New England

"Steuen Hobkins" received six acres in the 1623 division of land, indicating five people in his household (since Stephen should have had an extra share).[43][44] In the Division of Cattle, 22 May 1627, the seventh lot "fell to Stephen Hopkins & his companie Joyned to him"; wife Elizabeth Hopkins, Gyles Hopkins, Caleb Hopkins, Debora Hopkins, Nickolas Snow, Constance Snow, Wil[l]iam Pallmer, Frances Pallmer, Wil[l]iam Palmer Jr., John Billington Sr., Hellen Billington, and Francis Billington.[45]

That Stephen Hopkins was a man of more than ordinary force of character and influence is shown by the part he played in the early history of the colony. In Howard and Crocker's Popular History of New England, we read:

"No one can ponder the annals of the early settlement of New England without being profoundly impressed with the rare excellency of the material that went into its foundation. Consider the names of such primitive Pilgrims as Carver, Bradford, Brewster, Standish, Winslow, Alden, Warren, Hopkins, and others."[46]

And Moore, in his Lives of the Colonial Governors, says,

"Of the Pilgrims who remained in 1634, Stephen Hopkins, Miles Standish, and John Alden were the most prominent individuals. Hopkins was the one of the principle magistrates...Stephen Hopkins was not only one of the first men among the Pilgrims, but he had extraordinary fortune in being concerned with many of the first things that happened to the colonists, whether for good or for evil. Thus, he was one of the signers of the first Declaration of Independence in the New World-the famous Compact, drawn up and signed in the cabin of the Mayflower, November twenty-first, 1620; it has been called 'the nucleus around which everything else clustered-unquestionably the foundation of all the superstructures of government which have since been reared in these United States.[47]

Stephen Hopkins headed a list of persons chosen to arrange for trade with outsiders-- a sort of incipient chamber of commerce. He was added to the Governor and Assistants in 1637 as an assessor to raise a fund for sending aid to the Massachusetts Bay and Connecticut colonies in the impending Indian War. In the same year, he and his two sons, Giles and Caleb, were among the forty-two who volunteered their services as soldiers to aid these same colonies. We find also him repeatedly mentioned as an appraiser of estates, administrator, guardian, juryman (foreman, apparently), etc.

On 18 June 1621, Edwards Doty and Leister (Mr. Hopkins' two servants) fought what was the first duel on record in New England, with sword and dagger. Hopkins petitioned for the release of his servants from cruel punishment. Both were wounded, one in the hand and the other in the thigh. They were sentenced by the whole company to have their heads and feet tied together and so to lie for 24 hours without meat or drink, 'but within an hour, because of their great pains, at their own & their master's humble request, upon promise of better carriage, they are released by the governor.' [48]

Stephen Hopkins also became Indian Ambassador of the Plymouth Colony, during which time he befriended and invited the famous Native American, Squanto, to live in his home. He went with Governor Winslow and Squanto on the first embassy sent to the Massasoit to conclude a treaty. It was in Hopkins' home that the first ever Indian treaties were signed. As Indian Ambassador, Stephen Hopkins participated in the arrangement and planning of the first Thanksgiving.

Mr. Hopkins opened the first bar, built the first port of ships and erected the first trading post in American history. He was engaged in trade, selling liquors and various other articles. He was charged at times with abuse of his traffic in liquors and with selling liquors and other articles at excessive rates, according to the views of the period, but he never lost the confidence of the leading men.

In January 1633, Hopkins became assistant to the new governor of the colony, Edward Winslow. The former Governor, William Bradford and Miles Standish served as assistants also. He was chosen for this position three years in succession, 1632-5. Jan. 1, 1632/3.[49][50] He was also chosen one of the council for the ensuing year, Edward Winslow being chosen governor. On Jan. 10 of the same year, he was a member of a court that tried a servant who had run away. The servant was privately whipped before the court.

Jan. 2, 1633/4: He and John Jenny were the appraisers of the estate of Samuel Fuller, the elder, which included about 30 books.[51]

Oct. 1, 1634: He was appointed the first of a committee to treat with the existing partners as to the future management of the trade.[52]

Oct. 2, 1634: He and Robert Hicks took the inventory of the goods of Stephen Deans.[52]

June 7, 1636: John Tisdale, yeoman, brought an action of battery against Mr. Hopkins, assistant to the government, by whom he alleged he was dangerously wounded. Hopkins was fined L5 sterling to the use of the King, whose peace he had broken, wch he ought after a special manner to have kept, and was adjudged to pay 40s. to the plaintiff.[52]

Jan. 1, 1634/5: ""Mr. William Bradford was elected gouernour, & to enter vponit the first Tuesday in march next ensueing, & to serue from the same time one whole yeare. "At the same time wer elected for Asistants, to enter with the Gouernour the day aboue mentioned, and to continue the whole yeare, -- Mr Tho. Prince, Mr Edward Winsloe, Mr John Alden, Mr Steuen Hopkins, Captayne Miles Standish, Mr John Houland, Mr William Collier."[52][53]

Jan. 5, 1635/6: ": "Mr. ed: Winslow was chosen Gouer, and William Bradford, Tho: Prence, John Alden, Wm Collier, Steuen Hopkins, Tim: Hatherly, John Browne, Assistants… "At ye same Courte, Jane Waren sued Weekes for 50 li, which she had lent him, to be paid vpon demand. He was ordered to put so much goods into ye hands of Mr Hopkins & Kenelemne Winslowe as should contrauele ye money, & had 3 months time alowed to sell them, or other good, to make her paymente."[54]

March 14, 1635/6: He was authorized to mow the marsh between Thomas Clarke and George Sowle, and it was ordered that he and Clarke have the marsh up the river as formerly.[55]

Nov. 7, 1636: A way between his land and that of Thomas Pope, Richard Clough and Richard Wright, 'at the fishing point, neer Slowly Field,' is mentioned.[56]

Jan. 3, 1636/7: Stephen Hopkins was an assistant on the same date he was made one of a committee to arrange an agreement with those that have the trade in theire hands and report to the court.

March 7, 1636/7: In a list of freemen, dated, he is styled "gentleman."

7 March 1636: "Concerning the trade of beaver, corne, & beads, &c., with the Indians, it is agreed, by the consent of the Court, that they that now haue yt shall hold yt vntill the next Court, the beginning of June; and then further conference to be had for the mannageing thereof, that such further course may be taken therein as shalbe thought fitt. And in the meane season, Mr Hopkins, Mr Atwood, Mr Done, & Jonathan Brewster shalbe added to the gounor and Assistant, to aduise vpon such pposicons and wayes so as the said trade may be still continued to the benefit the collony."[57]

March 20, 1636/7: Action was taken as to the use of the hay grounds and Mr. Hopkins was made one of a committee to view those grounds between the Eel river and the town of Plymouth, that each man might be assigned a proper portion. He and Thomas Clark were given the hay ground they had the past year.[58]

May 10, 1637: A jury impaneled for the purpose rendered a verdict (which was delivered to the General Court July 7, 1637) laying out highways to the Eel river from Plymouth, which mentions Mr. Hopkins' house, one of the ways passing it on the west.

June 7, 1637: He with the governor and assistants and other persons formed a committee to consider how the trade in beaver, etc., (which was likely to go into decay) might be upheld.[59]

On the same date the committee of which Mr. Hopkins was a member reported that the expenses of the Pequot service would amount to L200, of which L100 was to be paid by Plymouth and L50 each by Duxbury and Scituate.
Among the names of those entered June 7, 1637, who willingly offered themselves to assist the people of Massachusetts Bay and Connecticut in their warrs against the Pequin Indians, in reveng of the innocent blood of the English wch the sd Pequins have barbarously shed, and refuse to give satisfaccon for, were Mr. Stephen Hopkins and his 2 sons Caleb and Giles. The soldiers who volunteered for the Pequot war were, however, not required to take the field.
On the same date Mr. Hopkins for the town of Plymouth was 1 of 2 men who, together with the governor and assistants, were to form a board to assess the inhabitants for the expenses of that war.

July 17, 1637: Stephen Hopkins sold for L60 lawful money of England, to be paid 1/2 on May 1, 1638, and 1/2 Sept. 29, 1638, to George Boare of Scituate his message, houses, tenements and outhouses at the Broken wharf towards the Eel river, together with the 6 shares of land thereunto belonging, containing 120 acres.

October 2, 1637: He was appointed one of a committee for the town of Plymouth to act with the governor and assistants and committee from Eel river, Jones river and Duxbury in agreeing upon an equal course in the division of about 500 acres of meadow between the Eel river and South river.[60]

2 January 1637/8: "Presentment by the Grand Jury. "1. William Reynolds is psented for being drunck at Mr Hopkins his house, that he lay vnder the table, vomitting in a beastly manner, and was taken vp betweene two. The witness hereof is Abraham Warr, als Hoop, als Pottle, and sayth that there was in company Francis Sprague, Samuell Nash, & Georg Partrich. 2. Mr Hopkins is psented for sufferinge excessiue drinking in his house, as old Palmer, James Coale, & William Renolds, John Winslow, Widdow Palmers man, Widdow Palmer, Thomas Little, witnesss & Stepheen Travy." [61]

Death & Legacy

Stephen Hopkins died in Plymouth between 6 June 1644 (date of his will) and 17 July 1644 (inventory of his estate).[62]

Among the earliest wills probated at Plymouth, Massachusetts, was that of Stephen Hopkins, 6 June 1644 - August 1644, directing that he be buried near his deceased wife, naming son Caleb, "heir apparent," mentioning other children and naming Captain Myles Standish as overseer of the will. The will was witnessed by Governor Bradford and Captain Standish.

The last Will and Testament of Mr. Stephen Hopkins[11] exhibited upon the Oathes of mr Willm Bradford and Captaine Miles Standish at the generall Court holden at Plymouth the xxth of August Anno dm 1644 as it followeth in these wordes vizt.
The sixt of June 1644 I Stephen Hopkins of Plymouth in New England being weake yet in good and prfect memory blessed be God yet considering the fraile estate of all men I do ordaine and make this to be my last will and testament in manner and forme following and first I do committ my body to the earth from whence it was taken, and my soule to the Lord who gave it, my body to be buryed as neare as convenyently may be to my wyfe Deceased
And first my will is that out of my whole estate my funerall expences be discharged
secondly that out of the remayneing part of my said estate that all my lawfull Debts be payd
thirdly I do bequeath by this my will to my sonn Giles Hopkins my great Bull wch is now in the hands of Mris Warren.
Also I do give to Stephen Hopkins my sonn Giles his sonne twenty shillings in Mris Warrens hands for the hire of the said Bull
Also I give and bequeath to my daughter Constanc Snow the wyfe of Nicholas Snow my mare
also I give unto my daughter Deborah Hopkins the brodhorned black cowe and her calf and half the Cowe called Motley
Also I doe give and bequeath unto my daughter Damaris Hopkins the Cowe called Damaris heiffer and the white faced calf and half the cowe called Mottley
Also I give to my daughter Ruth the Cowe called Red Cole and her calfe and a Bull at Yarmouth wch is in the keepeing of Giles Hopkins wch is an yeare and advantage old and half the curld Cowe
Also I give and bequeath to my daughter Elizabeth the Cowe called Smykins and her calf and thother half of the Curld Cowe wth Ruth and an yearelinge heiffer wth out a tayle in the keeping of Gyles Hopkins at Yarmouth
Also I do give and bequeath unto my foure daughters that is to say Deborah Hopkins Damaris Hopkins Ruth Hopkins and Elizabeth Hopkins all the mooveable goods the wch do belong to my house as linnen wollen beds bedcloathes pott kettles pewter or whatsoevr are moveable belonging to my said house of what kynd soever and not named by their prticular names all wch said mooveables to be equally devided amongst my said daughters foure silver spoones that is to say to eich of them one, And in case any of my said daughters should be taken away by death before they be marryed that then the part of their division to be equally devided amongst the Survivors.
I do also by this my will make Caleb Hopkins my sonn and heire apparent giveing and bequeathing unto my said sonn aforesaid all my Right title and interrest to my house and lands at Plymouth wth all the Right title and interrest wch doth might or of Right doth or may hereafter belong unto mee, as also I give unto my saide heire all such land wch of Right is Rightly due unto me and not at prsent in my reall possession wch belongs unto me by right of my first comeing into this land or by any other due Right, as by such freedome or otherwise giveing unto my said heire my full & whole and entire Right in all divisions allottments appoyntments or distributions whatsoever to all or any pt of the said lande at any tyme or tymes so to be disposed
Also I do give moreover unto my foresaid heire one paire or yooke of oxen and the hyer of them wch are in the hands of Richard Church as may appeare by bill under his hand
Also I do give unto my said heire Caleb Hopkins all my debts wch are now oweing unto me, or at the day of my death may be oweing unto mee either by booke bill or bills or any other way rightfully due unto mee
ffurthermore my will is that my daughters aforesaid shall have free recourse to my house in Plymouth upon any occation there to abide and remayne for such tyme as any of them shall thinke meete and convenyent & they single persons
And for the faythfull prformance of this my will I do make and ordayne my aforesaid sonn and heire Caleb Hopkins my true and lawfull Executor
ffurther I do by this my will appoynt and make my said sonn and Captaine Miles Standish joyntly supervisors of this my will according to the true meaneing of the same that is to say that my Executor & supervisor shall make the severall divisions parts or porcons legacies or whatsoever doth appertaine to the fullfilling of this my will
It is also my will that my Executr & Supervisor shall advise devise and dispose by the best wayes & meanes they cann for the disposeing in marriage or other wise for the best advancnt of the estate of the forenamed Deborah Damaris Ruth and Elizabeth Hopkins
Thus trusting in the Lord my will shalbe truly prformed according to the true meaneing of the same I committ the whole Disposeing hereof to the Lord that hee may direct you herein
June 6th 1644
Witnesses hereof By me Steven Hopkins
Myles Standish
William Bradford

The portions of the estate for the daughters Debora, Damaris, Ruth, and Elizabeth were divided "equally by Capt Myles Standish [and] Caleb Hopkins their brother" at a date not given, and an agreement was reached on 30 9th month [Nov.] 1644 between Capt. Myles Standish and Caleb Hopkins with Richard Sparrow that Sparrow would have "Elizabeth Hopkins as his owne child untill the tyme of her marryage or untill shee be nineteene years of age," noting "the weaknes of the Child and her inabillytie top[e]rforme such service as may acquite their charge in bringing of her up and that shee bee not too much oppressed now in her childhood wth hard labour...." On 15 8th month [Oct.] 1644, Richard Sparrow acknowledged receiving "the half of a Cow from Capt MIles Standish wch is Ruth Hopkins," and on 19 May 1647, Myles Standish acknowledged receiving "two young steers in full Satisfaction for halfe a Cow which was Ruth hopkins which Richard Sparrow bought of me..."[63]

The "Cattle that goeth under the Name of Elizabeth hopkinses" were valued on 29 7th month [Sept.] 1659, and an inventory of her estate was taken on 6 October 1659. On 5 October, the court ordered that, "incase Elizabeth hopkins Doe Come Noe more," the cattle be awarded to Gyles Hopkins, and that he not "[d]emaund of, or molest...Andrew Ringe or Jacob Cooke in the peacable enjoyment of that which they have of the estate of Elizabeth hopkins."[64][65]

Research Notes

Caleb Johnson's discovery [66] of the family of Stephen Hopkins in Hursley, Hampshire, eliminates at last the suggestion that Stephen Hopkins was son of Stephen Hopkins, a clothier, of Wortley, Wooten Underedge, Gloucestershire.[67]
Recently, Caleb Johnson has given a few talks[68] where he discussed circumstantial evidence that points to parents for Stephen-- John Hopkins and Elizabeth Williams?? In the past, he had said there was none. To reflect that we are now connecting the parents that he is supporting, and have included sources from recent journals to reflect that, as well as the maiden name of his first wife, Mary Kent (?). -- Brown-8212 13:42, 8 August 2014 (EDT) .
That Mayflower Hopkins and Sea Venture Hopkins were the same man, is supported by the following:[69][70][71]
  • They both answer a common description.
  • Stephen Hopkins was not of the Pilgrim group, but is mentioned as a stranger[72] and one of three of London on board. He was married in the Anglican Church and was clerk to an Anglican minister.
  • He was a man of mark and evidently of learning and experience (as shown by appointment as clerk) for when Captain Myles Standish made his first exploratory trip from the Mayflower, upon arrival in the new world, Hopkins was appointed with Bradford and Tilley to attend the party to give counsel and advice - this, despite the fact that he had displayed his contentious nature upon arrival, declaring, as he had on the Somers Islands, that none had power to command since the expedition bound for Virginia had landed in New England instead where Virginia had no jurisdiction.
  • Hopkins' ability to identify to the exploring party, which he accompanied, a deer trap, a contraption which had puzzled the others, indicates previous experience in the new world. The scribes of the period recorded that the party came upon a limb of a tree bent curiously over a bow and that Stephen Hopkins sayd it had beene to catch some Deere. It seems probable that Hopkins was selected by Weston to accompany the Pilgrims because of his previous experiences in Virginia.
  • In 1992, John D. Austin published an excellent and extensive account of Stephen Hopkins and his descendants as the sixth volume in the Five Generations Project of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.
  • In 1998 Caleb Johnson published his discovery of the baptismal place of the children of Stephen Hopkins by his first wife [ TAG 73:161-71].

Johnson's discovery also strengthens the argument that this was the same Stephen Hopkins who was the minister's clerk on the vessel Sea Venture which met with a hurricane in 1609 while on a voyage to Virginia [TAG 73:165-66]. One of one hundred and fifty survivors marooned on a Bermuda, he fomented a mutiny and was sentenced to death, but "so penitent he was and made so much moan, alleging the ruin of his wife and children in this his trespass," that his friends procured a pardon from the Governor [ MF 6:3, citing William Strachey's account].

  • In his listing of the Mayflower passengers Bradford included "Mr. Stephen Hopkins and Elizabeth his wife, and two children called Giles and Constanta, a daughter, both by a former wife. And two more by this wife called Damaris and Oceanus; the last was born at sea. And two servants called Edward Doty and Edward Lester" [73] Stephen Hopkins signed the Mayflower Compact. In his accounting of this family in 1651 Bradford reported that "Mr. Hopkins and his wife are now both dead, but they lived above twenty years in this place and had one son and four daughters born here. Their son became a seaman and died at Barbadoes, one daughter died here, and two are married; one of them hath two children, and one is yet to marry. So their increase which still survive are five. But his son Giles is married and hath four children. His daughter Constanta is also married and hath twelve children, all of them living, and one of them married" [74]
  • In June 1621 Steven Hopkins and Edward Winslow were chosen by the governor to approach Massasoit, and Hopkins repeated this duty as emissary frequently thereafter [Young's Pilgrim Fathers 202, 204].
  • Despite his social standing and his early public service, Stephen Hopkins managed to run afoul of the authorities several times in the late 1630s. In June of 1636 while an Assistant, he was fined for battery of John Tisdale, whom he "dangerously wounded" [PCR 1:41-42]. On 2 October 1637 he was fined for allowing drinking on the Lord's day and the playing of "shovell board" [ PCR 1:68] and on 2 January 1637/8 he was "presented for suffering excessive drinking in his house" [ PCR 1:75]. On 5 June 1638 he was "presented for selling beer for 2d. the quart, not worth 1d. a quart" [ PCR 1:87]; for this and other similar infractions he was on 4 September 1638 fined £5 [ PCR 1:97]. He dealt harshly with his pregnant servant Dorothy Temple and only the intercession of John Holmes freed him from being held in contempt of court [ PCR 1:111-13]. In December 1639 he was presented for selling a looking glass for 16d. when a similar glass could be bought in the Bay for 9d. [PCR 1:137].
  • A letter written by William Bradford on 8 September 1623 shows that Stephen Hopkins had a brother in England who provided nails to the Pilgrims:
"About Hobkins and his men [Edward Dity and Edward Leister] we are come to this isew. the men we retain in the generall according to his resignation and equietie of the thinge. and about that recconing of .20 ode pounds, we have brought it to this pass, he is to have. 6. li. payed by you there, and the rest to be quite, it is for nails and such other things as we have had of his brother here for the companies use, and upon promise of paymente by us, we desire you will accordingly doe it."
  • The Hopkins families of Hampshire are found in three main regions: Andover and surrounding parishes, Isle of Wight, and Hursley-Winchester. The parish registers of Hursley, unfortunately, do not begin until January 1599/1600, and there is no mention of Hopkinses in the eleven wills surviving from the Peculiar Court of Hursley, 1566-1705; no wills in this court survive between 1599 and 1682. Hursley wills in the Consistory Court of Winchester and the Perogative Court of Canterbury from this period were also read without finding any mention of Hopkinses; there are no Hursley wills in the indexes of the Archdeaconry Court of Winchester from 1590 through 1613. Some significant clues were discovered, however, and are briefly summarized below.

Hursley had one manor at the time, Merdon; and Stephen Hopkins is mentioned in these records on "** 19.. may 6 James I (1608) as one of the men who were penalized or fined. [75] The records are not clear as to why he was penalized.

The name Giles was somewhat uncommon in the area. There were three men of that name in the 1598 lay subsidy of Hursley: Giles Hobby, Giles Kinge, and Giles Machilde;[76] no connections have yet been found to Stephen Hopkins or his wife Mary.

The name Constance was extremely rare in Hampshire, and only one occurrence of the name was found during the course of this research: the marriage of William Hopkins to Constance Marline at St. Swithin-over-Kingsgate, Winchester, Hampshire, on 16 april 1591. [77] The Soke of Winchester borders Hursley. The lay subsidies of Winchester list a John Hopkins in 1586, 1589, and 1590.[78] On 4 October 1593, administration on the estate of John Hopkyngs of Winchester was granted to the widow Elizabeth, Wm Hopkines posting bond; the inventory had been taken on the previous 10 September. [79] It seems probable that William Hopkins was the son of John Hopkins of Winchester and that he was the William who married Constance Marline. Stephen Hopkins of Hursley and Plymouth may also be a son of John, though no direct evidence for this relationship has been found. Listed in the lay subsidies in 1589 and 1590 is Rainold Marlin, who may have been the father of the Constance Marline who married William Hopkins. [80]

A Stephen Hopkins was named as a son in the 1636 will of Thomas Hopkins of Blashford in the parish of Ellingham on the Isle of Wight.[81] No records were found that could tie this Stephen Hopkins to the Mayflower pilgrim.

DNA

Y-DNA Results R1b-FGC71615[82] Previous Y-DNA testing through the Mayflower Society and the Hopkins DNA Project] Hap'group R1b (M343;M269 etc) - Genetic Family D has suggested the Hopkins lineage belongs to the R1b-M269 Y-DNA haplogroup, which is quite common in Western Europe. The R1b clade predictor at Nevgen.org has further refined the prediction to be U106>>Z381>>L48>Z9>Z331>FGC49702>FGC12346. NGS/WGS testing Next Generation Sequencing/Whole Genome Sequencing (NGS/WGS) testing of patrilineal (all male line) descendants of Stephen Hopkins will be able to confirm this prediction and identify a more precise haplogroup classification for the Hopkins lineage. As of 21 May 2021 two Big Y-700 test have been completed for Y-DNA descendants of Stephen Hopkins. The results of these tests document the Stephen Hopkins family falls somewhere under: U106>>Z381>>L48>Z9>Z331>>FGC12346>FGC49706>A10233>BY3322>A10236>FGC49708>FGC52137>FGC52139>FGC52155>FGC52156>FGC71620>FGC71615.

Sources

  1. Baptism: "Hampshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1536-1812"
    Hampshire Archives and Local Studies; Winchester, Hampshire, England; Anglican Parish Registers; Reference: 69011/1/1
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 62421 #942860 (accessed 20 November 2023)
    Stephen Hopkins baptism on 30 Apr 1581, son of John Hopkins, in Upper Clatford, Hampshire, England.
  2. England & Wales Christening Index 1530-1980 from British Isles Vital Records Index 2nd Edition. Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City and Provo Utah, database online, Ancestry.com. Stephen Hopkins Christening 30 April 1581, Upper Clatford Parish, Hampshire, England.
  3. England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. 2014 Ancestry.com, database online. FHL Film Number1041257; Reference ID2:DNQ83N
  4. 4.0 4.1 Torrey, Clarence A., New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004. Pg 387.
  5. See sources on Mary's probable family in Mayflower Quarterly article. (FlashPlayer required)
  6. Ancestry Sharing Link Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812]. London Metropolitan Archives. Stephen Hopkins Eliza Fisher marriage feb 19 1617 St Mary, Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets 1558-1643, image 87 of 234
  7. Bradford, William, 1590-1657. History of Plymouth Plantation 1620-1647 Vol 1 (Massachusetts Historical Society, 1856) and Volume 2 Vol. 2:406.
  8. Austin, John D., Mayflower Familes Through Five Generations, 15 vols. to date (Plymouth, 1975- ) 6:7
  9. 9.0 9.1 Austin, John D. Austin, Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, Vol 6, Stephen Hopkins, Plymouth, Mass.: General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2001 [3rd edition], Pages 1-6.
  10. Shurtleff and Pulsifer, Records of the Colony of New Plymouth (New York : AMS Press, 1855) Vol. 1:111-13. Archive.org
  11. 11.0 11.1 "Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967," images, FamilySearch ( : 20 May 2014), Wills 1633-1686 vol 1-4 > image 71 of 616; State Archives, Boston.
  12. For further details on the children of both marriages, see John D. Austin, Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, Stephen Hopkins, Vol. 6 (Plymouth, MA: General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2001 [3rd edition]), pp. 7-14, and Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III, 3 vols. (Boson: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995), "Stephen Hopkins" 2:986-89 AmericanAncestors; we have followed Anderson's "say" birth years, except for Caleb, whose birth year Anderson places as "say 1624." Researchers should also consult George Ernest Bowman's discussion of the Hopkins children ("The Mayflower Genealogies: Stephen Hopkins and His Descendents," Mayflower Descendant Vol. 5(1903):47-53.) Archive.org
  13. Plymouth Colony Records, Vol. 1:134. Archive.org.
  14. For the Wheldens, see Maclean W. McLean, "John and Mary (Folland) Whelden of Yarmouth, Mass.," TAG 48(1972):4-11, 81-88; McLean accepts Catherine (Whelden) Hopkins as a daughter of Gabriel Whelden of Yarmouth, Lynn, and Malden, Mass., but points out that explicit evidence for this relationship has not been found (TAG 48:4-5).
  15. Hursley, Hampshire, parish register [FHL film #1,041,201]
  16. Wakefield, "1623 Plymouth Land Division," Mayflower Quarterly. 40:8, 10.
  17. Plymouth Colony Records, Vol. 2:98 Archive.org.
  18. For the Rings, see John Insley Coddington, "The Widow Mary Ring, of Plymouth, Mass., and Her Children," TAG 42(1966):193-205 AmericanAncestors.org (by $ubscription); and Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration Begins - Immigrants to New England 1620-1633 (Boston, Mass. : New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995) Vol. 3:1586-88. AmericanAncestors.org (by $ubscription.)
  19. Bowman, George Ernest, "Plymouth Colony Deeds," Mayflower Descendant, Vol. 2(1900):27-28. Archive.org
  20. For this Cooke family, see Ralph Van Wood Jr. Mayflower Families, Vol. 12: Francis Cooke, (Camden, Maine, 1996); and Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration Begins - Immigrants to New England 1620-1633 (Boston, Mass. : New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995) Vol. 1:467-71. AmericanAncestors.org (by $ubscription)
  21. Johnson, Caleb, Here Shall I Die Ashore - Stephen Hopkins: Bermuda Castaway, Jamestown Survivor, and Mayflower Pilgrim (Xlibris, 2007)
  22. Mack, Jonathan. A Stanger Among Saints: Stephen Hopkins The Man Who Survived Jamestown And Saved Plymouth. 2020 Chicago, IL Chicago Review Press INC. Mack, Pgs.1, 6-8.
  23. Johnson, p. 160.
  24. Smith, John (1580-1631). The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles: With the Names of the Adventurers, Planters, and Governours from Their First Beginning, Ano: 1584. To This Present 1624. With the Procedings of Those Severall Colonies and the Accidents That Befell Them in All Their Journyes and Discoveries. Also the Maps and Descriptions of All Those Countryes, Their Commodities, People, Government, Customes, and Religion Yet Knowne. Divided into Sixe Bookes. By Captaine Iohn Smith, Sometymes Governour in Those Countryes & Admirall of New England. 1624 London. Printed by I.D. and I.H. for Michael Sparkes. Digital version 2006, part of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill digital library.Smith, Chapter XII, Pgs 89-90.
  25. Mack, Pgs. 10-13 citing StracheyChapter 1.
  26. William Strachey. "A true reportory of the wracke, and redemption of Sir Thomas Gates Knight; vpon, and from the Ilands of the Bermudas: his comming to Virginia, and the estate of that Colonie then, and after, vnder the gouernment of the Lord La Warre, Iuly 15. 1610" in Hakluytus posthumus; or, Purchas his pilgrimes, Samuel. Purchas, ed. 4 vols. (1625), vol. 4, 1734-1758. Transcription at [1] or https://fas-history.rutgers.edu/clemens/Jamestown/Strachey.html
  27. Strachey Chapter 2.
  28. Robert Charles Anderson, New England Historical Genealogical Society (NEHGS) Pilgrim Family Sketch Stephen Hopkins I Archived 16 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  29. Mack Pg 21 citing Strachey.
  30. Strachey
  31. Mack Pg 24 citing Strachey.
  32. Strachey
  33. Hopkins, Stephen - A9441; born 1580, died 1644 Massachusetts; (Jamestowne Resident). accessed 24 September 2021
  34. Purchas, Samuel, Hakluytus posthumus, or Purchas his Pilgrimes" 20 vols., [Glasgow : J. Maclehose, reprint 1905] vol. 19:5
  35. Calendar of State Papers, Domestic Series, of the Reign of James L 1611-1618 (London 1858), p. 253; Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series, 1574-1660 (London 1860), p. 17.
  36. Mack Pg 39
  37. Hampshire Records Office . Winchester 1613AD/046
  38. Johnson, pgs. 149-151.
  39. The Mayflower Compact: The First Governing Document of Plymouth Colony, Mayflower, accessed July 28, 2022.
  40. Bradford List of Mayflower Passengers Vol. 2, Pgs. 399-412.
  41. World Cat
  42. see image.
  43. Plymouth Colony Records, , Vol. 12:4. Archive.org
  44. Robert S. Wakefield, "The 1623 Plymouth Land Division," Mayflower Quart. 40(1974):7-13, 55-59, at 10.
  45. Plymouth Colony Records, Vol. 12:11. Archive.org.
  46. Howard, R. H., ed; Crocker, Henry E. editors. A history of New England, containing historical and descriptive sketches of the counties, cities and principal towns of the six New England states, including, in its list of contributors, more than sixty literary men and women, representing every county in New England. Boston, Crocker & co.1881.
  47. Lives of the Governors of New Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay. United States: Moore, Jacob Bailey. Gates & Stedman, 1848. Pg 140.
  48. Miles Standish. N.p.: Outlook Verlag, 2019. Abbott, John S.C. Pg 67.
  49. Mack Pg 191.
  50. Plymouth Colony Records, Vol. 1:5. Archive.org.
  51. Edwards, William Hopple. Genealogical and Ancestral Notes: ser. 1, v. 2. 47 families of Robinson ancestors. United States: W.H. Edwards, 1957. Pg 348.
  52. 52.0 52.1 52.2 52.3 Stephen Hopkins Pilgrim Hall Museum.
  53. Plymouth Colony Records, Vol. 1, p. 32. Archive.org
  54. Plymouth Colony Records, Vol. 1, p. 36. Archive.org.
  55. Plymouth Colony Records, Vol. 1, p. 39-41. Archive.org
  56. Plymouth Colony Records, Vol. 1, p. 46 Archive.org.
  57. Plymouth Colony Records, Vol. 1, p. 54 Archive.org.
  58. Plymouth Colony Records, Vol. 1, p. 55-57. Archive.org
  59. Plymouth Colony Records, Vol. 1, p. 60-62. Archive.org
  60. Plymouth Colony Records, Vol. 1, p. 67. Archive.org.
  61. Plymouth Colony Records, Vol. 1, p. 75. Archive..org
  62. Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633, Volume 2, Pgs 986-9.
  63. George Ernest Bowman, "The Portions of Stephen Hopkins' Daughters, and the Estate of Elizabeth Hopkins," in Mayflower Descendant 4(1902): 114=19, at 114-17; Simmons, Plymouth Colony Records, 1:137-39.
  64. Bowman, "...Estate of Elizabeth Hopkins," MD 4:118-19
  65. "Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G97D-V3MX : 5 March 2023), Wills 1633-1686 vol 1-4 > image 75 of 616; State Archives, Boston. page 65-66
  66. Caleb Johnson, Article title?, in The American Genealogist, 73:161-71
  67. Austin, Mayflower Families, Stephen Hopkins, Vol. 6:3, citing "[t]he Wortley historian"].
  68. Johnson
  69. Mack
  70. Johnson
  71. Johnson, Caleb, Here Shall I Die Ashore - Stephen Hopkins: Bermuda Castaway, Jamestown Survivor, and Mayflower Pilgrim (Xlibris, 2007)
  72. Mack, Pg 51 citing Willison, Saints and Strangers, Pgs 129-130.
  73. BradfordPg 442.
  74. BradfordPg 445.
  75. Merdon manorial court rolls [FHl film #1,471,826].
  76. Douglas F. Vick, Central Hampshire Lay Subsidy Assessments, 15588-1602 (Farnham, Hants., n.d); Hereafter cited as Vick, Central Hands. Subsidies.
  77. St. Swithin-over-Kingsgate, Winchester, Hampshire, parish register [FHL, film #1,041,221]
  78. Vick, Central Hants, Subsidies, 29-30.
  79. Winchester administrations [FHL film #197,336].
  80. Vick, Central Hants. Subsidies, 29-30
  81. Archdeaconry Court of Winchester, original wills [FHL film #186,925].)
  82. MayflowerDNA.org wiki profile for Hopkins family

See also:

  • Wikipedia Entry
  • Mayflower Marriages. Susan E. Roser . Genealogical Publishing Co. 1990
  • History and Genealogy of the Hopkins Family in America; James Kimble Young, Jr.,; 1950.
  • Stephen Hopkins of the Mayflower and Some of His Descendants, Compiled by Timothy Hopkins of San Francisco. Prepared for Publication by Margaret Griffith, California Genealogical Society.
  • "The Doty-Doten Family in America", by Ethan Allen Doty, 1897,
  • Myricks of Westminster, The Abbreviation: Myricks of Westminster Author: Nadeau, Bernard E. Publication: author, St. Augustine, FL, 1976
  • Mayflower Source Records . Roberts Publication: 1986
  • Consolidated Library of Cape Cod History and Genealogy. Smith, Leonard H. Owl Books, Clearwater, FL, 1990
  • A Munsey-Hopkins Genealogy, being the ancestry of Andrew Chauncey Munsey and Mary Jane Merritt Hopkins . Lowell, D.O.S. Boston, 1920
  • Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia 1607-1625. Jester, Annie Lash. Order of First Families of Virginia, Richmond, VA, 1956 / 1987
  • English Ancestry and homes of the Pilgrim Fathers who came to Plymouth on the "Mayflower" in 1620, the "Fortune" in 1621, and the "Anne" and the "Little James" in 1623. Banks, Charles Edward . The Grafton Press, New York, 1929 (rep - 1965)
  • Library of Cape Cod History and Genealogy. C. W. Swift, Yarmouthport, MA
  • History of Barnstable County, MA 1620 – 1890. Simeon L. Deyo. H. W. Blake & Co., New York, 1890
  • Founders of Early American Families - Emigrants from Europe 1607-1657. Colket, Meredith B . General Court of the Order of Founders and Patriots of America, Cleveland, OH, 1975
  • Johnson, Caleb; "The True Origin of Stephen Hopkins of the Mayflower"; in The American Genealogist, v.73, no. 3, July 1998; pp. 161-171
  • Stephen Hopkins of the Mayflower and Descendants for Four Generations; pp.1-3
  • Hopkins Family of Wortley, Gloucestershire-Possible ancestry of Stephen Hopkins'; Ralph D. Phillips; v.39,p.95-97;1963
  • History and Genealogy of the Mayflower Planters, Vol. I
  • Mayflower Marriages
  • Mayflower Descendants and Their Marriages for Two Generations After the Landing
  • Mayflower Deeds & Probates
  • Mayflower Births & Deaths, Vol. I
  • Register of the Society of Mayflower descendants in the District of Columbia, 1970 : in commemoration of the 350th anniversary
  • Massachusetts Census, 1790-1890. Jackson, Ron V.
  • Families Directly Descended from All the Royal Families in Europe (495 to 1932) & Mayflower Descendants.
  • Genealogy - Boston and Eastern Massachusetts. William Richard Cutter, A. M., Genealogy - Boston and Eastern Massachusetts (Lewis Historical Publishing Company, New York, 1908)
  • Pilgrim Village Families Sketch: Stephen Hopkins by Robert Charles Anderson Stephen Hopkins web.archive.org
  • Amos Otis, Genealogical Notes of Barnstable Families revised by C.F. Swift (Publication: c1861 (revised ?) )
  • Johnson, Caleb. Here Shall I Die Ashore: Stephen Hopkins: Bermuda Castaway, Jamestown Survivor, and Mayflower Pilgrim. United Kingdom, USA: Xlibris US, 2007.
  • Mark Miner, "Stephen Hopkins," Miner Descent (blog), January 8, 2013, (accessed 18 Nov 2020) has an excellent article on Stephen Hopkins and his unusual life plus possible connection to William Shakespeare's character "Stephano" in "The Tempest," said to be based on the Sea Venture's wreck of 1609 and Hopkins' conviction for mutiny. It says he was baptised on April 30, 1581, in Upper Clatford, Hampshire.
  • Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 18 November 2020), memorial page for Stephen Hopkins (1576–1644), Find A Grave: Memorial #215014000; Maintained by JOHN TRAYNOR (contributor 50441900) Burial Details Unknown. (Gravestone is not extant.)
  • Some of the biography was provided by Mary Jane Simpson, Central North Carolina Company Historian. Descendants of Stephen Hopkins who belong to the Central North Carolina Company of the Jamestowne Society: Dr. John Blue Clark, Jr. and Mr. Samuel M. Hobbs
  • The American Genealogist. New Haven, CT: D. L. Jacobus, 1937-. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - .) Ernest Martin Christensen, "The Probable Parentage of Stephen1 Hopkins of the Mayflower" The American Genealogist Vol. 79(2004):241-49. (Link by $ubscription.)
  • "Allison Janney." Who Do You Think You Are (US) television show (Season 11 Episode 3). NBC. 24 Jul 2022. Stephen Hopkins' life story is featured in the episode.
Additional reading / viewing:

Acknowledgments

This profile was developed through the efforts of many, many people and through many, many merges.





Comments: 48

Leave a message for others who see this profile.
There are no comments yet.
Login to post a comment.
Does it look like the first few paragraphs of the bio need some editing, to delete redundant info and adjust disorganized info on his baptism, marriage, children ?

Also, a small suggestion re the statement at the beginning of the bio that reads:

NOTE: That Stephen Hopkins of the "Mayflower" was the same as the Stephen Hopkins of "The Sea Venture" is conjecture only and has not been confirmed. See Research Notes below for discussion supporting the conjecture

Could the words "is conjecture only and" be deleted and just leave it at "has not been confirmed", given that the whole bio is written as if they are the same person and also the arguments in favor in the research notes are quite compelling.

posted by J. West
edited by J. West
Thanks J., I've updated the opening statement a little, but the man of the Sea Venture and the man of the Mayflower being one in the same is conjecture. But we'll soften it slightly.

I've cleared out the repeated data in the top of the bio. Hopefully it's less repetitive now.

posted by Bobbie (Madison) Hall
Hopkins-18265 and Hopkins-373 appear to represent the same person because: They are duplicates. I made accidentally,
posted by S Boyce
Just saw the Allison Janney "Who do you think you are" episode on Peacock. She is a descendant of Stephen Hopkins. Pretty neat to watch and dare I say have a tissue handy ;)
posted by Brad Stauf
I watched the episode too.

This is not the Stephen Hopkins related to Allison Janney. Her ancestor Stephen Hopkins was stranded on the Bahamas. He came on an earlier ship that wrecked.

posted by Lisa Dwyer
Lisa, This man is one and the same, and yes, he is Allison Janney's ancestor. They said on the show that Stephen Hopkins is credited with helping in the formation of three colonies: Bermuda, Jamestown, and Plymouth.
posted by Elaine (Hatfield) Powell
edited by Elaine (Hatfield) Powell
This is such a beautiful profile- i hope you have time to take a look at the Youtube link at end of the profile "Additional reading / viewing:" - brought Stephen Hopkins to life for me. Thanks Bobbie
posted by L. Ray Sears III, P.E.
I agree. So rich with sources.
posted by J Decker
On the supposed link with Shakespeare, William Strachey's account of the Bermuda shipwreck was published in July 1610 and the story was apparently already known through word of mouth. It is likely that Shakespeare knew the story and perhaps the Sea Venture shipwreck gave him the idea for the storm at the beginning of the Tempest, which he wrote in 1610-1611. It is unlikely (but possible) that Hopkins and Shakespeare knew each other before Hopkins became well-known through the Bermuda adventure. If Hopkins returned to England "about the fall of 1615/16" and Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616, that didn't leave much time for the 2 of them to form a friendship then.
posted by RG Plumb
RG, that's why it's listed under "Unsubstantiated Rumors." It's a good story, but unproven that they were acquaintances.
posted by Bobbie (Madison) Hall
Just a reminder that I started (and then forgot -- twice) a draft rewrite of this WAY overlong profile. I need help, though. See: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Stephen_Hopkins_Profile_Rewrite
posted by Jillaine Smith
See:

http://www.saintsandstrangers.com/

or

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saints_%26_Strangers

or

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4705002/

National Geographic Movie (2015) about Mayflower that featured Stephen Hopkins

posted by Doug Smith
edited by Doug Smith
Received email from Becky requesting I rewrite this profile. I have setup a freespace page for the purpose, and y'all can review/edit/comment on that.
posted by Jillaine Smith
Hopkins-5704 and Hopkins-373 appear to represent the same person because: Whilst birth dates need to be reconsidered these profiles should be merged
posted by [Living Woodhouse]
I agree with Jillaine abt copyright. Lots copied straight from Caleb.

Under Back In England " . . . another residence at Hursley, Southhampton, Eng . . . where his wife, Mary's probate was executed. . . . "

But Hursley is in Hampshire co., not city of Southampton.

Beginning of graph says home "just outside of London Wall". Some might infer Mary died there. No indication she lived in London & when she died her children were assigned guardians who lived in Hursley, not London.

See Simon Neal's research on Mary's probable family at Mayflower Quarterly article (thanks V in NC): https://www.themayflowersociety.org/images/stories/quarterly/nov-june-2012/index.html#/22

sources http://tinyurl.com/NEAL-SOURCES

Under Family: Says "we know she died of the plague". No, we don't know that.

posted by Tish Bucher
We don't know his death date -- only the range. 6 June (will) - 17 July (inventory) 1644.

What's the source that Hopkins was a friend of Wm Shakespeare as reported in the text?

What's the source that Mary died of the plague?

The portrait above of the seated man in the gold vest is a different S.Hopkins from [LOCATION] Providence, Rhode Island.

[DATE] That Stephen Hopkins (1707-1785) served as a chancellor for (now) Brown University (the large buidling in the background) after it was founded in 1764, signed the Declaration of Independance in 1775. It was painted in 1999 and hangs at Brown University. http://gaspee.org/StephenHopkins.htm

See the paining here also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hopkins_(politician)

There are no cartoons, drawings or paintings of Hopkins of the Mayflower.

posted by Tish Bucher
There appear to be at least three cases of someone copy/pasting published, copyrighted articles here. The second one is certainly Anderson from Great Migration Begins. I think the text preceding that is from a TAG article but I can't tell, but I remember reading it in a journal. And I'm not sure about the last bit of text that starts with "a tentative pedigree". ALL of this should be deleted and replaced with an originally written piece that might include some quotes and references to these works but does not copy them whole cloth. I'm happy to help do this if you want help.
posted by Jillaine Smith