Lester Harper Hopkins (1898 - 1974)

Born 11 Jun 1898 in Upper Tract, Pendleton County, West Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Eva Montalie (Neill) Hopkins — married 19 Aug 1930 in Greensburg, Decatur, Indiana

Descendants

Died 21 Nov 1974 at age 76 in Versailles, Ripley County, Indiana

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Richard Lanman [send private message]

Biography

Lester Harper Hopkins was born in 1898 in Upper Tract, Pendleton County, West Virginia, the third son of John James Hopkins Sr., MD (1843-1907) and Francelia "Fannie" Harper (1860-1921).^[1]

Lester was a soldier in Battalion A, 4th US Field Artillery, in WWI, registering 3 Apr 1919 in St. Louis, Missouri.^[2]

He attended Valparaiso University for his college degree Class of 1924, where his brothers William "Bill" and John Hopkins also matriculated. Lester got his Medical Degree at the University of Louisville Class of 1928.^[3]

He married first Eva Montalie Neill (1906-1951) in Versailles Indiana, on 19 Aug 1930 in Greensburg, Decatur, Indiana.^[4] They had one child:

1. Martha Lee (Hopkins) Lanman (1931-2017)

Lester married second Betty Jean Kestler (1925-2009) in 1959, probably in Osgood, Ripley, Indiana.

From Osgood Journal Obituary: Lester Harper Hopkins MD was born at Upper Tract, West Virginia, on June 11, 1898, the son of Dr. John J. Hopkins and Francelia (Harper) Hopkins. Dr. Hopkins was a graduate of Valparaiso University in 1924 and the medical school at the University of Louisville in 1928. He did post graduate work at Shurly Hospital in Detroit; at Tulane University; New York Poly Clinic; University of Alabama; Hensel Allergy Foundation at St. Jouis and the EENT Clinic at New Orleans and Chicago. He served his chosen profession for 48 years; with about 40 of those years in Versailles, Indiana, where he met his first wife Eva Montalie (Neill) Hopkins. They had one daughter, Martha Lee (Hopkins) Lanman. His first wife Eva died in 1951. In 1959 Lester married his second wife, Betty (Kestler) Hopkins of Osgood, Indiana.

From his daughter, Martha Lee Hopkins Lanman: "He lied about his age so that he could volunteer for World War I." Her mother, Eva (Neill) Hopkins wrote, "we lived at 212 N. Adams Street. As you come into the crossroads from the west, you turn left, and our house was the 2nd house on the right."

He died at age 76 on 21 Nov 1974 and is buried with both of his wives in Cliff Hill Cemetery in Versailles.^[5]

Memories

From his nephew, James Walter "Jamie" Neill: "I also had Polio at age 3, but I had non-paralytic in my legs and recovered from it. Brother Murray had the paralytic type in his lungs and wasn’t so fortunate. In case you didn’t know your Grandad Dr. Hopkins was the first doctor to correctly diagnose what was wrong w/ Murray and I. Your Grandad Hopkins told my Dad “Take these boys to the Hospital in Dayton right away”. The doctor in Dayton didn’t know what we had wrong with us. - until we told him Dr. Hopkins' diagnosis."

Sources

1. ↑ "West Virginia Births, 1853-1930," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F1KH-SLR : 4 December 2014), Lester Hopkins, Jun 1898; citing Pendleton, West Virginia, United States, county courthouses, West Virginia; FHL microfilm 818,556.
2. ↑ "United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:7Z31-Z2N2 : 25 October 2019), Lester Harper Hopkins, 3 Apr 1919; citing Military Service, NARA microfilm publication 76193916 (St. Louis: National Archives and Records Administration, 1985), various roll numbers.
3. ↑ Woodworth, Robert Bell. "The Descendants of Robert and John Poage" Volume I, Published: Staunton, Virginia, Priv. print. by the McClure Print. Co., 1954. Page 77
4. ↑ "Indiana Marriages, 1811-2019", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:8BYP-FH3Z : 7 September 2021), Lester H Hopkins, 1930.
5. ↑ "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVLH-SV5C : 13 December 2015), Lester Harper Hopkins, 1974; Burial, Versailles, Ripley, Indiana, United States of America, Cliff Hill Cemetery; citing record ID 93970334, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

• Harrison, Ella Warren. Hopkins, Archibald Wilson. A chapter of Hopkins genealogy. 1735-1905. Chicago, IL: The Lakeside Press, 1905.

• Woodworth, Robert Bell. The descendants of Robert and John Poage, pioneer settlers in Augusta County, Va.; a genealogy based on the manuscript collections of Prof. Andrew Woods Williamson, Henry Martyn Williamson, and John Guy Bishop. Staunton, Virginia by the McClure Printing Company, 1954, page 77.

• "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9ZW-DNJ : accessed 24 December 2017), Lester H Hopkins in household of John J Hopkins, Mill Run district, Pendleton, West Virginia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 96, sheet 11B, family 186, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,769.

• "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MPFP-LNL : accessed 2 January 2020), Lester H Haphine in household of Fannie Haphine, Mill Run, Pendleton, West Virginia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 94, sheet 14B, family 235, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1693; FHL microfilm 1,375,706.

• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4BH-MZG : accessed 2 January 2020), Lester H Hopkins in household of Robert F Bovard, Versailles, Ripley, Indiana, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 11, sheet 1A, line 50, family 14, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 624; FHL microfilm 2,340,359.

• "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V1YT-V1H : 20 August 2019), Lester H Hopkins, Versailles, Johnson Township, Ripley, Indiana, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 69-13, sheet 5B, line 55, family 128, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 1090.

• Rites Held for Dr. Hopkins. Osgood Journal Obituary 26 Nov 1974.

• [1]

• [2]

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "Pedigree Resource File," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:S1JY-F8M : accessed 2017-08-04), entry for Lester Harper, Dr. /Hopkins/.