Hopkins - Family History & Genealogy Message Board

My Brick wall - Martha Jane Hopkins

RobertBrinsfield — 2012-05-24 23:39:05Z

Found another piece of the wall today.. I've been looking for my gg grandmother for many years. Her name was Martha Jane Hopkins from Pennsylvania. She married John F. Syfrit 1818 - 1891. Martha was born about 1820 and died about 1888.

Today at the cemetary looking for their unmarked grave I found out that the plot was originally purchased by a WA Hopkins in 1880. Ownership was transferred to Martha and Johns daughter my g grandmother Hettie Esther Syfrit at some point.

Sometimes I think I am the only one researching the name Syfrit.

I also discovered today that there are a number of people in this plot. Franklin Syfrit 4-24-1895, Samuel Syfrit 9-12-1899, Joseph Morris 1-20-1936, Stillborn of Hettie Morris 2-15-1903, John F. Syfrit 9-22-1891, Martha J.Syfrit 3-1-1888, William Syfrit 2-4-1888, Violet L. Williams 2-25-1940.

I was also informed by the cemetary that perpetual care has never been paid and is owed on this grave. Any relatives that would like to help out it would be appreciated. But tThats not why I am writing here. I would like to patch up my brick wall. Thanks y'all.

HOPKINS Alvin Jr - Vietnam Wall section 9E

t42Vietnam_ParkerCoTX — 2012-05-21 18:19:30Z

HOPKINS Alvin Jr - Vietnam Wall section 9E

Honor our Veterans. This is one of many photographs of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Parker Co, TX. Feel free to use this picture for your personal records. This is one of the 227,291 photos free at http://teafor2.com where they are listed in order by state(Texas), county(Parker), cemetery(Vietnam) and Surname.

If you know more about this person please reply here instead of contacting me because this is not my family.

Re: Stephen Hopkins, Signer of Declaration of Independence

WarrenHopkins37 — 2012-05-19 23:23:54Z

My great/grandfather was Ezra William Hopkins b. 5 April 1824,we believe his father was Parly Hopkins. I have found Parley in the census in Eaton, Madison New York. The information fits but not proven. Parley's father seems to have been William Hopkins b. in Rhode Island. William leads to Thomas Hopkins. Thomas is the direct ancestor of both Stephen and Ezek Hopkins. Stephen the signer and Ezek the Commander head of what was then the Navy. Apparently Ezek or his friends owned most of the ships. I am a member of the Mayflower Society by passeenger John Alden thru his daughter Elizabeth Alden. Family folklore may have some truth to it. It may also lead to information in other ways.
My Mayflower connection come from 2 ancestors Capt. Harvey Dingley and Henriette Besse Dingley G.G Grand parents both of them have Mayflower passengers as ancestors. If there is any connection I would be happy to share it. Sometimes it helps in round-about-ways.

Re: Frank T. Hopkins

jwells0326 — 2012-05-19 04:57:19Z

I am doing a project on Frank Hopkins and I need his information. Please email me at jwells0326@live.com

Re: Stephen Hopkins, Signer of Declaration of Independence

egaledick — 2012-05-19 01:49:02Z

I may also be a descendant, but so far I have only family folklore to attest to this.
Phyllis Hopkins Dickinson
egaledick@aol.com

HOPKINS Michael E - Vietnam Wall section 8E

t42Vietnam_ParkerCoTX — 2012-05-18 11:10:29Z

HOPKINS Michael E - Vietnam Wall section 8E

Honor our Veterans. This is one of many photographs of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Parker Co, TX. Feel free to use this picture for your personal records. This is one of the 227,291 photos free at http://teafor2.com where they are listed in order by state(Texas), county(Parker), cemetery(Vietnam) and Surname.

If you know more about this person please reply here instead of contacting me because this is not my family.

Re: STEPHEN HOPKINS 1809 WILSON TN

JHarrison13 — 2012-05-17 21:42:16Z

Unfortunately I do not have any living male Hopkins relatives. The last one passed away about 5 years ago. I guess that takes care of the DNA. Can/would you send me anything you have concerning the names I mentioned.
My email address is kini13@bellsouth.net

Jean Hopkins Harrison

The reason all the males are gone is because I was one of the youngest and at this point in time I am 87 years old!

HOPKINS John E - Vietnam Wall section 8E

t42Vietnam_ParkerCoTX — 2012-05-17 12:01:44Z

HOPKINS John E - Vietnam Wall section 8E

Honor our Veterans. This is one of many photographs of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Parker Co, TX. Feel free to use this picture for your personal records. This is one of the 227,290 photos free at http://teafor2.com where they are listed in order by state(Texas), county(Parker), cemetery(Vietnam) and Surname.

If you know more about this person please reply here instead of contacting me because this is not my family.

Re: STEPHEN HOPKINS 1809 WILSON TN

ginnyhop — 2012-05-16 17:32:10Z

Yes, Stephen Hopkins lived in Wilson County. I recognize your relatives' names through my research of Hopkins' in TN. The quickest solution to finding if there is a connection to our families is through a DNA test. I used familytreedna.com and had favorable results. When you receive your results, contact me and I can tell you if we are of the same family line. I am not a descendant of Stephen Hopkins of the Mayflower.

Re: STEPHEN HOPKINS 1809 WILSON TN

JHarrison13 — 2012-05-16 13:50:20Z

Did Stephen Hopkins live in
Wilson County, TN? My grandparents, Thomas Lavandar and Mary Elizabeth Hopkins lived in Watertown, TN.He was born in Warren County, TN in 1854. He was the s/o John Wesley and Lucinda Eveline Hopkins. John was born 1832 in Warren Cty.
His father was William called "Major Bill.
Does any of this sound familiar?

Re: HOPKINS Aaron M - Vietnam Wall section 8E

egaledick — 2012-05-16 12:03:57Z

Who are Aaron's ancestors? Perhaps he is a relative of mine.

STEPHEN HOPKINS 1809 WILSON TN

Bonnie Hunter — 2012-05-16 00:38:44Z

I am looking for information on STEPHEN HOPKINS who is the father of SUSANNAH HOPKINS who married SIMON ADAMSON in 1809 in WILSON TN.
Any information would be appreciated.
Thank You!
Bonnie Hunter

Re: STEPHEN HOPKINS 1809 WILSON TN

ginnyhop2 — 2012-05-16 00:21:08Z

Stephen Hopkins is not Susannah's father. I am Stephen's 3gr granddaughter and would like to discuss with you the relationship betw. Stephen and Susannah. I will be publishing a book on Stephen's family by the end of 2012. Would like to hear from you soon.

HOPKINS Aaron M - Vietnam Wall section 8E

t42Vietnam_ParkerCoTX — 2012-05-15 12:52:17Z

HOPKINS Aaron M - Vietnam Wall section 8E

Honor our Veterans. This is one of many photographs of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Parker Co, TX. Feel free to use this picture for your personal records. This is one of the 227,290 photos free at http://teafor2.com where they are listed in order by state(Texas), county(Parker), cemetery(Vietnam) and Surname.

If you know more about this person please reply here instead of contacting me because this is not my family.

Re: 1905 article about the Hopkins Family of Virginia

cjhale36 — 2012-05-12 09:52:40Z

Could you send it to me via email? cj_hale@yahoo.com
My husband's grandmother was Effie Hopkins of KY. I have been able to get back as far as Richard who moved to KY from Virginia.

Re: Searching for an Isom HOPKINS to Benjamin HOPKINS b. c1775 connection

lhop85 — 2012-05-11 19:00:58Z

Hi,
We are related and seeking the same Hampton information.
However, the details get confusing and still need some verification and comparing with other sources before openly posting them.
Contact me at lhop85@hotmail.com

Re: Searching for an Isom HOPKINS to Benjamin HOPKINS b. c1775 connection

MaudCain — 2012-05-11 02:06:14Z

Would love to get involved in this question. I am also descended from Hampton thru his son Eli. I believe Hampton's father was Benjamin. I don't know if Hampton had a son Benjamin or not. Where was your Isom and his descendants from? DNA has put some descendants in Bedford Co., Tn., but I have not be able to tie them to my line. I know it is there, but I have not found it. If you would like to correspond with me, my email address is mandacain@aol.com.

Re: Searching for an Isom HOPKINS to Benjamin HOPKINS b. c1775 connection

adhopkins06 — 2012-05-10 23:16:52Z

Hey There my Line is
HAMPTON(?)
BENJAMIN(?)
ISAM/ISOM/ISUM HOPKINS
JOHN HOPKINS
ALBERT (ACEY) HOPKINS
MERBLE HOPKINS
VIRGIL HOPKINS
DAVID HOPKINS
ADAM HOPKINS (ME)

I'm loving this, but am having this same issues with the Questionable "Benjamin to Hampton Hopkins" line

Has anyone gotten anthing past Hampton or is that everyones stopping point?

Re: Zebulon Hopkins

egaledick — 2012-05-07 14:43:56Z

Zebulon Hopkins was my g-grandfather's name - he was married to Marie Chapin. They came from New York to Ohio - Seneca Co. Died in Republic, Ohio in 1882. Their children were: Joanne, Romain C, Desdamona, Randolph Alonzo, Lewis Coryden, John D Alton, Flora, and Frank (my grandfather). I wanted to answer your query, but don't see that we are of the same Hopkins "clan"????

Re: Zebulon Hopkins

egaledick — 2012-05-07 14:33:12Z

Someone else wrote the above reply for me at Ancestory- they spelled my name wrong - I am Phyllis Dickinson and my e-mail address is egaledick@aol.com

My g-grandfather was Zebulon Hopkins. Anyone searching this family, please contact me - I have some information to share and would love to receive info from you.

Re: Zebulon Hopkins

egaledick — 2012-05-07 14:26:33Z

Please contact me at egaledick@aol.com

Desdemona was my g-father's sister..

Re: Zebulon Hopkins

egaledick — 2012-05-06 21:11:52Z

Zebulon Hopkins was my g-grandfather - all I have on Desdemona is that she was born 10 Aug 1841 in Republic Ohio and died 23Nov 1925 in Florida My records say she also had a sister names Flora. Their brother, Frank was my grandfather. Would love to be in further touch with you. My e-mail is egaledick@aol.com

Phyllis Hopkins Dickinson

Re: Zebulon Hopkins

egaledick — 2012-05-06 21:01:27Z

Kathryn - please contact me - I have some information on Zebulon's family. His son Frank was my grandfather. You may prefer to write thru e-mail --egaledick@aol.com

Phyllis Hopkins Dickinson

Re: Zebulon Hopkins

egaledick — 2012-05-06 20:39:35Z

Frank A. and Ida J.Delano, was my grandparents, and I would like to share any info that i have with you, please contact me through my email egaledick@aol.com

Phillies hopkins dickerson

Re: George Hopkins and Mary Taylor Villenova, New York

dscrougewithtude — 2012-05-05 20:30:38Z

Cool Never thought I would hear from anyone related. I had traced back as far as George and only through information in an estate "will" was I able to find his parents Daniel and Hannah. I guess I just like finding the opening in that brick wall and right now it is George. From everything I have found it seems he was an important person in his town so I would have thought I could find something on his death. I have been trying to make sense of what others have put online through Ancestry for family trees but alot do not have source information. My line is through George's son William Henry Hopkins all the way down to my mother. My email address is dscrougewithtude@msn.com. Long story about that. Anyway will wait to hear more from you and thanks again for responding. Diane

Re: George Hopkins and Mary Taylor Villenova, New York

KristyKunkle — 2012-05-05 16:33:43Z

Hi,
My gg grandfather was Joseph Gilbert Hopkins, a brother to your George. we actually do not descend from Stephen Hopkins of the Mayflower, but rather John Hopkins of Cambridge, MA who immigrated in 1634. There is a book called "John Hopkins of Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1634 and Some of His Descendants" by Timothy Hopkins, published 1932.
Your George is #166 on page 301. His entry information is scant, but I may have some ther info concerning his descendants. If you leave your contact info I will be glad to tell you what I know.

Hopkins of North Ala. and TN

SARA4219 — 2012-05-05 02:21:20Z

I am looking for any Hopkins relative related to Newton or Bedford Hopkins. If you have pictures I would love to see them.

Re: Mary HOPKINS Wedlock, Scranton, PA < family from Co Mayo, Ireland

kwyatt75 — 2012-05-04 04:50:08Z

Hi there!

Have you been able to locate your grandparents on any of the census records, particularly those recently released? Since you know Honora's father and siblings, branching out to other sites might be helpful to see if they offer more hints. MyHeritage, or the Mormon genealogical sites, or a host of others.

Do you know when your line came to America? That is also a big help. If you knew those details.. They were incredibly helpful in finding out more about my grandfather's side (came to America from Scotland, but his family is originally also from Ireland).

Re: Mary HOPKINS Wedlock, Scranton, PA < family from Co Mayo, Ireland

kwyatt75 — 2012-05-04 04:46:59Z

The information I've been finding is part Census (which just lists Ireland on the ones I've seen so far), and through a combination of using the Ancestry site along with my ipad's Ancestry application. Using the 2 in tandem has been really helpful. The app gives you more than the website in hopes you'll buy the document. I haven't bought anything yet, but I've been trying to keep up with the progress of my grandfather's side. NOT that I'm giving up on my grandmother's side at all. It is really important to me to trace them back.

Re: John Hopkins 1790 - 1834 m. Susanna Saltsman

deschmidt41 — 2012-05-03 20:42:30Z

I have information on Vitura Elvira Hopkins who married John H. Barnes.

John Hopkins 1790 - 1834 m. Susanna Saltsman

2012-05-03 20:42:10Z

I am looking for anyone that might have these names in their family lines:
John Hopkins b. abt 1790 Ky d. Sept. 1834 In McLeansboro, Hamilton Co., IL m. Susannah Saltsman (father Peter Saltsman, M.D.)
1. Carlisle Clinton Hopkins 1815-1865 m. Beulah Lane Huddleston
2. Hester A. Hopkins b. Nov 15, 1817
3. John F.S. Hopkins 1825-1898

Carlisle Clinton Hopkins - Beulah Lane Huddleston (Hamilton Co., IL
1. Jeff Wesley 1839-1863
2. John M. 1841-1862
3. Charles C. 1844-
4. Vitura Elvira 1847
5. Sarah Hester 1849
6. Artemecia 1851
7. Infant
8. Thomas Sloan 1855-1882

Thomas Sloan b. Feb. 8, 1855 in Wayne Co., IL d. Oct. 10, 1882 in Gallatin Co., IL. Married Eva Arabelle Hopkins.
1. Maude (died as infant)
2. Claude Clinton 1880 - 1961

Claude Clinton married Gertrude Estelle Carter (Saline Co., IL)
1. Hugh Thomas
2. Edna Bernice
3. Clinton

Re: George Hopkins and Mary Taylor Villenova, New York

dscrougewithtude — 2012-05-01 18:48:18Z

Wow Guess I will have to spend some time making sense of all these documents and family trees and start ruling out what is not true. It just seems that there are so many family trees out there that had a lot of information although it did seem like a red flag to me when there was no documentation. I just seem to be stuck where I am because I can not find death informtion on the George in my Hopkins line. Although I did find the estate information from his mother but that is where it ends. So in the end it seems if I cannnot trace my line through Giles or Caleb then my ancestry would not be related to the original Mayflower Stephen Hopkins. Thanks again for the information

Re: George Hopkins and Mary Taylor Villenova, New York

jasche — 2012-05-01 09:57:19Z

For accurate information on Stephen Hopkins try the following:

"Mayflower Families Through Five Generations." Vol. 6. Family of Stephn Hopkins. John D. Austin, General Soc. of Mayflower Descendants, 1995.

Look ups are available on Books we Own

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bwo/mayflower.html

Click on the links under the initials of the book owners.

Also on this message board:

http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.hopkins/5437/mb.ashx

http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.hopkins/5435/mb.ashx

http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.hopkins/5439/mb.ashx

George Hopkins and Mary Taylor Villenova, New York

dscrougewithtude — 2012-05-01 09:49:05Z

Can trace my ancestry up to George Hopkins and Mary Taylor through their child William. I have found evidence that George's parents were Daniel Hopkins and Hannah Deming.I have several questions of those researching the Hopkins line. If anyone knows where George would be buried as I can only find him up to 1860 and then by 1870 Mary is living with her son in Minnesota. Also there is so much out on this website as well as online that is confusing as to the Hopkins line that is out of the Mayflower Stephen Hopkins line. Where can I find a true source of the decendents of the original Stephen Hopkins?

HOPKINS Jack M - Vietnam Wall section 5E

t42Vietnam_ParkerCoTX — 2012-04-29 20:52:56Z

HOPKINS Jack M - Vietnam Wall section 5E

Honor our Veterans. This is one of many photographs of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Parker Co, TX. Feel free to use this picture for your personal records. This is one of the 227,289 photos free at http://teafor2.com where they are listed in order by state(Texas), county(Parker), cemetery(Vietnam) and Surname.

If you know more about this person please reply here instead of contacting me because this is not my family.

Hopkins, Daniel

jpetri2211 — 2012-04-29 13:03:07Z

Looking for burial place of Civil War Veteran,Daniel Hopkins
Pvt. 4th Michigan Cav. Co. E
Enlisted Bay County, Michigan

Re: Mary HOPKINS Wedlock, Scranton, PA < family from Co Mayo, Ireland

rodriguesurns — 2012-04-28 15:46:45Z

I am also looking for my family of Hopkins in Scranton, PA. My father is Robert Regan his mother is Honora D Regan Hopkins and her father is Thomas J Hopkins Jr. born 1887, but there are so many Thomas Hopkins in PA that it is mind blowing. Honora had two siblings Thomas Hopkins and Eleanor Hopkins all deceased.

I have no idea if Thomas had any brothers or sisters or who their parents where and don't know where to look.

Hopkins, Randall

jpetri2211 — 2012-04-28 15:39:38Z

Looking for burial place of Randall Hopkins
Pvt. 23rd Michigan Inf. Co. F
Enlisted Bay county,Michigan

HOPKINS Robert L - Vietnam Wall section 5E

t42Vietnam_ParkerCoTX — 2012-04-27 19:58:45Z

HOPKINS Robert L - Vietnam Wall section 5E

Honor our Veterans. This is one of many photographs of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Parker Co, TX. Feel free to use this picture for your personal records. This is one of the 227,289 photos free at http://teafor2.com where they are listed in order by state(Texas), county(Parker), cemetery(Vietnam) and Surname.

If you know more about this person please reply here instead of contacting me because this is not my family.

Re: 1905 article about the Hopkins Family of Virginia

shirleylanden77 — 2012-04-27 16:13:02Z

I am interested in a copy of this article. Please send to landtec@windstream.net

James Walter Hopkins (05 Dec 1861-31 Mar 1962)

HollyTrujillo84 — 2012-04-26 05:04:21Z

I am researching James Walter Hopkins, 1st wife Waunetta ADAM Hopkins Gould, 2nd wife Lydia KLINGAMAN Conner Hopkins.

His father is thought to be James M. Hopkins and grandmother Jane Hopkins.

Children: Walter Bernard Hopkins & Flora N. Hopkins.

He spend all of his life in Ohio, mostly Summit & Cuyahoga County.

Any information on this man would be VERY welcome. Thank you.

Re: Mary HOPKINS Wedlock, Scranton, PA < family from Co Mayo, Ireland

Irishlass45_98 — 2012-04-25 17:42:28Z

Hi Kelly,

What does the 1920 census say for when they came to this country?

Have you checked the passenger lists from either Ellis Island or Castle Gardens in NY or Philly?

Do you have their marriage record? If they were married in Ireland, you can find out where they lived in Ireland.

How did you find out John James Hopkins' parents' names? If you know his parents' names, you should be able to find out where in Ireland he is from through the civil birth records. What were the ages listed on the various census for John James Hopkins?

Please contact me off list:

irishcolleen45@aol.com

Thanks.
Nora Hopkins FitzGerald

HOPKINS Donald Lee 1941 1994

t42Restland — 2012-04-25 13:19:47Z

HOPKINS Donald Lee 1941 1994

DaveStrickland photographed this gravestone in the Restland Cemetery, Dallas Co, Texas . Feel free to use this picture for your personal records. This is one of the 227,288 cemetery photos free at http://teafor2.com where they are listed in order by state(Texas), county(Dallas), cemetery(Restland user submitted) and Surname.
If you know more about this person please reply here, instead of contacting me because this is most likely "not my family".

Mrs. David Hopkins obituary, d. 2/7/1900 Pittsburgh, PA

cmovahed1 — 2012-04-24 22:28:51Z

From the Pittsburgh Press, 2/8/1900 (Pittsburgh, PA):

"Gathered to Rest"

Mrs. David Hopkins, 84 years old, died yesterday at her home, Mary and South Thirteenth Streets. The funeral will be held at the residence of her son-in-law, M. S. Brobech, 9210 Jane St., tomorrow afternoon at 2 o'clock.

2012 Stephen of the Mayflower -- DEATH, PICTURES, SOURCES

ssbosco2 — 2012-04-22 16:59:02Z

See Stephen's BIRTH AND PARENTS post here: http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.hopkins/5435/mb.ashx

See Stephen's MARRIAGES, WIVES AND CHILDREN post here: http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.hopkins/5437/mb.ashx

I hope everyone will read this critically and contribute any documented information that may clarify or disprove what I wrote.

**DATE OF DEATH VS. DATE OF DEATH PROCEEDINGS**
Will, Inventory, Probate dates

We do NOT know the exact date of his death. We do know the dates of the three estate proceedings.

In 1900 The Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants published at
http://preview.tinyurl.com/6m3tz2s that he died between 6 Jun 1644 (the date he signed his will) and 17 July 1644 (when the inventory was taken by Miles Standish, Thomas Willet and John Doane) yet the Millennium File on Ancestry says he died 20 Aug 1644, which is when his will was entered for probate. The Millennium File is a database, not a historical record. It is wrong.

Note the surviving children named in the will seen at http://www.mayflowerfamilies.com/wills/stephen_hopkins_will..... Use the "Search This Site" button on that page to search for "Stephen1 Hopkins Family". It's a great page for beginners and "advanced/professionals" who just want to copy names and don't want to actually do any hard work like reading or research.

The death date range of 6 Jun-17 Jul 1644 has been PUBLISHED for over 100 years and yet today people are being offered "records" that show he died 20 Aug 1644. Can someone explain that to us, please?

**PHOTOGRAPHS, PORTRAITS, SKETCHES**

Someone once wrote to me and asked if I had any photographs of Stephen of the Mayflower. Sorry, no, I don't. Kodak hadn't come to Massachusetts yet. There are no portraits or sketches either. There are depictions on book covers and drawings of meetings with Indians and paintings of what someone thought he might have looked like. No one had their easels and paintbrushes at the ready when anyone stepped ashore.

Some people saved a picture of a man in Elizabethan/Tudor-style clothing, or anything that looked like a third grade stereotypical Pilgrim costume, to REPRESENT the men of the day. Others apparently thought it was the real Stephen because on a thousand family trees they were copied and labeled as the Pilgrim Stephen Hopkins.

The pictures that are NOT Stephen Hopkins of the Mayflower include:
1. The portrait of the seated man in a gold vest;
2. The sketch of the same man (in a short hat with a wide brim) with or without a signature below;
3. The portrait of a man in a fancy coat with big buttons and his little neckerchief
pulled out between the buttons of his vest;
4. The man with shoulder-length dark hair and moustache, wearing a
plain dark shirt/coat with a round flat white collar.
5. A cartoon pen and ink character with no face in a gold vest and a sword.

1. The portrait of the seated man in a gold vest with a large brick-and-mortar building in the background is supposed to be a likeness of a different Stephen Hopkins (1707-1785) born in Rhode Island. That Stephen Hopkins was Colonial Governor of Rhode Island and signed the Declaration of Independence as delegate from Rhode Island. The building in the background is (now) Brown University in Rhode Island where he was the first chancellor. The Pilgrims didn't have big brick-and-mortar buildings in Plymouth in the early 1600s. His mother is the Ruth Wilkinson that over 1,000 trees say married Stephen of the Mayflower a hundred years before. While it's believed that that Stephen from Rhode Island never sat for the portrait either, the artist hired by Brown University used the likeness of a man whom they thought was Hopkins in a painting by John Trumbell depicting the signing of the Declaration of Independence. See all the details here: http://www.gaspee.org/StephenHopkins.htm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hopkins_(politician). He is not related to Stephen of the Mayflower.

2. Nor is it Stephen of the Mayflower in the sketch of the same man (in a short hat with a wide brim) with or without a signature below. He's the Stephen Hopkins from Rhode Island again. If it has a signature that's the signature from the Declaration of Independence, not from the Mayflower Compact. http://tinyurl.com/7jhyg2m He is not related to Stephen of the Mayflower.

3. Nor is it Stephen in the portrait of a man in a fancy coat with buttons and his little neckerchief pulled out between the buttons of his vest. That's Esek Hopkins (1718-1802) of Rhode Island, brother of Stephen from Rhode Island, as seen here again www.gaspee.org/StephenHopkins.htm. "Esek Hopkins later went on to become the first commanding officer of the infant U.S. Navy." He is not related to Stephen of the Mayflower.

4. Nor is it Stephen in the picture (portrait or sketch?) of a man with shoulder-length dark hair and moustache, wearing a plain shirt/coat with a round flat white collar. Some people are using that picture http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=12... for William Bradford of the Mayflower though other "pictures" of him represent a totally different person (but they both have pointy beards). He is not related to Stephen of the Mayflower.

5. No explanation necessary

Also, some people have a substantial two-story brick house on a hill in their tree, listing it as Stephen of the Mayflower's home. That belonged to Stephen from Rhode Island again.

**SOURCES**
Historical Documentation vs. a Database/Index vs. Someone Else's Family Tree.

Where does YOUR information come from?

Why are almost all the CURRENT TREES that are being built on WorldConnect and AncestryTrees getting the WRONG information about Stephen Hopkins of the Mayflower since everyone supposedly is doing as instructed and saving "Records" as source citations? Because what they are copying aren't historical records. They are copying hits from databases, lists or indexes. There is nothing wrong with any of those as long as they are accurate, but the terms "hint," "record," "source citation" "fact" and "provides evidence" are being used very loosely these days. Depositories for submittals of family trees are NOT historical records.

The old Ancestral Files and Pedigree Resource Files and the newer OneWorldTree, the entire Family Data Collections Series (-Individual, -Births, -Marriages, -Deaths), U.S. and International Marriage Records 1560-1900, the profiles from "Profiles and Historical Records", Passenger and Immigration Lists Index 1500s-1900s, and the Millennium File are databases, NOT historical records. Unless you look at the original document (or a copy of it), you have no idea really what has been indexed, if it’s correct, or if it is even an index of a valid historical or evidentiary record or just an index of an index or database.

These databases/collections were "extracted" or "gathered" (grabbed) by computer sweeps from various submitted family group sheets and trees made by people who often didn't know what they were doing. The computer never took a history class and doesn't care. Some of them have Stephen and Elizabeth Fisher and Giles Hopkins' wife being born in Massachusetts all before the Pilgrims came.

Some of these databases were even compiled AFTER burial and probate records for Stephen's wife, Mary, and the three Hampshire baptism records for the children were found in 1998. That is also why there are SIX DIFFERENT "U.S. and International Marriage Records" for Stephen and the mythical Constance Dudley. None of them is true. They all have different birth and marriage dates. People made them up.

The ABGI (the I stands for INDEX) is often iffy because so many of them refer to family books or county histories with errors that have been around since the book was printed. The Index is only as valid as the sources it copied from back in the old days. The Index doesn't tell us what the book or family tree says so using it as a source is meaningless unless you obtain a copy. All you're doing is saying his name appears in the book. Big deal.

Some tree owners, instead of updating and overwriting an old file, simply add an additional tree when they update (full of the same mistakes from their previous twelve trees). One of these trees is from an owner who struts that he has one of the largest trees on the internet. Yes, he does. Over 200,000 names but it has MULTIPLE pages for many people who don't even belong there (wrong spouses, mythical children born before/after parent etc.) but when you look inside you see they have multiple pages for the same person often with different dates and places--like they copied every variation from every other tree they ever found about this person. One of the multiple pages for Stephen has TEN (10) wives for Stephen and over EIGHTY (80) children some are which are even Stephen's.

** RESEARCH WARNINGS FOR GILES' WIFE, CATHERINE WHELDON**

If you're going after Giles Hopkins' wife, Catherine Wheldon, be careful. Her Millennium file has her born in Massachusetts for starters to the wrong mother. For EVERYTHING Wheldon you need to check out the Nottingham records found a few years ago by Jan and Jean, two cousins from America. One of them co-authored an article, "The Origins of Gabriel Whelden of Yarmouth and Malden, Massachusetts," in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society), 163:253-261, October 2009. A .pdf is here: http://jliptrap.us/gen/nehgr.pdf. See page two for listing of kids' baptism dates in Notthingham. The authors of this article objected to some of the editing and unauthorized additions to their work and wrote an additional piece the next year. Contact the authors for further information.

That article put a big damper on the fanciful fictional tales of Gabriel Wheldon and some of his family along with this Word document from 1938 www.murrah.com/gen/jacobus.doc that discusses/rebuts the Native American wife story. And it was written over sixty years before the cousins found Gabriel's wife, Jane, with him in Nottingham in 1637 and the baptisms of the known children in Parish Records. None of the children were born in Massachusetts.

Thanks.

Shirley

FURTHER READING:

1. "Mayflower Families Through Five Generations." Vol. 6. Third Edition. Family of Stephn Hopkins. John D. Austin, General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2001 (available at a big library and the BWO website)

2. A shortened Google Books entry for Johnson, Caleb, "Here Shall I Die Ashore" http://tinyurl.com/7jltvhs
He's the man who arranged for research in Hampshire that found baptisms of the three kids and Mary, the wife. These two TAG articles are in the appendix of the actual book (not on the abbreviated Google Books). Those are the articles with the detailed citations. All in one place.
-- Caleb Johnson, "The True Origins of Mayflower Passenger Stephen Hopkins," The American Genealogist, 73(1998):161-171.
-- Ernest M. Christensen, "The Probable Parentage of Stephen Hopkins of the Mayflower," The American Genealogist, 79(October 2004):241-249.

3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hopkins_(settler)
This is kept pretty current by people who like to see documentation (except they have an exact death date for Elizabeth Fisher when all we know as fact is that it was between 1639 and 1644).

2012 Stephen of the Mayflower -- MARRIAGES, WIVES, CHILDREN -- What is proved or disproved?

ssbosco2 — 2012-04-22 16:29:30Z

For reference see Stephen's BIRTH AND PARENTS post here: http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.hopkins/5435/mb.ashx

See Stephen's DEATH, PICTURES, SOURCES post here:
http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.hopkins/5439/mb.ashx

I hope everyone will read this critically and contribute any documented information that may clarify or disprove what I wrote.

Almost everything we knew of Stephen's early life and family was changed in 1998 when wife Mary was found in Hampshire, and again in 2004 when a baptism record for Stephen was found in Hampshire. But because "old facts" (which were never proven to begin with) are on the Internet and are currently being offered as records (beginners don't understand the difference and aren't being taught that a database is not a record) we now have over 14,000 AncestryTree hits that pop up when searched for a wife with last name Dudley.

One big problem that beginners face is the mountain of misinformation on other trees. Often they are told that trees are considered a source for information that provide evidence to use in their Facts Timeline. They are encouraged to save whatever they want from anyone's tree before they've learned to read censuses and find marriage records, birth records and death records.

I am not going into the lives of the children. I'm listing the names and dates of children who have some sort of documentation connecting them to Stephen.

Shirley

**MARRIAGES AND WIVES**

The Confirmed Wives:
1. Mary UNK
2. Elizabeth Fisher

The NON-wives:
1X. Constance Dudley (no record of her existence, much less marriage, children or death);
2X. Ruth Wilkinson (a real woman who married William Hopkinis; she's the mother of Stephen Hopkins from Rhode Island);
3X. Mary Merrick/Myrick (a real woman who married Stephen's grandson);
4X. Dorcas Bronson (a real woman who married a DIFFERENT Stephen Hopkins who is not related to the Mayflower).

**FIRST(?) WIFE -- MARY UNK**

Birth -- unknown (means we don't have a clue so any exact guess is not valid)
Marriage -- unknown (ditto--guessing not allowed)
Burial -- 9 May 1613, Hursley, Hampshire per county records
Children -- three known

Caleb Johnson's article in The American Genealogist 73:161-171 in 1998 tells how new information was found about this family in Hursley, Hampshire, England. They found:

-1- The burial record of Mary, wife (or listed as widow to expedite guardianship of the 3 children named in probate) of Stephen Hopkins (who was probably off in the New World at the time);

-2- Baptism records of the three children (Elizabeth, Constance and Giles) matching the names in the probate (shown in #1 below. Page 9 starts the saga of the search for Stephen and page 145 starts the saga of the mythical "Constance Dudley"); and;

-3- Mary's probate (it's in Appendix 1 of Caleb's biography of Stephen Hopkins).

We do not know Mary's maiden name. Caleb Johnson worked on that in the summer of 2011 and is narrowing it down.

Mary's burial record is transcribed on page 148: http://books.google.com/books?id=rCBON29ATpsC&pg=PA147&a...
[1613] Mary Hopkines the wife of Steeven Hopkines was buried the ix day of May

**SECOND WIFE -- ELIZABETH FISHER**

Birth -- unknown (means we don't have a clue so any exact guess is not valid)
Marriage -- 19 Feb 1617/18, St. Mary Matfellon, Whitechapel, Middlesex, England per parish record.
Death -- between 1639 and 1644 (repeat, exact date not known)
Children -- seven known

I read in a story in someone's tree that was copied out of a book by Haxtun from 1895 (a book that has most of the information wrong about the family). Haxtun's book said Elizabeth was a very domineering woman and didn't want Giles, the son of the first wife, to be the executor of Stephen's estate and pressured him because she wanted her son Caleb to be executor. That narrative neglected to mention that Elizabeth was already dead when Stephen wrote his will and wouldn't have had any say anyway. Giles and his wife were living in Yarmouth, not Plymouth--so who more logical than Caleb to be executor and to care for his sisters who were to live in the house in Plymouth until their marriage. The lesson is this: Beware of "narratives".

We don't know Elizabeth's exact death date.

**THE NON-WIVES**

1X.
Constance Dudley is a myth that won't die because she's on the Internet and is in so many databases that her hints keep popping up everywhere. There are currently 11,650 Ancestry Trees with a Constance Dudley married to a Stephen Hopkins. The number increases daily.

There are 14 U.S. and International Marriage Records on Ancestry indexed for a Constance Dudley to a Stephen Hopkins, none of which is documented. The marriage dates range from 1599 to 1605 because no one knew.

Years ago programmed computer sweeps went through submitted tress and family group sheets and counted up how many different people, places, dates, etc., there were, and the items that appeared most often became the thing that was made into a "fact." The results were compiled into a database named OneWorldTree--same thing later with the Millennium File database. That's why Constance Dudley is shown on so many trees. It's not that anyone EVER found one single historical record connecting her to Stephen of the Mayflower. It's that she was already on more trees than the real first wife who was not found until 1998. So she's a "fact" on the Internet and is current being offered in hints as the wife of Stephen and the mother of a whole slew of children who aren't hers (and often not even his).

Caleb Johnson says, "The origin of the Constance Dudley myth is harder to explain, since there has never been any evidence to support it." http://www.google.com/search?q=here+shall+johnson+%22constan... page 10, "The mythical wife Constance Dudley, and the brother William, and the whole cast of characters that had been developed around his supposed Gloucester origins, were simply wrong. The family history had to be rewritten." . . . Appendix I and II contain the full text of the original peer-reviewed The American Genealogist articles . . . These more academic treatments on the subject will be of particular interest to genealogists, and to those who may not yet be convinced of the illegitimacy of the Gloucester origins, the fictional "Constance Dudley," and the other biographical aspects once assigned to Stephen."

There is no Constance Mary or Mary Constance Dudley because people didn't have middle names back then. Those first and middle names for this woman started appearing after Mary was found in 1998.

There is no birth record for any Constance Dudley that anyone has found. We know there's no record of the birth in Middlesex from 1580 that people are quoting from Ancestry. Sometimes people source it as "Middlesex, England, Extracted Parish Records". Apparently those people believe that having a source to cite turns the information into a factual connection. That actual historical record turns out to be a court case in 1616 where Constance Dudley and five other women are accusing a man of beating a woman "so that within a week she was untimely delivered of a child." I found it on Google. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=82370. So much for this as historical evidence of a birth in Middlesex for Constance Dudley in 1580.

There is no marriage record for Constance Dudley and Stephen Hopkins on 9 May 1599 in London (or any other time or place). People have looked. No matter how many U.S. and International Marriage Records someone saves to their file (21 is the record for the most U. S and International Marriage Records I've seen sourced in one file) sheer volume doesn't make it so. Those are not historical records. They are hits on a database that was compiled by the computer sweep through submitted tress, family group sheets, etc. There was NEVER any documentation for her at all anywhere in connection with Stephen of the Mayflower.

Constance was suggested (read: made up) as Mayflower Stephen's first wife by at least 1927, the proof of that date being a mention about a long article in The Boston Transcript in 1928 that is supposed to disprove her (so says an article in the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society newsletter). http://preview.tinyurl.com/6pxbxao. I have managed to extract about a page of text from that article in bits and pieces, and while I can't find the date it was written, the author was still on the old Wortley/Wotton track for Stephen but mentioned The Boston Transcript article with no further reference to Constance.

" . . . 'many old references have given as his first wife Constance Dudley; but a long article in the Boston Transcript of 1928 disproves this.' Neither the Christian nor the surname occur in Wortley, and the surname apparently not even in the county . . . ."

At the DAR Library in Washington DC in Feb 2012 I got a copy of the 27 Jun 1928 article. While it doesn't "DIS"prove Contance it does state the known--there are NO records for her anywhere, any time, any thing. She is a non-person who was invented by a very careless person and regurgitated by beginners. The author of the article says, " . . . Stephen Hopkins did not marry Constance Dudley "before 1605" or at any other time and I defy anybody to set forth the proof of it. . . .Genealogy given without a scintilla of evidence renders a disservice to hundreds of people who think a thing in print is next to holy writ in accuracy and if repeated sufficiently often will become a fixed fact. It would be interesting to know who first started the Constance Dudley legend. I have my suspicions as to its origin. The absurdity of the Hartford Times article is shown in almost every allegation, particularly the one that gives the mythical Stephen Hopkins born about 1495 as "Rector of Norfolk." As Norfolk is a county such an office did not and could not exist. A Rector had juristiction over a parish only. . . ."

I've always wondered how she got listed in so many trees as the daughter of Robert Dudley and Anne Wood from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland. Does anyone have documentation of their even having a daughter by that name? I can find no complete list of their children. Some trees even have Robert Dudley dying in Hursley, Hampshire.

2X.
Ruth Wilkinson was not Stephen's wife. One reason we know this is because she was born about a hundred years after Stephen of the Mayflower. She was born around 1685 in Rhode Island (not 1585 as shown on an LDS IGI file submitted Dec 2009 which has her dying on the date confirmed wife Mary was buried in Hampshire). The real Ruth married a William Hopkins in Rhode Island. She is the mother of a different Stephen Hopkins (1707-1785) born in Rhode Island -- www.gaspee.org/StephenHopkins.htm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hopkins_(politician) -- who was Colonial Governor of Rhode Island, who was first chancellor of (now) Brown University in Rhode Island, and who signed the Declaration of Independence -- http://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com/declaration-of-i... -- as a delegate from Rhode Island. His Find-a-grave submittal (real cemetery in Rhode Island, not virtual cemetery) at http://preview.tinyurl.com/7ku2td7. All the formal portraits that people have been copying of the seated man in the gold vest is supposed to be a likeness of Stephen Hopkins of Rhode Island. He is NOT the grandson of Stephen of the Mayflower and no one has proven any connection back to England.

3X.
Mary Merrick/Myrick was not Stephen's wife. She was born around 1650, after Stephen died. She married his GRANDSON, Stephen Hopkins, son of Giles Hopkins and Catherine Wheldon.

4X.
Dorcas Bronson was not this Stephen's wife. She was baptized in late 1633 (eleven years before Mayflower Stephen died). She married a different Stephen Hopkins in Connecticut who was no relation to the Mayflower.

**CHILDREN**

Probably with Mary:
1. Elizabeth -- baptized 13 March 1604/05. Mentioned in Mary's estate from 1613. Never seen again.
2. Constance -- baptized 11 May 1606. Mar: Nicolas Snow. Died mid-October 1677
3. Giles -- baptized 30 January 1607/08. Mar: Catherine Whelden (xref Wheldon). Died between 5 March 1688/9 and 16 April 1690

With second wife Elizabeth Fisher:
4. Damaris -- Born about 1619. Died before 1627
5. Oceanus -- Born onboard the Mayflower fall 1620. Died before 1627 and possibly before 1623.
6. Caleb -- Born abt 1623. Died in Barbados before spring 1651.
7. Deborah -- Born abt 1626. Mar: Andrew Ring. Death unknown.
8. Damaris (again) -- Born abt 1628. Marr: Jacob Cooke. Death unknown.
9. Ruth -- Born abt 1630. Died bet 1644-1651.
10. Elizabeth -- Born abt 1632. She was not in Plymouth by 1659. Death unknown.

There are no historical records (and often proof against) that even hint at his being the father of
--Bethia (Wm Kelsey's wife is never named in records)
--William
--Stephen
--John (ESPECIALLY the one from Hartford. No proof of Strong for last name of wife)
--Mark
--Poole
--Bartholemew or
--Mary.

He didn't have any children 17 years before he was born (as currently shown on about 2,000 Trees) or after he died.

There are over 1,000 Ancestry Trees that have an assortment of children (claimed to be his and Constance Dudley's no less) shown born in Gloucestershire, Wales, India, Ireland, Netherlands, France, Germany, Connecticut, Indiana or Arkansas.

None of his real children died in North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Mississippi or any of the countries listed above.

FURTHER READING:

1. "Mayflower Families Through Five Generations." Vol. 6. Third Edition. Family of Stephn Hopkins. John D. Austin, General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2001 (available at a big library and the BWO website)

2. A shortened Google Books entry for Johnson, Caleb, "Here Shall I Die Ashore" http://preview.tinyurl.com/7w8ffzd
He's the man who tracked down the baptisms of the three kids and Mary the wife in Hampshire. These two TAG articles are in the appendix of the actual book (not on the abbreviated Google Books). Those are the articles with the detailed citations. All in one place.
-- Caleb Johnson, "The True Origins of Mayflower Passenger Stephen Hopkins," The American Genealogist, 73(1998):161-171.
-- Ernest M. Christensen, "The Probable Parentage of Stephen Hopkins of the Mayflower," The American Genealogist, 79(October 2004):241-249.

3. Wikipedia http://preview.tinyurl.com/74rzjhg
This is kept pretty current by people who like to see documentation (except they have an exact death date for Elizabeth Fisher.)

Re: 2012 Stephen of the Mayflower -- Anyone have Austin from 2001?

ssbosco2 — 2012-04-22 16:25:00Z

Hi J:

Thanks for the link to Austin's book. He's one of the highly-respected authorities that Caleb Johnson references.

Since it was published in 1995 it wouldn't have the baptism records for the kids found in 1998 or the 2004 finds for his parents and his baptism but would be great for subsequent generations.

There's a Third Edition shown on your BWO list from 2001 which might have the 1998 finds which I hope someone will look up and report back to us.

We're still looking for anyone who has any evidence of anything else we've missed.

Thanks.

Shirley

Re: 2012 Stephen of the Mayflower -- Publication lookups

jasche — 2012-04-22 12:33:16Z

I came across this and thought I would post in the event that it will be of benefit.

"Mayflower Families Through Five Generations." Vol. 6. Family of Stephn Hopkins. John D. Austin, General Soc. of Mayflower Descendants, 1995.

Look ups are available on Books we Own

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bwo/mayflower.html

Click on the links under the initials of the book owners.

Re: Mary HOPKINS Wedlock, Scranton, PA < family from Co Mayo, Ireland

kwyatt75 — 2012-04-19 02:27:14Z

Hi, Nora. My apologies for the late reply. It got buried among emails regarding my grandfather's side of the family.

I was able to determine that my great-grandfather and both of his wives were born in Ireland and came over to America. I haven't pinpointed the specific dates yet. He was first married to Mary Sweeney, and that is when my grandmother and my great-uncle Francis were born. Mary Sweeney passed in 1920, and he remarried Beatrice Grimes and they had 3 children, John Joseph, Paul, and Anne.

I was also able to determine that John James Hopkins (my great-grandfather)'s parents were Patrick Hopkins and Celia O'Boyle.

That is where I'm halted right now. I am trying to determine when/how Paul died. Every reference I find from other relatives passing and such refer to him as already being passed. And I'm trying to see how much further I can trace back Mary Sweeney and Patrick and Celia.

Re: HOPKINS of Augusta, Georgia -- Seymour P. Hopkins m. Mrs. Mahala Byrd 1835

donaldmccarty_1 — 2012-04-17 01:21:27Z

Annie,

Margaret Byrd married Michael J. McCarty in Edgefield District of SC. They had for sure the following children: Sampson, Elizabeth, and George McCarty. There is an indication that a couple more child may exist, but I won't say here in this post. I would rather keep my speculation of line, I don't mind sharing thoughts and research. Michael J. McCarty was killed in an Indian War about 1818 to 1825, based on the Georgia Land Lottery records for land received by his widow Margaret Byrd McCarty and his orphans named above. Sampson McCarty and Elizabeth Byrd married as we have discussed in 1837 in Richmond County. Later, Sampson and Elizabeth McCarty are found in the 1850 Census in Burke County Georgia, where Sampson is listed as an overseer of a plantation. Based on my research, that plantation is known as the Bellvue Plantation today. In 1858, Sampson and Elizabeth McCarty left Burke County and moved to Carroll County, Georgia, to homestead the land that the orphans of Michael J. McCarty drew in the 1827 land lottery. Meanwhile, Margaret McCarty and the other two children, Elizabeth and George McCarty stayed in Augusta, Georgia. They are buried in the Magnolia Cemetary in Augusta, Georgia.

While I have having difficulty in putting these Byrd females together with their parents and sibling, I would certainly appreciate partnering with you and others and maybe we could close the gap in these family relationships sooner than later. This has been nearly a 30 year journey for me with small pieces at a time.

My direct e-mail address is donald_mccarty@bellsouth.net.

Thanks!
Don McCarty