Hopkins Family Tree

My direct ancestor is ARCHIBALD HOPKINS and his name will be in all caps throughout this summary. All direct descendants from ARCHIBALD down to my father will also be in all caps, so you can see the connection and all the surnames mentioned will be in a different color for ease of viewing.

The earliest, ARCHIBALD, mentions his father and mother and step-mother, but never names them; so, we will mention them, but cannot name them. They are a large part of this story. (It is said Archibald's parents had emigrated to Ireland from Scotland. They were called "Scotch-Irish.") Unfortunately, I, Jacque, have not been able to pinpoint their entry into the United States during the time-frame of 1745-1748. I have not found a ship's passenger list, nor where they could have taken the oath of allegiance.

ARCHIBALD was born in Northern Ireland in about 1736. For several years before he was born, Ireland had been in turmoil. In 1698 the English manufacturers demanded a series of repressive acts. The woolen industry was destroyed and the Irish looms were closed.

Added to this, in 1704 the Test Act was passed for Ireland. It was most rigorously enforced against the Protestants and ARCHIBALD's family were staunch Presbyterians, considered to be nonconformists because they were Protestant. Under this act, Protestants were forbidden to keep schools of any character and marriages by their ministers were declared invalid. The children of these marriages were bastardized by the law and men were persecuted for living with their wives. The dead were denied burial in their ancestral churchyards.

By 1736, a full scale emigration to the new land of America was underway. The desire for freedom was a flame which wouldn't be extinguished and there was a long waiting line for the few ships which could carry them to their dream.

ARCHIBALD's mother died before they could leave Ireland and his father married again. Finally, they found passage to America, the father and his three sons, John, William and ARCHIBALD, with their new step-mother. It is not mentioned if there were any other children. We believe they went first to Albany, N. Y., then to Baltimore, MD.

The boys didn't get along well with their new step-mother and, as time went on, the relationship grew in tension. It finally came to a head and the three boys left home, breaking all ties with their father and his new wife. The year was 1748 and William was 20, John was 16, and ARCHIBALD was 12.

They heard of land being opened up for settlement in a far away place called Virginia, and even though there were no roads and few people, they made their way on foot to what is now Greenbriar County, Wes Virginia. They picked their land, built a crude cabin, and settled down for whatever their new life had to offer. It didn't take too long to find out what their new life offered. The Indian raids soon began. For a while they held their ground and fought for what was theirs, but being greatly outnumbered, they soon retreated to the comparative safety of another place called Shenandoah Valley, in what was then still part of Augusta County but today is Rockingham County, VA.

They soon met and befriended Ephraim LOVE, who had recently come to Virginia from Pennsylvania with his two sisters, Ann and JENNET. In September 1749, William HOPKINS and Ephraim LOVE purchased land in partnership on Muddy Creek. Shortly afterwards William married Ann LOVE.

There is a schedule in the seventh volume of Hening's Statutes which appends an Act passed in September 1758 giving the names of soldiers in the French and Indian War to whom pay was due. Among those listed were ARCHIBALD and John HOPKINS and Capt. Ephraim LOVE.

The three HOPKINS brothers combined their efforts and built a flour mill. When the Revolutionary War started, John went to fight. William and ARCHIBALD ran the mill and furnished supplies to the troops. In the Rockingham County records for March 25, 1782, is a list of goods furnished to the United States and the militia by ARCHIBALD HOPKINS.

WILLIAM H. HOPKINS, one of ARCHIBALD and JENNET's five children and my direct ancestor, was born January 17, 1777. He married ANN RALSTON in 1805 and, before her death in 1812, she bore him three children.

The second child of this union was JOHN HINTON HOPKINS, born March 24, 1809. In 1842 JOHN married ELIZABETH MARGARET COFFMAN. When the Civil War started, Rockingham County was caught up in it. In September 1861 a soldiers aid society was organized with ELIZABETH HOPKINS one of its charter members.

JOHN HINTON HOPKINS served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1862 to 1863 and attained the rank of Colonel in the confederate Army before the war ended in 1865. One of JOHN AND ELIZABETH's children died from hardships suffered as a prisoner of war in a Yankee prison.

The sixth of JOHN and ELIZABETH's ten children was THOMAS WALLACE HOPKINS. He was born August 25, 1852. When THOMAS was 40 years old he was still unmarried, his parents were dead, the family home had been sold, and only one sister was still alive -- and she had married and moved away. One of his friends had been out west, in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) and had opened a trading post. This friend returned to Virginia for a visit and talked THOMAS into accompanying him to Oklahoma.

"W. C." YORK had come to Oklahoma in 1875, from Missouri. His sister, MISSOURI YORK, had come to live with him and his wife after their parent's deaths. There in Oklahoma, she met and married EDWARD WARD. They had a daughter, NOVA, and shortly after her birth, MISSOURI & EDWARD died. W. C. was raising NOVA. There is a hint that Edward may have been married before, but I have yet to find the proof. To see the family information on EDWARD's line, click on WARD. To see MISSOURI's line, click on YORK.

When THOMAS saw NOVA it was love at first sight, even if she was only 16 years old, and they were married in June 1894. They opened a hotel in south-eastern Oklahoma, near Idabel or Garvin. NOVA was a born musician, playing all instruments without ever having had a lesson. For several years she played piano and organ for silent movies, and played guitar for local dances. She was an excellent horsewoman but always rode side-saddle. She even rode bareback side-saddle because, "Ladies never ride a-straddle," she said. NOVA died in 1919, cause of death -- poison. It was from an overdose of an acetanilid compound (a common component of various medications for headache, neuralgia, etc. and can be toxic in large doses). She had bad teeth and they caused her considerable pain. THOMAS died in 1930.

I have a copy of NOVA's death certificate and her Choctaw Roll card. She was, according to this roll, 1/16 Choctaw Indian. THOMAS received a roll # because he was an intermarried white. I also have Thomas enrollment packet into the Choctaw Tribe.

The second of THOMAS and NOVA's nine children was WALLACE CLEMONS HOPKINS. He was born September 14, 1898 in Atoka, Oklahoma. He married WINNIE BEATRICE HOLLEY, born April 16, 1900 in Paraloma, Sevier County, Arkansas. She is the daughter of WILLIAM HENRY HOLLEY and NETTIE MATHEWS. WALLACE died May 30, 1969 at the Sulphur VA Hospital in Oklahoma and is buried at the Waterhole Cemetery at Garvin, McCurtain County, OK. He was a corporal in the US Marine Corp, WW1. While WINNIE taught school, WALLACE was a stay-at-home dad (a modern Mr. Mom) who did the cooking, etc. WINNIE died September 1975 and is also buried at the Waterhole Cemetery at Garvin.

The second oldest child of WALLACE & WINNIE is my father, STEPHEN HOLLEY HOPKINS, Sr. born September 10, 1933 in Garvin, OK. He met my mother, PEGGY LOU CHATHAM, when her father, COY ADIS CHATHAM -- Baptist Minister, ordered her to be a chaperon on a date between my father and my mother's twin sister, Betty Sue CHATHAM. I guess he really liked my mother the best and I'm glad for that. PEGGY was born February 18, 1936 in Smithville, OK.

These graphics were done by an artist and are the property of the artist. They are not for the taking. If you wish to use them on your web pages, click on the above graphic to view her web pages of beautiful art and then you must contact the artist - Carla if you wish to use any them.

I would appreciate if you would keep in mind, while visiting this web site and others, that the information found within each page is not to be copied in any manner, or used for profit or public use. The information on this page is the property of the webmistress.