Stephen Hopkins

 

AMERICA THE GREAT MELTING POT

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Direct descendant is highlighted in red

Stephen Hopkins    
                                                              see FAMILY TREE
 Born: 1578 Probably Hampshire, England

 Married:
1st to Mary 09 May 1599 London, England

2nd to Elizabeth Fisher

 Died: Between 06 Jun and 17 Jul 1644 Plymouth, Plymouth, MA    

WIFE

Mary

Elizabeth Fisher

CHILDREN with Mary

1. Elizabeth Hopkins

2. Constance Hopkins

3. Giles Hopkins

CHILDREN with Elizabeth Fisher

1. Damaris Hopkins

2. Oceanus Hopkins (born onboard Mayflower)

3. Caleb Hopkins

4. Deborah Hopkins

5. Ruth Hopkins

6. Elizabeth Hopkins

According to Caleb Johnson, Stephen Hopkins NEVER married Constance Dudley and was not from Wortley, Wooten-under-edge, Gloucester.

He was born about 1578 probably in Hampshire, England and he died between June 6 and July 17, 1644. He married Mary. She died on May 9, 1613 and is buried in the parish of Hursley.

On July 25, 1609 nine ships left for America. Stephen was on the Sea Venture going to Jamestown, but the party was shipwrecked for nine months on Bermuda. He lead an uprising-mutiny and was charged with treason but begged for pardon and got it. He and some others built a ship from the remains of the larger ship and went to Jamestown where he lived for two years and learned much which was of later use to the Plymouth colonists. Out of the 500 colonists alive in the fall of 1609, only 60 remained in the spring. Stephen went back to England sometime between 1613 and 1617.

In 1620 he sailed on the Mayflower with his second wife, Elizabeth, his children by Mary - Giles and Constance, and also Damaris, his child by Elizabeth. Elizabeth gave birth to Oceanus on the Mayflower. There were two servants traveling with him, Edward Doty and Edward Leister. Damaris died during the early years as did Oceanus. Stephen Hopkins and Elizabeth later had another daughter which they named Damaris.

He was probably also one of the dissenters at Plymouth whose actions led to the necessity for drafting the Mayflower Compact. Stephen and Mr Edward were sent on a mission by the colonists to visit Massasoit. Hopkins warned the colonists on an early expedition about an Indian trap to catch deer, but Bradford, not hearing the warning, stepped on the trap and was immediately caught by his leg. When Samoset first came to the settlement on 16 February 1620, the Englishmen were suspicious of him, and they "lodged him that night at Stephen Hopkin's house, and watched him." Hopkins was an Assistant at least as early as 1633, and he continued in 1634, 1635, and 1636. He was on the original freeman list, and he was a volunteer in the Pequot War.

According to www.mayflowerfamilies.com  "Keeping in mind the delicate balance in Plymouth between 'covenant' and 'noncovenant' colonists, it is reasonable to assume that Hopkins must have been a leader of the non-Separatist settlers, and in his career at Plymouth can be seen some of the ambiguity that attached to the non-Separtists living in a Separtist colony. On June 7, 1636, at a time when Hopkins was an Assistant, the General Court found him guilty of battery against John Tisdale, and he was fined 5 pounds, and ordered to pay Tisdale forty shillings, the court observing that he had broken the King's peace 'wch he ought after a speciall manner to have kept'. One 2 October 1637 he was presented twice, first for suffering men to drink in his house on the Lord's day before meeting ended, and for allowing servants and others to drink more than proper for ordinary refreshing, and second for suffering servants and others to sit drinking in his house contrary to orders of the court, and to play at shovel board and like misdemeanors. On 2 January 1637 Hopkins was presented for suffering excessive drinking in his house 'as old Palmer, James Coale, and William Renolds'. On 5 June 1638 he was presented for selling beer for two pence a quart which was not worth a penny a quart, and for selling wine at excessive rate 'to the oppressing and impovishing of the colony'; he was fined 5 pounds for some of these offenses, including selling strong waters and nutmegs at excessive rates. In the Dorothy Temple case he was 'committed to ward for his contempt to the Court, and shall so remayne comitted untill hee shall either receive his servant Dorothy Temple, or els pvide for her elsewhere at his owne charge during the terme shee hath yet to serve him'. On 3 December 1639 he was presented for selling a looking glass for sixteen pence which could be bought in the Bay Colony for nine pence, and he was also fined 3 pounds for selling strong water without license."

Two servants of Stephen Hopkins got into a fight with swords and daggers. It was decided that there were not enough remaining men and that no one had the right to risk his life in a fight. The two were to be punished by tying their head to their feet for a whole day with nothing to eat. After an hour the two men were crying to be released. Stephen Hopkins asked the Governor to let them go and they were released.

Caleb Johnson, a renowned genealogist, and www.mayflowerfamilies.com  both concur that there is not enough evidence to link Stephen Hopkins with Gloucestershire, England. Therefore all ancestors from this point backward are questionable.