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Gc 974.8 C71j v.4,pt.1 1620775
M. L.
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02143 8186
Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania
Genealogical and Personal Memoirs
EDITOR WILFRED JORDAN
Former Curator of Independence Hall Philadelphia
*
NEW SERIES
VOLUME IV 1. 4, pt.1 *
LEWIS HISTORICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC.
NEW YORK
1932
Copyright LEWIS HISTORICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC. NEW YORK 1932
162077 5
COLONIAL AND REVOLUTIONARY FAMILIES OF PENNSYLVANIA
C. & R. 1-1
SEMPER
PARATUS
Hopkinson
hopkinson
ir Hoplosos & aa L
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lo: famil 1 le Bor l bs cl and it
ible thar tex
w. w v.hon worther - 1 rh
James
lei1 Rank of Yor shire ydet S
Chin Jul- 1045. The Mi bright sos to stubrod is aslirg Anne, petition I the magicil lạt 1.
is i .sisb vlims'T)
Th WAR MAPRISION, Son of Janssenud Ser Hopingo, was Som He ended in the parts of St Clave jeg, and manved d . pas. au spicary. On Deumber in, 1055 porque to be allowed to crow's for the army and thep & r.cr! \ in 1 00-
a. M. thew, of whom lunchen
ITHE JOPLIN N sop of Th mas al Alic H. A co. V. S in lather ma'e !is with the life and sand ino cuir He made AF G.st Ma Iborough Streep porisof - Mmm, We tenter the Pathic o Maio deels samt ber de late trans- Ta - Ated October 1 -. Coo Ho Pen . Sas the of schwer Ic del kanter 6, 1710, wies his will ws lerle . Chillien. 1
i'm about 1678, alim a er venir . en pati t &t Times, 1 st July 20. 1720, and proved 10 :1. 14 12 1 . and
C.
HOPKINSON.
Arms-Azure, on a chevron argent, between three estoiles or, as many lozenges gules a bordure of the third. Crest-A demi-lion rampant 'sable armed and incensed gules.
Motto-Semper paratus. ( Family, data. )
(Burke: "General Armory.")
SEMPRE
hopkinson
hopkinson
Hopkinson, or Hopkynson, is an English surname and was applied originally to designate the son of Hopkin, or Hopkyn's son. Hopkins, or Hopkyns, in turn was derived from Robert through the nickname Hob, plus the diminutive kin. A family of Hopkynson, or Hopkinson, as it was later spelled, resided at Kirming- ton in the extreme north of Lincolnshire. The earliest representative of whom there is definite record was John Hopkynson, who was born about 1420. A sec- ond John Hopkynson, possibly the son of the earlier one, was born in 1440, and in 1505 was proved the will of a George Hopkynson, who had also resided in Kirm- ington. The family is still found in Lincolnshire, chiefly in Boston, Mablethorp, Alford, Burton-Coggles and Castle-Bythan. Many members of the Lincolnshire branch of the family later disappeared, however, from the local records and it seems plausible that they may possibly have removed to London, where James Hopkinson, of whom further, was born.
(Lower: "Patronymica Britannica." G. E. Hastings: "Life and Works of Francis Hopkinson," pp. 3-5.)
(I) JAMES HOPKINSON was born about 1600. He was wagonmaster general for the Northern Association and took part in the capture of Pontefract Castle in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and of Scarborough Castle by the forces of the Commonwealth in July, 1645. He died prior to April 29, 1658, for on that date his widow, Anne, petitioned the council for money due her late husband. On April II, 1660, she received £10. Among his children was Thomas, of whom further.
-7 :
(G. E. Hastings : "Life and Works of Francis Hopkinson," p. 607:)
(II) THOMAS HOPKINSON, son of James and Anne Hopkinson, was born about 1630. He resided in the parish of St. Olave, Jewry, and followed the pro- fession of an apothecary. On December 18, 1650, he petitioned to be allowed to furnish medicaments for the army and there is record of warrants issued during the next three years for various sums due him. He died in 1679 and was buried in the Poplar Chapel. Thomas Hopkinson married Alice and they were the par- ents of a son, Matthew, of whom further.
(G. E. Hastings: "Life and Works of Francis Hopkinson," pp. 7-8.)
(III) MATTHEW HOPKINSON, son of Thomas and Alice Hopkinson, was under age when his father made his will in 1665 and named him heir. He resided on the north side of Great Marlborough Street, parish of St. James, Westminster, and also owned a house in the Barbicon. Many deeds record his real estate trans- actions, the last being dated October 17, 1709. His business was that of scrivener. He died prior to December 6, 1710, when his will was recorded. Children:
I. Matthew, Jr., born about 1678, also a scrivener in the parish of St. James, Westmin- ster; will dated July 20, 1720, and proved in 1723, divided his property among his cousins and his nephew, Thomas; there is record of his having four children and
4
HOPKINSON
it is therefore supposed that they died young. He was buried in Paddington Churchyard.
2. Isaac.
3. Thomas, of whom further.
(G. E. Hastings : "Life and Works of Francis Hopkinson," pp. 8-9.)
(IV) THOMAS HOPKINSON, son of Matthew Hopkinson, resided in St. Anne Parish. According to family tradition, he was a merchant, but there is no record in the Guild Hall or other London libraries of a merchant of that name in the city. It is certain that he was a scrivener and engaged in many land transactions. He married, in St. James' Parish, Westminster, May 6, 1708, Mary Nicholls. They had a son :
J. Thomas, Jr., of whom further.
(Ibid.)
(The Family in America).
(I) THOMAS HOPKINSON, JR., son of Thomas and Mary ( Nicholls ) Hopkin- son, and founder of the Philadelphia family of Hopkinson, was born April 6, 1709. He is regarded as identical with the Thomas Hopkinson recorded in St. James' Parish, because the latter was baptized April 10, 1709, and because there is a record of his son, Francis Hopkinson, visiting the grave of his great-uncle, Matthew Hopkinson, in Paddington Churchyard. There is no record of Matthew Hopkinson having another nephew, Thomas.
According to family tradition, Thomas Hopkinson attended Oxford Univer- sity, and later appeared in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where his attendance at the first meeting of the Library Company, November 8, 1731, was recorded. The following spring he was appointed purchaser of books for this library, in which Benjamin Franklin was deeply interested. His rise in the legal profession was rapid. For several years after his arrival in America he was agent for a number of London firms. On October 6, 1741, he was elected a member of the Common Council of Philadelphia. On January 17, 1744, he succeeded Andrew Hamilton as Judge of Vice-Admiralty for the Province of Pennsylvania, which office he held until his death. Thomas Hopkinson was commissioned prothonotary of the court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia, November 24, 1748, and on June 30, of the following year, became a justice of that body as well as of the Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace, and the Orphans' Court. His last important political appointment was on the commission to settle the boundary dispute between Pennsylvania and Maryland in 1750. He was associated with Benjamin Franklin in many intellectual activities. In 1743, Franklin established an organization called the American Philosophical Society, of which Thomas Hopkinson was first presi- dent. He was a member of St. John's Lodge, of Philadelphia, which is regarded as the first Masonic lodge in America.
Thomas Hopkinson died November 5, 1751. His will was dated April II, 175I, and proved November 21 of that year. He married, at Christ Church, Philadelphia, September 9, 1736, Mary Johnson, niece of the Bishop of Worcester. (Johnson-American Line-II.) Among their children was Francis, of whom further.
(C. P. Keith: "Provincial Councillors of Pennsylvania," p. 266. G. E. Hastings: "Life and Works of Francis Hopkinson," p. 27.)
Thomas Hopkinson
Francis Hopkinson
5
HOPKINSON
(II) JUDGE FRANCIS HOPKINSON, son of Thomas and Mary (Johnson) Hop- kinson, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 21, 1737, and died May 9, 1791. He attended the College of Philadelphia, which later became the University of Pennsylvania. He was secretary of a conference between the chiefs of several Indian nations and representatives of the Pennsylvania Colonial Government held on the banks of the Lehigh River in 1761, about which he wrote the poem "The Treaty." In May, 1766, he sailed for England. After stopping in Londonderry and Dublin, Ireland, he reached London late in July and soon after his arrival visited his mother's uncle, James Johnson, Bishop of Worcester, at Hartlebury Castle. He returned home in October of the following year con- vinced that he could advance in life only by making a career for himself without depending on patronage and soon opened a retail store in Philadelphia. From 1769 to 1773, he was vestryman of Christ Church and warden in 1770. On May I, 1772, he received a commission as collector of customs for the port of New Castle. He removed to Bordentown, New Jersey, late in 1773, since he had mar- ried Anne Borden, a representative of a prominent family there. His home in Bor- dentown, known as the Hopkinson Mansion, which is still standing, was built in 1750 and remained in possession of the family until recently. On February 21, 1774, Governor Franklin, of New Jersey, appointed Francis Hopkinson justice of the peace of Burlington County, and in May of that year he was given a place on the Council. Although he had been admitted to the bar of Pennsylvania in 1761, there is no record of his practicing until after his removal to New Jersey. About this time trouble was developing in Boston between the colonies and the English government, and in September, 1774, Francis Hopkinson wrote a small book, entitled "A Pretty Story," which was an allegory relating these events in a semi-humorous manner. In 1774, Mr. Hopkinson protested against the policy displayed toward Boston and the following year he exhorted his fellow-countrymen to courage and faith in the struggle for liberty, and boldly declared himself for separation early in 1776. On June 21 of that year he was elected to the New Jersey delegation in the Continental Congress and, arriving shortly before the vote on independence was taken, he asked to hear the arguments. John Adams summed them up and with his colleagues Mr. Hopkinson signed the Declaration of Inde- pendence. On the day of his arrival he was appointed a member of the commis- sion to prepare a plan of confederation for the colonies. During the summer he served on other committees, including the Committee of Intelligence appointed to select and report authentic accounts of the state of the army and navy. In Septem- ber, he was appointed an associate judge of the Supreme Court of New Jersey, but declined on account of his other duties. On November 18, 1776, he was appointed one of the three commissioners on what was known as the Continental Navy Board, the other members being John Nixon and John Wharton. He was appointed, July 16, 1779, judge of the Court of Admiralty of Pennsylvania, and the following year he became a member of the High Court of Errors and Appeals. Francis Hopkinson had long been interested in heraldry and in 1776 he designed the State Seal of New Jersey. In 1782, he did similar work for the College of Philadelphia, and when that institution became the University of Pennsylvania, he designed a new one. He also designed several seals for the United States Govern- ment, including those for the Board of the Treasury and the Admiralty, as well as
6
HOPKINSON
the Great Seal of the government and several designs for continental currency. In presenting a bill for this he mentions the design of a flag of the United States, which in later correspondence he calls the great naval flag. The resolution of Congress, dated July 14, 1777, that the flag of the United States should be "thir- teen stripes, alternate red and white," with "thirteen stars, white in a blue field," is preceded by two and followed by three resolutions reported by the Marine Com- mittee. Mr. Hopkinson was at that time chairman of the Navy Board. Although his attempts to have the bill paid were blocked by the Board of the Treasury through technicalities, they did not deny that he had made the devices listed.
After the close of Revolutionary hostilities, Francis Hopkinson continued his work as admiralty judge of Pennsylvania until 1789. He was then appointed judge in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, an office he held until his death. In 1786, he was a member of a commission to confer with representatives of other States on the improvement of navigation on the Susquehanna River. His correspondence at this time was voluminous and included letters to Franklin, Washington, and Jefferson. One of the subjects of his letters to Jefferson was aeronautics.
In 1783, Mr. Hopkinson made an improvement in the harpsichord by sub- stituting tongues of sole leather and cork for the quill picks which had been used to produce the vibration of the strings. He was chairman of the Convention of 1789, which completed the organization of the Episcopal Church in this country as distinguished from the Established Church of England. During the last three years of his life he was vestryman of Christ Church and St. Peter's.
During the Revolution, and after it, he wrote many essays and political "squibs." "The Battle of the Kegs," in which he related the incidents occurring when kegs of powder were sent floating down the Delaware River against the English fleet, was one of the most popular ballads of the Revolution and the best known of his writings. In 1792 his "Miscellaneous Essays" appeared, which, however, contain only a portion of his writings. Selections from his musical works have frequently appeared on concert programs. May 28, 1919, the New York Symphony Orches- tra gave a Hopkinson memorial concert and during the last six years the Pennsyl- vania Society of Colonial Dames sponsored three recitals in which some of his songs were sung. His musical reputation is likely to grow, rather than diminish, in the future.
Francis Hopkinson married, September 1, 1768, Anne Borden. (Borden --- American Line -- V.) They had nine children, including Joseph, of whom further.
(G. E. Hastings: "Life and Works of Francis Hopkinson," pp. 43, 50, 63, 68, 118, 119, 156, 157, 196, 210, 216, 217, 238, 254, 257, 281, 319, 320, 326, 370, 371, 446, 449, 463.)
(III) HON. JOSEPH HOPKINSON, son of Francis and Anne ( Borden) Hopkin- son, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 12, 1770, and was bap- tized at Christ Church, January 5, 1773. He died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 15, 1842. He was graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with the class of 1786 and studied law with James Wilson and William Rawle. He began practice at Easton, but soon returned to Philadelphia, and became one of the most brilliant members of the bar. He was counsel for Samuel Chase, Asso- ciate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, in his impeachment trial before the United States Senate, and at the suggestion of Daniel Webster he
BERT STUART ML
Joseph Hopkinson
---
7
HOPKINSON
was retained as associate counsel in the Dartmouth College case. He was a member of the National House of Representatives from 1815 to 1819, and voted against the rechartering of the United States Bank. He had a very wide repu- tation as a public speaker. Sanderson, in his "Life of the Signers," referring to the impeachment proceedings against Judge Samuel Chase, said: "The speech of Mr. Hopkinson, then a very young man, has not been exceeded as a speci- men of powerful and brilliant eloquence, in the forensic oratory of the country." He was appointed by President Adams, October 23, 1828, judge of the United States District Court, which office he filled until his death in 1842. He was vice-president of the American Philosophical Society and president of the Phila- delphia Academy of the Fine Arts. In politics he was a Federalist. Joseph Hopkinson was chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the Pennsylvania Con- stitutional Convention, in 1837. He was made a Doctor of Laws by Harvard Col- lege, in 1831. He served the University of Pennsylvania as secretary of the board of trustees in 1790-91, as trustee, 1806-19, and 1822-42. He was the author of various addresses and published articles on legal and ethical subjects. His author- ship of the national song, "Hail Columbia," came about in rather a singular man- ner. In 1798, when war with France was thought to be imminent, Congress was in session in Philadelphia and political excitement on this subject ran high. A friend of Joseph Hopkinson connected with the theatre in Philadelphia was pro- ducing a benefit and realized that the only way to insure a full house was to intro- duce something of a political nature which would appeal to the public mind which was at that time so engrossed with political questions. The producer, therefore, appealed to his old friend and schoolmate, Mr. Hopkinson, for advice and assist- ance in securing a political song to be sung at his performance. Joseph Hopkin- son suggested that his friend call the next afternoon and he would furnish him with a song. In the meantime he wrote "Hail Columbia" and it was an immense success at the benefit and was encored and repeated night after night for weeks. The audience joined in the chorus and it was sung in the streets, in large assem- blies and processions, and in an incredibly short space of time was being sung and applauded in all parts of the United States.
Joseph Hopkinson married, February 27, 1794, Emily Mifflin. (Mifflin VI.) Their children included Oliver, of whom further.
(John W. Jordan, LL. D .: "Colonial Families of Philadelphia," Vol. II, pp. 1193-94. "Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774-1927," pp. 1113-14.)
(IV) OLIVER HOPKINSON, son of Joseph and Emily (Mifflin) Hopkinson, was born in Philadelphia, July 24, 1812, and died in his native city, March 10, 1905. At a very early age he went to school at Basking Ridge, New Jersey, of which Rev. Dr. Brownlie was principal. He subsequently attended the academy of Dr. Wilt- bank in Philadelphia, then the Rockhill Academy, conducted by Mr. Sams at Elli- cott's Mills, Maryland, where he remained two years. On the completion of his preparatory courses Oliver Hopkinson entered the University of Pennsylvania, Department of Arts, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1832 and the degree of Master of Arts in 1835. At his death he was the oldest living graduate. While at the university he was a member of the Zelosophic Society and took an active part in its exercises. Following his graduation he took up the study of law in the office of Hon. John Sergeant, but discontinued it and entered the corps of
8
HOPKINSON
civil engineers of Moncure Robinson, and under him was engaged for two years in surveys of Pennsylvania and Virginia. Among these surveys was the experimen- tal survey for the Philadelphia & Reading Railway between Philadelphia and Reading. Mr. Hopkinson again resumed the study of law in the offices of Wil- liam M. Meredith and was admitted to the Philadelphia bar in 1837. He was assistant to Mr. Meredith, then United States District Attorney, and conducted before Justice Baldwin the memorable trial of Alexander W. Holmes.
Oliver Hopkinson was a member of the Volunteer Grays, Captain Fritz, and subsequently a lieutenant in the Cadwalader Grays, Captain Scott, with which company he took part in the suppression of the riot in Queen Street, in Philadel- phia, in 1844, when an attempt to burn a Catholic Church was frustrated. He served in the War of the Rebellion, as lieutenant-colonel of the First Regiment, Delaware Volunteers, and was severely wounded at the battle of Antietam. He resigned his commission on a surgeon's certificate of physical disability, but in 1863, when General Robert E. Lee invaded Pennsylvania, he was given com- mand of the Fifty-first Pennsylvania (Second Coal Regiment), at whose head he remained during that regiment's term of service.
Oliver Hopkinson married, March I, 1845, Elisa Swaim. (Swaim II.) They had a son :
I. Edward, of whom further.
(John W. Jordan, LL. D .: "Colonial Families of Philadelphia," Vol. II, pp. 1195-97.)
(V) EDWARD HOPKINSON, son of Oliver and Elisa (Swaim) Hopkinson, was born in Philadelphia, November 11, 1850. He was graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree of Bachelor of Arts in the class of 1872, and received his Master of Arts degree in 1875. He was admitted to the Philadelphia bar in 1876. In the business world of Philadelphia, Mr. Hopkinson has attained prominence. He is president of the Philadelphia and Grays Ferry Passenger Rail- way Company; a director of the Insurance Company of North America, and a director of the Green and Coates Streets Passenger Railway. He is a birthright member of the Society of Colonial Wars, belongs to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and is a director of the University Extension Society and the Penn- sylvania Institution for the Instruction of the Blind at Overbrook. He is an hon- orary life member of the Philadelphia Cricket Club, and is associated with the Wistar Institute. In politics he is a Republican.
Edward Hopkinson married, in Philadelphia, November 11, 1884, Abbie Wood- ruff Dale. (Dale V.) Children :
1. Edward, Jr., of whom further.
2. Richard Dale, born in Philadelphia, July 1I, 1887; was graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1909; graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1912; captain in the Medical Department of the United States Army during the World War; practices medicine in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania; married (first), in Philadelphia, in November, 1914, Florence A. Savage, who died December 17, 1924, daughter of Charles Gustav and Adele (Clayton) Savage; they were the parents of Richard Dale, Jr., Charles Savage, Abbie Dale, and Jean; he married (second), April 24, 1929, Leona Davis.
(John W. Jordan, LL. D .: "Colonial Families of Philadelphia," Vol. II, p. 96. Family records.)
(VI) EDWARD HOPKINSON, JR., son of Edward and Abbie Woodruff (Dale) Hopkinson, was born in Philadelphia, September 29, 1885. He was graduated
Edward HoMinison
Edward Hopkinsin, Jr.
9
HOPKINSON
from the William Penn Charter School in that city in 1903, and entered the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania, from which he received his Bachelor of Arts degree at graduation in the class of 1907, and his Bachelor of Laws on graduation from the Law School in 1910. In athletic and non-athletic activities he achieved an excel- lent record as an undergraduate. In the distance swims he excelled also, being a member of the university swimming team for three years, serving as captain in his junior and senior years. In 1905 and 1906, he held the championship for the mile in the Atlantic Division of the American Athletic Union. He was indoor champion in the three hundred-yard and the six hundred-yard swims and inter- collegiate champion in the three hundred-yard event. He was also on the water polo and cricket teams. He was editor-in-chief of "The Pennsylvanian," and presi- dent of the senior class. He was a member of the Sphinx Senior Society and Zeta Psi Fraternity. He was elected spade man by his classmates.
Mr. Hopkinson was admitted to the bar of Philadelphia in 1910, and became a member of the law firm of Dickson, Beitler & McCouch, with whom he remained from 1910 to July, 1926, at which time he was invited to become a partner in the banking house of Drexel & Company in Philadelphia. On January 1, 1929, he was admitted to partnership in the international banking house of J. P. Morgan & Company, of New York, and its foreign firms, Morgan, Grenfell & Company, of London, and Morgan et Cie, of Paris. He also serves as manager of the Philadel- phia Saving Fund Society and Gerard Trust Company, and as a director of the Ger- mantown Trust Company, the Keystone Watch Case Company, the Frankford and Southwark Philadelphia City Passenger Railroad Company, the Pennsylvania Fire Insurance Company, the United Gas Improvement Company, United Corporation, Second and Third Street Passenger Railway Company, Public Service Corpora- tion of New Jersey, Philadelphia Electric Company, and Philadelphia Electric Power Company.
On September 20, 1926, Mr. Hopkinson was elected a trustee of the Univer- sity of Pennsylvania, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Randal Morgan. Mr. Hopkinson was at that time the youngest graduate ever elected to membership on the board of trustees. He has served the University of Pennsylvania as con- sulting attorney on frequent occasions, and as a member of the executive board of the trustees and chairman of the law board. He is governor of the Investment Bankers' Association, president of the Philadelphia Bond Club, and chairman of the Eastern Pennsylvania Group of the Investment Bankers' Association. In political alliance Mr. Hopkinson is a Republican. His clubs are the Philadelphia, Rabbit, Rittenhouse, Philadelphia Cricket, Penn, Penn Athletic, University of Pennsylvania (New York), Sunnybrook Golf, Pine Valley Golf, Boca Raton (Florida), Incogniti Cricket (England), Sharswood Law and Pennsylvania Var- sity. His chief recreational sports are golf and cricket. He is a member and vestryman of Christ Protestant Episcopal Church of Philadelphia.
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