WILLIAM HOOPER
1635
by Mrs. William Sumner Crosby
I have retyped the
following book soley for the non-commercial use and enjoyment
of HOOPER
family researchers and for those other family names that are
listed in this book. You may not, therefore,
copy or reproduce this material in any form for profitable
consumption.
I am making every effort to be true to the original type and
content. This is a painstaking undertaking and
very time consuming, so if you notice an incorrectly spelled
word, it is most likely how it appears in the book,
as I have done extensive proofing and reproofing of my typing.
No editorial comments will be made, except to signify a
clarification and they
will be placed in brackets such as these: [ ].
Any words that appear in the book in italic script will be
placed
between *'s in this transcription.
All noted linage numbers that appear in the book beside a
persons name shall appear here
between parathetic marks such as these: ( ).
Also, I am double spacing between the paragraphs for ease of
read, which is not how it appears in the book.
I do not, currently, have any other research or data on New
England HOOPERs,
but you never know, sometimes all roads lead back to
Rome! Enjoy the read!
Sincerely,
Clay Hooper
clayhooper@sbcglobal.net
899 - 14th Street
San Francisco, CA 94114-1211
Copyright Notice ~ See Bottom of Page
[Cover of
book:]
WILLIAM HOOPER
1635
[1st inside page:] A BIOGRAPHICAL
SKETCH
OF
EIGHT GENERATIONS OF HOOPERS
IN AMERICA
WILLIAM HOOPER
1635
TO
IDOLENE SNOW (HOOPER) CROSBY
1883
_____
COMPILED BY
MRS. WILLIAM SUMNER
CROSBY
BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS
1906
PRINTED FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION
No._______ [18 is handwritten in]
[Next page info:] GEO. H. ELLIS CO.,
PRINTERS, 272 CONGRESS ST., BOSTON.
[Then begins the book:]
A HOOPER FAMILY IN AMERICA.
______________________________
This genealogical sketch of one line of
Hoopers in America has been prepared for the benefit of the
children of Mrs. Sumner Crosby (Idolene Snow Hooper), now
living in Alameda, Cal. No attempt has been made by the
compiler of these records, (a grandmother of the children), to
establish a distinguished name. Like most families in
New England, this family of Hoopers is of good yeoman stock.
Mr. J. N. Larned, the learned historian, in
"Books, Culture, and Character," suggests the thought that
human life is lived on a narrow strand, between two great
oceans, -- the Ocean of Time Past and the Ocean of Time to
Come. When you turn, looking futureward, you see nothing
with certainty: it is veiled by an impenetrable
mist. But, if you look to the other sea and look out
upon that measureless expanse of Time Pst, you will see that
it is covered with ships. Those ships come sailing to us
in numbers beyond out counting. They bring us the story
of a forgotten life, with its experience, its wisdom, its
warnings, its counsels, its consolations, and its
discoveries. What if there were no ships to bring us all
this?
It is through our ancestors that we learn
the way in which American independence was won and the Federal
Republic of the United States was constructed. It is
through these ancestors that we learn of Bunker Hill and
George Washington, we learn of the coming of the "Mayflower,"
and the planting of life in the New World from Old World
stocks. "And yet there are those men and women who live
as though no ship had ever come to them from the far shores of
old Time, where their ancestry dwelt; and the interest of
existence to them is huddled in the petty space of their own
few years, between walls of mist which thicken as impenetrably
behind them as before." It is the hope of this
grandmother, that the children of Mrs. Sumner Crosby will not
accept life on such narrow terms; that they will not be
content to live in ignorance of their own ancestors; that
through a study of the lives of these ancestors they may come
to have a knowledge of the history of Time Past.
In England and in America, in the early
records, the surname of Hooper is spelled in various
ways. In England we have the name as "Hope, Hoope,
Hupper, Hopper, anhd Hooper." In the "Province of Mayne"
records, as late as 1761, in the same deed, you will find the
name written as "hupper, hopper, and Hooper," referring to the
same person; and this is equally true in the "mayne" wills.
It is probable that the surname of Hooper
was first used in England about the year 1275. There is
no record to show that it is older than this date.
Whether the name was originally derived from a "trade," as
Bowditch claims in his "Origin of New England Family Names,"
is not now known.
"In 1275 William le Hopore possessed lands
in Dorset, England. In 1325 the name of Hooper is found
in the county of Somerset. The name of Hooper was in the
Norman French term for cloth merchant, and it may be presumed
that the family which bore it was foreign."--*The Norman
People*, p. 289.
The name of Hooper does not appear in the
*Doomes-day Book*.
For the benefit of these granchildren it
may be well to insert the following:--
"Doomsday Book, (so called because its
decision was regarded as final) a book containing a digest, in
Norman French, of the results of a census or survey of England
undertaken by order of William the Conqueror and completed in
1085. It consists of two volumes in vellum, a large
folio containing 382 pages and a quarto containing 450.
They form a valuable record of the ownership, extent, and
value of the lands of England (1) at the time of the survey,
(2) at the date of bestowal when they had been granted by the
king, and (3) at the time of Edward the Confessor, when a
somewhat similar survey had been made; the numbers of tenants
and dependents, amount of live stock, et., were also
returned."--*The Century Dictionary*, vol, ii.
There are many genealogist, as shown in
printed family histories, who seem to care more for glory than
for truth; and hence you find these same families claiming
descent from "William the Conqueror" (when it is not from
Charlemagne), whose family surname had its birth long years
after this "survey" was made in England, in 1085. Not
always is it dishonesty, but is the result of either
carelessness or ignorance on the part of the family.
John Hooper (written also hup'er and hop'er
[with 2 dots above the "o"]) was an English Protestant
bishop. All authorities agree that he was born in
Somersetshire, in England, about the year 1495. This
Bishop Hooper is the most distinguished member of the English
family of Hoopers. "While a student at Oxford, he was
converted to the Protestant faith. In 1539, to escape
the Bloody Statutes of Henry VIII, he retired from England,
and passed several years in Zurich. At the death of
Henry he settled in London, where he became an eminent and
eloquent preacher. In 1550 he was made Bishop of
Gloucester, and in 1552 received the bishopric of Worcester in
*commendam*. Soon after the accession of Mary he was
condemned as a heretic, and, refusing to recant, was burned at
the stake in 1553. He wrote numberous theological
works." (See Burnet, History of the Reformation.)
John Fox, in his "Book of Martyrs," writes,
"John Hooper was married in Zurich to a Burgonian" (p. 323).
In 1635, on the thirteenth day of July, the
ship "James," sailing from the port of London, England, for
the New England, brought among its passengers two young men,
one William Hooper, age eighteen, the other Thomas Marshall,
age twenty-two. This William Hooper was destined to
become the father of the family of Hoopers in America.
No one has ever searched the English records to see from
whence came this William Hooper to New England, and in the
absence of such proof, it is all a matter of conjecture with
the compiler of these records as to where William Hooper's
home was in England.
"The under written names, *Persons of
Quality*, are to be transported to New England imbarqued in
the James, Jno. May, Mr, for N. E. p. Cert: from the
ministers of the conformitie in Religeon: and that they
are no subsedy men: William Hooper age 18: Thomas
Marshall age 22: porte of London, July 13,
1635."--*Original Lists: J. C. Hotten*, p. 107.
After this date (1635) there is no record
of any one bearing the surname of Hooper in New England until
1642, when the name of William Hooper appears in the First
Church records in the town of "Redding," Mass., as one of the
"original members" in this church. This record has also
the name of "Elizabeth Hooper." Whether this Elizabeth
Hooper was the wife of William it will be difficult to prove;
but it is probable that she was, from the fact that her name
did not appear before 1642 in any other record, neither does
it appear after this date. If so, she was a first wife,
for in 1669 and in 1679 the wife of William Hooper was "Ruth
Hooper." In this same church record are the names of
Thomas Marshall and Elizabeth Marshall, his wife. Pope,
in his "Pioneers of America," claims that William Hooper was a
"weaver," and Thomas Marshall a "shoemaker." It is
interesting to note that the surname of the "Father of English
Poetry," Geoffrey *Chaucer*, signifies "Shoemaker."
(Century Dictionary of Proper Names, p. 239.)
"My angel, -- his name is Freedom, --
Choose him to be your king;
He shall cut pathways east and
west,
And fend you with his wing.
"I will have never a noble,
No lineage counted great;
Fishers and choppers and
plooughmen
Shall constitute a state.
"Go cut down trees in the forest,
And trim the straightest boughs;
Cut down trees in the forest,
And build me a wooden house.
"Call the people together,
The young men and the sires,
The digger in the harvest field,
Hireling and him that hires;
"And here in a pine state-house
They shall choose men to rule
In every needful faculty,
In church, and state, and school.
"Lo, now! if these poor men
Can govern the land and sea
And make just laws below the sun,
As planets faithful be.
"I cause from every creature
His proper good to flow:
As much as he is and doeth,
So much he shall bestow."
*R. W. Emerson.*
There is no reasonable explanation why
William Hooper together with Thomas Marshall, should leave
England in 1635 unless the "trades" were disturbed to such
extent that there was little manufacture. Added to this
is the fact that between 1630 and 1640 religious persecution
was at its height. During this period was the largest
emigration of Englishmen to New England. Charles I. was
ruling England without a Parliament, and was levying a direct
tax on the people to support the government. As shown
after, by the Long Parliament, this period, 1630-40, marked
the decline in England's prosperity,--a decline she was long
years in recovering from. The king's two advisers were
Thomas Wentworth (Earl of Stafford) and William Laud.
Bishop Laud was born in Reading, England, "the son of a
weaver."
If William Hooper was a "weaver,"--and he
probably was, for he mentions "my Loombs and all my Tackling"
in his will in 1678,--he came from some place of manufature in
England.
In 1635 the only town of considerable
importance in manufacture that was *close* to the "port of
London" was Reading, about thirty-five miles distant from
London. The town at that time had a population of
35,000. Its situation was on the Thames at its
confluence with the river Kennet. A beautiful town, as
well as one of considerable note. It's is possible that
here was the *birthplace* of William Hooper.
A little closer inspection of the recods of
"Redding," Mass., discloses the fact that among those "twelve
first settlers in Redding" was one Dea. Thomas Parker.
Mr. Parker was born in Reading, England, in 1605. He
sailed from the port of London in the "Susan and Ellen," April
13, 1635. He sailed three months in advance of Hooper
and Marshall; came from Reading in England, where "Loombs and
Tackling" were in use, sailed from the same port as Hooper and
Marshall did a little later, and is recorded in Lynn (Mass.)
records (together with Thomas Marshall) as having settled in
Lynn in 1635.
He was one of the "original settlers" in
"Redding," Mass., together with Hooper and Marshall, in
1642. The historian of the town of Reading (Mass.)
claims that these three men were related. Thomas
Marshall is named as "my brother" in William Hooper's will, in
1678. This circumstantial evidence does not *prove* the
birthplace of William Hooper; but, until some one disproves
it, Reading in England is the possible early home of our
William Hooper. It is further possible, that these three
men have the honor of naming Reading, Mass., and in memory of
their English home.
In 1639 settlers at "Lynn Commons" petition
the Colony Court for the right to change the name of Lynn
Commons to "Redding," and ask to be allowed to be incorporated
as a separate town. The answer to this petition was
that, when "Lynn Commons" had a settlement of twelve families
and could support a minister, the petition would be
granted. The names of the signers to this petition were
lost, but it is claimed in the History of Reading that William
Hooper's name was among them.
Reading in 1642 was a wide-spreading
country, including all of what is now known as Wakefield and
South Reading.
The land was originally bought from the
Indians of Plymouthy Colony for L10 16s., and the deed may
still be seen, signed by Sagamore George, his sister Abigail,
and Quannapoint. "In a few weeks the first settlers had
a comfortable cabin, and in two years extensive fields of corn
and wheat, with a young orchard started" ("Recollections of
Rev. Timothy Flint," p. 11). But it was not until after
long years that they had any manufacture or much trade, for
they were isolated and away from those settlements that had
better opportunities. There was exposure to the Indians,
and the internal conditions were such taht there was little
education in schools. Indeed, the twon was complained of
as late as 1680 for having "too poor a school." Although
such men as "Thomas Bancrofte" and "Captayne Marshall" write a
clear and legible hand, it was quite uncommon among the
townspeople, as the Registry of Deeds and the records in the
Probate Office for Middlesex County will show.
William Hooper is the person named as bing
absent from home in 1675, "in a battle against the Indians in
Middlesex County." His name does not appear often in the
county and town records. It is shown, by the town books,
that he was taxed in 1642; was a member of the church in
1642-44. He recieves several "allottments" of land,--one
of fifty acres in 1658, and another of ten acres in that same
year, on the "Woburn road."
In 1669 he sells his "now dwelling house in
Redding" to Mrs. Mary Hodgman, and the record to be found in
Middlesex Deeds, vol. 4, p. 331, is interesting as showing the
form of an original old deed, and in this case that the wife
of William Hooper in 1669 was "Ruth Hooper," who relinquishes
her right and title in the state:--
"Know all men by these p'sents . yt
[sic] I William Hooper of Redding, in the County of Middlesex
in New England for divers causes and consideration moueing me
Therearon to and especially for and in consideration of the
sume of twenty six pounds to me in hand paid by Mary hogman at
or before the sealing hereof whereof & wherewith I do
Acknowledge myselfe fully satisfied and contented and thereof
and every part thereof do exhonorate aquit and discharge the
afore said Mary hodgman her heirs and executors and assigns
forever and do by these presents give grante bargaine enfoffe
and confirme unto the said Mary Hodgman my now dwelling house
being sittewated in Redding with fower acres of land thereunto
adjoining, with the orchard garden fencing therunto belonging
& is bounded on ye north with ye High Waye and on the East
wth [w and a small th] The Lande of Isaac Harte and on ye
South with ye Lande of Robert Burnap Junr & on ye weste
wth [w and small th] the Lande of Thomas Kendall To have and
to hold the said house & the fower acres of Lande be it
more or less with the orchard garden and fencing and every
part and parcell thereof as it is butted and bounded as above
said. To the propper use and behoofe of the aforesaid
Mary hodgman her heirs executors and assigns forever and
furthermore the said William Hooper do give grante assigne
enfoffe the right title claime or demand that euer that the
said William Hooper have or euer had in any of the said
premises unto the said Mary hodgman her heirs, executors or
assigns or from any other person or persons whatsoever Laying
any title claim or interest thereto by from or under me.
"7th d. 4th mo. 1669."
The names of the children of William
Hooper, taken from the Reading records and Savage's
Genealogical Dictionary, vol. 2, p. 450, "all born in
Redding."
Whether "Ruth Hooper" was the mother of
these children (she was the mother of Thomas and John) does
not appear:--
"Mary, b. 1647.
James, b. and d. 1649.
Susan, b. 1650.
Ruth, b. 1653.
Rebecca, b. 1656.
William, b. 1658.
Hannah, b. 1662.
Elizabeth, b. 1665.
Thomas, b. 1668.
*John*, b. 1670.
William (2) Hooper, b. 1658; m. Susanna
______. He was a selectman in Reading, and died in
1692. Of his children whose births were recorded in
Reading were William, Elizabeth, and Ruth. Elizabeth m.
Enoch Leonard, of Bridgewater, Mass., in 1707. Ruth m.
John Bolton, of Bridgewater, 1710. Of the children whose
births were *unrecorded* were Susanna, who died in Billerica,
Mass., 1738. In her will she mentions "sisters Elizabeth
Leonard and Ruth Bolton, of Bridgewater." The will of
Susanna Hooper is probated at East Cambridge, Mass.
(Middlesex Wills, vol. 22, p. 783). Another child was
John (3) Hooper, whose birth is not recorded in Reading
records. He m. and settled in Bridgewater, Mass., before
1703. He became the father of a numberous posterity,
which is scattered throughout New England and the West.
(See Mitchell's History of Bridgewater.)
William Hooper died in Reading in
1679. The town records show the following entry in their
books:--
"1679: died this day in 62nd year of his
life--William Hooper--one of the first sttlers in the town."
The burial was in the old cemetery which is
described as "so far from the church." It was ordered by
the town in 1668 "to fence the grave yard with pine
*rayles*." Rev. Jonathan Pierpont, "a Godly and learned
man," officiated at the funeral services.
Mr. Hooper was survived by his widow Ruth
and nine children, with possibly others whose births wer
unrecorded.
Abstract from the last Will and Testament
of William Hooper, made on this "ffifth day of August,
1678":--
"I give half my lands Upland and meddow to
my wife during her life. And the other half of my lands
and meddow I give to my son William and his heirs
forever. And my will is that he shall imporve them
all: And his mother to have halfe the profit During her
life. And at her discease He my son William to have all
myt lands and meddow and Cattle: And to pay to my six
children that are unmarried ffive pounds apiece as they shall
come to age. But he shall not pay any for two years
after my discease. My will is that my two younger sons
shall be with their mother and my son William till they be
fifteen years of age, to be helpful to them. And then my
will is that they may be set to some Trade. And if any
of them have a mind to be a Weaver. Then I doo will him
to have all my Loombs and all my Tackling to them. And
my household stuffs. I give it all to my wife to be at
her own Disposal. But if my wife should marry. All
my Lands and Cattle shall be my son Williams. Only the
household goods: to bee my wifes as willed. And my
will is that my brother Captayne Marshall and my cousin
Ensigne Bancrofte be my overseers to this my last will as
above said."--*Middlesex Probate Records*, 1679, 17, 4, vol.
5, p. 323.
To the Inventory of the estate "Captayne
Marshall" signs his name as Thomas Marshall, and "Ensigne
Bancrofte as Thomas Bancrofte."
On Nov. 10, 1684, "Ruth, widow of William
Hooper," becomes the second wife of Thomas Dutton, of
Billerica, Mass. (History of Billerica, p. 45).
Some of the Maine Hoopers, (those of
Biddeford), claim that William (1) Hooper was made a "freeman"
in Biddeford in 1648. There is no truth in this
claim. He was a "freeman" in "Redding" in 1648, and the
records of the town show that he was living there on this
date. There is no official record in New England to show
that William Hooper ever lived elsewhere than in "Redding."
[New Chapter:]
SECOND GENERATION.
John (2) Hooper, b, in "Redding," Mass.,
1670; m. Charity Kay (sometimes recorded as Key or Keay)
before 1701. Her family name appears in the "Province of
Mayne" records before 1650. Her father was John
Kay. (See Province of Mayne Probate Records.) John
Kay was a Scotchman. The family came early into Maine,
but how early cannot be stated positively. The family
surname appears frequently in the court records of "ye old
Province of Mayne," between the years "1636 to 1686."
They may have come into Maine at the time of the settlement of
the Piscataqua, when "the Laconia grant" was made to Sir
Fernando Gorges. It is more likely, however, shown by
the court records, that they were one of those Scotch families
who were "disaffected with King Charles I.," and were
complained of as "discontented spirits, hostile to the
government of the established church who are now settling on
the grants made by the Plymouth Company." It is many
years since the name of Kay or Keay has appeared in York
County records.
The children of John (2) and Charity
Hooper, all born in Kittery, afterward known as Berwick, and
now known as South Berwick, were:--
John, b. Jan. 14, 1701; d. 1802.
Samuel, b. Feb. 17, 1704; d.
1705.
Charity, b. Jan. 17, 1707.
Samuel, b. April 9, 1709.
Mary, b. April 15, 1711.
Joseph, b. Jan. 27, 1713.
Noah, b. and d. in Berwick, April
11, 1715.
Love, b. April 28, 1717.
*William*, b. April 26, 1719;
*bap.* July 13, 1719.
Benjamin, b. Feb. 13, 1721; "dismissed to
the church in Biddeford, Me., July 28, 1743." He is the
ancestor of the Biddeford Hoopers; and some of his descendants
are the Hooopers of Charlestown, Mass., whose names are found
in the early records of that time. Benjamin Hooper was
on the "committee of safety" in Biddeford, during the
Revolution. He was also a captain, during the
Revolutionary War, of one of the Biddeford companies; d.
"1802, age 81."
Solomon, b. Jan. 22, 1722; m.
Bridget______; d. 1789.
The name of John (2) Hooper appears on the
bond of Mrs. Susanna Hooper, of "Redding," in the settlement
of the estate of "my late disceased husband William Hooper
October 25, 1692" (Middlesex County Probate Records, vol. 8,
p. 16).
The name of John Hooper appears again on
the petition of Mrs. Mary Taylor, of "Redding," Nov. 14, 1695,
requesting that her son, James Taylor, may be appointed
administrator of the estate of "my late disceased husband
Thomas Taylor" (Middlesex County Probate Records, vol. 7, p.
333).
After 1695 we find no one bearing the
surname of Hooper remaining in "Redding." John Hooper
probably left "Redding" soon after this date. It may
possibly be he whose name, "John Hooper," appears in the
records of the French and Indian Wars. Also his elder
brother Thomas (b. 1668), who is mentioned in the father's
will as one of "my two younger sons," may be the same Thomas
Hooper whose name is also connected with this war.
The name of this brother Thomas (2) Hooper
appears in Kittery records for the first time April 7, 1696.
Quarterly sessions held at York, April 7,
1696.
"We present Thomas Hooper for not
ffrequenting the public worship of God on ye Lords day" (Part
II. Book 5, Fol. 8, York Deeds).
March 5, 1697-98, Thomas Hooper sells to
Henry Barter, of Kittery, "27 acres or more which was
bequeathed unto sd Hoopers wife, Elizabeth by Cap'tn ffrancis
Champernown Esq'r De'cd and Since Delieuvd unto s'd Hooper by
Mrs. Mary Champernoune Relict and Executrix of ye Deed," etc.
(York Deeds, Book VII. Folio 42).
"At a legal town meeting held at Kittery
May 16, 1699: Granted unto Thomas Hooper twenty acres of land
provided he improve it within one year."
"For ye year 1714: Paid Thomas Hooper L.5.
by John Hooper treasurer of Berwick, by the account presented
by constable Joseph Abbott" (Book I. p. 38, Berwick Town
Records).
Kittery, Me., was incorporated as a town
Oct. 20, 1647. At this time her territory included all
of the Berwicks and Eliot. Berwick was set off from
Kittery, and incorporated as a town, June 9, 1713.
John (2) Hooper, in 1704, bought land from
James Emery. His name had not appeared previous to this,
in York Deedss, although in the Kittery town records it is
shown that John and Charity Hooper had a son, John, Jr., born
in 1701. This land of Hooper's purchased from Emery, in
1704, is described in part as "a certain piece of land bounded
on ye west by ye country road in Kittery, on ye north and
south and east by Philip Hubbards land, and is a part of Lot
of Land on which my father did live, and is excepted out of it
when he sold to Philip Hubbard, and lies opposite against ye
south east corner of Philip Hubbards orchard" (York Deeds,
Book 7, Folio 1).
On Jan. 26, 1716, John Hooper bought the
farm owned in 1704 by Philip Hubbard and Elizabeth Hubbard,
his mother,-- "50 acres of land be it more or less with ye
barn, ye dwelling house orchard land and buildings" (York
Deeds, Book 8, Folio 200). On this last date, 1716, he
had a large farm.
At this point the writer wishes to consider
the evidence which seems to connect the John Hooper, of
Kittery, Maine, with the John Hooper born in "Redding," Mass.,
in 1670. It is necessary to do this, because this claim
has been questioned. The party who has thus questioned
and doubted was justified in doing so. A genealogical
chain is only as strong as its *weakest* link. And when
two separate families claim John (2) Hooper of "Redding" as
their lineal ancestor, the one family living in Massachusetts
and the other in Maine, it makes a conservative mind cautious
about accepting as a *fact*, what had become only a
"tradition" with the Maine Hoopers, --that their lineal
ancestor, John Hooper, of Kittery in 1701, was the son of
William Hooper, who came to New England in the "James" in
1635, and settled "Redding," Mass. It is necessary to
state that no "vital statistics" has been discovered by the
writer, or by any descendant of William (1) Hooper, which
connects him with a John Hooper, either in Massachusetts, or
in Maine, after the birth of the son John, in Redding, Mass.,
in 1670. Among the Massachusetts Hoopers there was not
even this "tradition" which the writer found among the Maine
Hoopers when she commenced these records. It would be
confusing to introduce the questions raised by the
Massachusetts Hooper in his objections to this claim made in
Maine. The writer has been carefully through all the
records of Plymouth County and Middlesex County in
Massachusetts, and of York County in Maine, and with the
following results, which has confirmed her in a belief that
the "tradition" found in Maine is to be accepted as a
truth. Whether she is correct in her judgment is for the
Hoopers to decide. First, it is a self-evident fact
that, if John (2) Hooper left "Redding" about 1695 (and his
name disappeared from Middlesex records in 1695), and there is
no record of his death in Massachusetts, it was necessary for
him to settle elsewhere. A John Hooper *is* in the
Kittery records in 1701. A search in the York County
records in Maine, disclosed the fact that *before* this date,
1701, with the one exception of Thomas Hooper, *no one baring
this family surname had ever lived in York County.* A
further search disclosed another fact: that the recorded ages
of the children born to Thomas Hooper and his wife, Elizabeth
(Small) Hooper (these births are recorded in the years between
1693-1705), make it possible that the father of these children
was the Thomas Hooper born in "Redding" in 1668. These
records show that those children were *daughters*. After
all these long years it will be impossible to decide what
motives there were which led Thomas and John Hooper to settle
in Kittery. But the town records of Berwick, Me., as
already stated, show that Thomas Hooper, together with John
Hooper, were in the *same town* in 1714, --Berwick, Me.
If it is true, that these two men -- Thomas and John Hooper --
were brothers, and were in the same war together, it is
clearly understood that in going into Maine and Canada they
probably travelled over "that lonely road that runs close to
the oceanside (to prevent a surprise from the Indians), and
was from Boston to Portsmouth, New Hampshire." They saw
the mountain Agamenticus in the distance, and doubtlessly
crossed the Piscataqua into Kittery. One fact is evident
in the records of York County, --that, if one cannot determine
from *whence* these two men came into Kittery, it is certain
they both found a wife there; for Elizabeth Small was in the
family of Sir Francis Champernowne, and, as already has been
shown, John Hooper's wife, Charity, was the daughter of John
Kay, which family had been long in the "Province of Mayne."
To the bond of Mrs. Susanna Hooper in
"Redding," John Hooper's signature appears in a writing that
is clear and distinct. He spells his name HOOPER, and
not "huper," "hopper," or "hupper." In the early deeds,
in York County, this name is frequently written with a small
*h* and is "huper," "hoper," or "Hupper." This fact was
a very troublesome one to the writer, for it was impossible to
understand how the same person could change the spelling of
his own name inside of six years. A long search failed
to disclose the written signature of John Hooper in York
County. To be sure, John Hooper was for several years
town treasurer of Berwick, and it was hardly supposable that a
man holding such an office could not write his own name.
Still, the *written signature* could not be found, or any
proof that he did not change the writing of his name to
"huper" after he went into Maine. At last the writer
discovered her own blunder. She had been reading the
deeds wherein John Hooper was the *grantee*, and not the
grantor. And thus *the name had been written by other
parties*. After a long time a deed was discovered which
bears the date 1721, in whcih John Hooper's name appears for
the first time as a grantor in York County. In this deed
he writes his name JOHN HOOPER, and names, "my wife
Charity." With the aide of tracing paper, a copy of the
two signatures of John Hooper in Middlesex records was made,
and, when compared with the signature of John Hooper to the
deed of 1721 in York County, Maine, were found to be so very
like as to leave no doubt in the mind of the compiler of these
records that *the three signatures were written by the same
hand*. Before introducing this deed as evidence, the
writer will again refer to the "traditon" in Maine. It
is to be remembered that of John (2) Hooper's children three
sons, John, b. 1701, lived until 1802; William, b. 1719, d. in
Berwick, 1809; Benjamin, b. 1721, d. in Biddeford, 1802.
Their father died in Berwick in 1761. You will note that
the birth of one son, John, Jr., covers a century. If
you think carefully, you will find it hard to believe that
these three sons did not know the *birthplace* of their own
father; further, that it will be equally hard to believe that
they never heard the *Christian name* of their grandfather
Hooper, and never learned where he lived and died. Admit
this much, and it is easily understood what foundation the
Maine Hoopers have for the statement that they are descended
from William (1) Hooper, of "Redding."
It is well for the Maine Hoopers to have a
record of this deed: "To all People to whom these presents
shall Come John Hooper of ye town of Barwick in ye County of
York in his Majestyes Province of ye Maisachusetts Bay in New
England Cordwainer & Charity ye wife of s'd John Hooper
sendeth Greeting. Know ye for divers good causes us
hereunto moving & more Especially for & in
Consideration of ye full and whole sum of One hundred and
Thirty pounds Current money of New England to us in hand well
and truly paid before ye signing and sealing of these presents
by Daniel Stone of ye town of Barwick afores'd Cordwainer ye
Rect thereof we do acknowledge ouselves fully Sattisfyed
Contented & paid for every part, have given granted
Bargained & Sold & do by these presents for ourselves
onr heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns forever fully
& freely & absolutely give grant Bargain Sell aleine
enfieffe assign Convey pass over & confirm unto him ye
fores'd Daniel Stone & his heirs Executors administrators
and assigns forever a Certain peece of tract of land
Containing Three Quarters of One acre & Eleven Rods
thereabouts lying between and Situated in ye town of Barwich
afors'd with ye Dwelling-house Barn outhouses & orchards
& fences & fencing Stuff & all whatsoever Standing
Lying or growing in or upon s'd land being butted &
bounded as Follweth," etc.
"In witness whereof we ye fores'd John
Hooper and Charity his wife have hereunto set our hands &
seals this fourth day of December Anno Domini one Thousand
Seven Hundred and twenty one & in ye eighth year of King
George reign," etc.
JOHN HOOPER O
CHARITY
HOOPER her mark [a squiggle]
Signed Sealed &
Delivered in the pres-
ence of us
JAMES WARREN
MOSES GOODWIN his
mark X
THOMAS ABBOTT his
mark X
York fs Dec. 27, 1721.
The above named John Hooper & Charity
his wife Came before me & acknowledged ye above written
Instrument to be their free act and deed
CHARLES
FFROST *Jus Peace*
Recorded according to ye originall Dec'r 27th 1721
ABRAM PREBLE
*Reg'r*."
(York Deeds, Book X. Folio 234.)
John Hooper was on the building committee
of the little church in Kittery in 1704. He succeeded
Mr. Philip Hubbard as town clerk and treasurer in 1712, and
continued in office until 1730. He was made a deacon of
the First Congregational Church in 1721. He was active
in county and town affairs, --a selectman, moderator at town
meetings, and often one of the grand jurors. The county
records show that he was appointed to settle disputes "out of
court"; and his name appears more frequently than that of any
other man in York County, in the settlement of estates.
He died in 1761. The date of the death of his wife
Charity is not known; but, as she is not mentioned in her
husband's will, it is probable that she had already
died. They are buried on their farm at "Old Fields,"
Berwick, now owned by Mr. Isaac Libbey, a lineal descendant.
THE WILL OF JOHN HOOPER.
"In the name of God Amen: I, John
Hooper of Berwick, in the County of York, within ye Province
of ye Massachusetts Bay, in New England, cordwainer, being
aged and infirm of body, but of sound mind and memory,
expecting the time to be near that I must die, and to prevent
difference in my family aobut my estate do make and ordain
this my last Will and Testament. Resigning my soul into
the hands of God my Creator in Christ my redeemer, and my body
to a decent Christian burial as my executor shall think most
convenient, hoping for a resurection among the Just.
"What estate it has pleased God to bless me
with in this life, I give, devise and bequeath and dispose of
the same in the following manner. *Viz*:--- First my
will is that all my just and honest debts be well and truly
paid by my son Solomon Hooper, who I appoint sole executor of
this my last Will and testament.
"Item: I give and bequeath unto my
son John Hooper 13. pounds five shillings and eight pence
lawful money, or an equivalent thereto of Good vendable lumber
of that value at money price, to be paid by my son Solomon
Hooper, my executor, in one year after my discease, at some
convenient landing place in Berwick aforesaid without
interest. I also give my son John one half of all my
common rights undevided in Berwick.
"Item: I give and bequeath unto my
son Samuel Hooper 9 pounds six shillings and eight pence
lawful money or an equivalent thereto in cattle or good
vendable lumber of that value at money price to be paid by my
son Solomon Hooper, my executor, in one years time. after my
discease, at some convenient landing place, in said Berwick
without interest.
"Item: I give and bequeath unto my
sons William and Benjamin, to each of them, nine pounds, six
shillings and eight pence lawful money or an equivalent in
good vendable lumber, to that value at money price at some
convenient landing place in Berwick within one year after my
discease, said sum to be paid to each of them said William and
Benjamin by my son Solomon my executor.
"Item: If any of my said sons John,
Samuel, Benjamin, William, or either of them shall die befoe
their respective legacies above mentioned shall become due,
the same shall be paid to their respective heirs, or lawful
representatives and all without interest if within one year
after my disease.
"Item: My three daughters namely
Charity Key, Mary Shorey, and Love Sprague having already had
what I intended to give each of them for their portion, my
will is that my son Solomon pay to each of them the said
Charity, Mary and Love his sisters five shillings lawful money
out of my estate which shall be in full of their portion of
the same.
"Item: I give and bequeath unto my
son Solomon Hooper and his heirs and assigns forever all of my
house and land where I now live in Berwick: tillage lands,
mowing lands, pasture lands, woodlands, marshes, meadows, and
one half part of all my common rights devided and undevided,
and all the residue of my estate real and personal in
Berwick. And in any and every place and places
whatsoever, money, goods and chatels of every sort and kind;
debts, dues and demands be the same more or less, my said son
Solomon paying all debts and legacies in this my will
mentioned and ordained to be paid.
"Lastly: I hereby revoke and disallow
every other former will and wills, testament, legacies and
bequests, by me in any manner before this made by word or
writing. Ratifying and allowing this and no other to be
my last will and testament.
"In witness whereof, I the said John Hooper
herunto set my hand and seal the 22d day of May 1756."
JOHN HOOPER his
mark X."
Signed sealed
and wit-
nessed, pronounced and
declared by the said
John Hooper to be his
last will and testament
in the presence of us.
THOMAS GOODWIN.
WALTER HUBBARD
DAVID GOODWIN
NOAH EMERY
Recorded from the original
SAMUEL FROST *register*.
Probated 7th day
of January 1762.
Will recorded in
Probate Office York Co.
vol. 10, p. 274.
Letter
administration and Inventory p.
274, 275. Vol. 10.
[New Chapter:]
THIRD GENERATION.
William Hooper, b. at "Old Fields,"
Berwick, April 29, 1719; m. Oct. 29, 1743, Elizabeth Emery, b.
at "Old Fields," Sept. 24, 1725. She was the daughter of
Elder Daniel (4) Emery and Mrs. Mary (Lord) Hodgdon. The
line of Elizabeth Emery's ancestors is as follows:--
Anthony Emery, second son of John and Agnes
Emery, was b. in Romsey, Hants, England; m.
Frances_______. He came to America in 1635. He was
in Dover, N.H., about 1640, and October 22 of that same year
he signed the "Dover Combination." He kept an oridinary
at Dover Neck. He removed to Kittery, Me., in
1649. He was juryman several times, selectman 1652,
1659, and constable. At four different times he received
grants of land from the town. He was one of the
forty-one inhabitants of Kittery who acknowledged themselves
subject to the government of "Massachusetts Bay, Nove. 16,
1652." In 1656 he was fined L5 for mutinous courage in
questioning the authority of the court of Kittery, and in 1660
again fined for entertaining Quakers. In 1660 he sold
his house and all his lands to his son James, and moved with
his wife to Portsmouth, R.I. (The writer has seen the
record of the above deed.) Anthony Emery was made a
"freeman" in Portsmouth, Sept. 29, 1660. He served as
juryman on several occasions, was chosen constable June 4,
1666, and deputy to the General Court, April 25, 1672.
There is no record of his death or place of burial.
James (2) Emery came to America with his
father in 1635; m. first Elizabeth_______ (she d. after 1687);
m. second, Elizabeth Pidge, of Dedham, Mass (Dedham Records,
p. 27). James Emery had grants of land in Kittery, 1674,
1676, 1677, 1684, 1685, 1692, 1693, 1695; elected
represtntative to the General Court, 1693, 1695; grand juror
and constable 1670; d. 1705. It is related that when he
went to Boston his carriage was a chair placed on an ox-cart
drawn by a yoke of steers, as there was not a carriage in
Kittery strong enough to carry him. He was a large man,
weighing three hundred and fifty pounds.
Daniel (3) Emery was b. in Kittery, Nov.
15, 1678; m. March 17, 1695, Margerett Gown (her mother was
Elizabeth Frost, daughter of Nicholas ffrost, and her uncle
Charles ffrost was one of the first "Chief Justices" appointed
in "ye old Province of Mayne." He was a very
distinguished man, as shown by public records).
Daniel (3) Emery was a noted land surveyor
in York County. He was appointed by the General Court to
mark the line between the common rights of Berwick and
Kittery, and to mark the division between Kittery and
Berwick. He was one of the "foundation members" of the
Congregational Church, and was chosen elder Nov. 11,
1720. He died in Berwick, Oct. 15, 1722. Will was
probated Nov. 8, 1722. His wife Margerett (Gowen) Emery
d. in Berwick Nov. 21, 1751.
Elder Daniel (4) Emery, b. June 25, 1697;
m. June 16, 1720, Mrs. Mary (Lord) Hodgdon. He d.
September, 1779. Will probated Oct. 4. 1779. His
sixth child, Elizabeth Emery, m. William (3) Hooper.
The children of William (3) and Elizabeth
(Emery) Hooper were:
Daniel, b. 1744; m. Sept. 24, 1761, [but
then the 6 is written over to an 8 indicating 1781 in the same
exact handwriting and ink used in the very first page of this
book that lists it as being number "18" in this limited
private circulation printing] Hannah Heard, and settled in
Lebanon, Me., where he d. March 24, 1820. He was a
soldier in the Revolutionary War, and served in a New
Hampshire company (see Military Rolls of New Hampshire).
*William*, b. 1746; *bap.* 1746; m. June
21, 1770, Mary Lord, daughter of Abraham and Elizabeth (Davis)
Lord.
Elizabeth, *bap.* July 28, 1751; d. young.
Noah, *bap.* Nov. 15, 1755. A soldier
in the Revolutionary War.
Elizabeth, *bap.* Sept. 13, 1761; m. Sept.
13, 1779, Tristram Heard. He was in the same New
Hampshire company with Daniel Hooper, who afterwards became
his brother-in-law.
John (4) *bap.* July 25, 1761; m. May 11,
1784, Elizabeth Plaisted; m. second, Mrs. Jane Wood. He
was the father of fifteen children. He lived after 1796
on the William (3) Hooper farm in Berwick. He d. in the
home of his unmarried daughter in Dover, N.H., March 8,
1844. His eldest child was Frances Hooper, who married
James Lord. Of their children, William F. Lord, born May
17, 1819, was well known as the historian of Berwick; and to
his daughter, Mrs. Frances Hooper Moore, the writer is
indebted for assistance in her researches in Berwick.
Another descendant of John Hooper is Mrs. Anna M. McCoy, of
New York City.
John (4) Hooper's son, John (5) Hooper, m.
Caroline Cushing, and lived on "Mast Road," Dover, N.H.
Among his grandchildren are Dr. Fred Hooper Hayes and Mr.
Frank Hooper, of Dover, N.H.
Mary, b. March 29, 1764; m. Love Keay.
Sarah, *bap.* May 14, 1767; m. June 29,
1790, Rev. Joshua Roberts.
Martha, *bap.* May 14, 1767; m. Richard
Hovey.
James, b. Dec. 17, 1769; *bap.* Feb. 5,
1772; m. Sally Merrill, of New Gloucester (she d. January
1802); m., second, Mrs. Elizabeth Hubbard. He had two
children by his first marriage, both of whom died in 1803.
Mr. Hooper became the first settled
minister of the town of Paris, Me. He was ordained in
1795, and the ordination services were held in a barn.
His brother, Rev. William Hooper, of Berwick, preached the
ordination sermon. He occupied the position as "first
minister of the town of Paris" until his death in 1842.
Mr. Hooper represented the town of Paris in the legislature
several times, and was on the committee in the convention in
Brunswick to frame the State Constitution. His nephew,
George Plaisted Hooper, lived with him, and had charge of his
farm. He died, leaving no descendants.
The History of Paris, Me., gives a full
account of Rev. James Hooper.
"William (3) Hooper died in Berwick, Me.,
July 26, 1809, in Ninety-first year of his age; his widow,
Elizabeth (Emery) Hooper died January, 1812, age eighty-seven"
(Berwick Town Records).
On April 30, 1744, William (3) Hooper
bought from Thomas Wooster a tract of land, "five acres more
or less," which was in the north parish, five miles north of
the homestead of his father. It was "bounded southerly
by the common way leading from Great Falls to Salmon Falls
road, westerly by land of Joshua Roberts, and easterly by land
of Moses Nock," etc. (York Deeds, vol. 25, pp. 66, 67).
This deed describes the land on which
William Hooper built his house in 1744-45. It is still
standing, and is in good condition. In this house the
children of William and Elizabeth (Emery) Hooper were born,
with the possible exception of Daniel, the eldest.
Across the road he built a tannery and shoe-shop, and he is
described in York Deeds as a "Cordwainer."
In 1746-47 William Hooper was a private in
George Berry's company, Sergeant James Tuttle in command.
Mr. Hooper, with his family, worshipped
until 1766, in the South Parish, in the church of his
childhood, where his wife's father was ruling elder, and his
own father was a deacon. In this church all his children
were christened. It is a tradition in the family that in
pleasant weather they walked to the church, a distance of five
miles; and, when the snow was too deep, they were taken on an
ox-sled. When Mr. Hooper built his house, his farm was
surrounded by Indians, with whom he always lived on friendly
terms.
On April 16, 1766, Mr. Hooper connected
himself with the "Blackberry Hill meeting-house." It was
in the north part of the town, at a distance of about three
miles from the William Hooper farm. His neighbor and
friend was the learned Mathew Merriam. This church was
Congregational, as was the one in the "South parish," Berwick.
"April 1766: admitted to this church
William Hooper, and wife Elizabeth Hooper: also Elizabeth wife
of the minister. MATHEW MERRIAM *pastor*."
In 1775 the little meeting-house at
Blackberry Hill became divided on "the validity of infant
baptism." Mr. William Hooper was one of those who
insisted upon "immersion as the only form of baptism."
He was with the less powerful in the church, but was evidently
a leader in the opposition. This disaffection culminated
finally, so far as Mr. Hooper was concerned, in 1782, as shown
by the following votes:--
"1782, January: *Voted*: that a committee
be appointed to wait upon Mr. William Hooper to learn his
reasons for absenting himself from church.
"MATHEW MERRIAM *pastor*."
The committee waited upon Mr. Hooper, and
reported:--
"April 1782: The committee above
mentioned made a report that Mr. William Hooper gave as a
reason for absenting himself from church that he had scruples
against infant baptism: also that he thought the church was
too arbitrary in admitting members; that the officers of the
church managed it too much themselves; therefore voted to wait
upon him in hopes that his scruples may be removed.
"MATHEW MERRIAM *pastor*."
Mr. Hooper's name does not appear again in
the church records.
These Blackberry Hill Meeting-house records
are interesting, as giving one an accurate knowledge of the
lives of the different families in the church. A woman
was suspended as a communicant because she was "a common
news-monger," another was a "scold," and still another one, a
man, was prohibited from church attendance "until he keeps
sober," etc. The two ruling elders were very arbitrary
in action and narrow of vision. As you read the records,
you feel quite certain they worshipped themselves a little
more than they did their Maker. They had the same
jealousies, the same petty minds, in church mattes that one
finds in later generations.
Mr. Hooper's name appears frequently as one
of the grand jurymen for York County. He is selectman
nearly all of those years from 1761-84. In the year 1776
his name disappears from the Board of Selectmen. He was
serving during this year, as a private, in Captain William
Pearson's company. "Enlisted Jan. 24, 1776; service to
Aug. 31, 1776, 7 mo. 7 days; also, 2d Corporal same co.;
service form Sept. 1, 1776 to Nov. 18, 1776; company stationed
for defence of sea coast."
In the records of the twon of Berwick (p.
299), one may read this warrant for a town meeting, which is
of interest to the William (3) Hooper descendants:--
"Likewise to see what methods the town will
take to get pay of the people for powder they received in the
year 1775-1776. Also: to see if the town will give the
selectmen any instruction respecting taxes Mr. William Hooper
for this year and the year 1776." It is possible that
Mr. Hooper's activity, as a member of the Board of Selectmen
in getting men to enlist and devising means to carry on the
war, then his own enlistment for 1776, together with his age,
made him an object of special favor in the abatement of his
taxes. No other name appears on the town records "Mr.
William Hooper," and his son William, as "Jr.; Elder; or Rev.
William."
Berwick, during the Revolutionary period,
was a scattered settlement, composed entirely of farms.
They were isolated, and were exposed to peculiar dangers
during this period. The town meetings, held alternately
at the south and north end of the town, at the hour of one
o'clock in the afternoon, were most fully represented by the
inhabitants. A few lines from the town records are worth
presenting in connection with the name of William Hooper, who
was frequently the moderator at these meetings, and, as has
been shown, he was at this time a member of the Board of
Selectmen.
"Berwick, May 31, 1774.
"To the Honorable, the
Delegates of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay in Provincial
Congress at Watertown convened: The petition of the
Freeholders and Inhabitants of the town of Berwick, in the
County of York in town meeting convened humbly showeth:
That the harbors of York and Kittery, within the said county,
lie open to our now known enemies, and the lives and
properties of the inhabitants thereof and the neighboring
Towns along the sea coast exposed to the ravages and
depredations of the Enemy and the remaining part of the
inhabitants of this and the neighboring Towns labor under the
disagreeable for a scant of arms and amunition, of being
unable to defend themselves, their wives and children and
properties should a descent be made by the Kings troups on
this coast, which they have the greatest reason to fear, will
inevitably be the cost. Your petitioners humbly pray
this Honorable House in their great wisdom to take the
premises into consideration and that they will despatch one or
more of the companies in the services of the Colony in order
to guard and defend the coast, and enable them by raising more
troops in the service of the Colony in some measure to defend
themselves."
"We acknowledge and profess faithful
allegiance to our faithful sovereign, King George the Third,
and are willing at all times to risk our lives and our
fortunes in defence of his person and his family, but at the
same time must earnestly insist for those rights and liberties
we are entitled to by the laws of God, Nature and the
Constitution of the Province. Therefore, *Resolved*:
That no power on earth has any just right to impose taxes upon
us but the Great and General Court of this Province, and all
others are unconstitutional and not to be submitted to,"
etc. Berwick, May 31, 1774.
"York ss. In full meeting warned for
the purpose and holden to instruct the Representative of this
town of Berwick, resolved: that should the Honorable Congress
for the safety of the Colonies declare themselves independent
of Great Britian, we the inhabitants of said town will solomly
engage with our lives and our fortunes to support them in the
measures and will use every honorable means to further the
cause of independence."
It is claimed by some of the descendants of
William (3) Hooper that he left his farm to his son John (4),
by Will. But the Probate Records of York County show
that William Hooper left no will. His farm was disposed
of in the following deed:--
"I William Hooper, cordwainer," etc., "town
of Berwick, county of York," etc., "to John Hooper Junr, his
heirs and assigns forever: all the homestead, barn,
wherein I now do dwell, in Berwick aforesaid, containing
seventy acres more or less bounded easterly by Salmon Falls
road, leading from Quamphegan to Pine Hill, and partly by land
of Samuel Colley, southerly by Salmon Falls river and
northerly by land of Joshua Roberts, and part or partly by
land of Moses Nock: Also one other tract of land
containing five acres more or less, bounded southerly by
common way leading from Great Falls to Salmon Falls road,
westerly by land of Joshua Roberts, and easterly by land of
Moses Nock, to have and to hold," etc.
Acknowledged before,
THOMAS WENTWORTH.
JUNE 29, 1796.
Recorded in York Deeds, Book 60, p. 5.
The wife, Elizabeth, does not sign this
deed. It is probable that "John Hooper Junr" was the son
of William (3) Hooper. His descendants, who have always
lived in Berwick, claim him as such. The York deeds have
many records wherein one party will name himself Jr. to a
father who has a Christian name entirely different from his
own.
This deed, by its boundaries, clearly
describes the farm of William (3) Hooper. here he and
his wife Elizabeth passed their married life, and they both
are buried on Hooper's Hill, on the farm. Recently the
graves have been enclosed, and a simple monument has been
erected to perpetuate their names. A tablet has also
been erected in memory of John (2) and Charity Hooper, who are
buried at "Old Fields," South Berwick.
[New Chapter:]
FOURTH GENERATION.
William (4) Hooper, b. in Berwick, Me.,
1746; m. June 21, 1770, Mary Lord.
Mary Lord was the only daughter of Deacon
Abraham and Elizabeth (Davis) Lord. She was born, as
were her six brothers (five of whom became Baptist ministers),
in the old Garrison House which stood until lately on the
Richard Tozer farm in Berwick, Me. Richard Tozer was
killed by the Indians, Oct. 16, 1675. His daughter,
Martha Tozer, married Nathan Lord, Jr. Their son,
Captain Samuel Lord (the father of Deacon Abraham Lord)
married in Kittery, Me., Oct. 19, 1710, Martha Wentworth,
daughter of Paul (2) Wentworth, of Dover, N.H. Mary
(Lord) Hooper d. in Madbury, N.H., Jan. 7, 1826, "aged 84."
Rev. William Hooper m. (second) Mrs. Sarah
Demeritt. He d., January, 1827, "aged 80 yrs"; and both
he and his first wife (Mary) are buried on the Rev. William
Hooper farm in Madbury, N.H. Headstones mark their
graves, and the records of the deaths may be found in the
*Strafford County Gazette* printed at that time.
Children of Rev. William and Mary (Lord)
Hooper were:--
Mary, b. March 27, 1771, in Berwick, Me.;
m. by her father in Madbury, N.H., Nov. 9, 1800, to David
Hill, of Durham. She was living in 1827, as the
settlement of her father's estate will prove.
Elizabeth, b. 1773, in Berwick; d. in
Madbury, Nov. 7, 1818.
Noah, b. Oct. 9, 1776, in Berwick; m. by
his father, June 23, 1796, to Elizabeth Kelley, of
Durham. He was a Baptist minister, settled in Dover,
N.H., in Belfast, Me., and in other places. He d. in
Berwick, Me., 1854, and is buried with his wife in the Lord
Cemetery in Berwick. He had a large family. Of
these children Noah Hooper, Jr., b. Nov. 11, 1806, was a
Baptist minister; settled for many years in Exeter, N.H.,
where he d. in 1896. Joseph, b. Nov. 5, 1818; m. Helen
Maria Wallingford; d. in Portland, Ore., April 4, 1854.
*John*, b. July 4, 1778, in Berwick, Me.;
m. by his father, Rev. William Hooper, Jan. 22, 1799, to Susan
Meserve, of Durham, N.H. (Old Madbury Town Records, Book 2, p.
44).
James, b. 1780; d. in Paris, Me., June 6,
1849. He is buried in the tomb with his uncle, Rev.
James Hooper, whose name he bore.
Sarah, b. 1782; m. by her father, July 17,
1802, to Chesley, of Durham, N.H.; d. in Madbury, 1818; is
buried beside her father and mother. There is a very
large family of Chesley descendants.
Samuel Lord, b. 1785, in Madbury, N.H.; m.
March 12, 1807, Polly Clark, of Berwick, Me.; d. in Madbury,
Sept. 19, 1807. Son, Samuel, b. in Madbury, 1807; d. in
Berwick, Me., April 3, 1831. The record of deaths of
Samuel L., and Samuel, his son, are taken from the headstones.
In this burial lot, on the Rev. william
Hooper farm, are the graves of Rev. William and wife, *Mary*,
daughter Elizabeth, and Mrs. Chesley, the *son John Hooper*,
and Samuel L. and grandson, Samuel.
The widow of Samuel L. Hooper became the
wife of Ebenezer Meserve, of Dover, N.H., before 1831.
Rev. William Hooper was ordained as "the
first Baptist minister in the State of Maine, April,
1776." At this time he was thirty years of age. He
had been married for six years. He was christened, 1746,
in the Congregational church, in which church his gradfather,
John (2) Hooper, was deacon. What reasons there were for
his change in faith does not now appear. It is probable
that he settled soon after his marriage at "Old Fields."
There is the tradition in the family, that his father William
(3) Hooper built a house for him, next to his own, on Hooper
Hill; but there is no record which verifies the
statement. The name of William Hooper, Jr., does not
appear in connection with any deed before 1778, and then, *in
the State of New Hampshire*. When William (3) Hooper
sells his "homestead" to John Hooper, Jr., in 1796, no mention
of any other house is made in connection with the
property. The two houses that were built on the William
Hooper farm, were probably built *after* 1796.
The little church in which William Hooper
was ordained "stood on land adjoining John (2) Hooper's
house." There was also a parsonage next to the little
church which was occupied by the minister. A record of
the "Early churches of Berwick" gives a description of this
church and parsonage. The ordination sermon of William
Hooper was given by Rev. Hezekiah Smith, of Haverhill,
assisted by Dr. Samuel Shepard. It is evident that Mr.
Hooper had a respectable following into the Baptist faith, as
shown by town records (Book 2, p. 313):--
"This is to certify to the assessors of the
South Parish that Jeremiah Wise, Jonathan Abbott, Joshua
Abbott, Elisha Grant, Stephen Nason, Thomas Goodwin, 3d,
Theophulus Abbott, Jacob Nason, James Grant attend worship
(public) with the Baptist Society in this town on the Lords
days.
"WILLIAM HOOPER
ELDER."
MAY
21, 1778.
Recorded by
Nahum Marshall,
*Town Clerk*.
There are other town records showing
admittance to this Baptist Church.
In the "South Parish" of Berwick were born
all of the children of Re. William Hooper, with the possible
exception of James, Sarah, and Samuel L.
After his ordination Mr. Hooper devoted the
remainder of his life to establishing Baptist churches in
Maine and New Hampshire. While he appears in the records
as "of Berwick and Madbury," he not only had the control of
these churches for a long number of years, but, as the records
of the Baptist denomination will show, he was a constant
preacher in conferences and churches elsewhere. He was
not a learned man in the sense with which we speak of
learning, at the present time; but he lived with the
companionship of the strongest men intellectually in the two
States of Maine and New Hampshire. He has been described
by those who knew him as "like a steam-engine, with tremendous
force and energy. He would walk long distances through
unbroken paths to help struggling churches. He rode in
the saddle as he grew older," and "never failed to keep an
appointment of any kind." His most marked feature was
his mouth, which showed great firmness and decision of
character. He had great gentleness and tenderness with
children. he was something above the average in height,
but in his old age leaned heavily on a cane."
Rev. William Hooper was assessor for the
"South Parish" in Berwick for the years 1775-77 (Town Records,
pp. 225-228).
David Benedict, in his "Baptist
Denomination in America" (1820), p. 152, says:--
"Dr. Shepard and Rev.
William Hooper, of Berwick, now of Madbury, were the principal
promoters of the new Hampshire Baptist Association."
The town records of Berwick show that Rev.
William Hooper united many persons in marriage, while the town
records of Madbury show that from 1778 until 1820 he performed
the marriage ceremony in some families for two generations;
and many came to him from the adjoining towns of Dover and
Durham.
Of course, he came close to all these
families in there affliction.
One can never approach the Revolutionary
period without a feeling of great sadness in recalling the
great loss of life in those small communities, the poverty and
suffering of the people, and the courage and patience and
heroism with which they met everything during those long years
of privation and hardships. Rev. William Hooper is
described as addressing town meetings in the two counties of
York and Strafford, speaking to the people in barns, and
travelling long distances from farm to farm, all in the cause
of independence, and urging men to enlist. The women and
old men and the children left at home are described in *The
Town Book* of Berwick as melting all their pewter into
bullets. These women ploughed the land and planted the
corn. In this OLD TOWN BOOK may be found the military
service of Rev. William Hooper. He enlisted in the year
1780, and "served 3 mos. at West Point; 3 mos. at Falmouth; in
Capt. Jonathan Hamilton's company." He was probably a
chaplain, although it is not so stated; but parties at the
State House in Boston, who have charge of the military
archives in which are kept the records of the Revolutionary
soldiers, believe this to be so, because "it would be hard to
think of such a man serving in the ranks." The tradition
that he was a chaplain is probably true.
On April 27, 1778, William Hooper, of
Berwick, receives from John Roberts, of Madbury, N.H., a deed
showing purchase of thrity-nine and one-half acres of land
from Roberts. For this land he pays L630 (Strafford
County Deeds, Book 3, p. 124).
This deed describes the land on which in
1780-81 William Hooper made his home. The house has been
burned, but the cellar remains. In the opposite field
are the Hooper graves. It was once a part of "ancient
Dover." This first purchase of land was added to from
time to time, until in 1827 (as shown by the inventory to the
estate) it included one hundred acres. The farm is now
owned by Mr. James H. Dailey, and is the finest within the
boundaries of the town.
The Madbury town records of Dec. 22, 1777,
has the following:--
"*Voted:* that we are willing that Rev.
William Hooper shall preach the Gospel to us" (Book 1, p.
104).
The above is the date on which his name
appears, for the first time, on the Madbury records, and the
following is the date of the first marriage in Madbury at
which he officiated, "Dec. 15, 1778."
It is probable that Re. William Hooper
commenced his Baptist missionary work in Madbury by preaching
in private houses, or possibly in barns, about the time of the
record, 1777.
"1780: Dec. Voted that we build
a gallery and put seats in the town house for the preaching of
Rev. William Hooper."
Mr. Hooper did something besides preaching
to the people of Madbury and Durham. He was moderator at
many of the town meetings after 1781; was a selectman, and
served on the most important committees appointed by the town.
"At a legal town meeting held in the Parish
house Jan. 4, 1781:--
"Voted: to choose
a committee and the committee to consist of 7 to examine the
proposed form of Government for New Hampshire: Reverend
William Hooper is of this committee."
"At a town meeting held Nov. 5, 1782, Rev.
William Hooper is chosen chairman of the committee to examine
and report on the proposed form of Government for New
Hampshire."
"At a legal town meeting at Madbury Aug. 8,
1791, voted;--
The Reverend William
Hooper a delegate to join the Committee at Concord to revise
the Constitution of sd State, and to correct any violation
thereof, and to make such alterations therein as by experience
may be found necessary. John Demeritt Town
clerk."--*Madbury Town Records*.
Rev. William Hooper was sent as the
delegate from Madbury, N.H., to the convention of delegates
that met in Exeter, N.H., Feb. 13, 1789, to investigate,
discuss, and decide whether the Federal Constitution of the
United States should be accepted by the State of New
Hampshire. It had already received the approval of six
States, -- Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia,
Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
"The Convention was a notable body of
men. It was composed of men who had been the leading
spirits in the state during the Revolutionary epoch, men for
the most part of marked ability and commanding talents.
Among these delegates was Gov. John Sullivan of Durham, John
Langdon and John Pickering of Portsmouth, Josiah Bartlett of
Kingston, Rev. William Hooper of Madbury, John Taylor Gilman
of Exeter and Dr. Ezra Green of Dover; the Convention was held
in the Court House; Gov. John Sullivan was chosen President
and John Calfe secretary."
As in Massachusetts, the delegates from the
smaller towns in New Hampshire were strongly
anti-Federalists. Many of them came to Exeter instructed
by their constituents to vote against the Constitution.
The discussion of the instrument throughout the country was at
its height. The leading defender of the Constitution was
Governor John Sullivan, and with him were the two Langdons,
John and Samuel Livermore, Josiah Bartlett, John Pickering,
John Taylor Gilman, and Benjamin Bellows.
The leaders of the oppostion, --Joseph
Badger, Rev. William Hooper, Joshua Atherton, Abial Parker,
and Jonathan Dow, --although men with less intellectual
training, as the debate progressed, had the advantage of the
larger following. Very little is known concerning the
detailed proceedings of the convention, since its journal
gives but a most meagre account of its work, and the
deliberations and debates were unfortunately never
reported. The opponents of the Constitution reproduced
the objections which had just been urged in
Massachusetts. The complained of the absence of a
religious test. They denounced the twenty years'
sufferance of the foreign slave trade. Sullivan,
Langdon, Livermore, explained and defended, but they wished to
avoid a vote, fearing rejection of the Constitution. So,
after a seven days' session, an adjournment was secured for
the purpose of giving the delegates an opportunity to confer
with their constituents. The place of meeting was
changed from Exeter to Concord, and the time for meeting was
fixed for the thrid Wednesday in June.
"The failure of New Hampshire to ratify was
the first serious check the Constitution had met with, and its
friends, as the news travelled westward and southward, were
much depressed."
Washington had voiced the general feeling
of the friends of the Constitution, when he wrote to General
Knox from Mount Vernon, under date of March 30: "The conduct
of the state of New Hampshire has baffled all calculation, and
has come extremely *malapropos* for a favorable decision on
the proposed constituion in this state; for, be the real cause
of the late adjournment what it may, the Anti-Federal party
with us do not scruple to pronounce that it was done to await
the issue of this convention before it would decide, and add,
that, if this state should reject it, all those who are to
follow will do the same, and consequently it cannot obtain, as
there will be only eight states in favor of the measure.
Had it not been for this unavailing in this state,
notwithstanding the unfair (I might without much impropriety
made use of a harsher expression) conduct, which has been
practised to rouse the fears and to inflame the minds of the
people." To John Langdon he wrote in a similar vein
three days later, as follows: "Circumstanced as your
convention was, an adjournment was certainly prudent, but it
has happened very *malapropos* for this state, because the
concurrent information from that quarter (New Hampshire) would
have justified the expectation of a unanimity in the
convention."
"It is easy to see that the action of New
Hampshire was awaited with intense interest by the whole
country. No one felt a greater anxiety as to the result
than Alexander Hamilton, as the following letter of his,
published for the first time in Lodge's recent edition of
Hamilton's Works, indicates:--
NEW YORK, JUNE 6, 1788.
To John Sullivan, Esquire,
*President of the State
of New Hampshire*.
*Dear Sir*: You will no doubt have
understood that the anit-federal party has prevailed in this
state by a large majority. It is therefore of the utmost
importance that all external circumstances should be made use
of to influence their conduct. This will suggest to you
the *great advantage* of a speedy decision in your state, if
you can be sure of the question, and a prompt communication of
the event to us. With this view, permit me to request
that the instant you have taken a decisive vote in favor of
the constitution, you send an express to me at
Poughkeepsie. Let him take the *shortest route* to that
place, change horses on the road, and use all possible
diligence. I shall with pleasure defray all expenses,
and give a liberal reward to the person. As I suspect an
effort will be made to precipitate us, all possible *safe*
dispatch on your part, as well to obtain a decision as to
communicate the intelligence of it, will be desireable.
"This letter of Hamilton's very likely had
its inflence in hastening the decision of the New Hampshire
convention.
"It met at Concord on Wednesday, the 18th
of June, in the Old North Meeting-house. Four days
served for the discussion of the constitution, for the
preparation and recommendation of twelve articles of
amendment."
"The Constitution was adopted by the New
Hampshire delegates on Saturday, June 21, 1788. She was
the ninth state to ratify, thus giving the instrument binding
force." -- *New Hampshire and the Federal Constitution*.
The will of Rev. William Hooper was signed
on "this fourth day of January 1827" (Probate Records of
Strafford County, New Hampshire, Book 35, p. 237).
In this will he mentions son John, Noah,
and James, also grandson Samuel Hooper and daughter Mary
Hill. He leaves to one of his grand-children the "red
broad cloth cloak belonging to my wife Mary."
[New Chapter:]
FIFTH GENERATION.
John (5) Hooper, b. in Berwick, July 4,
1778; m. by his father, Jan. 22, 1799, to Susan Meserve of
Durham, N.H. (Old Madbury Records, Book 2, p. 44).
Susan Meserve was the daughter of Colonel
Ebenezer and Eunice (Torr or Tarr) Meserve. The Meserves
were a distinguished family in New Hampshire during the
Revolution.
Children of John Hooper and Susan Meserve
were:--
Eunice, b. 1799; m. Timothy Glover; d. June
8, 1859; c., William, Ivory, Rockwood, and others.
Mary, b. March 5, 1801.
Irene P., b. Jan. 4, 1804; m. James
Stanyon.
*John*, b. Dec. 12, 1805.
William, b. ___; m. Abbie Bean, of Bangor,
Me.
Ivory, b. 1809; d. 1831.
Sarah, b. 1811; m. Channey Jordan, 1832; d.
in Roxbury, April 27, 1863; c., Augustus C. Jordan, m. Clara
Walker; Jennie, m. Daniel S. Meserve; Susan, m. _____Bigelow,
in San Francisco.
Hannah, b. ___; m. Dwight Parson, of
Bangor, Me.
Sylvester M., b. 1816; m. ____; c.,
Sylvester; Elizabeth.
James, b. ___.
The children of John (5) and Susan
(Meserve) Hooper were born in Madbury, with the exception of
Sylvester M. and James Hooper, [sic]
John Hooper (5) was a farmer, and lived on
land described in deed, "Footman to Hooper" (see Strafford
County records). This farm was near to the one owned by
his father, Rev. William. He held some town offices; and
it is claimed that he also was a Baptist minister, which is
very likely true, as his name appears on several records as
"preaching to the people in a barn." He d. while living
in Roxbury, Mass., Oct. 18, 1828. His widow, who lived
after her husband's death in the family of her daughter, Mrs.
Sarah (Hooper) Jordan, died in Roxbury, April, 1863, and is
buried in West Roxbury, in the Jordan burial lot.
[New Chapter:]
SIXTH GENERATION.
John (6) Hooper was b. in Madbury, N.H.,
Dec. 12, 1805. He spent his young boyhood on the Hooper
farm in Madbury, in the family of his grandfather, Rev.
William Hooper. He m. Feb. 26, 1833, Martha Stanwood
Perry, of Orono, Me.
Martha S. Perry was b. in Brunswick, Me.,
Feb. 27, 1811; d. in San Francisco, Cal., Feb. 28, 1900.
She was the daughter of Deacon John and Jane (Stanwood)
Perry. Her father, Deacon John Perry, was a merchant,
and a deacon in the First Congregational Church in Brunswick,
and later was the first deacon in the Congregational church in
Orono, Me. While in Brunswick, Deacon Perry "organized
the first Sunday-school in the town and in the state." A
memorial window was dedicated to his memory in this church in
Brunswick, Me., Dec. 4, 1894. On this occasion Edward
Beecher Mason, D.D., quoted the following from Mr. Perry's
Journal:--
"I have before me the original journal kept
by Mr. Perry, in which he gives an account of what led him to
undertake the formation of a Sunday-school. It is dated
'in the year 1811 & 12.' He says: 'Sometime in
the winter I saw a newspaper containing an account of a
Sunday-school in England. I enquired of Rev. Mr.
Winthrop Bailey, then our minister, and also of President
Appleton what they thought of them and how they were
conducted. They both thought favorably of them, but
could give no account of how they were managed. They
thought however that nothing but reading, and that of
religious nature ought to be allowed in the school. This
led me to make another enquiry, which was this, --Can a. b. c.
scholars be admitted? And after deliberation, say a
month or two, they decided that they m ght [sic] be admitted,
and assigned for deviation of this rule, that unless children
were taught a. b. c. they never could read the Bible."
The father of Deacon John Perry was Captain
John Perry, of Rehoboth. He was born in Rehoboth, Mass.,
Aug. 7, 1736 (the son of John, b. March 11, 1700-01, the
grandson of Nathaniel, b. Oct. 8, 1660, and the great-grandson
of Anthony Perry. See Vital Statistics of Rehoboth,
Mass.).
Captain John Perry married Leaffe Walker,
April 16, 1761. She was born in Rehoboth, Mass., Aug. 4,
1742, the daughter of Timothy, Jr., and Elizabeth
Walker. Her father was a captain of a militia company
when he was the representative to the General Court of
Massachusetts in 1757, 1758, 1759. The Journals of the
Provincial Congress show that Colonel Timothy Walker was the
delegate from Rehoboth, 1774-75. The Records in the
Military Archives of Massachusetts rank him as *Colonel*, who
"marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775, for Lexington."
His son-in-law, John Perry, was a captain in the same
regiment.
The father of Jane Stanwood, who married
Deacon John Perry, of Brunswick, and Orono, Me., was Colonel
William Stanwood. Mr. Stanwood receives this title of
"Colonel" as a colonel of a regiment of the Maine militia,
after the Revolutionary War. "He was a *lieutenant*, and
had a long and honorable record in the Revolution."
Colonel Stanwood was born in Brunswick, Me., April 5,
1752. "He was, perhaps, the most prominent Stanwood who
has ever lived in Brunswick" (Mrs. Ethel Stanwood Bolton, in
"A History of the Stanwood Family in America," p. 113).
He transferred to the President and Trustees of Bowdoin
College, in 1796, "fifty acres of land." The land thus
transferred comprises what is now the *campus*. In 1798
he was made an overseer of the college, and held the postion
until May 16, 1815, when he resigned it by letter.
Colonel William Stanwood was a representative in
1794-95. He died in Brunswick, June 24, 1829. The
eldest child of William and Hannah (Thompson) Stanwood,
*Jennet*, b. July 3, 1784; m. Deacon John Perry.
John (6) Hooper sailed on the "Star
Pacific" from Boston, and landed in San Francisco, Cal., July,
1851.
We take the following from *The Bay of San
Francisco*:--
"John Hooper, whos perosnal history is
inseparably connected with the State of California, began his
residence here in 1851. He engaged in business, and at
once became an important factor in the building of the great
Commonwealth. His ancestors were from England, and were
early settlers in New Hampshire. The first year he
engaged in the lumber business at the corner of Jackson and
Stockton Streets, his stock being brought from New York and
Boston. In 1854 he became connected with mines in Amador
County. He built the mills and founded and named the
town of Plymouth. Later he engaged in the grain business
in San Francisco, having dropped mining at the end of
seventeen years.
"His first vote was cast for the Whig
party, and upon the organization of the Republican party he
gave it his allegiance, and he has not missed a Presidential
vote since his majority. During the trying times of
excitement in the early history of the state, Mr. Hooper was
one of the first to join the vigilance committee, and, when
the great civil war broke out, he stood like a rock in favor
of the Union, and in every honorable way used his influence
and money to perpetuate the government of the United
States. Before going to California Mr. Hooper was a
merchant in Bangor, Me. John (6) Hooper d. in San
Francisco, Oct. 3, 1892.
Children of John and Martha (Perry) Hooper,
b. in Bangor, Me., were:--
Mary Jane, b. Nov. 6, 1833; d. June 9,
1851.
William Horace, b. Nov. 20, 1834; m. Helen
Van Netter. He d. Feb. 1, 1879.
Franklin Perry, b. Oct. 6, 1836; d. July 3,
1904.
John Albert, b. Sept. 25, 1838; m. Mary
Campbell Brown, of Orono, Me., June 21, 1866; c., Albert, b.
Aug. 14, 1867; Mary, Alice, Jessie, Jeanette, Frank, Arthur.
Martha Eleanor, b. Feb. 27, 1841; d. 1842.
*Charles Appleton*, b. March 14, 1843; m.
Ida Geneva Snow.
Isabel Williams, b. May 2, 1845; m. William
E. Norwood, of Camden, Me.; c., Evelyn Perry, b. in San
Francisco, 1871.
George William, b. June 29, 1847; m.
Saphronia Taylor Clapp.
Arthur Appleton, b. Nov. 27, 1850; d. Aug.
25, 1898.
[New Chapter:]
SEVENTH GENERATION.
Charles Appleton Hooper, b. March 14, 1843;
m. June 7, 1880, Ida Geneva Snow; c., Isabel Martha, *Idolene
Snow*.
[New Chapter:]
EIGHTH GENERATION.
Idolene Snow Hooper, b. in San Francisco,
Cal., Feb. 2, 1883; m. to Sumner Crosby of Brookline, Mass.,
Aug. 6, 1901.
[END OF BOOK]
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