William HOPKINS and Jane BARKER
ML# 233 on the McCabe List of 1829
Coolkenna, County Wicklow, Ireland to Gloucester Township

November 4, 2007:

Amelia Astleford, widow of John Burns / Byrnes was buried at the Gloucester farm of
William Hopkins. Many of the Burns / Byrnes and Hopkins in Eastern Ontario came
from County Wicklow and are related. 


Location of the William and Robert Hopkins farms at Beacon Hill



I thought I'd have a look for John Hopkins's marriage, and look who it is:
 
Name: John Hopkins 
Birth Place: Ireland  
Age: 32  
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1842  
Father Name: Nicholas Hopkins 
Mother Name: Elizabeth Burns / Byrnes 
Spouse Name: Mary Hopkins 
Spouse's Age: 29  
Spouse Estimated Birth Year: abt 1845  
Spouse Birth Place: Canada  
Spouse Father Name: William Hopkins 
Spouse Mother Name: Jane Barker 
Marriage Date: 18 Nov 1874 
Marriage Place: Carleton  
Marriage County: Carleton  
Family History Library Microfilm: MS932_13  
 
... Anne Burgess


Death Record for William Hopkins



Anne:
 
Here is Nicholas Hopkins in the 1881 Gloucester census:
 
 Census Place: Gloucester, Russell, Ontario, Canada
 Source: FHL Film 1375865  NAC C-13229  Dist 104  SubDist E  Div 2  Page 65  Family 295
 Sex Marr Age Origin Birthplace
Nocholas HOPKINS M M 81 Irish Ireland
   Religion: Church of England 
Elisabeth HOPKINS F M 79 Irish Ireland
   Religion: Weslyan Methodist 
Mary HOPKINS F  30 Irish Ireland
   Religion: Wesleyan Methodist 
 
His next door neighbour is the following family:
 
 Census Place: Gloucester, Russell, Ontario, Canada
 Source: FHL Film 1375865  NAC C-13229  Dist 104  SubDist E  Div 2  Page 65  Family 296
 Sex Marr Age Origin Birthplace
John HOPKINS M M 40 Irish Ireland
 Occ: Farmer Religion: Wesleyan Methodist 
Mary HOPKINS F M 37 Irish eOntarioe
   Religion: Wesleyan Methodist 
Anny Louise HOPKINS F  6 Irish Ontario
   Religion: Wesleyan Methodist 
M. Elisabeth HOPKINS F  4 Irish Ontario
   Religion: Wesleyan Methodist 
William Sp. HOPKINS M  2 Irish Ontario
   Religion: Wesleyan Methodist 
James HOPKINS M  58 Irish Ireland (see death record from Anne, below)
 Occ: Blacksmith Religion: Weslyan Methodist 

... Al


Death Record for James Hopkins (Blacksmith) and Jane Barker Hopkins




Hi Al,
 
Yes, Wm. Hopkins, ML 233, if he's the guy in Gloucester (and his age makes that 
likely) had a wife, Jane Barker. I sent you her death cert yesterday too.
 
Here's Wm. Hopkins and family in 1851 Gloucester:
 
William Hopkins, farmer, b. Ire., C of E, 45
Jane Hopkins, spouse, b. Ire., C of E, 36
Ann Hopkins, b. Can., C of E, 14
Edward Hopkins, b. Can., C of E, 12
Robert Hopkins, b. Can., C of E, 10
Mary Hopkins, b. Can., C of E, 8
Mary Jane Hopkins, b. Can., C of E, 7
 
I started to work on the 1839 Fitzwilliam rentals records for Coolkenna today, 
and the name of the head tenant on the first page was Thomas Astleford. 
 
... Anne
November 8, 2007:
Hi Al and Anne,
 
I am interested in this family because Hazel Hopkins a great grand daughter of 
William and Jane married Donald Sorley my great uncle. 
 
Found the following on one of Mary Crandall's Ontario Vitals Statistics Project 
pages  http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~maryc/johns2.htm and thought you might be interested.
 
Marriages performed by Rev. James Currie (Cassie?) Wesleyan Methodist Church
1838
Jan. 29 William HOPKINS, Glocester, to Jane BARKER, North Crosby, by license. 
Wit: James, Barker, Sarah Wanen (Warren). 

Regards,
... Allen Craig

November 10, 2007:

See Anne's collection of emigrants from Ballynultagh and Ballyraheen to Eastern Ontario.

November 22, 2007:

Hi Al and Anne,
 
Came on  following two pages at Early Canadiana Online relating to Wm Hopkins 
struggle to gain title to his land in Gloucester. Thought they might be of interest 
as background.  They are part of a series dealing with the similar problems of 
John Rochester in Nepean. Also mentioned is Benjamin Rathwell / Rothwell.
 
http://www.canadiana.org/ECO/PageView/9_00952_5/0126?id=082563e0b68b22e4
 
http://www.canadiana.org/ECO/PageView/9_00952_5/0127?id=e823f7a5bbd86dd3
 
Regards
 
... Al Craig
________________________

Thank you so much for this, Al. I was so moved by the description of the inferior 
soil, and covering rock, I imagine. What a brave and industrious soul William Hopkins 
was, trying to support a family on that.
 
I recently took a drive around the area of Beacon Hill (north of Montreal Rd.) and 
Rothwell Heights to check out the Hopkins land, and I saw the Robert Hopkins school, 
etc., so I have a good idea of where they lived. It's a very attractive area now.
 
The Tompkins family that Wm.'s daughter Ann married into was also from Wicklow. 
And Rathwell is a Wicklow name, too. This family is also connected to the Hawkins
family at Manotick Station.
 
... Anne
New November 23, 2007:

See also Lancelot Jackson, ML# 662 from Aghold, County Wicklow.


 
E-mail Anne Burgess, Allen Craig and Al Lewis



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