1887 Family Reunion Corroborates King-Hopkins Link

I’ll be driving to Minnesota in a couple weeks to enjoy our lake cabin.  On the way, I’m going to spend two days in the Akron, Ohio area conducting research on my King, Dunlap, and Hopkins ancestry.  Another genealogy road trip!

Hypothetical timeline for 4GG Henry King (1796-1848):

• 1796 Born in New York or Pennsylvania
• 1800 – 1809 Resided Huntington Township, Luzerne, Pennsylvania (Wyoming Valley)
• 1809 – 1825 Resided Northampton Township, Portage County, Ohio
• 1816 Married Jane Dunlap in Portage County
• 1826 – 1835 Resided Hinckley Township, Medina County, Ohio
• 1835 – 1844 Resided Lawrence Township, Stark County, Ohio
• 1844 – 1848 Resided Milford, Oakland, Michigan

Northampton Township belonged to Portage County when Henry lived there but became part of Summit County when it was formed in 1840. Thus, conducting research on Henry in northeastern Ohio is challenging because it involves four separate counties! At least they’re all adjoining and the distance among the four – Portage, Summit, Medina, and Stark – is minimal.^[1]During our drive to Minnesota last summer, I was able to visit the Portage County Historical Society despite COVID.  Even though it was a very short visit, the researcher there, Brian Rhinehart, … Continue reading

As I prepare for the trip, I’ve been conducting searches in online newspaper archives such as GenealogyBank.com and Newspapers.com.

I was pleased to come across a news item about a Hopkins family reunion in Medina County, Ohio.  Forty-three Hopkins family members met on a hot summer day at the home of William & Mary Hopkins in 1887.  Here’s the account in the Summit County Beacon:^[2]“Very Happy Family Reunion,” Summit County Beacon (Akron, Ohio), 3 August 1887, p. 7; digital image, Newspapers (https://www.newspapers.com : 10 May 2021), Newspaper Archives.

1887 Hopkins family reunion (Source: Summit County Beacon, 3 August 1887; Newspapers.com)

As the article states, the reunion attendees were descended from brother-and-sister Isaac Hopkins (1784-1852) and Sally Hopkins (1783-1870).

The relevance to us is that Sally is identified as Mrs. Joshua King.  As previously reported, Portage County pioneer Joshua King is very likely related to Henry and could be his father.^[3]See the blog post here.   If he is, then this would corroborate the statement by Mary King Richardson, one of Henry’s daughters, that her grandfather King, first name not given, married a Hopkins.^[4]Portrait and biographical record of Leavenworth, Douglas and Franklin counties, Kansas, rev. ed. (Chicago: Chapman Publishing Co., 1899), p. 161; digital book, Archive.org … Continue reading  Thus, Sally Hopkins could be Henry’s mother, and my 5th great-grandmother.

In fact, Mary specifically stated that her paternal grandmother was a sister to Stephen Hopkins, the famous Rhode Island leader who signed the Declaration of Independence.  We may yet be related to Stephen Hopkins, but I very much doubt that Henry’s father married one of Stephen’s sisters.  The ages make no sense.  Henry was born in 1796 according to his tombstone – so any parent of his would likely be born between 1745 and 1775.  Stephen Hopkins on the other hand was born in 1707 and died 1785.  Even if we’re talking about a much younger sister, it’s hard to imagine she and Stephen would be separated by 30 years or more in age.  From a cursory online review of Stephen’s family, I see no sisters born that late.

Leaving aside the question of Stephen Hopkins, at least the reunion article provides additional corroboration of the Hopkins association to our King ancestry.  Although I haven’t found a marriage record yet for Joshua King and Sally Hopkins, I believe our King and Hopkins lines intersected in the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania, not northeastern Ohio.  That is where Joshua King and Sally Hopkins must have met and married.  I say this for several reasons.  First, at least one of Joshua and Sally’s known children, Lucy King, was born in Pennsylvania in 1800.^[5]Findagrave.com, Find A Grave, database (https://www.findagrave.com : 10 April 2021), memorial ID 221750337 for Lucy King Dunn 1800-1881, Copley Cemetery, Summit County, Ohio.  Two other children born prior to 1809, Hopkins King (1805-1821) and Selina King (1807-1826), would have been born in the Wyoming Valley too, although I have no documentation.

Secondly, three Hopkins families resided at the same time in the same township in the Wyoming Valley where Samuel and Joshua King were living: Huntington Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.  As enumerated in the 1800 U.S. census, those three families were headed by Isaac Hopkins, Timothy Hopkins, and James Hopkins.^[6]1800 U.S. Census, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Huntington Township, p. 352-353, image 188, Isaac Hopkins; p. 354-355, image 189, Timothy Hopkins and James Hopkins; digital … Continue reading  Timothy appears to be the patriarch here; he was over 45 years old and headed a family of nine.  Isaac is aged 26-44 and James is aged 16-25.  Further research is required to determine their relationship and any potential connection to the Isaac and Sally Hopkins mentioned in the reunion article.

Lastly, Joshua and Sally’s 5th child (and 3rd daughter) was Harriet King, shown above.  She was born after the move to Northampton Township, Portage, Ohio.  Her obituary, in fact, states she was the “first white child born at Old Portage in Northampton Township.”^[7]“Mrs. Harriet K. Spicer Dead,” Summit County Beacon (Akron, Ohio), Obituary, 3 May 1894, p. 2; digital image, Newspapers (https://www.newspapers.com : 11 May 2021), Obituary Index, … Continue reading   This matches our understanding that Samuel and Joshua King moved to Ohio in 1809.

At the time of the family reunion in 1887, Harriet was the last of the 13 offspring of Joshua and Sally (Hopkins) King still alive.