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Learn about Stephen Hopkins, one of the most adventurous passengers on the Mayflower, who traveled with his second wife and children, and signed the Mayflower Compact. Find out his biography, family, and sources from the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.
Stephen Hopkins (by about 1579 – between 6 June and 17 July 1644) was a passenger on the Mayflower in 1620, one of 41 signatories of the Mayflower Compact, and an assistant to the governor of Plymouth Colony through 1636.
- Early Life
- Bermuda & Jamestown
- The Mayflower Voyage & Compact
- First Winter & Native Americans
- Conclusion
Hopkins was born in Hampshire, England, to John and Elizabeth (nee Williams) Hopkins and baptized at Upper Clatford in 1581 CE before the family moved to Winchester where his father died in 1593 CE. He was the second of four children of a lower-class family (his father was a tenant farmer who worked others' lands) which was still affluent enough to...
In July 1609 CE, the armada was separated by a storm which threatened to sink the Sea Venture. Land was sighted as the ship was taking on water, and it was driven onto the reefs off Bermuda. The islands of Bermuda were known to the sailors as the Isle of Devils, first discovered in 1505 CE by the Spanish explorer Juan de Bermudez (d. 1570 CE) but w...
When Hopkins had left England in 1609 CE, he was a poor laborer but now, in 1614 CE, was an experienced colonist of status and some degree of wealth as he was able to afford servants. He may have worked as a tanner at this time before signing on to return to North America aboard the Mayflower. The Mayflower expedition was being financed by the Virg...
Between 11 November and 21 December 1620 CE, expeditions were launched from the Mayflower to find a suitable place for the new settlement, and Hopkins participated in a number of these which were usually led by Captain Myles Standish (l. c. 1584-1656 CE) and included others such as Bradford and Edward Winslow(l. 1595-1655 CE). Bradford reports that...
Although he actively participated in the development of the Plymouth Colony, Hopkins was an independent free spirit who seems to have always pursued his own course according to his own reason. In his later years, between 1636 and 1638 CE, he was fined for allowing people to drink in his tavern and play shuffleboard on the sabbath as well as for ove...
- Joshua J. Mark
Learn about Stephen Hopkins, a passenger on the Mayflower who had been to Virginia before and survived the Sea Venture wreck in Bermuda. Find out his biography, family, yDNA, and photos of his places in England and America.
Learn about Stephen Hopkins, a passenger on the Mayflower and one of the Plymouth Colony freemen. Find out his origin, migration, occupation, estate, family, and death.
Learn about Stephen Hopkins, one of the most-travelled passengers on the Mayflower, who had already been to Virginia and Bermuda. Discover how his experience helped the Pilgrims survive and explore their new world.
Sep 8, 2023 · The Pilgrim Hopkins Heritage Society was founded in 2005 to perpetuate the memory of the Hopkins family who arrived on the “Mayflower” in 1620. The Society encourages research on Stephen Hopkins, one of the most colorful and independent-minded Mayflower passengers, on his first wife, Mary, his second wife, Elizabeth, and on their descendants.
