Francis Hopkinson

A handwritten signature reading 'Fred Hopkinson'.
Painting of a man with long hair, wearing black coat, sitting at a desk with writing materials, in a classic interior setting.

BORN - September 21, 1737 in Philadelphia, PA.  Parents (English ancestry) - Thomas Hopkinson (b1709-d1751) and Mary Johnson Hopkinson (b1718-d1804).  Eight Children - Francis Hopkinson (b1737-d1791, eldest), Elizabeth Hopkinson Duche (b1738-___), Jane Hopkinson (b1740-___), Mary Hopkinson #1 (b1741, died young), Mary Hopkinson #2 (b1742-___), Ann Hopkinson Coale (b1745-___), Thomas III (b1747-___), Margaret Hopkinson (b1749-___).    

DIED - May 9, 1791 (age 53) in Philadelphia, PA from an epileptic seizure.  Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian.  Buried – Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia, PA.

APPEARANCE – The picture above is the portrait of Francis Hopkinson (age mid-40’s) painted by Robert Edge Pine in the 1780’s. 

FAMILY – Married - Nancy (Ann) Borden (___-d1827) in 1768.  Nine Children (six surviving to adulthood) – James Hopkinson (b1769-d1775, age 6), Joseph Hopkinson (b1770–d1842), Elizabeth Hopkinson (b1772-d1839), Mary Hopkinson (b1772-d1806), Thomas Hopkinson #1 (___, died as infant), Ann Hopkinson (___), Thomas Hopkinson #2 (___, died as infants), Francis Hopkinson (b1773-d1823), Sarah Johnson Hopkinson (___).

OCCUPATION – LAWYER, JUDGE, LEGISLATOR, AUTHOR, INVENTOR, MUSICIAN.  Graduated from the College of Philadelphia (now University of Pennsylvania) in 1757 (first graduating class).  Established a law practice in Bordentown, NJ.  Member of the Continental Congress representing New Jersey in 1776.  Member of  the Constitutional Convention in 1787.  Federal Judge from 1789 until his death in 1791.       

AT SIGNING – Age 38 at signing. 

AFTER SIGNING – Sought by British.  Home in Bordentown ransacked.  Helped design the first American Flag and Great Seal of the U.S. 

HISTORIC SITES          

Bordentown Home – Francis Hopkinson House, Bordentown, NJ (1750).  Located at 101 Farnsworth Avenue, Bordentown, NY 08505, Website www.bordentownhistory.org.   Home of Francis Hopkinson from 1774 until his death in 1791.  Privately owned (law offices).                                                                                                                                                          

Gravesite – Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, PA (1744).  Located at 20 North American Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, Phone 215-922-1695, Website www.christchurchphila.org.  Today a marker commemorates Hopkinson, but the location of his grave within the cemetery is unknown.                                                                                                                             

Philadelphia Home – Francis Hopkinson House, Philadelphia, PA.  Located at 149 Sassafras Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106.  The plaque on a building at the original site reads – “FRANCIS HOPKINSON – Born Philadelphia 1737 – Died Philadelphia 1791, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Designer of the American Flag, Patriot, Jurist, Composer, A Gentleman Amateur.”

A three-story brick building with white window frames and a white arched entrance, located on a street with a tree in front and power lines to the side.

Home of Francis Hopkinson, Bordentown, NJ (1750). 

Located at 101 Farnsworth Avenue, Bordentown, NY 08505, Website www.bordentownhistory.org.  Privately owned (law offices).    

Home of Francis Hopkinson from 1774 until his death in 1791.  The house was to be burned by the British in 1778, but was spared by a Hessian officer's appreciation of Hopkinson's library.