Stephen Hopkins

Handwritten text that reads 'Stay. Thanks'.
Portrait of George Washington seated outdoors with a red curtain and a building in the background.

BORN - March 7, 1707, in Providence, RI  Parents (English ancestry) – William Hopkins (b1681-d1738) and Ruth Wilkinson Hopkins (b1684-d1738).  Nine Children – Williams Hopkins (b1700-d1725), Stephen Hopkins (b1707-d1785), Hope Hopkins (b1716-___), Esek Hopkins (b1718-___), Samuel Hopkins (b1720-___), Abigail Hopkins (b1723-d1772), Susanna Hopkins (b1724-d1741, age 17), William Hopkins (___).  Stephen Hopkins was a cousin of Benedict Arnold.     

DIED - July 13, 1785 (age 78), at his home in Providence, RI.  Religion – Quaker.  Buried – Old North Burial Ground, Providence, RI.

APPEARANCE – The picture above is a portrait of Stephen Hopkins which was based on the image in the painting by John Trumbull titled “Declaration of Independence”.  Some believe that the likeness was based on his son, Rufus or a cousin, both of which resembled him.   

FAMILY – Married – Sarah Scott (b1707-d1753) in 1726 (both were age 19).  Seven Children (five surviving to adulthood) – Rufus Hopkins (b1727-d1813), John Hopkins (b1728-d1753), Ruth Hopkins (b1731-d1735, age 4), Lydia Hopkins Tillinghast (b1733-d1793), Sylvanus Hopkins (b1734-d1753), Simon Hopkins (b1736-d1743, age 7), George Hopkins (b1739-d1775).  Wife Sarah died in 1753.  Married – Anne Smith - widow (b1717-d1782) in 1755.  No Children.  

OCCUPATION – SURVEYOR, MERCHANT, EDUCATOR, JUDGE, LEGISLATOR, GOVERNOR.  Known as Rhode Island’s Greatest Statesmen.  Learned to read and write from his mother, no formal schooling.  Grew up on a farm in Scituate, RI.  Self-educated.  Moved to Providence in 1742.  Chief Justice of RI Supreme Court from 1751 to 1756 and 1770 to 1775.   Governor of RI on and off from 1755 to 1768.  First Chancellor of  the College in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (now Brown University) from 1764 to 1785.  University Hall is shown in the upper right of the picture above.  Wrote and published a widely read pamphlet titled “The Rights of Colonies Examined” in 1764.  Member of the Continental Congress representing Rhode Island from 1774 to 1776.

AT SIGNING – Age 69 at signing.  First to sign the Declaration of the two member delegation from Rhode Island.  Second oldest along with Benjamin Franklin.  His signature shown above was shaky.  A palzy condition required Hopkins to use his left hand to guide his right as he signed.  Wanting everyone to know that he was not shaking from fear, as he signed, he said - "my hand trembles, but my heart does not."

AFTER SIGNING – Left Congress in 1776, due to declining health.

HISTORIC SITES

Providence Home – Stephen Hopkins House Museum, Providence, RI (1708).  Located at 15 Hopkins Street, Providence, RI 02903, Phone 401-421-0694, Website nscda.org/museums2/ri-hopkins.html.  Home of Stephen Hopkins from 1743 until his death in 1785.

Gravesite – Old North Burial Ground, Providence, RI (1700).  Located at 5 Branch Avenue, Providence, RI 02903, Phone 401-331-0177, Website www.providenceri.com/parks-and-rec/north-burial-ground‎                                                                                                                    

College – University Hall, Brown University, Providence, RI (1770).  Located on the campus of Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, Phone 401-863-1000, Website www.brown.edu. 

State House – Old State House, Providence, RI (1762).  Located at 150 Benefit Street, Providence, RI 02903, Phone 401-222-2678, Website www.preservation.ri.gov.  Served as the seat of the Rhode Island Legislature and courthouse.   

A historic, two-story, red wooden house with a gabled roof, surrounded by a matching red fence with a gate. An American flag is mounted near the entrance, and modern buildings are visible in the background.

Stephen Hopkins House Museum, Providence, RI (1708). 

Located at 15 Hopkins Street, Providence, RI 02903, 401-421-0694, Website nscda.org/museums2/ri-hopkins.html.

Built in 1708, the house is one of the oldest buildings in Providence.  Stephen Hopkins purchased the house in 1743 and lived there until his death in 1785 (42 years).  He built a large two story addition to the back of the original house.  George Washington is known to have visited Hopkins at the house.  The house was originally located at the corner of Hopkins and South Main Streets.  In 1927, it was moved to its current located at 15 Hopkins Street on the edge of the Brown University campus.