A H O OP E R F AM I L I AM E R CA Y N I .

Th is genealogical sk et ch of one line of Hoopers in America has b been prepared for the enefit of the children of Mrs . Sumner b I d olene l Cros y ( Snow Hooper) , now living in A ameda , Cal . b b N o attempt has een made y the compiler of these records , (a b grandmother of the children) , to esta lish a distinguished name . in Like most families New England , this family of Hoopers is of good yeoman stock . L AR N E D n in M R . J . . N , the learned historia , Books , Culture , ” s and Character , sugge ts the thought that human life is lived

b n n - on a narrow strand , etwee two great ocea s , the Ocean of

Time Past and the Ocean of Time to Come . When you turn , futureward n : looking , you see nothing with certai ty it is veiled

b . by an impenetra le mist But , if you look to that other sea and look out upon that measureless expanse of Time Past , you will see that it is covered with ships . Those ships come sailing d to us in numbers beyon our counting . They bring us the story n m of a forgotten life , with its experie ce , its wisdo , its warnings , and its counsels , its consolations , its discoveries . What if there were no ships to bring us all this ' , It is through our ancestors that we learn the way in which American independence was won and the Federal Republic of the ' nited States was constructed . It is through these ancestors H ill that we learn of Bunker and George Washington , we learn “ of the coming of the Mayflower , and the planting of life in “ the New World from Old World stocks . And yet there are those men and women who live as though no ship had ever come to them from the far shores of old Time , where their ancestry dwelt ; and the interest of existence to them is huddled in the b petty space of their own few years , etween walls of mist which ” thicken as impenetrably behind them as before . It is the hope

. b of this grandmother , that the children of Mrs Sumner Cros y will not accept life on su ch narrow terms ; that they will not be content to live in ignorance of their own ancestors ; that 4

through a study of the lives of these ancestors they may come

to have a knowledge of the history of Time Past . n m In E ngland a d in A erica , in the early records , the surname

o f Hooper is spell ed in various ways . In England we have the ”

m . na e as Hope , Hoope , Hupper , Hopper , and Hooper In “ ” n 1 76 1 t h e Provi ce of Mayne records , as late as , in the same “ il find m deed , you w l the na e written as hupper , hopper , and ” and Hooper , referring to the same person ; this is equally true “ ” in th e Mayne wills . I t is probable that the surname of Hooper was first used in

England about the year 1 275 . There is no record to show that i n m t is older tha this date . Whether the na e was originally ” e m t i d rived fro a rade , as Bowditch cla ms in his Origin of n t no . New E gland Family Names , is now known “ I n 1 275 le H o ore William p possessed lands in Dorset , Eng n 1 2 n la d . In 3 5 the ame of Hooper is found in the county of S n m omerset . The a e of Hooper was the Norman French term t nt it m a be m for a clo h mercha , and y presu ed that the famil y

b it was — The . N orman P eo le 2 9 . . 8 which ore foreign p , p

n m not D omes- da B ack The a e of Hooper does appear in the y . For th e benefit of these grandchildren it m ay be well to insert t h e following : m b Doo sd ay Book , 'so called ecause its decision was regarded n ' b n n n as fi al a ook co tai i g a digest , in Norman French , of the s ts re ul of a census or survey of E ngland undertaken by order o f m th e n n Willia Co queror a d completed in 1 08 5 ” It consists o f two o m s um v lu e in vell , a large folio containing 3 82 pages a nd u t nt n n 4 a q ar o co ai i g 5 0 . They form a valuable record of the

n t t th e land ow ership , ex en , and value of s of England ( 1 ) at the t th e y 2 th e ime of surve , ( ) at date of bestowal when they had b n t b th e n 3 ee gran ed y ki g , and ( ) at the time of Edward the ‘ ( o n es o n m t m f s r , whe a so ewha si ilar survey had been made ; t he n mb u ers of te na nts and dependents amou nt of live stock , , ” e tc e o t e — , . Th e Centu D i cti ona wer als re urn d ry ry , vol . ii . e a re m n n t Th re a y ge ealogis s , as shown in printed family his to e wh o m to m ri s , see care ore for glory than for truth ; and he nc e you find th e se same families claimi ng descent from “ Will ” ia m t h e C o nqu e ro r (whe n it is no t from Charlemagne ) , whose m “ ” fa ily surnam e had its birth l o ng years after this survey was m in in 1 08 5 e Engl n , . N o t al ays is it ishonest is ad a d w d y , but 5

the result of either carelessness or ignorance on the part of the

family . ’ ’ JOHN H O OP E R (written also hup er and hop er) was an Eng

lish Protestant bishop . All authorities agree that he was born E b 1 4 95 . in Somersetshire , in ngland , a out the year This Bishop Hooper is the most distinguished member of the English family “ of Hoopers . While a student at Oxford , he was converted 1 5 3 9 to the Protestant faith . In , to escape the Bloody Statutes

V . of Henry III , he retired from England , and passed several

' . years in urich At the death of Henry he settled in London , b where he ecame an eminent and eloquent preacher . In 1 5 5 0 1 2 he was made Bishop of Gloucester , and in 5 5 received the i n commendam bishopric of Worcester . Soon after the accession of Mary he was condemned as a heretic , and , refusing to recant , 1 was burned at the stake in 5 5 3 . He wrote numerous theologi ” cal works . (See Burnet , History of the Reformation . ) “ ” “ John Fox, in his Book of Martyrs , writes , John Hooper B ur onian was married in 'urich to a g (p .

1 63 5 “ In , on the thirteenth day of July , the ship James , sail b ing from the port of London , England , for New England , rought among its passengers two young men , one William Hooper , age th e - eighteen , other Thomas Marshall , age twenty two . This Williaml Hooper was destined to become the father of the family of Hoopers in America . No one has ever searched the English records to see from whence came this Wil liam Hooper to New b England , and in the a sence of such proof , it is all a matter of conj ecture with the compiler of these records as to where Will ’ iam Hooper s home was in England . “ P ersons ualit The under written names , of Q y, are to be trans imbar ued Juo . ported to New England q in the James , May ,

. . : c nf Mr , for N . E p Cert from the ministers of their o ormiti e in R eligeon : and that they are no subsedy men : William Hooper age 1 8 : Thomas Marshall age 22 : porte of London July 1 3 — , , L i sts: . H otten . 1 0 r C 7 . 0 i i nal J . g , p Af ter this date ( 1 63 5 ) there is no record of any one bearing the i 1 642 surname of Hooper in New England unt l , when the name of William1 Hooper appears in the First Church records in the town of “ ” s Redding , Mas , as one of the original members in this church . “ This record has also the name of Elizabeth Hooper . Whether 6

1 this Elizabeth Hooper was the wife of William it will be diffi b b cult to prove ; but it is pro a le that she was , from the fact that b 1 642 in her name did not appear efore any other record , neither r does it appear after this date . If so , she was a fi st wife , for in 1 “ ” h Ruth H oo er 1 669 and in 1 679 t e wife of William Hooper was p . I n this same church record are the names of Thomas Marshall “

t . and Elizabe h Marshall , his wife Pope , in his Pioneers of Am ” m m “ ” erica , clai s that Willia Hooper was a weaver , and m n Thomas Marshall a shoe aker . It is i teresting to note that ” the m th e ff Chaucer surna e of Father of English Poetry , Geo rey , “ ” m n s n . ig ifies Shoe aker (Century Dictio ary of Proper Names , p . M n e —hi s n me is F ee o m y a g l , a r d , Choose hi m to be your k ing ;

H e s cut t w s e s t and we st hall pa h ay a , And en ou wi t his n f d y h wi g .

I wi e ne e no e ll hav v r a bl , N o line age co unted great ; Fis h ers and ch o p p e rs and pl o ughme n S ons t tute st t hall c i a a e .

Go cut o wn t ees in th e o est d r f r , And trim th e straightest b o ughs ; Cut o wn t ee s in th e o est d r f r ,

And ui me wo o en o us b ld a d h e .

C th e e o e to e t e all p pl g h r,

Th e oun men a nd th e s es y g ir , Th e i e in th e r est fiel d gg r ha v d , Hire ling and him that hi re s ;

And h ere in a p in e state - h ouse They shall ch oo se men to rul e I n e e r nee ul u t v y df fac l y ,

I n ur a nd st te and s ch ch , a , choo l .

L o no w ' if t es , h e po or men Ca n go ve rn th e land and sea

And m k e us t ws e o w th e sun a j la b l , As ne ts i t u b e pla fa hf l .

I cause fro m e ve ry cre ature H is p ro p er go o d to 'ow : As m uch as h e is and d oe th

So mu h e s esto w ch hall b .

R . W . E mer so n . There is no reasonable explanation why William 1 Hooper 1 together with Thomas Marshall , should leave England in 63 5 unless the “ trades ” were disturbed to such extent that there was little manufacture . Added to this is the fact that between

1 630 and 1 640 religious persecution was at its height . During this period was the largest emigration of Englishmen to New

E n land ’ with out England . Charles I . was ruling g a Parliament , and was levying a direct tax on the people to support the govern b 1 63 0 ment . As shown after , y the Long Parliament , this period , ’ 40 —a , marked the decline in England s prosperity , decline she ’ was long years in recovering from . The king s two advisers were f Thomas Wentworth (Earl of Stra ford) and William Laud . b Bishop Laud was orn in Reading , England , the son of a weaver . “ — b b If William Hooper was a weaver , and he pro a ly was , for “ ” he mentions my L o ombs and all my Tackling in his will in — 1 678 h e . , came from some place of manufacture in England In 1 63 5 the only town of considerable importance in manufact “ ” close b ure that was to the port of London was Reading , a out

- thirty five miles distant from London . The town at that time had a population of Its situation was on the Thames at A b ' . its con uence with the river Kennet eautiful town , as well b as one of considerable note . It is possi le that here was the bi rthpla ce of William Hooper . A s little closer inspection of the records of Redding , Mas , discloses the fact that among those “ twelve first settlers in

Redding was one Dea . Thomas Parker . Mr . Parker was born 1 60 5 . in Reading , England , in He sailed from the port of “ ” London in the Susan and Ellen , April He sailed three months in advance of Hooper and Marshall ; came from ” L oombs Reading in England , where and Tackling were in use , sail ed from the same port as Hooper and Marshall did a little s later , and is recorded in Lynn (Mas ) records (together with 1 Thomas Marshall) as having settled in Lynn in 63 5 . “ ” “ s He was one of the original settlers in Redding , Mas , 1 42 6 . together with Hooper and Marshall , in The historian of the town of Reading (Mass ) claims that these three men were ” ' b related . Thomas Marshall is named as my rother in Will ’ 1 678 i iam Hooper s wi ll , in . This c rcumstantial evidence does

rove b but m not p the irthplace of Wi lliam Hooper ; , until so e one b disproves it , Reading i n England is the possi le early home of 8

b our William Hooper . It is further possi le , that these three men s have the honor of naming Reading , Mas , and in memory of their

English home . In 1 63 9 settlers at “ Lynn Commons petition the Colony Court for the right to change the name of Lynn Commons to ” and be be Redding , ask to allowed to incorporated as a sepa “ rate town . The answer to this petition was that , when Lynn Commons had a settlement of twelve families and could support

n t be . a mi is er , the petition would granted The names of the t but sig ners o this petition were lost , it is claimed in the History ’ of Readi ng that William Hooper s name was among them .

1 42 - Reading in 6 was a wide spreading country , including all n n of what is now know as Wakefield a d South Reading . The land was originally bought from the Indians of Plym outh £ 1 0 1 6a be b Colony for , and the deed may still seen , signed y “ b uann in a o t . Sagamore George , his sister A igail , and Q p In a r b b few weeks the first settle s had a comforta le ca in , and in two n years extensive fields of cor and wheat , with a young orchard ” “ started ( Recollections of Rev . Timothy Flint , p . But it was not u ntil after long years that they had any manufacture m and or uch trade , for they were isolated away from those set tleme nts b that had etter opportunities . There was exposure to n n the I dia s , and the internal conditions were such that there t t in was li tle educa ion schools . Indeed , the town was complained t 1 680 ” Al of as la e as for having too poor a school . though “ ” “ such men as Thomas B ancr ofte and Captayne Marshall w t b ri e a clear and legi le hand , it was quite uncommon among the t n ow speople , as the Registry of Deeds and the records in b f the Pro ate O fice for Middlesex County will show . William ’ Hooper is the person named as being absent from “ o m in 1 675 in b h e , a attle against the Indians in Middlesex ” u t n Co n y . His ame does not appear often in the county and t I . t b b own records is shown , y the town ooks , that he was taxed in 1 642 ; was m b 1 642—44 a em er of the church in . He receives ” — allo ttments 1 65 several of land one of fifty acres in 8 , and no t te n in b ” a her of acres that same year , on the Wo urn road . “ I n 1 669 h e s ” sell his now dwelling house in Redding to Mrs . M l l o d ma n a nd th e y g , eco to be foun l n Middlesex Dee s ar r rd d d , vo l 4 3 3 1 nt n , p , is i eresting as showi g the form of an o riginal o ld t deed , and in his case that the wife of William Hooper in 9

1 9 “ ” 66 was Ruth Hooper , who relinquishes her right and title in the estate

Know all men by these p 'sents yt I Wil liam Hooper of

Redding , in the County of Middlesex in New England for divers causes and consideration moueing me Th erearon to and espe cially for and in consideration of the sume of twenty six pounds to me in hand paid by Mary h ogman at or before the sealing hereof whereof wherewith I do Acknowledge myselfe fully sat isfied and contented and thereof and every part thereof do ex h onorate aquit and discharge the afore said Mary hodgman her heirs and executors and assigns forever and do by these presents give grante bargaine enfoff e and confirme unto the said Mary Hodgman my now dwelling house being sittewated in Redding

o with f wer acres of land thereunto adj oining , with the orchard garden fencing thereunto belonging is bounded on ye north with ye High Waye and on the East wth The Lande of Isaac Harte and on ye South with ye Lande of Robert Burnap Junr th on ye weste w th e Lande of Thom as Kendall To have and to hold the said house the fower acres of Lande be it more or less with the orchard garden and fencing and every part and b b parcell thereof as it is butted and ounded as a ove said . To the propper use and beh oofe of the aforesaid Mary hodgman her heirs executors and assigns forever and furthermore the said William Hooper do give gra nte assigne enfoff e the right title claime or demand that euer th at the said William Hooper have or euer had in any of the said premises unto the said Mary hodgman her heirs , executors or assigns or from any other per son or persons whatsoever Laying any title claim or interest thereto by from or under me . “

h . 4h 7t d t mo .

1 The names of the children of William Hooper , taken from ’ the Reading records and Savage s Genealogical Dictionary , vol . 2 4 “ ” 5 0 b . , p . , all orn in Redding “ ” Whether Ruth Hoop er was the mother of these children (she was the mother of Thomas and John) does not appear : “ b 1 4 . 7 . Mary , 6 b d 1 4 6 9 . James , . and . 1 b. 0 . Susan , 65

b 1 . Ruth , . 65 3 1 0

b 1 65 6 . Rebecca , .

b 1 65 8 . William , . 2 b 1 66 . Hannah , .

b 1 665 . Elizabeth , .

1 8 . b. 66 Thomas ,

1 670 . hn b. J o ,

2 b 1 5 8 m. . 6 WILLIAM HOOPER , ; Susanna He was a se

1 692. le etman in Reading , and died in Of his children whose in b births were recorded Reading were William , Eliza eth , and

b m . s Ruth . Eliza eth Enoch Leonard , of Bridgewater , Mas , in 1 1 m 7 0 . 1 70 7 . Ruth . John Bolton , of Bridgewater , Of the bi un eco ded children whose rths were r r were Susanna , who died “ i n s 1 73 8 . in Bill erica , Mas , In her w ll she mentio s sisters Eliza t beth Leonard and Ru h Bolton , of Bridgewater . The will of

b b . Susanna Hooper is pro ated at East Cam ridge , Mass (Middle 2 3 2 . sex Wills , vol . , p Another child was John Hooper , whose birth is not recorded in Reading records . He m . and 1 s b 703 . b settled in Bridgewater , Mas , efore He ecame the father of a numerous posterity , which is scattered throughout ’ New England and the West . (See Mitchell s History of Bridge water . ) ‘ 1 WI LLIAM HOOPER died in Reading in 679 . The town rec ords show t h e following entry in their books : — 1 679 : died this day in 62d year of his life William Hooper — ” one of the first settlers in the town .

The burial was in the old cemetery which is described as so far from the church . It was ordered by the town in 1 668 “ to th e r a les fence grave yard with pine y . Rev . Jonathan t Pierpon , a Godly and learned man , officiated at the funeral services . u b Mr . Hooper was s rvived y his widow Ruth and nine chil n t b b dre , wi h possi ly others whose irths were unrecorded .

b t t m and n m 1 A s rac fro the last Will Testame t of Willia Hooper , m o n t ffi fth ade his day of August ,

“ I give half my la nds ' pland and medd ow to my wife during And th e her l ife . other half of my lands and me dd ow I give to m a nd h is my son Willia heirs forever . And my will is that he sh a ll improve them all : An d his mother to have halfe the profit 1 1

An d di as During her life . at her sce e He my son William to have all my lands and meddow and Cattle : And to pay to my six children that are unmarried ffive pounds apiece as they shall come to age . But he shall not pay any for two years after my a disce se . My will is that my two younger sons shall be with i be their mother and my son W lliam till they fifteen years of age , to be helpful to them . And then my will is that they may be set to some Trade . And if any of them have a mind to be a L oombs Weaver . Then I doo will him to have all my and all

. s ff my Tackling to them And my hou ehold stu s . I give it be i all to my wife to at her own Disposal . But if my w fe should be marry . All my Lands and Cattle shall my son Williams . : bee l Only the household goods to my wifes as wi led . And my will is that my brother Cap tayne Marshall and my cousin Ensigne B ancrofte be my overseers to this my last will as above ” —M id lesex o e ords 1 1 4 5 2 d P r bate R c 679 . 7 . 3 3 . said . , , , , vol , p

” To the Inventory of the estate Captayne Marshall signs h is B ancrofte s name as Thomas Marshall , and Ensigne as Thoma f ” B ancro te . 1 0 1 4 1 b . 68 On Nov , , Ruth , widow of William Hooper , ecomes the second wife of Thomas Dutton , of Billerica , Mass . (History l of Bil erica , p .

Some of the Maine Hoopers , (those of Biddeford) , claim that 1 1 48 William Hooper was made a freeman in Biddeford in 6 . “ ” “ There is no truth in this claim . He was a freeman in Red ” 1 48 ding in 6 , and the records of the town show that he was living there on this date . There is no official record in New England to show that William Hooper ever lived elsewhere than ” in Redding . SECOND GENERATION .

1 1 670 m . H N b. s JO HOOPER , in Redding , Mas , ; Charity 1 Kay (sometimes recorded as Key or Keay) before 1 70 . Her family name appears in the “ Province of Mayne rec

ords before 1 65 0 . Her father was John Kay . (See Province

of Mayne Probate Records . ) John Kay was a Scotchman . but b e The family came early into Maine , how early cannot

stated positively . The family surname appears frequently ” t “ b in h e court records of ye old Province of Mayne , etween th e years 1 63 6 to They may have come into Maine “ a t th e time of the settlement of the Piscataqua , when the n t Laco ia gran was made to Sir Fernando Gorges . It is more b likely , however , as shown y the court records , that they were one of those Scotch families who were “ disaffected with King Charles and were complained of as “ discontented b spirits , hostile to the government of the esta lished church who are now settling on the grants made by the Plymouth ” Company . It is many years since the name of Kay or

Keay has appeared in York County records .

l 2 The chi dren of John and Charity Hooper , all born in Kittery , afterward known as Berwick , and now known as South Berwick , were

b 1 41 . . 70 1 d 1 2 John , Jan , ; . 80 . b F e 1 b . 1 . 7 04d 7 . 1 Samuel , , ; 705 .

t b. 1 . 7 1 70 7 Chari y , Jan , .

b. 9 1 7 0 . Samuel , April , 9

b. 1 5 1 1 1 Mary , April , 7 . b n 2 . Ja . 7 1 7 1 Joseph , , 3 . b d . . 1 1 1 1 Noah , and in Berwick , April , 7 5 . 2 b. 8 1 1 Love , April , 7 7 .

Willi a m b. 26 1 7 1 9 ba . 1 3 1 71 , April , ; p July , 9 . m b F “ . e 1 b . 3 1 721 Benja in , , ; dismissed to the church in Bidde

. 28 1 743 ford , Me , July , . He is the ancestor of the Bidde ford Hoopers ; and some of his descendants are the Hoopers 1 3

s of Charlestown , Mas , whose names are found in the early “ records of that time . Benj amin Hooper was on the com ” mittee of safety in Biddeford , during the Revolution .

He was also a captain , during the Revolutionary War , of d 1 8 2 1 . 0 8 . one of the Biddeford companies ; , age 22 22 1 m. d 1 789 b . 7 Solomon , . Jan , ; Bridget . .

2 u The name of John Hooper appears on the bond of Mrs . S “ ” sanna Hooper , of Redding , in the settlement of the estate “ disce ase d b b 25 of my late hus and William Hooper Octo er , ”

1 2 b . 69 . 8 (Middlesex County Pro ate Records , vol , p The name of John Hooper appears again on the petition of “ 1 41 695 Mrs . Mary Taylor , of Redding , Nov . , , requesting that her son , James Taylor , may be appointed administrator of the “ ” estate of my late discease d husband Thomas Taylor (Mid

dl sex b . 7 . e County Pro ate Records , vol , p Af ter 1 695 we find no one bearing the surname of Hooper ” b b “ ” remaining in Redding . John Hooper pro a ly left Redding b “ soon after this date . It may possi ly be he whose name , John ” Hooper , appears in the records of the French and Indian Wars .

Al so his elder brother Thomas (b. who is mentioned in ’ “ ” the father s will as one of my two younger sons , may be the same Thomas Hooper whose name is also connected with this war . The name of this brother Thomas 2 Hooper appears in Kittery m 1 d 7 696 . recor s for the first ti e April , 1 7 696 . Quarterly sessions held at York , April , “ We present Thomas Hooper for not ffre quenting the public ” 1 1 5 . 8 worship of God on ye Lords day (Part . Book , Fol ,

York Deeds) .

5 1 697- 98 n March , , Thomas Hooper sells to He ry Barter , of 7 b sd Kittery , 2 acres or more which was equeathed unto Hoopers

r d b t b tn ff rancis Ch am ernown c Wife , Eliza e h y Cap p Esq De and d Ch am ernown Since D elie uvd unto s Hooper by Mrs . Mary p e I I . V . Relict and Executrix of ye Deed , etc (York Deeds , Book Folio “ 1 6 1 699 At a legal town meeting held at Kittery May , Granted unto Thomas Hooper twenty acres of land provided i ” h e improve it with n one year . 1 4

For ye year 1 71 4: Paid Thomas Hooper by John Hooper b b s b treasur er of Berwick , y the account presented y con ta le ” 3 8 . Joseph Abbott (Book I . p . , Berwick Town Records)

2 1 0 64. . 7 t . Kit ery , Me , was incorporated as a town Oct , At this time her territory included all of the Berwicks and Eliot . off m t n Berwick was set fro Kit ery , and i corporated as a town ,

9 1 7 1 3 . June , 2 1 704b John Hooper , in , ought land from James Emery .

His name had not appeared previous to this , in York Deeds , although in the Kittery town records it is shown that John and b 1 t Jr . 70 1 . Chari y Hooper had a son , John , , orn in This land ’ 1 704 of Hooper s purchased from Emery , in , is described in “ part as a cert ain piece of land bounded on ye west by ye coun t r t and b y road in Kittery , on ye nor h south and east y Philip bb Hu ards land , and is a part of Lot of Land on which my father t out did live , and is excep ed of it when he sold to Philip H ub b e t ard , and li s opposi e against ye south east corner of Philip bb ” 7 Hu ards orchard (York Deeds , Book , Folio 26 1 7 1 . 6 b On Jan , , John Hooper ought the farm owned in 1 704b bb b bb y Philip Hu ard and Eliza eth Hu ard , his mother , 5 0 b e b acres of land it more or less with ye arn , ye dwelling ” b 8 house orchard land and uildings (York Deeds , Book , Folio On t s t 1 7 1 6 hi last da e , , he had a large farm .

At this point th e writer wishes to consider the evidence which m th e see s to connect John Hooper , of Kittery , Maine , with the “ ” b s 1 John Hooper orn in Redding , Mas , in 670 . It is nec t o t b b essary do his , ecause this claim has een questioned . The party who has thus questioned and doubted was justified in doing so . A genealogical chain is only as strong as its weakest n 2 li k . And when two separate families claim John Hooper of ”

Redding as their lineal ancestor , the one family living in Massa chuse tts th e t and o her in Maine , it makes a conservative mind

t b act cau ious a out accepting as a f , what had become only a “ — tradition with th e Maine Hoopers that their lineal ancestor , , tt 1 70 1 John Hooper , of Ki ery in , was the son of William Hooper , “ ” m 1 63 5 who ca e to New England in the James in , and settled “ R “ edding , Mass . It i s necessary to state that no vital ” st t t s b b b a is ic has een discovered y the writer , or y any de 1 5

1 nd ant i sce of W lliam Hooper , which connects him with a John

Hooper , either in Massachusetts , or in Maine , after the b s 1 6 0 irth of the son John , in Redding , Mas , in 7 . Among the Massachusetts Hoopers there was not even this “ tradition ” which the writer found among the Maine Hoopers when she commenced these records . It would be confusing to introdu ce the questions raised by the Massachusetts Hooper in his objections to this claim made in Maine . The writer has been carefully through all of the records of Plymouth County and Middlesex

County in Massachusetts , and of York County records in Maine , and with the following results , which has confirmed her in a “ ” belief that the tradition found in Maine is to be accepted as a truth . Whether she is correct in her judgment is for the Hoopers

- 2 to decide . First , it is a self evident fact that , if John Hooper left Redding ” about 1 695 (and his name disappeared from Middlesex records in and there is no record of his death in Massach u setts , it was necessary for him to settle elsewhere . A John s 1 1 Hooper i in the Kittery records in 70 . A search in the York

be ore Country records in Maine , disclosed the fact that f this date , 1 0 1 no one bea i n 7 , with the one exception of Thomas Hooper , r g

l u n e ha d ever l ved i n Y ork ou t thi s fami y s r am i C n y . A further search disclosed another fact : that the recorded ages of the b b children orn to Thomas Hooper and his wife , Eliza eth (Small) Hooper (these births are recorded in the years between 1 693 make it possible that the father of these children was the ” 1 Thomas Hooper born in Redding in 668 . These records show

dau hter Af that those children were g s . ter all these long years it will b e impossible to decide what motives there were which led

Thomas and John Hooper to settle in Kittery . But the town records of Berwick , Me . , as already stated , show that Thomas sa me town Hooper , together with John Hooper , were in the in 1 — — 1 7 4 . , Berwick , Me If it is true , that these two men Thomas — b and John Hooper were rothers , and were in the same war to gether , it is clearly understood that in going into Maine and Canada they probably travelled over “ that lonely road that ru ns close to the oceanside (to prevent a surprise from the Ind ians) , and was from Boston to Portsmouth , New Hampshire . b They saw the mountain Agamenticus in the distance , and dou t lessly crossed the Piscataqua into Kittery . One fact is evident — in the records of York County , that , if one cannot determine from 1 6

whence these two men came into Kittery , it is certain they both found a wife there ; for Elizabeth Small was in the family of Sir

am ernowne b Francis Ch p , and , as already has een shown , John ’ Hooper s wife , Charity , was the daughter of John Kay , which “ ” family had been long in the Province of Mayne . “ n To the bond of Mrs . Susanna Hooper in Reddi g , John ’ Hooper s signature appears in a writing that is clear and distinct . ” “ ” and n ot He spells his name HOOPER , huper , hopper , or “ ” I n hupper . the early deeds , in York County , this name is ” “ ” n h frequently writte with a small , and is huper , hoper , or ” b Hupper . This fact was a very trou lesome one to the writer , for it was impossible to understand how the same person could change the spelling of his own name inside of six years . A long search failed to disclose the written signature of John Hooper in

t . 0 be York Coun y T sure , John Hooper was for several years town treasurer of Berwick , and it was hardly supposable that a ma n n an f holdi g su ch o fice could not write his own name . Still , th e w i tten si natu e not be r g r could found , or any proof that he did not change the writing of his name to “ huper ” after he went

' nt n . i o Mai e At last the writer discovered her own blunder . She had been reading th e deeds wherein John Hooper was the te an e . th gr , and not the grantor And thus e name had been wri tten b othe a t y r p r i es . Af ter a long time a deed was discovered which b 1 721 ’ ears the date , in which John Hooper s name appears for th e first time as a grantor in York County . In this deed he t ” wri es his name JOHN HOOPER , and names my wife Charity . t th e t Wi h aid of racing paper , a copy of the two signatures of n Joh Hooper in Middlesex records was made , and , when com pared with th e signature of John Hooper to the deed of 1 721 in t York Coun y , Maine , were found to be so very like as to leave no bt in dou the mind of the compiler of these records that the th ee si na tures we e w i tten b the sa me h and r g r r y . Before introdu cing t t “ his deed as evidence , the wri er will again refer to the tradition I t 2 ’ in Maine . is to be remembered that of John Hooper s children t e s n n b 1 . 70 1 h e o s , Joh , , live until 1 802 William b r d ; , . 1 71 9 ’ <1 e . 1 809 n m n b . 1 721 in B rwick , ; Be ja i a. in Biddeford , , , 1 802 t 1 7 1 Their fa her died in Berwick in 6 . You will note that the b t so n o n Jr . ir h of one , J h , , covers a century . If you think care u it f lly , you will find hard to believe that these three sons did not n bi thpla e k ow the r c of their own father ; further , that it will be

1 8

The above named John Hooper Charity his wife Came before me acknowledged ye above written Instrument to be their free act and deed CHARLES F F R OS T J us P eace

' ' 7th 1 721 Recorded according to ye original Dec . 2

’ B B R e p A RAM PRE LE g .

' . (York Deeds , Book Folio

John Hooper was on the building committee of the little church bb 4 . in Kittery in 1 70 . He succeeded Mr Philip Hu ard as town 1 1 7 1 2 73 0 . clerk and treasurer in , and continued in office until He was made a deacon of the First Congregational Church in 1 1 n —a 7 . 2 He was active in cou ty and town affairs , selectman , n m t a d . odera or at town meetings , often one of the grand jurors The cou nty records show that he was appointed to settle disputes ” out of court ; and his name appears more frequently than th an t ma n in n at of y o her York Cou ty , in the settlement of 1 1 s 76 . e tates . He died in The date of the death of his wife is n but Charity not k own ; , as she is not mentioned in her hus b ’ l b b and s wil , it is pro a le that she had already died . They are ” b o n t i b uried he r farm at Old Fields , Berwick , now owned y b n . b Mr Isaac Li ey, a li eal descendant .

TH E OF WILL JOHN HOOPER .

: In the name of God Amen I , John Hooper of Berwick , in nt t the Cou y of York , wi hin ye Province of ye Massachusetts in n b Bay , New England , cordwai er , eing aged and infirm of b but n n ody , of sou d mind and memory , expecti g the time to be n t ear that I mus die , and to prevent difference in my family about my estate do make and ordain this my last Will and Tes t t amen . Resigning my soul into the hands of God my Creator in t m m and b Chris y redee er , my ody to a decent Christian burial

m n as y executor shall think most convenient , hopi g for a res u re ctio n n amo g the Just . “ t t b What es a e it has pleased God to less me with in this life , b u I give , devise and eq eath and dispose of the same in the fol o n m n — l wi g an er . Vi e s First my will is that all my just and o ne t d e bt be h s s well and truly paid b my son Solomon H oo e i y p , who I appoint sole executor of this my last Will and testament . 1 9

: b t Item I give and equea h unto my son John Hooper 1 3 .

e ui pounds five shillings and eight pence lawful money , or an q va lent thereto of Good vendable lumber of that value at money b price , to be paid y my son Solomon Hooper , my executor , disce ase in one year after my , at some convenient landing place in Berwick aforesaid without interest . I also give my son John undevid ed one half of all my common rights in Berwick . “ Item : I give and bequeath unto my son Samuel Hooper 9 pounds six shillings and eight pence lawf ul money or an equiv alent thereto in cattle or good vendable lumber of that value be b at money price to paid y my son Solomon Hooper , my exec m . ec utor , in one years time after y dis ase , at some convenient landing place , in said Berwick without interest . “ Item : I give and bequeath unto my sons William and Ben jamin , to each of them , nine pounds , six shillings and eight pence f b law ul money or an equivalent in good venda le lumber , to that value at money price at some convenient landing place in Ber

discease be wick within one year after my , said sum to paid to each of them said William and Benj amin by my son Solomon my executor . : a n Item If y of my said sons John , Samuel , Benjamin , Will b iam , or either of them shall die efore their respective legacies

b b be a ove mentioned shall ecome due , the same shall paid to their respective heirs , or lawful representatives and all without i interest if within one year after my d scease . “ : Item My three daughters namely Charity Key , Mary Shorey and Love Sprague having already had what I intended to give each of them for their portion , my will is that my son Solomon pay to each of them the said Charity , Mary and Love his sisters five shillings lawful money out of my estate which shall be in full of their po rtion of the same . Item : I give and bequeath unto my son Solomon Hooper and his heirs and assigns forever all of my house and land where : I now live in Berwick tillage lands , mowing lands , pasture lands , woodlands , marshes , meadows , and one half part of all my com de ided undevided mon rights v and , and all the residue of my an estate real and personal in Berwick . And in y and every place and places whatsoever and wheresomever , money , goods l c and ch at e s of every sort and kind ; debts , lues and demands be the same more or less , my said son Solomon paying all 20 debts and legacies in this my will mentioned and ordained to be paid . “ Lastly : I hereby revoke and disallow every other former i b b w ll and wills , testament , legacies and equests , y me in any b mann er before this made y word or writing . Ratifying and i be allowing th s and no other to my last will and testament . “ I n witness whereof , I the said John Hooper hereunto set m n 22 1 y ha d and seal the d day of May 75 6 .

' JOHN HOOPER his mark . Signe d se al e d and wit ne ssed ono un e and , pr c d declared by th e said R ecorde d from the original Jo n Ho o e to be h is S M ' E L F R S T re i ster h p r A O g . st w l a nd test ment P o te 7th o f J nu r 1 2 la i l a r ba d day a a y 76 . in the se n o f us W e e . e o e in P o te O fi e Y o pr c ill r c rd d r ba f c rk Co . TH M l S G D WI N . Vo 1 0 . 2 4 O A OO . 7 . , p

WAL T E R AB B OTT . L e tte m ni st t on a nd I n e nt r ad i ra i v ory p . J S E P H H ' B B AR D 2 4 O 7 275 . Vol 1 , . 0 . DAVI D GOO D WI N

NOAB E ME R Y THIRD GENERATION .

” b. 29 1 7 1 WILLIAM HOOPER , at Old Fields , Berwick , April , 9 ; 1 743 “ ” m. . 29 b b . 24 Oct , , Eliza eth Emery , at Old Fileds , Sept . ,

1‘ 1 725 . She was the daughter of Elder Daniel Emery and Mrs . ’ Mary (Lord) Hodgdon . The line of Elizabeth Emery s ancestors is as follows

- m Anthony Emery , second son of John and Agnes E ery ,

b. m. was in Romsey , Hants , England ; Frances He 1 63 5 . N H . . b came to America in He was in Dover , , a ou t 1 640 b 22 , and Octo er of that same year he signed the

b . Dover Com ination He kept an ordinary at Dover Neck . 1 4 . 6 9 . He removed to Kittery , Me , in He was juryman 1 65 2 1 65 9 b . several times , selectman , , and consta le At four f dif erent times he received grants of land from the town . He was one of the forty- one inhabitants of Kittery who acknowledged themselves subject to the government of “ 1 1 1 65 2. 65 6 . 6 Massachusetts Bay , Nov , In he was fined £5 for mutinous courage in questioning the authority of the 1 660 court of Kittery , and in again fined for entertaining 1 660 Quakers . In he sold his house and all his lands to

his son James , and moved with his wife to Portsmouth , R . I .

(The writer has seen the record of the above deed . ) Anthony “ ” 29 Emery was made a freeman in Portsmouth , Sept . , 1 0 66 . He served as juryman on several occasions , was chosen 41 666 constable June , , and deputy to the General Court , 1 25 672. April , There is no record of his death or place of

burial . 2 James Emery came to America with his father in 1 63 5 ; m.

d 1 687 m. first Elizabeth (she . after ) second , Elizabeth

s . Pidge , of Dedham , Mass (Dedham Record , p James 1 6741 676 1 677 Emery had grants of land in Kittery , , , , 1 841 685 1 692 1 693 1 695 6 , , , , ; elected representative to the 1 693 1 695 b 1 670 General Court , , ; grand juror and consta le , ;

1 705 . d . It is related that when he went to Boston his car riage was a chair placed on an ox -cart drawn by a yoke of 22

steers , as there was not a carriage in Kittery strong enough

to carry him . He was a large man , weighing three hundred

and fifty pounds . 3 1 5 1 678 m. b . Da niel Emery was . in Kittery , Nov , ; March

1 7 1 695 Mar e re tt b , , g Gowen (her mother was Eliza eth Frost , ff rost n ffrost daughter of Nicholas , and her u cle Charles “ ” “ was o ne of the first Chief Justices appointed in ye old ” n Province of Mayne . He was a very disti guished man , as

show n by public records) . 3 in Daniel Emery was a noted land surveyor York County . He was appoi nted by the General Court to mark the line

n th e betwee common rights of Berwick and Kittery , and to

mark th e division between Kittery and Berwick . He was “ ” o ne of the foundation members of the Congregational 1 1 1 720 . Church , and was chosen elder Nov . , He died in

1 1 22. 1 22. 5 7 b . 8 7 Berwick , Oct . , Will was pro ated Nov ,

M r n m d 1 a e re tt . . 2 His wife g (Gowe ) E ery in Berwick Nov ,

1 75 1 . ‘ m b 25 1 m 1 1 . 697 . 20 Elder Daniel E ery , June , ; June 6 , 7 ,

Ma L r r d . d . 1 . o b 77 . Mrs y ( ) Hodgdon He Septem er , 9 Will 41 b . 779 . b m . pro ated Oct , His sixth child , Eliza eth Emery , 3 Wi lli am Hooper .

3 The children of William and Elizabeth (Emery) Hooper were : 1 44 7 m . . 241 41 nn b. 7 Daniel , ; Sept , , Ha ah Heard , and settled in d b . 41 . 2 0 82 . Le anon , Me , where he March , He was a soldier t and in the Revolu ionary War , served in a New Hampshire t company (see Mili ary Rolls of New Hampshire) . Wi lli a m b 1 74 ba 1 4 . 7 6 m . 6 . 21 1 770 , ; p ; June , , Mary Lord , t b b daugh er of A raham and Eliza eth (Davis) Lord . E b ba 8 1 1 d . 2 75 li za eth , p July , ; . young . bo 1 . . 5 1 75 5 . Noah , p Nov , A soldier in the Revolutionary War . E b t ba 1 1 1 . . 3 7 m 1 6 . t . 3 1 779 liza e h , p Sept , ; Sep , , Tristram Heard . He was in the same New Hampshire company with Daniel

o b b t - ln- H o per , who afterwards ecame his ro her law . ‘ I o h n ba . 25 1 1 m 76 . 1 1 1 784 b p July , ; May , , Eliza eth Plaisted ; m s . e n , cond , Mrs . Ja e Wood . He was the father of fifteen d e n 3 chil r . He lived after 1 796 on th e William Hooper farm in (1 Berwick . He . in the home of his unmarried daughter in e H N . 4 . 1 8 8 4. Dov r , , March , His eldest child was Frances 23

e Hooper , who married Jam s Lord . Of their children , William b 1 7 1 8 1 9 F . Lord , orn May , was well known as the historian

of Berwick ; and to his daughter , Mrs . Frances Hooper b Moore , the writer is inde ted for assistance in her researches

. in Berwick Another descendant of John Hooper is Mrs . M . cCo Anna M y , of New York City . 4 ’ 5 so n m. John Hooper s , John Hooper , Caroline Cushing , and “ ” H N . lived on Mast Road , Dover , Among his grand

children are Dr . Fred Hooper Hayes and Mr . Frank Hooper , H N . of Dover , b 1 4 29 m. . 76 Mary , March , ; Love Keay . 1 41 m a 767 . 2 1 b . 9 790 . t Sarah , p May , June , , Rev Joshua Rober s . b 1 41 m a . 767 . Martha , p May , ; Richard Hovey . 1 a b. . 1 7 b F 1 2 7 69 . eb . 5 77 m James , Dec , ; p , ; . Sally Merrill , d 1 02 m . 8 . of New Glou cester (she January , ) , second , Mrs .

Elizabeth Hubbard . He had two children by his first 1 0 b . marriage , oth of whom died in 8 5 b Mr . Hooper ecame the first settled minister of the town 1 . 795 of Paris , Me He was ordained in , and the ordination

b . b services were held in a arn His rother , Rev . William

Hooper , of Berwick , preached the ordination sermon . He occupied the position as “ first minister of the town of Paris 1 42 until his death in 8 . Mr . Hooper represented the town

of Paris in the legislature several times , and was on the committee in the convention in Brunswick to frame the

State Constitution . His nephew , George Plaisted Hooper ,

lived with him , and had charge of his farm . He d ied , leav n n ing o desce dants .

The History of Paris , Me . , gives a full account of Rev .

James Hooper .

3 1 . 26 809 William Hooper died in Berwick , Me , July , , in

-first b ninety year of his age ; his widow , Eliza eth (Emery) ” 1 8 1 2 - Hooper died January , , age eighty seven (Berwick Town

Records) . 3 0 1 744 1 b On April , , William Hooper ought from Thomas “ ” Wooster a tract of land , five acres more or less , which was in the north parish , five miles north of the homestead of his “ b b father . It was ounded southerly y the common way lead b ing from Great Falls to Salmon Falls road , westerly y land of 24

” Joshua Roberts , and easterly by land of Moses Nock , etc . (York 2 5 . 66 Deeds , vol . , pp , This deed describes the land on which William Hooper built —4 in 1 7445 . his house It is still standing , and is in good condi t n b m io . In this house the children of William and Eliza eth (E ery) b b Hooper were orn , with the possi le exception of Daniel , the

th e b - eldest . Across road he uilt a tannery and shoe shop , and ” he is described in York Deeds as a Cordwainer . ’ In 1 746 - 47 William Hooper was a private in George Berry s company , Sergeant James Tuttle in command . 1 . 766 Mr Hooper , with his family , worshipped until , in the t ’ Sou h Parish , in the church of his childhood , where his wife s t in fa her was rul g elder , and his own father was a deacon . In t his church all of his children were christened . It is a tradi tio n in the family that in pleasant weather they walked to the t church , a dis ance of five miles ; and , when the snow was too

- t on o x . deep , hey were taken an sled When Mr . Hooper built b t his house , his farm was surrounded y Indians , wi h whom he always lived on friendly terms .

1 6 1 766 . On April , , Mr Hooper connected himself with the ” t n - Blackberry Hill mee i g house . It was in the north part of b the town , at a distance of a out three miles from the William b Hooper farm . His neigh or and friend was the learned Mathew m Merria . This church was Congregational , as was the one in “ ” th e u . So th parish , Berwick “ 1 766 : m t April ad i ted to this church William Hooper , and b t : b wife Eliza e h Hooper also Eliza eth wife of the minister . ” a MA T HEW MERRIAM p stor . In 1 775 th e little meeti ng-house at Blackberry Hill became “ ” th e t f b divided on validi y of in ant aptism . Mr . William Hooper “ was o ne of those who insisted upon immersion as the only form m b t . t in of ap is He was wi h the less powerful the church , but t was eviden ly a leader in the opposition . This disaff ection n t , . 1 782 culmi a ed finally so far as Mr Hooper was concerned , in , as shown by th e following votes '

1 782 n : Voted : , Ja uary that a committee be appointed to t t o wai upon Mr . William Hooper learn his reasons for absenting l himse f from church .

TH M astor MA EW MERRIA p .

26

b together with his age , made him an o ject of special favor in m 0 the abate ent of his taxes . N other name appears on the town all records for a like favor . Mr . Hooper was always named in “ ”

b . the pu lic records Mr William Hooper , and his son William , “

r . . as J . ; Elder ; or Rev William u n R Berwick , d ri g the evolutionary period , was a scattered m t n . set lement , composed e tirely of far s They were isolated , and were exposed to peculiar dangers during this period . The t n t n s r ow mee i g , held alternately at the south and no th end of th ’ e town , at the hour of one O clock in the afternoon , were most n n fully represe ted by the inhabitants . A few li es from the town records are worth presenting in connection with the name of l Wil iam Hooper , who was frequently the moderator at these t b b mee ings , and , as has een shown , he was at this time a mem er of the Board of Selectmen .

1 4 3 1 77 . Berwick , May ,

“ th e b To Honora le , the Delegates of the Colony of Massa ch usetts Bay in Provincial Congress at Watertown convened : The pet itio n of the Freeholders and Inhabitants of the town of in t Berwick , the Coun y of York in town meeting convened humbly sh oweth : b That the har ors of York and Kittery , within the said nt to cou y , lie open our now known enemies , and the lives and properties of the inhabitants thereof and the neighboring Towns along the sea coast exposed to the ravages and depredations of the Enemy and the remaini ng part of the inhabitants of this and the neighboring Towns labor u nder the disagreeable for a scant m a nd a munition b n b of ar s , of ei g una le to defend themselves , their wives a nd children and properties should a descent be b th e n made y Ki gs troups on this coast , which they have the t t b be grea es reason to fear , will inevita ly the cost . Your p e t itio ne rs hu mbly pray this Honorable House in their great wis d o m to take th e premises into consideration and that they will despat ch one or more of the companies in the services of the

n in to a nd th e Colo y order guard defend coast , and enable them by raisi ng more troops in the service of the Colony in some meas t o n t s s ure defe d hem elve .

We acknowledge and profess faithful allegiance to our faith l ful sovereign , King George the Third , and are wi ln at all times 27 to risk our lives and our fortunes in defence of his person and his but family , at the same time must earnestly insist for those ib b rights and l erties we are entitled to y the laws of God , Nature

. R esolved : and the Constitution of the Province Therefore , That no power on earth has any just right to impose taxes upon us but the Great and General Court of this Province , and all others ” be b are unconstitutional and not to su mitted to , etc . Berwick , 3 1 1 4 May , 77 .

“ ss York . In full meeting warned for the purpose and holden

: to instruct the Representative of this town of Berwick , resolved that should the Honorable Congress for the safety of the Colonies i B ritian inh ab declare themselves ndependent of Great , we the itants of said town will solemly engage with our lives and our fortunes to support them in the measures and will use every ” honorable means to further the cause of independence .

3 It is claimed by some of the descendants of William Hooper 4b b that he left his farm to his son John , y Will . But the Pro ate

Records of York County show that William Hooper left no will . His farm was disposed of in the following deed

I William Hooper , cordwainer , etc . , town of Berwick , ” “ county of York , etc . , to John Hooper Junr, his heirs and : b assigns forever all the homestead , arn , wherein I now do dwell ,

r in Be wick aforesaid , containing seventy acres more or less b bounded easterly y Salmon Falls road , leading from Quam h e an b p g to Pine Hill , and partly y land of Samuel Colley , southerly b b b y Salmon Falls river and northerly y land of Joshua Ro erts , and part or partly by land of Moses Nock : Also o ne other tract f b O land containing five acres more or less , ounded southerly by the common way leading from Great Falls to Salmon Falls b b b road , westerly y land of Joshua Ro erts , and easterly y land ” of Moses Nock , to have and to hold , etc . b Acknowledged efore ,

H T TH T OMA S WEN WOR . 2 1 ' 9 7 6 . J NE , 9

5 . 60 . Recorded in York Deeds , Book , p

b The wife , Elizabeth , does not sign this deed . It is pro able “ ” 3 that John Hooper Junr was the son of William Hooper . 28

His descendants , who have always lived in Berwick , claim him as such . The York deeds have many records wherein one party t will name himself Jr . to a fa her who has a Christian name e n l m tire y diff erent fro his own . b b n b This deed , y its ou daries , clearly descri es the farm of 3 William Hooper . Here he and his wife Elizabeth passed their b b ’ married life , and they oth are uried on Hooper s Hill , on the t b farm . Recen ly the graves have een enclosed , and a simple n b n mo ument has ee erected to perpetuate their names . A tablet has also been erected in memory of John 2 and Charity b “ ” Hooper , who are uried at Old Fields , South Berwick . ' FO RTH GENERATION . 4 b. 1 4 . 7 6 m . 21 WILLIAM HOOPER , in Berwick , Me , ; June , 0 1 7 . 7 , Mary Lord

Mary Lord was the only daughter of Deacon Abraham and b . b Eliza eth ( Davis) Lord She was orn , as were her six b b rothers (five of whom ecame Baptist ministers) , in the old Garrison House which stood until lately on the Richard Tozer

. b farm in Berwick , Me Richard Tozer was killed y the

. 1 6 1 675 . Indians , Oct , His daughter , Martha Tozer , married m Nathan Lord , Jr . Their son , Captain Sa uel Lord (the b father of Deacon A raham Lord) married in Kittery , Me . , 1 1 1 2 . 9 7 0 Oct , , Martha Wentworth , daughter of Paul Went f H d o . . b worth , Dover , N Mary (Lord) Hooper in Mad ury , H N . . 1 4 . 7 826 8 . , Jan , , aged m Rev . William Hooper . (second) Mrs . Sarah Demeritt . He d 2 “ ” b . 1 8 7 80 January , , aged yrs ; and oth he and his first

wife (Mary) are buried on the Rev . William Hooper farm

b N . H in Mad ury, . Headstones mark their graves , and the records of the deaths may be found in the S trafiord o C unty Gazette printed at that time .

Children of Rev . William and Mary (Lord) Hooper were

m. b b 2 1 71 . Mary , . March 7, 7 , in Berwick , Me ; y her father in

1 0 . N . H . 80 Madbury , . , Nov 9 , , to David Hill , of Durham 1 27 ’ She was living in 8 , as the settlement of her father s

estate will prove . 1 7 1 8 . d b . 8 t b 1 773 . Elizabe h , . , in Berwick ; in Mad ury , Nov , m b 23 b 9 1 776 . Noah , . Oct . , , in Berwick ; y his father , June ,

1 7 6 b l . 9 , to Eliza eth Kel ey , of Durham He was a Baptist

H . . N . minister , settled in Dover , , in Belfast , Me , and in 1 85 4 b d . other places . He . in Berwick , Me , , and is uried

with his wife in the Lord Cemete ry in Berwick . He had b Jr . . a large family . Of these children Noah Hooper , , 1 1 1 Nov . , 806, was a Baptist minister ; settled for many 3 0

b. d 1 896 . H . N . . years in Exeter , , where he in Joseph ,

m d . 1 1 8 . Nov . 5 8 ; Helen Maria Wallingford ; in Port , 4 41 85 . land . Ore . , April ,

m . b . 41 778 . b. u John , J ly , , in Berwick , Me ; y his father , Rev n 22 1 799 Ja . William Hooper , , , to Susan Meserve , of Dur

b n 2 . H . ham , N . (Old Mad ury Tow Records , Book , p 1 4 b 6 8 9 . d in . 1 780 . m b. Ja es , ; Paris , Me , June , He is uried

in th e tomb with his uncle , Rev . James Hooper , whose name

he bore . 1 7 1 802 1 7 2 m. b b. 8 Sarah , ; y her father , July , , to Chesley , b 1 8 1 8 b b H d . N . . of Durham , ; in Mad ury , is uried eside m her father and other . There is a very large family of

Chesley descendants . N H m 1 2 1 80 7 1 b . . . b. 785 Samuel Lord , , in Mad ury , ; March , , 1 d b . 9 Polly Clark , of Berwick , Me . . in Mad ury , Sept , 0 d m b in b 1 8 7 . o n . 1 807 . S , Sa uel , Mad ury , ; in Berwick ,

1 L . 3 1 83 . Me . , April , The record of deaths of Samuel ,

a nd u . Sam el , his son , are taken from the headstones

b . In this urial lot , on the Rev William Hooper farm , are the a nd M a r b graves of Rev . William wife y , daughter Eliza eth ,

hn H o er n s th e son J o o a d . and Mrs . Che ley , p , Samuel L and n u grandso Sam el . u The widow of Sam el L . Hooper became the wife of Ebenezer 1 N H . 1 b 3 . . 8 Meserve , of Dover , , efore

Rev . William Hooper was ordained as the first Baptist min t t t 1 776 . is er in the S a e of Maine , April , At this time he was t t m . b hir y years of age He had een arried for six years . He t 1 746 in th e n u in was chris ened , , Co gregational ch rch , which n 2 church his gra dfather , John Hooper , was deacon . What reasons there were for his change in faith does not now ap I t pear . is probable that he settled soon after his mar ” r ia e g at Old Fields . There is the tradition in the family , 3 t t m bu ha his father Willia Hooper ilt a house for him , t o o wn u next his , on Hooper Hill ; b t there is no record fi nt which veri es the stateme . The name of William Hooper ,

Jr . nn n , does not appear in co ectio with any deed before

1 778 t n i n the S ta te o N ew H a m shi r e , and he , f p . When 8 “ ” m H o m t t o J n Willia o per sells his ho es ead oh Hooper ,

Jr . 1 796 t an , in , no men ion of y other house is made in con 3 1

nection with the property . The two houses that were built l b b on the Wi liam Hooper farm , were pro a ly built after

1 796 .

The little church in which William Hooper was ordained 2 ’ ” stood on land adj oining John Hooper s house . There was also a parsonage next to the little church which was occupied “ by the minister . A record of the Early churches of Berwick gives a description of this church and parsonage . The ordina b tion sermon of William Hooper was given y Rev . Hezekiah Of l b Smith , Haverhi l , assisted y Dr . Samuel Shepard . It is evident that Mr . Hooper had a respectable following into the b 1 Baptist faith , as shown y town records ( Book 2, p . 3 3 ) “ This is to certify to the assessors of the South Parish that bb bb Jeremiah Wise , Jonathan A ott , Joshua A ott , Elisha Grant , 3 d Th e o h ulus bb Stephen Nason , Thomas Goodwin , , p A ott , b b Jaco Nason , James Grant attend worship (pu lic) with the

Baptist Society in this town on the Lords days .

WILLIAM HOOPER ELDER . 1 1 MAY 2 . , 778 Recorded by H ' S H NA M MAR ALL ,

Tow ler k n C .

There are other town records showing admittance to this’

Baptist church . In the “ South Parish ” of Berwick were born all of the chil b dren of Rev . William Hooper , with the possi le exception of

James , Sarah . and Samuel L .

After his ordination Mr . Hooper devoted the remainder of his life to establishing Baptist churches in Maine and New Hamp “ in shire . While he appears the records as of Berwi ck and

Madbury , he not only had the control of these churches for a but denomi long number of years , , as the records of the Baptist i n nation w ll show , he was a constant preacher in confere ces and churches elsewhere . He was not a learned man in the sense n but with which we speak of learni g , at the present time ; he lived with the companionship of the strongest men intellectually b in the two States of Maine and New Hampshire . He has een “ - described by those who knew him as like a steam engine , with tremendous force and energy . He would walk long distances 3 2

thr ough unbroken paths to help struggling churches . He rode “ in the saddle as he grew older , and never failed to keep an ” appointment of any kind . His most marked feature was his

. mouth , which showed great firmness and decision of character

He had great gentleness and tenderness with children . He was but something above the average in height , in his old age leaned heavily on a cane .

Rev . William Hooper was assessor for the South Parish — 775 77 . 225 in Berwick for the years 1 (Town Records , pp “ David Benedict , in his Baptist Denomination in America 1 5 2 p . , says “ Dr . Shepard and Rev . William Hooper , of Berwick , now of b Mad ury , were the principal promoters of the New Hampshire

Baptist As sociation .

The town records of Berwick show that Rev . William Hooper n united ma y persons in marriage , while the town records of Mad bury show that from 1 778 u ntil 1 820 he performed the mar riage ceremony in some families for two generations ; and many i came to him from the adj o ning towns of Dover and Durham .

Of course , he came close to all these families in their affliction .

One can never approach the Revolutionary period without a feeling of great sadness in recalling the great loss of life in those small communities , the poverty and suff ering of the people , and the courage and patience and heroism with which they met everything during those long years of privation and

. i hardships Rev . W lliam Hooper is described as addressing n f tow meetings in the two counties of York and Stra ford , speak in b g to the people in arns , and travelling long distances from farm to farm , all in the cause of independence , and urging men to enlist . The women and Old men and the children left at home are described in The Town B ook of Berwick as melting a ll their pewter into bullets . These women ploughed the land in and planted the corn . this OL D TOWN BOOK may be found th e R ev . military service of William Hooper . He enlisted in “ ‘ th e 1 780 a nd serv d , e 3 . 3 year mos at West Point ; mos . at ’ ” ; . Falmouth in Capt Jonathan Hamilton s company . He b b was pro a ly a chaplain , although it is not so stated ; but par s tie at the State House in Boston , who have charge of the mili tary archives in which are kept the records of the Revolutionary

3 4

The Reverend William Hooper a delegate to join the Committee sd at Concord to revise the Constitution of State , and to correct any violation thereof , and to make such alterations therein as by experience may be found necessary . John Demeritt Town ”— M adbu Town R e o ds . clerk . ry c r b Rev . William Hooper was sent as the delegate from Mad ury ,

H . H N . N . . , to the convention of delegates that met in Exeter , , 1 1 78 Feb . 3 , 9 , to investigate , discuss , and decide whether the Federal Constitution of the ' nited States should be accepted by the State of New Hampshire . It had already received the — approval of six States , Delaware , Pennsylvania , New Jersey ,

Georgia , Connecticut , and Massachusetts . “ b b The Convention was a nota le ody of men . It was com posed of men who had been the leading spirits in the state dur ing the Revolutionary epoch , men for the most part of marked b and n a ility commanding talents . Amo g these delegates was l Gov . John Su livan of Durham , John Langdon and John Pick n m eri g of Ports outh , Josiah Bartlett of Kingston , Rev . Will b iam Hooper of Mad ury , John Taylor Gilman of Exeter and

Dr . Ezra Green of Dover ; the Convention was held in the Court

House ; Gov . John Sullivan was chosen President and John ” Calfe secretary .

As in Massachusetts , the delegates from the smaller towns

m - in New Ha pshire were strongly anti Federalists . Many of them came to Exeter instructed by their constituents to vote n agai st the Constitution . The discussion of the instrument throughout the country was at its height . The leading defender th e of Constitution was Governor John Sullivan , and with him were the two Langdons , John and Samuel Livermore , Josiah t Bar lett , John Pickering , John Taylor Gilman , and Benjamin

Bellows . — The leaders of the Opposition , Joseph Badger , Rev . Will ia m Hooper , Joshua Atherton , Abial Parker and Jonathan — , , n Dow although men with less intellectual trai ing , as the de b , ate progressed had the advantage of the larger following . Very li ttle is known concerning the detailed proceedings of the o t n c nven ion , si ce its journal gives but a most meagre account o f its work , and the deliberations and debates were unfortunately n ever reported . The opponents of the Constitution repro duced b the o jections which had just been urged in Massachu 3 5

s . b etts They complained of the a sence of a religious test . They denounced the twenty years ’ sufferance of the foreign slave

. trade Sullivan , Langdon , Livermore , explained and defended , but they wished to avoid a vote , fearing rejection of the Con ’ ituti n st o . So , after a seven days session , an adj ournment was secured for the purpose of giving the delegates an opp o r tunit nf y to co er with their constituents . The place of meeting was changed from Exeter to Concord , and the time for meet

ing was fixed for the third Wednesday in June . The failure of New Hampshire to ratify was the first serious check the Constitution had met with , and its friends , as the ” news travelled westward and southward , were much depressed . Washington had voiced the general feeling of the frie nds of the Constitution , when he wrote to General Knox from Mou nt “ V 30 : n ernon , under date of March The co duct of the state of f New Hampshire has baf led all calculation , and has come ex tremely malap rop os for a favorable decision on the proposed be constitution in this state ; for , the real cause of the late ad urnme nt - j o what it may , the Anti Federal party with us do not scruple to pronounce that it was done to await the issue of this b convention efore it would decide , and add , that , if this state should reject it , all those who are to follow will do the same , b be and consequently it cannot o tain , as there will only eight b states in favor of the measure . Had it not een for this untoward event the opposition would have proved entirely unavailing in this state , notwithstanding the unfair (I might without much impropriety made use of a harsher expression) conduct , which has been practised to rouse the fears and to inflame the minds ” of the people . To John Langdon he wrote in a similar vein “ : conven three days later , as follows Circumstanced as your but tion was , an adj ournment was certainly prudent , it has hap ala ro os b pened very m p p for this state , ecause the concurrent information from that quarter 'New Hampshire' would have n justified the expectation of a una imity in the convention . “ It is easy to see that the action of New Hampshire was awaited t 0 with intense interest by the whole coun ry . N one felt a greater m anxiety as to the result than Alexander Ha ilton , as the fol ’ b re lowing letter of his , pu lished for the first time in Lodge s ’ s cent edition of Hamilton Works , indicates 3 6

E K 6 1 788 . N W YOR , June , l To John Sul ivan , Esquire , e H am hi re P resident of the S tate of N w p s .

D ear S i r : You will no doubt have understood that the anti federal party has prevailed in this state by a large maj ority . It is therefore of th e utmost importance that all external cir cumstances should be made use of to influence their conduct . This will suggest to you the gr eat advantage of a speedy decision t be in your s ate , if you can sure of the question , and a prompt

m n . co municatio of the event to us With this view , permit me to request that the instant you have taken a decisive vote in favor of the constitution , you send an express to me at Pough i shortest rout k ee s e . e p Let him take the to that place , change l t b . horses on the road , and use all possi le di igence I shall wi h b pleasure defray all expenses , and give a li eral reward to the f be person . As I suspect an e fort will made to precipitate us , b sa e b all possi le f dispatch on your part , as well to o tain a deci i be . sion as to communicate the intelligence of it , w ll desirable

’ This letter of Hamilton s very likely h ad its inflence in has tening the decision of the New Hampshire convention . “ n 1 8th It met at Concord on Wed esday , the of June , in the

- Old North Meeting house . Four days served for the discus sion of the constitution , for the preparation and re commenda t ion of twelve articles of amendment . “ The Constitution was adopted by the N e w Hampshire dele 1 1 2 788 . gates on Saturday , June , She was the ninth state to ” m b - ratify , thus giving the instru ent inding force . N ew H amp shi e and the F eder al onst t r C itu i on .

The will of Rev . William Hooper was signed on this fourth ” 1 827 b ff day of January (Pro ate Records of Stra ord County ,

3 5 . New Hampshire , Book , p nt In this will he me ions son John , Noah , and James , also grandson Samuel Hooper and daughter Mary Hill . He leaves “ to one of his grand - children th e red broad cloth cloak belonging to my wife Mary . FIFTH GENERATION .

5 b . 41 778 m JOHN HOOPER , in Berwick , July . by his father , ; ,

. 22 1 799 , , N . H Jan to Susan Meserve of Durham , . (Old Mad b 2 ury Records , Book , p . Susan Meserve was the daughter of Colonel Ebenezer and

Eunice (Torr or Tarr) Meserve . The MeserveS were a dis tin uish g e d family in New Hampshire during the R evolu

tion .

Children of John Hooper and Susan Meserve were b 1 . 799 m. d . 8 1 85 9 c Eunice , ; Timothy Glover ; June , ; . , Will

iam , Ivory , Rockwood , and others . b 1 1 . 5 80 Mary, March , . b 41 8 4 P . m . . 0 . Stan n Irene , Jan , ; James yo . 1 ohn b. 1 2 0 8 5 . J , Dec . b m bb William , . . A ie Bean , of Bangor , Me . 1 d 1 b. 9 1 Ivory, 80 ; . 83 . b 1 1 1 m 8 . . 1 832 d . b Sarah , ; Channey Jordan , ; in Rox ury,

27 1 863 c . m April , ; , Augustus C . Jordan , . Clara Walker ; m . . m Jennie , Daniel S Meserve ; Susan , . Bigelow, in

San Francisco . m b . Hannah , . Dwight Parson , of Bangor , Me . b 1 1 m c 8 6 . . M . . b Sylvester , ; , Sylvester ; Eliza eth . b James , .

The children of John 5 and Susan (Meserve) Hooper were born c b . in Mad ury , with the ex eption of Sylvester M and James

Hooper , 5 e b John Hooper was a farmer , and lived on land d scri ed in “ ” f deed , Footman to Hooper (see Stra ford County records) . b This farm was near to the one owned y his father , Rev . Will is o iam . He held some town offices ; and it claimed that he als i was a Baptist minister , wh ch is very likely true , as his name appears on several records as “ preaching to the people in a 3 8

” 1 d s . 8 1 2 8 8 . barn . He . while living in Roxbury , Mas , Oct , b ’ His widow, who lived after her hus and s death in the family b of her daughter , Mrs . Sarah (Hooper) Jordan , died in Rox ury , 1 863 b t b b April , , and is uried in Wes Rox ury , in the Jordan urial l o t . ' SI TH GENERATION .

b H . H 2 N . . 1 1 . 805 JO N HOOPER was in Madbury , , Dec , . He b spent his young boyhood on the Hooper farm in Mad ury , in

. m the family of his grandfather , Rev William Hooper . He . 26 1 83 3 Feb . , , Martha Stanwood Perry , of Orono , Me .

. b . F 2 1 1 1 eb . Martha S Perry was in Brunswick , Me . , 7 , 8 ; d . F eb 1 . 28 900 . au h . d in San Francisco , Cal , , She was the g t ter of Deacon John and Jane (Stanwood) Perry . Her fa her ,

Deacon John Perry , was a merchant , and a deacon in the

First Congregational Church in Brunswick , and later was the

first deacon in the Congregational church in Orono , Me . “ While in Brunswick , Deacon Perry organized the first ” - memorial Sunday school in the town and in the state . A th window was dedicated4to his memory in is church in 1 4. t . . 89 Brunswick , Me , Dec . On his occasion Edward D D h ’ t e . Beecher Mason , . . , quoted following from Mr Perry s Journal z

b . I have before me the original j ournal kept y Mr Perry , in which he gives an account of what led him to undertake ‘ - the formation of a Sunday school . It is dated in the ‘ year 1 8 1 1 He says : Sometime in the winter I saw a newspaper containing an account of a Sunday

school in England . I enquired of Rev . Mr . Winthrop

Bailey , then our minister , and also of President Appleton

what they thought of them and how they were conducted . b They both thought favora ly of them , but could give no

account of how th ey we re managed . They thought how _

ever that nothing but reading , and that of a religious nat

ure ought to be allowed in the school . This led me to make

- another enquiry , which was this , Can a . b . c . scholars be b t admitted ' And after deli eration , say a mon h or two , m be they decided that they ght admitted , and assigned

for a deviation of this rule , that unless children were taught ”

b . a . 0 . . b they never could read the Bi le y The father of Deacon John Perry was Captain John Perr , of 40

s . 7 1 73 6 Rehoboth . He was born in Rehoboth , Mas , Aug , b 1 1 1 700 -0 1 (the son of John , . March , , the grandson of 8 1 660 - n b. . Nathaniel , Oct , , and the great grandson of A thony

r V b . Per y . See ital Statistics of Reho oth , Mass) L eaffe 1 6 1 7 Captain John Perry married Walker , April , 6 1 . 41 4 b s . 7 2 She was born in Reho oth , Mas , Aug , , the daughter

b . t Jr . of Timo hy , , and Eliza eth Walker Her father was a captain of a militia company when he was th e representative

e l 1 75 7 1 75 8 1 75 9 t o th Genera Court of Massachusetts in , , . The Journals of the Provincial Congress show that Colonel th e b 1 774—5 Timothy Walker was delegate from Reho oth , 7 . The Records in the Military Archives of Massachusetts rank “ Colonel 1 9 him as , who marched on the alarm of April , -in- n 1 . 775 , for Lexington His son law , Joh Perry , was a m captain in th e same regi ent .

The father of Jane Stanwood , who married Deacon John

Perry , of Brunswick , and Orono , Me . , was Colonel William t “ ” Stanwood . Mr . Stanwood receives this itle of Colonel as l a colonel of a regiment of the Maine mi itia , after the Revo “ li eu e lutionar . t nant y War He was a , and had a long and ” honorable record in the Revolution . Colonel Stanwood was “

b . 5 1 7 5 2. orn in Brunswick , Me , April , He was , perhaps , th e most prominent Stanwood who has ever lived in Bruns ” “

. in wick (Mrs Ethel Stanwood Bolton , A History of the t S anwood Family in America , p . He transferred to th e in 1 796 President and Trustees of Bowdoin College , , “ t fif y acres of land . The land thus transferred comprises t cam us 1 wha is now the p . In 798 he was made an overseer th e , 1 6 1 8 1 5 of college and held the position until May , , b when he resigned it y letter . Colonel William Stanwood t 1 7 4— 9 95 . i was a represen ative in He died in Brunsw ck , 241 829 . June , The eldest child of William and Hannah

t J ennet b . 3 1 784 (Thompson) S anwood , , July , ; m. Deacon

John Perry .

' “ ” th e John Hooper sailed on Star Pacific from Boston , and

n . 1 1 la ded in San Francisco , Cal , July , 8 5 . We take th e following from Th e B ay of S an F ranci sco

“ John Hooper , whose personal history is inseparably connected t h is 1 1 wi h the State of California , began residence here in 85 .

SEVENTH GENERATION .

b 1 41 843 m S T . . CHARLE APPLE ON HOOPER , March , June 7 ,

1 c b I dolen e now 880 . S . , Ida Geneva Snow ; , Isa el Martha ,

EIGHTH GENERATION .

I D L N in O E E b. F b . e . 2 1 SNOW HOOPER , San Francisco , Cal , , 883 ; m b l . . 6 1 1 to Sumner Cros y of Brook ine , Mass , Aug . , 90 .