Those Tennessee Hoppers by Harry Hoppes 9-18-2002

THOSE TENNESSEE HOPPERS

In my Hoppes Generations essay, Eight New Lines, I mention that in the South the name Happes gradually changed to Hoppers for many descendants of the following sons of Georg and Michael Happes: 12 John Hoppers, 13 Daniel Hoppers, and 23 Adam Hoppes.  Indeed, by 1900 several members of each of these three lines found themselves known by the more common surname Hopper!  Although we have a wealth of information about the early descendants of the original Happes immigrants, the following two recent events reminded me that there still are sizeable gaps in our database:

(1)   On August 31, 2002, Denise sent me a scan of a 1920 Census record for George L. Hoppes of Santa Barbara, CA, which “Shows George as the head, age 71, born CA, father born TN, mother born TN; wife Lucinda is listed as 65 years of age and born in Missouri along with her parents; Illegible son is 35, born in CA; Inez daughter in law is 35 and born in AZ along with her parents.”  Who is this George Hoppes born about 1850 with ties to TN?  In any case, it doesn’t seen possible to me that he was born in CA, if he really was a Hoppes/Hoppers.

(2)   After completing the “Origin of the Michigan Hoppes Family”, I began to update my “Summary File” because it was last  published in August 2001, over a year ago.  As soon as I reached the descendants of 121 George Hoppers of Madison  County, TN, I realized that I had a lot of data for Tennessee Hoppers that I couldn’t connect with the published data.  

As a result of these problems, I decided to write this essay about the Tennessee Hoppers in the hope that members of our Group could help to fill in the missing data.

121 George Hoppes, the oldest son of 12 John Hoppes of Surry County, NC, married Mary Dillard there on January 28, 1814.  Shortly after 12 John Hoppes died in late 1826/early 1827, George Hoppes and his family left Surry County.   When Mary’s father John Dillard made out his will in May 1829 in Madison County, TN, George and Mary Hoppers’ oldest daughter Nancy was helping to care for him. George and Mary Hoppers raised over a dozen children in Madison County, TN, including at least seven boys, as the following 1840 Census data indicate:

#          Individual                       State    County              Township             Vol.      Page             Census Date
121      George Hoppes                   TN      Madison                                                      113   

MALES:     <5        5-<10         10-<15         15-<20         20-<30         30-<40         40-<50         50 or >
                  1             1                2                 1                   2                  0                 0                 1

FEMALES:   <5        5-<10         10-<15         15-<20         20-<30         30-<40         40-<50         50 or >
                    1            1                 0                 1                  0                 0                 1                 0

George Hoppers died about 1845, leaving debts and a large family behind. When the Federal Census of 1850 was taken, his widow Mary was the head of the household:

#           State    County              Township             Vol.      Page   House         Family         Census Date      

121.S                  Madison                                                                    22               22               30OCT1850

Mary Hoppers                              53      F                           NC
Franklin Hoppers                          22     M         Farm          TN
George Hoppers                          19      M         Farm          TN
Samuel Hoppers                          16      M         Farm         TN
Thomas Hoppers                         12      M                          TN
Mary Hoppers                             10       F                          TN
Elizabeth Hoppers                         8       F                          TN
William Smithwick                       38      M         Farm          NC
Rebecca Smithwick                      19     F                           TN
Henry Hoppers                              9     M                           TN

Based on the Census data and supplementary information, the following summary of this family was published last August:

TABLE 1.2.1: FAMILY OF GEORGE HOPPERS (179l – 1840 to 1850)

INDIVIDUAL                                                                 BORN:                      BIRTH PLACE:               DIED:                             MARRIED:

121 GEORGE HOPPERS                                             6FEB179l                 DEEP CREEK, NC          1842 - 1850
121.S MARY DILLARD                                                                                                                       >1860                           28JAN1814

121A NANCY J. HOPPERS                                        1814                        SURRY CO, NC                1850 – 58
121A.S WILLIAM H. ELLINGTON                               C1814                      VA                                    2FEB1858                    C1833

121B MARTHA HOPPERS                                        1815                          SURRY CO, NC
121B.S SAMUEL ELLINGTON                                   C1808                        VA                                                                       C1832

1211 JAMES E. HOPPERS                                       1816/17                      SURRY CO, NC
1211.S CATHARINE TANNER                                                                                                                                                  30JAN1841

1212 JOHN A. HOPPERS                                         C1819                          SURRY CO, NC                 1860 - 1870
1212.S1 ARCINA BRADDY                                       C1828                                                                     C1851                      1AUG1843
1212.S2? MATILDA WEST                                                                                                                                                       6NOV1851
1212.S2/3 NANCY ARMSTRONG                            C1831                          TN                                      >1870                        26JUL1860

1213 WILLIAM P. HOPPERS                                    JAN1822                    TN                                      >1900
1213.S1 ELIZABETH PERRY                                                                                                                                                     7JAN1845
1213.S2 MARIA TODD-DAWES                               C1825                         TN                                                                          1860 - 1870
1213.S3 NANCY CARR                                            FEB1830                     TN                                                                           4DEC1873

12C SUSANNAH HOPPERS                                     C1824
12C.S WILLIAM PARKER LACY                                                                                                                                                 8APR1845

1214 FRANKLIN HOPPERS                                     C1828                         MADISON CO, TN                 12FEB1863
1214.S _______________

1215 GEORGE HOPPERS                                       C1830                          MADISON CO, TN

121D REBECCA HOPPERS                                     C1831                          MADISON CO, TN
121D.S WILLIAM SMITHWICK                                 C1812                          NC                                                                            9JAN1850

1216 SAMUEL C. HOPPERS                                 C1834                             MADISON CO, TN                                                   25JAN1863
1216.S SARAH C. REX                                                                                  IL                                         >MAY1889                 25JUN1855

1217 THOMAS D. HOPPERS                                 3OCT1838                      MADISON CO, TN                >1880
11217.S MARIAH FRANCES DAWS                       C1850                              MADISON CO, TN                                                   27AUG1868

121E MARY HOPPERS                                          C1840                             MADISON CO, TN

1218 HENRY HOPPERS                                          C1841                           MADISON CO, TN

121F SARAH ELIZABETH HOPPERS                     C1842                             MADISON CO, TN                   1897
121F.S JAMES AMOS LATHAM                                                                                                                                                 DEC______

In the 1850 Census data, the oldest son living with his mother Mary is listed as Franklin, age 22.  However, the 1840 Census data indicate that Franklin had three older brothers.  The oldest son of George and Mary Hoppers appears to be James E. Hoppers born about 1816/17, who married Catharine Tanner January 30, 1841, but is missing from the Census data thereafter. The next oldest son is John Hoppers, who was enumerated in the 1850 Census as follows:

#           State    County              Township             Vol.      Page   House         Family         Census Date

1212    MS             Marshall             Northern Div                 312?             1286             1286             13DEC1850

John A. Hoppers                        31             M             Farmer                                     TN
Arcina Hoppers                         22              F                                                             NC
James T. Hoppers                      5              M                                                             MS
George C. Hoppers                     1             M                                                              MS

In the 1860 Census, John Hoppers has a new wife Nancy and young son Wiley born in 1851 but son George is missing and presumably dead.  From supplementary data, it is possible to provide the following reconstruction of the family of John’s oldest son James T. Hoppers:

TABLE 1.2.1.2.1: FAMILY OF JAMES T. HOPPERS (C1846 - 1908)

INDIVIDUAL                                                                  BORN:                      BIRTH PLACE:              DIED:                             MARRIED:

12121 JAMES T. HOPPERS                                         6MAR1846               MARSHALL, MS            2JAN1908
12121.S SALLIE M. LAWRENCE LACY                        APR1852                 TN                                                                      23DEC1872

12121A SARAH (LACY) HOPPERS                                C1870                       MADISON CO, TN

121211 JAMES/JOHN  THOMAS  HOPPERS                 NOV1873                  MADISON CO, TN         1935
121211.S LULA BELLE CROW                                       1881                                                               1929                          13NOV1898

12121B MIMIE J. HOPPERS                                          DEC1874                    MADISON CO, TN         >1900
12121B.S __________ MAYO

121212 JAMES HENRY HOPPERS                                 MAR1879                MADISON CO, TN             5OCT1933
121212.S EFFIE GERTRUDE WELLS                              6SEP1887                                                       JUL1978

121213 FLETCHER E. HOPPERS                                    NOV1883                  MADISON CO, TN            1960
121213F.S LAURA BENTLY                                            14JAN1885                                                       DEC1964

121214 M. F. (OMER) HOPPERS                                     22DEC1886             MADISON CO, TN              9JAN1971
121214.S FLOY G. ______                                              23AUG1892                                                      19FEB1991

121215 ROBERT F. HOPPERS                                       NOV1889                  MADISON CO, TN              1918

12121C FRANCES K. HOPPERS                                    FEB1891                   MADISON CO, TN              >1900

121216 WILLIAM GUS HOPPERS                                  12JAN1892              MADISON CO, TN                 OCT1970
121216.S LILLIE REYNOLDS                                          23SEP1900                                                           MAY1974

Similarly, the family of John A. Hoppers’ son Wiley can be summarized as follows:

TABLE 1.2.1.2.3: FAMILY OF WILEY P. HOPPERS (1851 - >1900)

INDIVIDUAL                                                                  BORN:                                       BIRTH PLACE:              DIED:                             MARRIED:

12123 WILEY P. HOPPERS                                          APR1851                                      MARSHALL, MS       >1900
12123.S SARAH E. GLIDEWELL                                  NOV1857                                     TN                             >1900                            25SEP1873

12123A LARCENA MAY HOPPERS                           OCT1876                                      MS                              >1900
12123A.S  A. C. JONES                                                                                                                                                                          15MAY1903          

12123B MATTIE T. HOPPERS                                      MAR1880                                      MS                            >1900
12123B.S W. E. HOLIDAY                                                                                                                                                                       27SEP1902

121231 FLOYD D. HOPPERS                                      22FEB1889                                  MS or TN                      MAR1965
121231.S EULA TAYLOR                                                                                                                                                                     13AUG1910

The third oldest son of George and Mary (Dillard) Hoppers was 1213 William P. Hoppers, whose family is listed below:

TABLE 1.2.1.3: FAMILY OF WILLIAM P. HOPPERS (C1822 -       )

INDIVIDUAL                                                                  BORN:                                       BIRTH PLACE:              DIED:                             MARRIED:

1213 WILLIAM P. HOPPERS                                          JAN1822                                      TN
1213.S1 ELIZABETH PERRY                                                                                                                                                                    7JAN1845
1213.S2 MARIA TODD-DAWES                                      C1825                                          TN                                                                  1860 - 1870
1213.S3 NANCY CARR                                                   FEB1830                                      TN                                                                  DEC1873

12131 D. HOPPERS                                                        C1854                                          TN

12132 JOSEPH T. HOPPERS                                        JUL1855                                         TN                                 26JUN1930
12132.S MALVINA T. HIGHT                                         MAR1855                                       TN                                 >1900                          27OCT1875

The only son of William P. Hoppers known to reach maturity was Joseph T. Hoppers:

 

TABLE 1.2.1.3.2: FAMILY OF JOSEPH T. HOPPERS (1855 - >1900)

INDIVIDUAL                                                                  BORN:                                       BIRTH PLACE:              DIED:                             MARRIED:

12132 JOSEPH T. HOPPERS                                        JUL1855                                 TN                                 26JUN1930
12132.S MALVINA T. HIGHT                                         MAR1855                              TN                                 >1900                           27OCT1875

121321 WILLIAM HOPPERS                                          MAR1877                               WEAKLEY CO, TN       >1900

12132A ROSA LEE HOPPERS                                      SEP1878                                 WEAKLEY CO, TN        >1900
12132A.S THOMAS A. LOVETT                                   SEP1873                                                                                                           20MAY1894

121322 TERLEY HOPPERS                                          NOV1880                                 AR or TN                      >1900

121323 OLLIA E. HOPPERS                                          AUG1884                                 WEAKLEY CO, TN      >1900

1214 Franklin Hoppers, the fourth son of George and Mary Hoppers, was enumerated as a 22-year old living with his mother in the Census of 1850.  During the Civil War, he enrolled in the Confederate Army in Captain James A. Cooper’s Company of Colonel Clark’s Recruits, MO Volunteers on March 12, 1862 in Stoddard County, MO for a term of three years or the War. This Company subsequently became Company B, 7th Regiment, Missouri Cavalry. A monthly report of the Gratiot Street Prison in St. Louis, MO for February 1863 indicates that Franklin Hoppers was captured in Stoddard County, MO on January 27, 1863, and confined in the Gratiot Street Prison on February 1, 1863.  He died in the Prison Hospital on February 12, 1863 of chronic diarrhea.  He probably was married prior to his death and may have had a daughter, as the following Summary Data indicate:

 

TABLE 1.2.1.4: FAMILY OF FRANKLIN HOPPERS (C1828 - 1863)

INDIVIDUAL                                                                  BORN:                                       BIRTH PLACE:              DIED:                             MARRIED:

1214 FRANKLIN HOPPERS                                         C1828                                         MADISON CO, TN       12FEB1863
1214.S _________

1214A MINERVA ANN HOPPES?                                 1852                                         MO

Franklin Hoppers’ younger brother, 1215 George Hoppers born about 1830, also fought for the Confederacy.  He enlisted as a Private in Company C, 27th Regiment of TN Volunteers on August 15, 1861 at Trenton, TN for a 12-month tour of duty.  On December 26, 1861, George Hoppers was furloughed for seven days because he contracted pneumonia.  At the Battle of Shiloh on April 6 & 7, 1862, he was wounded and again furloughed.  A muster roll of Company G, 27th TN Infantry for July and August 1862 indicates that he still was on furlough at this time. A record in the Tennessee State Library and Archives in Nashville, TN provides the additional information that G. W. Hoppers enlisted as a Private in Company D, 14th (Neely’s) Cavalry at Bells Depot, TN on July 1, 1863 for the duration of the War. On July 20, 1863, he was furloughed because of illness and still was absent as of May 11, 1864.  There is no further information about George Hoppers in military or Census data.

1216 Samuel C. Hoppers, a younger brother of the Franklin and George Hoppers who served in Confederate infantry units, was born into the family of George and Mary (Dillard) Hoppes about 1834 in Madison County, TN.  He married Sarah C. Rex in Texas on June 1855 and moved north to Williamson County, IL shortly after the beginning of the Civil War. On August 11, 1862, he enlisted in Union County, IL to serve three years or throughout the war in Company F, 81st Regiment Volunteers. However, on January 1, 1863, he was admitted to No. 2 (Foundry) General Hospital in Memphis, TN for treatment of Phthisis. A “List of Casualties” of that Hospital for January 1863, states that Samuel C. Hoppers died January 25, 1863, of “Inflammation of the bowels”.  His family is summarized below.

 

TABLE 1.2.1.6: FAMILY OF SAMUEL HOPPERS (C1834 – 1863)

INDIVIDUAL                                                                  BORN:                                       BIRTH PLACE:              DIED:                             MARRIED:

1216 SAMUEL C. HOPPERS                                         C1834                                       MADISON CO, TN        25JAN1863
1216.S SARAH C. REX                                                                                                   IL                                >MAR1889                    25JUN1855

12161 GEORGE W. HOPPERS                                     10NOV1856                              TN                                >1900
12161.S MARY M. _______                                         C1858                                        IL                                 <1900

1216A MARY E. HOPPERS                                          14JUN1858                               TN

1216B REBECCA T. HOPPERS                                    7AUG1860                                 TN

1216C MARTHA J. HOPPERS                                      9MAY1862                                 WILLIAMSON CO, IL
1216C.S ELIAS SHADOWEN                                       C1856                                          IL                                 10NOV1878

 

TABLE 1.2.1.6.1: FAMILY OF GEORGE W. HOPPERS (1856 - >1900)

INDIVIDUAL                                                                  BORN:                                       BIRTH PLACE:              DIED:                             MARRIED:

12161 GEORGE W. HOPPES                                        10NOV1856                                TN                            >1900
12161.S MARY M. _______                                        C1858                                           IL                              <1900

121611 MILO HOPPES                                                 JUN1886                                      JACKSON, IL             >1900

121612 MELVIN HOPPES                                            APR1890                                     JACKSON, IL            >1900

121613 EZRA HOPPES                                                23JAN1892                                 JACKSON, IL               JUN1972
121613.S ELIZABETH _____________                      28MAY1893                                                                    JUN1983

The seventh son of George and Mary Hoppers was 1217 Thomas D. Hoppers born October 3, 1838.  His family is summarized below.

 

TABLE 1.2.1.7: FAMILY OF THOMAS D. HOPPERS (1838 - >1880)

INDIVIDUAL                                                                  BORN:                                       BIRTH PLACE:              DIED:                             MARRIED:

1217 THOMAS D. HOPPERS                                          3OCT1838                                MADISON CO, TN         >1880
1217.S MARIAH FRANCES DAWS                               C1850                                       MADISON CO, TN                                              27AUG1868 

12171 ROBERT LEE HOPPERS                                      5FEB1870                                MADISON CO, TN          <1880

12172 JAMES PERRY HOPPERS                                 14APR1873                              MADISON CO, TN           27AUG1954
12172.S LAURA A. HORN                                            JAN1876                                 TN                                    >1900                           C1895

12173 WILLIAM REUBIN HOPPERS                              7NOV1876                              MADISON CO, TN
12173.S A. LOU PATTERSON                                      25JAN1905

1217A GERTRUDE HOPPERS                                      27APR1879/80                         MADISON CO, TN              21APR1967
1217A.S THOMAS HARTWELL PITTS                        28MAR1874                             MS                                      11JUL1939                 18MAR1900

1217B NOONIE HOPPERS                                          31MAR1882                              MADISON CO, TN               2AUG1964
1217B.S ARTHUR ELIJAH SMITH                               18MAY1873                             PRENTISS CO, MS              23SEP1899

 

TABLE 1.2.1.7.2: FAMILY OF JAMES P. HOPPERS (1873 - 1954)

INDIVIDUAL                                                                  BORN:                                       BIRTH PLACE:              DIED:                             MARRIED:

12172 JAMES PERRY HOPPERS                               14APR1873                                 MADISON CO, TN        27AUG1954
12172.S LAURA A. HORN                                           JAN1876                                    TN                                 >1900                         C1895

12172A ASSERY HOPPERS                                        OCT1897                                   ALCORN CO, MS           >1900

121721 DEWIE HOPPERS                                             DEC1899                                    ALCORN CO, MS           >1900

The Census of 1850 indicates that George and Mary Hoppers had another son 1218 Henry Hoppers born in 1841. He disappears from sight after 1850.

Based on the above data, the most likely sons of George and Mary Hoppers to have children born in Tennessee prior to 1900 that are not accounted for are: 1211 James E. Hoppers born 1816/17, 1215 George Hoppers born about 1830, and 1218 Henry Hoppers born in 1841.   My list of unassigned Tennessee Hoppers is shown in the table below.

UNIDENTIFIED  INDIVIDUALS

HOPPERS

DATE

COUNTY

ACTIVITY

RECORD
Netty

C1867

 TN born LDS
Netty 22JAN1888 ----- �John Gayle Peck LDS
Armisa A. 21DEC1871 Madison �David E. Wagster LDS
Martha A. 15JAN Madison �William M. Lawrence LDS
Bob 23FEB1873 Madison �Elvina Searcy LDS
Fannie 7DEC1887 Madison �T. S. Johnston LDS
J.W. 23DEC1880 Crockett �M. B. Glenn LDS
Hugh 10MAR1901 Crockett �Lee Nelson Crockett marriages
Judy Carol 9OCT1903 Crockett �Gary Wayne Blair Crockett marriages
Houston A. 6MAR1882 Crockett born Wilkerson family data
Houston A. 1907/1908 Crockett �Emma Lee Wilkerson Wilkerson family data
Bobby Dwain 27AUG1928 ----- born; father=Luther Hoppers Crockett deaths
Sarah NOV 1870 Crockett �James H. Hurt 1900 Census
Willie APR 1884 Crockett stepson James H. Hurt 1900 Census
Garland MAY 1887 Crockett stepson James H. Hurt 1900 Census
Gricie APR 1891 Crockett stepdau. James H. Hurt 1900 Census
Ivy AUG 1894 Crocket stepdau. James H. Hurt 1900 Census
Garland 14May1902 Crockett Rosie Cullipher Crockett marriages

I would appreciate all the help you can provide in connecting the Tennessee Hoppers in the table above to those in the Summary File.  Basically, the unidentified Hoppers lived in two western Tennessee counties: Madison and Crockett.  The five Madison County Hoppers listed above married between 1871 and 1888, and they appear to be descended from either James E. Hoppers, who married Catharine Tanner in 1841, or his younger brother George Hoppers, born about 1830 and living with his mother Mary in 1850.  Of these two possibilities, I believe that George Hoppers is the better prospective father because he was known to have enlisted locally in the Confederate Army and to have survived until at least 1863.  On the other hand, I don’t have any record of James E. Hoppers after his 1841 marriage.

The Crockett County Hoppers in the 1900 Census appear to be the children of Sarah Hoppers who married James H. Hurt there in 1898 after having had five children, four of them still living in 1900.  This Sarah Hoppers may be identical to the 12121A Sarah (Lacy) Hoppers born about 1870, who became part of the household of 12121 James T. Hoppers after he married Sallie M. Lacy nee Lawrence on December 23, 1872.  If so, then 12121A Sarah (Lacy) Hoppers could only have had the four Hoppers children enumerated in the 1900 Census if she married a Hoppers boy or if she had the four children out of wedlock.  Your thoughts, please.

In addition to the unidentified descendants of the George and Mary Hoppers who settled in Madison County, there is another Tennessee Hoppers reference that requires resolution.  A printed 1860 Census index for Knox County, TN, shows: 55-189, HOPPERS, Michael 44, Margaret 35, Jno. 4, George W. 1.  At age 44, Michael Hoppers would have been born about 1816.  If correct, this is about ten years later than the age of 23 Adam Hoppes’ youngest son Michael, believed to have been born 1805/06.  But could the Knox County reference to Michael Hoppers really be to old Adam Hoppes’ son?  If so, it would allow me to cross the following item off my “Ten Most Wanted List”:

#9. Michael Hoppes: The youngest son of old Adam Hoppes born 1760 was one of nine siblings involved in the division of Adam's property in 1847. He appeared to sell his share of the estate property in McDowell Co., NC twice: first to his brother George and then to John Dobson. In any case, he was last seen there in May 1847. What happened to this man? Did he flee or perish or both? Clues needed.

By Harry Hoppes                                                 September 2002