• Job Pearsall, the "trusty friend" to whom in 1759 John Hopkins gave his Power of Attorney from Anson County, North Carolina to sell the land on the South Branch, may have come from Nantmeal Township in Chester County, Pennsylvania. He was the builder of Fort Pearsall on the South Branch of the Potomac, one of the major forts for defense against the Indians in the French and Indian War, and a friend of George Washington. [http://www.geocities.com/brianingrid/jobpearsall.html]
• Solomon Allred's land joined John Hopkins land in early Orange County, North Carolina. Solomon Allred was born in England but was on tax lists for Chester County, Pennsylvania between 1724 and 1728. Two associates of Solomon Allred moved to Prince George's and Old Frederick County in Virginia in the 1730's. There is no evidence at this time that the Allreds were active Quakers in Randolph/Orange County, NC, but the mother of Solomon Allred was a Quaker in Lancaster County, England in the 1600's. [http://www.allredfamily.org/researchreportmarch2003solomon.htm]
• Hermon Husband, one of the organizers of the North Carolina Regulators, and who was a witness to the land survey for John Hopkins in 1762 in Orange County, was a Quaker from Cecil County, Maryland which is just south of Chester County, Pennsylvania. When he left North Carolina he returned to the area of Somerset County, Pennsylvania. It will be noted that Hermon/Herman Husband was not born a Quaker. He was first an Anglican, then a Presbyterian, and finally a Quaker. He was trustee of the Bush River Meeting in Virginia which was a successor to the Monacacy Meeting of Quakers in Frederick County, Maryland. [http://www.bcpl.net/~ellen/hermonhusband.html]
• It is possible that John Hopkins had some association with the "Monquesey Meeting" or the Monocacy Meeting of the Quakers near Frederick, Maryland. The records of this meeting are lost, but a number of the earliest members were from Pennsylvania and probably moved on to Bush Creek and to areas along the Potomac. [http://www.rootsweb.com/~quakers/monocacy.htm]

John Hopkins appears never to have been listed as a member of the Monocacy Meeting in Maryland, the Hopewell Meeting in Virginia, or the Cane Creek Meeting in North Carolina. However, he may very well have been one of those individuals who moved and traveled with Quaker groups without ever being a confessed member. His father, grandfather, brothers and sisters were Quakers. On the other hand he married "out of unity" by marrying an Anglican, and in the time in which he lived felt it prudent to carry a gun.

JOHN HOPKINS IN FREDERICK/HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

John Hopkins received a grant of land in the Northern Neck lands of Lord Fairfax in 1749. The following is a transcription of the land grant: [Image of original grant]

The Right Honourable Lord Fairfax Baron of Cameron that Part of Great Britain called Scotland Proprietor of the Northern Neck of Virginia: To all to whom this present writing shall come sends Greeting Know that He for good causses for and in Consideration of the Compossition to me Paid and for the annual Rent hereafter [reserv'd ?] I have given Granted and confirmed and by these Presents for me and my Heirs and Assigns do give Grant and confirm unto John Hopkins of the County of Frederick a certain Tract or Lot of Land known and distinguisht by the No. 64 in a Plat of Survey thereof made by Mr. James Genn upon the Wappacomo or Great S Branch of Potomac River as followeth Beginning at Two Locusts & a Wild Cherry Tree standing on the S. Branch and extending thence down the several meanders of the Branch N. 82 Nth Seventy Eight Poles W 12 W forty Poles N 11 W Twenty Poles N 18 E Thirty Six poles N 29 E Thirty four Poles W 36 E thirty Poles to the Mouth of the S. Branch thence down the Main River N 76° E. Sixteen Poles thence S 86 E. Twenty poles S 80 E Forty one poles S 70° E Seventy three Poles S E Fifty Six poles S 3 E thirty three poles to a Sycamore and Hickory on the River Side thence S. 15 W. one hundred sixty nine poles to a white Oak, thence N. 77 W one hundred and Seventy Poles to the Beginning Containing Three and Ten acres, Togethr with all Rights Members and Appurtenances thereunto belonging Royal Mines Excepted and a full third part of all Lead Copper Tinn Coales from Mines and Iron Ore that shall be found thereon: To have and to hold the said three hundred and Tenn Acres of Land Together with all Rights Profits and Benefits to the same belonging or in any wise Appertaining Except before Excepted To him the said John Hopkins his Heirs and Assigns for Ever, He the said John Hopkins his Heirs or Assigns Yielding and Paying to Me my Heirs or Assigns or to my certain Attorney or Attorneys Agent or Agents or to the certain Attorney or Attorneys of my Heirs or Assigns of the said Northern Neck Yearly and every on the Feast Day of St. Michael the Archangel the Fee Rent of one Shilling Sterling Money for every Fifty Acres of Land hereby Granted and proportionably for a Greater or Lesser Quantity: Provided that if the said John Hopkins his Heirs or Assigns shall not Pay the before reservd annual Rent so that the same or any Part shall be behind or unpaid by the Space of two whole Years after the same shall become Due if Lawfully Demanded that then it shall and may be Lawful for Me my Heirs or Assigns Proprietors as aforesaid any or their certain Attorney or Attorneys Agent or Agents into the above Granted Premises to [keep to and Hold ?] the same so as if this Grant had never Pass'd. Given at my Office in the County of Fairfax within my Proprietary under my Hand and Seal Dated this twenty second Day of August in the Twenty third Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Britain France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith of Anno Domi One Thousand Seven Hundred and Forty Nine.
John Hopkins Deed for 310 Acres of Land upon the Wappacomo or Great S Branch of Potomack River--- No 64

JOHN HOPKINS' MOVE TO NORTH CAROLINA

The reason for the quick removal of John Hopkins most probably lies in the fact that the settlers along the Potomac were the first to feel the the attacks of the Indians prior to the actual hostilities of the French and Indian war.

John Hopkins Power of Attorney [Back to Anson County records]

The proof that this is our John Hopkins lies in a document created in Anson County, North Carolina in 1762. In this document John Hopkins of Anson County, North Carolina gives his "trusty" friend Job Pearsall the legal power to sell the land described in the grant above to Thomas Cresap. There are a number of discrepancies between the two descriptions of the land as described in the original grant, the most notable being that the original grant is dated 22 August 1749 and the Power of Attorney gives the date of the grant as 22 August 1759. There are also some small discrepancies in the number of degrees and poles. However, both documents essentially describe Lot 64 as surveyed by James Genn. The sale to Thomas Cresap is a logical one, because this colorful pioneer had established a fort and trading post at the site of what is now called Oldtown in Allegheny County, across the Potomac River, a few miles north and east of John Hopkins' land.

[Image of the POA, p. 1] [Image of the POA, p. 2]

Know all Men by these Presents that I John Hopkins of the County of Anson & Province of North Carolina have made ordained Constituted& appointed & by these Presents do make Ordain Constitute & appoint my trusty friend Job Pearssall of the County of Hampshire & Colony of Virginia my true & lawfull attorney ___Irrevocable for me & in my Name to make Rattify & Confirm unto Thomas Cresap Gent of the County of Frederick & Province of Maryland Good & Lawfull Deeds of Conveyance such as the Laws of the Collony where the hereafter mentioned Tract of Land lies require for one certain Parcel of Tract of Land situate lying & being in the County of Hampshire and Colony of Virginia on the River Wappcoma or Great South Branch of Potowmack Known and distinguished by the No. 64 in the Plat of Survey made by Mr. James Genn & Granted by Patent unto me which Patent bears Date the Twenty second Day of August in the year of our Lord One Thousand seven Hundred & fifty Nine being Bounded as follows Viz Beginning at Two Locusts & a Wild Cherry Tree standing on the before mentioned South Branch and running thence down the same The several meanders thereof as follows No. 32 ° W Seventy eight Pole thence No. 12 ° W Forty Nine Pole thence No. 11 °. W Twenty Pole thence No. 18 ° E thence N 29° E Thirty Pole to the mouth of the South Branch thence down the Main River N 76° E. Sixteen Pole thence So. Eighty Six Degs. Et. Twenty Pole thence S 80° E Forty one Pole thence S 70° E Seventy Three Pole thence So. 45 ° E Thirty Three Pole to a sycamore & Hiccory on the River Side thence S. 15° W One Hundred & Sixty Nine Pole to a White Oak thence N 77° One Hundred & Twenty Pole to the beginning containing Three Hundred & Ten Acres more or less with all the appurtenances thereunto belonging and the said deeds of conveyance to make Seal Sign Deliver & Acknoledge in my Name & to do all lawfull Acts & Things whatever concerning the Premises as fully largely & amply in every Respect & to all Intents & Purposes as I myself might or could do if I were Personally present hereby Ratifying holding & confirming as firm & Efectual all & whatsoever my said attorney shall in my Name lawfully do or cause to be done in and about the Premises by Virtue of the Presents In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my Hand & Seal this 7th day of September One Thousand seven Hundred & Sixty Two

his

John Hopkins [John's mark is a backward script capital "J" See image at link above

Mark

Signed Sealed and Delivered
In Presence of us

Enoch Floyd
Lambeth Hopkins
Enoch Innis

North Carolina September the 22nd 1762
This day came Enoch Floyd and Enoch Innis two of the witnesses as to the above Power of Attorney& made Oath that they ________signed Sealed & Delivered for the Purpose therein mentioned Swore to before me.
Stephen D_____JSC

TIMELINE FOR JOHN HOPKINS IN NORTH CAROLINA

• The following pages detail the records of John Hopkins in Orange, Anson County, and Guilford counties presenting records of the land grants and deeds of sale. Suffice to say at this point that John moved from Hampshire County to Orange County, sometime between 1749 and 1752. John first appears on a legal document as a chain carrier for James McGowan in 1752. In 1756 land was surveyed for John Hopkins; Lambeth Hopkins was one of the "sworn chain carriers" for that survey. In 1761. Land was again surveyed for John Hopkins in Orange County; Dennis Hopkins was one of the chain carriers. There are a number of other documents in Anson County in which John Hopkins appears on tax lists, as a witness to deeds, etc. If my hypothesis for the date of birth of John Hopkins in Talbot County is correct, John would have been between 51 to 56 for his first land survey and 56 to 61 for the second land survey.

• A land grant was made to John Hopkins in Orange County on 11 December 1762. This is the last land record for John Hopkins in Orange County. The Power of Attorney to sell the land in Hampshire County dated 7 September 1762 is the first record of John and Lambeth in Anson County. Because of the wording of the Power of Attorney in which John grants the Power of Attorney to "my trusty friend Job Pearsall" to sell the land "granted unto me" it is clear that the John of Anson and the John of Hampshire are one and the same. In addition the marks on the Power of Attorney and the land grant in Orange County in the same year definitely appear to be those of the same person. Lambeth Hopkins was a chain carrier for John Hopkins for his 1756 survey in Orange County. Lambeth Hopkins was witness to the Power of Attorney in Anson County six years later. Lambeth Hopkins is most likely the son of John Hopkins who was in Anson in 1762.

• Other than the Power of Attorney to Job Pearsall, the only other documents for a John Hopkins in Anson County are a land grant for 400 acres dated 16 December 1769, the same date as a land grant to Lambeth Hopkins. A second land grant dated 22 January 1773 in Anson County for John Hopkins is for 100 acres. This seems to be an extension of the land granted in the 1769 grant and across the river from Lambeth Hopkins' grant for 150 acres dated the same day. Lambeth Hopkins received a total of 1000 acres of land in Anson County from 1769 to 1773; John Hopkins received a total of 500 acres. The acreage granted to John Hopkins in Orange County between 1756 and 1762 was 406 acres of land.

 

John Hopkins #2052. 16 Dec 1769 . Patent Book 20, p. 508
400 acres in Anson on McLains Creek between the Yadkin and Uwarry, joining a small hollow sd. to be McCulloh's Corner and the upper side of the N. prong of the Creek.

9 Apr. 1763, Henry McCulloh to Henry Eustace McCulloh. . .for 38 pounds VA money. . .land above John Hopkins, opp. Enoc Floyds clearing, 430 A on McClains Cr. Holcomb. Anson County, NC. Deed Abstracts: 1757 - 1765. pp. 217-219. The information in this deed entry shows that John Hopkins was on the McClain's Creek land in 1763 and that this land was near the land of Enoch Floyd who witnessed the 1762 Power of Attorney. These documents appear to verify that the John Hopkins of this land grant is the John Hopkins of the Power of Attorney devised in Anson County in 1762, the John Hopkins in Frederick County, Virginia in 1749, and the John Hopkins of the 1769 land grant in Anson. From the evidence of the Power of Attorney devised in in 1762 they appear to have been living on the land at least seven years before the land warrants were issued in 1769.

If this is the John Hopkins of Talbot County then he would have been between 64 and 69 at the time of the 1769 land grant and between 68 and 73 at the time of the 1773 land grant. Was John Hopkins investing in land that he might sell in his old age? If he was between the ages of 64 and 73 at the time of these two grants, it doesn't seem likely that he would be ready to clear any more land than he had to in order to maintain his title.

• On 23 February 1775 John Hopkins "of the County of Guilford" sold the 100 acres of the 1773 land grant to West Harris "of the County of Anson." Is this the same John Hopkins who devised the Power of Attorney in 1762? If the clerk was attempting to copy the mark as John made it, the mark on the deed is clearly different from the marks of 1762 although it is still a "J". The deed contains the wording "granted by His Majesty Letters Patent unto the said John Hopkins" and "bearing the date of 22 January 1773." John Hopkins of Guilford County is clearly selling land in 1775 granted to him in Anson County in 1773. Prior to this sale, John Hopkins sold 200 acres of land to Thomas Hearn.

Guilford County was formed from Rowan and Orange counties in 1770. The southern border of Guilford County was the eastern section of the northern border of Anson County as it existed at that time. In 1778 Montgomery County was formed from the northern section of Anson County and Randolph County was formed from the southern section of Guilford County. Thus, John Hopkins could have returned to his original grant of 1762 in what was now Guilford County in 1775 and sold his land in Anson County.

The easiest way to see these county changes is at the site for the county formation maps for North Carolina at http://www.segenealogy.com/northcarolina/nc_maps/nc_cf.htm Clicking on the years will show the changes in the county boundaries over time.

• There is a second John Hopkins in the area. John Hopkins received a grant of land in Montgomery County in 1789 and was on the 1790 census there with the other Hopkins men who may have been his sons -- Benjamin, Richard, and Alexander. Interestingly, West Harris Sr and West Harris Jr were also in Montgomery County in 1790. This makes it seem likely that the land which John Hopkins sold to West Harris was in the northern area of Anson County in 1775 that became Montgomery in 1778.

At this point my hypothesis is that John Hopkins of Talbot County, MD; Frederick/Hampshire County, VA;, Orange and Anson, counties, North Carolina are the same individual and that the John Hopkins of Montgomery County NC is a brother of Lambeth Hopkins or a son of one of the other Hopkins in the Orange/Randolph County area. Whether the John Hopkins of Guilford is the same individual as the John Hopkins of Orange and Anson is open to question. The "J" on the Guilford document is clearly different than the "J" on the Anson and Orange documents. However, the land being sold by the John of Guilford is the land patented to the John of Anson.

It will take more research on the records of Orange, Anson, Guilford, Montgomery and Randolph counties in the time period between 1769 and 1790 to determine if there are documents which can resolve this issue.