1 Apr 1678 (Int) Mary married
Thomas Hopkins (9338) , son of
Thomas Hopkins (3152) (ca 1616-10 Nov 1684), in Providence, RI.
25 “Thomas Hopkins and Mary Smith, both of Providence were published in a way of marriage, by a writing fixed upon a public place in the said town bearing date April 1st, 1678, under the hand of Thomas Olney, Assistant”.
Born ca 1650 in Providence, RI.295 Thomas died in Providence, RI on 21 Apr 1718.295
From Holbrook’s Notes on the Hopkins Family:295
Thomas and Mary settled upon the homestead belonging to his father, before alluded to, in the northerly part of the township of Providence, in that part which was in 1731 set off to make the town of Smithfield, and more recently, again set off to make the town of
Lincoln.
On the death of Thomas, senior, at Oyster Bay in 1684, the title to this estate, by the laws of primogeniture was vested in the elder brother, William who on Dec. 27, 1692, ‘in consideration of the mutual love and affection between him and his brother, and for other good causes,’ made a gift deed to Thomas of the estate, representing it as ‘being the place where Thomas now dwelleth, and formerly belonging to my honored father, Thomas Hopkins, deceased.’
On this homestead estate, Thomas and his wife reared their large family of eight sons and four daughters, and Thomas died there as before noted, April 21, 1718. All of his sons, except one, lived to become heads of families, and from them have sprung a large proportion of these bearing the name of Hopkins, now of Rhode Island, besides many others scattered broadcast throughout the country, and many of other surnames changed through marriage of the females into other families.
He made his will, April 26, 1711, distributing in an equitable manner his possessions among his children and providing for the support of his widow. Much of his landed estate was situated in the western part of the town that was afterwards set apart to make the town of Scituate and Glocester, and to this section every member of his family subsequently made a settlement and were prominent among its leading inhabitants.
In the State Census of 1774, which was arranged to give the names only of heads of families, and the number containing in each family, classified as to age and sex, the returns from Scituate showed twenty-seven families under the name of Hopkins, which was more than double the number of any other name on the list which showed a gross population of 3601. All of these were evidently emigrants from the old home of Thomas, or descendants from them. As no Hopkins name occurs in the return from Smithfield where that home was located it shows that the exodus was complete.