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- Captain William Hopkins was a steamboat Captain on the Ohio River and Mississippi River during the Civil War .
William Hopkins married in his native state, West Virginia, resided on a farm there, and was a member of the convention called to partition the state into the present divisions of east and west. He ran boats on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers for thirty-five years. During that time he was captain of "The Tigress," which General Grant pressed into service at Cairo, Illinois, during the progress of the Civil war. All through its meteoric career in the military service he remained its captain under command of the gallant Grant. At Pittsburg Landing, Grant made his headquarters upon on the boat, and he and the elder Hopkins had many chats together. Later then ran the blockade at Vicksburg successfully, but when they had safely passed the last battery "The Tigress" sank, having been shot through the hull. At this time Captain Hopkins was home on a furlough, and owing to the loss of his boat was discharged from the service.
He then moved with his family to Illinois, and settled in Clay County, in the winter of 1865, having bought nearly one thousand acres of land. This he was easily able to do as at the time of his arrival in Illinois his capital amounted to something like seventy-five thousand dollars. He had previously sold a farm in Virginia for forty-three thousand dollars. The farm settled in Clay County is now the property of the subject of our sketch. In 1883 William Hopkins retired from his farming activities and moved with his family to Flora, Illinois, where he afterwards died on July 25, 1887, aged sixty-nine years. William Hopkins married three times. Our subject was the youngest of three children, and his mother died when he was onlly three years of age. One of his brothers, Andrew, by name, is now dead. His father afterwards married Marian Kelly, who died in 1873. Later he espoused Kate Wilson, who still continues to survive him. His second marriage brought William Hopkins three children, all of whom grew to maturity though only one is now living. His third marriage brought him one son, Frank, who lives with his mother in Evansville, Indiana.
Excerpt from: Biographical and Reminiscent History of Richland, Clay and Marion Counties Illinois--Pub. 1909
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1818 - 1887 (69 years)
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