My application was approved!
Plymouth took a long look at all the evidence and has certified
that I am a descendant of Stephen Hopkins.
When John first sent the email letting me know of the outcome I was surprised at
how thrilled I was.
The lineage traces back to my 11th great grandfather, Stephen Hopkins, who was born in 1581 in England. The line is on my gran’s side of the family through her father Archie Wood.
Just over 2 years of research on this branch of the family and
I am proud to know that the “gold standard in lineage societies” has thoroughly
reviewed and verified my research. The
Society will incorporate the documentation I submitted into their vast
repository of information available for future researchers. I feel validated to know I didn’t just
drop into a rabbit hole only to find out I was way off base all along. Especially after all the time and effort I spent researching.
Stephen Hopkins was an interesting character and I want to learn more about him and his life. He was apparently an adventurous sort who survived a shipwreck aboard the Sea Venture in 1609, he talked himself out of a death penalty for “mutiny & rebellion” for speaking out against the governor and he owned a tavern for which he was fined by the courts on more than one occasion for a variety of ‘crimes of the time’. He was also one of the forty-one signers of the Mayflower Compact in 1620 which set out the rules for self-governance for the good of their new colony.
It has been a rewarding journey to say the least!
www.themayflowersociety.org/history/the-mayflower-compact/
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