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Giles Hopkins travelled to America in a good-sized
family group : his father Stephen, sister Constance, stepmother Elizabeth,
half-sister Damaris, and two servants of the family, Edward Doty and
Edward Lester. A
half-brother, Oceanus, was born during the voyage of the Mayflower.
We do not know the exact date of Giles' birth, but he was probably
between 10 and 12 years old at the time of the voyage.
In 1639, Giles married Catherine Whelden; they had 10 children born
between 1640 and 1664.
After his marriage, Giles moved to Cape Cod from Plymouth.
He is first recorded as owning land in Yarmouth.
Giles’ father, Stephen Hopkins, was the first Englishman to build
in Yarmouth. The permission
given to Stephen in 1638, however, to build a house on the Cape specified
that he was not to permanently leave Plymouth.
It was not until 1639 that the Plymouth Colony Court authorized a
permanent settlement in Yarmouth.
Five years later, the town of Nauset was founded just beyond
Yarmouth. Among the founders
was Giles Hopkins’ brother-in-law Nicholas Snow.
By 1650, Giles had also settled in Nauset (which was to change its
name the following year to Eastham).
Giles Hopkins died
between 5 March 1688/89, the date of a codicil to his will, and 16 April
1690, the date on which his will was admitted to probate. Click
HERE
for the text of his will. |
