Sonoma-Santa Cruz-El Dorado County CA Archives Biographies.....Hopper, Thomas 1820 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com March 3, 2006, 9:35 pm

Author: Alley, Bowen & Co. (1880)

Hopper, Thomas. Was born in La Fayette county, Missouri, September 21, 1820. At
a very youthful age he was taken by his mother—his father was killed
accidentally—to Lawrence county, Indiana, where he remained until fifteen years
of age, and then returned to La Fayette. We should here mention that Mr. Hopper
commenced to battle with life on his own account at the early age of eleven
years, and when he returned to Missouri he commenced to work on monthly wages.
July 14, 1844, he was married to Minerva Young. In that year he purchased a
small farm in Johnson county, Missouri, and there continued until the Spring of
1847, when he started, May 9th, with ox-teams, accompanied by Charles Hopper of
Napa county, across the plains to California, arriving at Sutter's Fort on
September 5th of the same year. Having only stayed a few days here, he moved to
San Jose, and while there concluded to erect a mill in the Santa Cruz mountains,
an enterprise which was not carried out, however. He, with his wife, then worked
at a mill on Soquel creek, for one dollar a day per piece. He next proceeded to
Santa Cruz, and there purchased a thirty-acre lot of land adjoining Charley
Hopper's place, on which he built a redwood house, and in it passed the Winter
of 1847-8. On May 20th of the latter year, oon [sic] after the discovery of
gold, he started for the mines on the American river, immediately above Sutter's
old mill and there commenced operations, which he followed with success, making
from fifty to seventy-five dollars per day; continued there until July, and then
removed his family to the rancho of George Yount in Napa valley, where he left
them and returned to the mines in August, on this occasion proceeding to the dry
diggings. Here he continued until October 10th, when he returned to his family,
and there remained in Napa valley until the Spring of 1849. At this time we find
Mr. Hopper once more mining about the region of Sutter's mill, between the north
and south forks of the American river. Here he remained but a short time,
ultimately going to the north fork, and there continuing until June 15, 1849,
when he once more returned to his wife and children. He afterwards took part in
the Walker expedition, which turned out a failure, Walker himself, after going
from Sacramento up the San Joaquin river, thence to King's river, went on to
Montana, leaving the greater number of his party to return Of these was Mr.
Hopper. On his return to Sacramento he parted his connection with the members of
the expedition and returned home. Shortly after he removed to Sonoma township
where he purchased a thirty-acre lot and erected a house, and commenced farming,
and here resided until the Spring of 1850, when he disposed of the property to
Mr. Griffy and bought a lot in the city of Sonoma, whereon he constructed a
residence; this, however, he soon sold to Dr. Tennant for a thousand dollars. He
then took up a claim at the head of Green valley, which he sold to Mr.
McReynolds in the Fall of 1852, at which period he settled on the Cotato grant
and took up a claim of one hundred and sixty acres, and erected a small house,
which he sold in 1853, and purchased one hundred acres on tho same grant, about
three-fourths of a mile from his former land. Here he resided until December 28,
1878, when he moved to Santa Rosa, where he resided till November 1879, when he
returned to his old residence, where he still still resides. Mr. Hopper is the
owner of a grant of six thousand six hundred and seventy acres in Monterey
county, five thousand six hundred acres of the government land and Knight's
Valley grant in Knight's Valley and Russian River townships, two thousand one
hundred and sixty acres in Vallejo township, three hundred and seventy-one acres
in Green Valley, Analy township, four hundred and forty acres in Mendocino
county, forty acres in the red-woods, and one hundred and sixty acres near
Windsor, in Russian River township, making the total of his landed possessions
to be fifteen thousand four hundred and forty-two acres in the State of
California. Besides this vast estate Mr. Hopper is interested in no less than
five different banking establishments in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. He has
children living, their names being: Eliza, John, William, Wesley, Mary, Henry
and Rosa. His portrait will be found in this work.

Additional Comments:
Vallejo Township

Extracted from:

HISTORY
—OF-
SONOMA COUNTY,
-INCLUDING ITS—
Geology, Topooraphy, Mountains, Valleys and Streams;
—TOGETHER WITH—
A Full and Particular Record of the Spanish Grants; Its Early History and
Settlement, Compiled from the Most Authentic Sources; the Names of Original
Spanish and American Pioneers; a full Political History, Comprising the Tabular
Statements of Elections and Office-holders since the Formation of the County;
Separate Histories of each Township, Showing the Advancement of Grape and Grain
 Growing Interests, and Pisciculture;
ALSO, INCIDENTS OF PIONEER LIFE; THE RAISING OF THE BEAR FLAG; AND BIOGRAPHICAL
SKETCHES OF EARLY AND PROMINENT SETTLERS AND REPRESENTATIVE MEN;
—AND OF ITS—
Cities, Towns, Churches, Schools, Secret Societies, Etc., Etc.
ILLUSTRATED.
SAN FRANCISCO:
ALLEY, BOWEN & CO., PUBLISHERS.
1880.


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