Thomas-Mcintosh-Wayne County GaArchives Biographies.....Hopkins, John May 1875 - living in 1913 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 October 22, 2004, 2:08 pm Author: William Harden p. 915-917 HON. JOHN MAY HOPKINS. Elected a member of the Georgia state legislature, in his twenty-second year, and thoroughly equipped for the profession of law, a business life, with its healthy problems and perplexities, has seemed to more closely appeal to him and in this field he has met with what must be gratifying success. He was born in Thomasville, Georgia, April 20, 1875, and is a son of Octavius and May Kell (Holmes) Hopkins. The history of the Hopkins family is interesting and its earlier representatives were men of military prowess. Gen. Francis Hopkins, the great-grandfather of John May Hopkins, was a son of Rear Admiral Hopkins, of the British navy. General Hopkins commanded a regiment in the War of 1812, and to his marriage with a Miss Sears a family was born, one being named Thomas Spaulding. Thomas Spaulding Hopkins was educated as a physician at the Charleston Medical College and during the Mexican war he served as assistant surgeon of a Georgia regiment of infantry, which was stationed at Fort Brock. After the close of the war he practiced medicine in Glynn and Wayne counties, Georgia, but when the war between the states became a fact he put aside his professional ambitions and raised a company which was known as the Wayne Rangers, of which he was commissioned captain and served as such until 1864, when he was appointed to the position of surgeon at Andersonville. Georgia. There he continued until the close of the war, when he removed to Thomasville, Georgia; where he continued the active practice of medicine and surgery for many years, his death occurring in his eighty-sixth year. He was twice married, first to Juliet Defoe, who, at death, left three children: Louise, Francis W. and Cecelia B. The second marriage of Doctor Hopkins was to Elizabeth Gignilliat, who was born at Oak Grove, near Brunswick, Georgia, and was a daughter of John May Gignilliat (who belonged to one of the old settled families of the state, and whose great-great-grandfather, Jean Francois de Gignilliat, and great-great-grandmother, Suzanne Le Sururier (Huguenot), were married in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1696). She died at the age of sixty-five years, and was the mother of the following children: Thomas W.; Octavius; James G.; Mary E.; John M., and Juliet. Octavius Hopkins, second son of Doctor Hopkins and father of John May Hopkins, was reared and educated in Thomasville and at the age of twenty-one years embarked in the lumber business in which he continued his active interest at Darien, Georgia, until 1911, when he removed his field of operations to Wilmington, North Carolina, where he now operates a handle factory on an extensive scale. He married May Kell Holmes, who is a daughter of James and Susan (Clapp) Holmes. The father of Mrs. Hopkins, Dr. James Holmes, was a physician of Melntosh county, Georgia, born in Liberty county, Georgia, and of the Holmes family of Massachusetts. Her mother, who was born at Boston, Massachusetts, was a daughter of Derastus Clapp, and his wife Susannah (Bowditch) Clapp. Susannah Bowditch was descendant in the sixth generation of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins. Derastus Clapp was a lineal descendant in the seventh generation, from Roger Clapp, who came to America in 1630. He was born in New Hampshire and in early manhood went to Boston, Massachusetts. He was captain of a militia company and a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery. Thomas Clapp, who was president of Yale College for twenty-seven years, beginning 1739, was descendant of Roger Clapp's brother, Thomas. Five children were born to Octavius Hopkins and wife: John May; James Holmes; Thomas Spaulding; Lucile Clark, and Octavius, Jr. John May Hopkins was educated at Thomasville in a branch school affiliated with the Georgia State University, and after completing his course in that institution, engaged in the study of law and subsequently was admitted to the bar. Although thus qualified, Mr. Hopkins practiced but a short time, having become interested in another direction. He was in charge of a survey party that explored the Okefenokee swamp and made surveys and estimated the amount, condition and quality of timber. After completing this survey he went to northern Michigan to gain a practical knowledge of the lumber business, entering the employ of Charles Hebard & Sons, lumber company, at their plant in Ba-raga county, Michigan, and remained there until 1908, when he returned to Georgia to establish the plant of The Hebard Cypress Company, at Hebardville, two miles from Waycross, in Ware county, and here installed one of the most complete plants of the kind in the whole country. This is a stupendous enterprise, 750 men being constantly employed, and the mills having a capacity of 125,000 feet of lumber per day of ten hours. Of this plant Mr. Hopkins is the general superintendent, and additionally he is general superintendent of the Waycross & Southern Railroad. Mr. Hopkins was married first in February, 1913, to Miss Lily Schmidt Payne, who was born at Darien, Georgia, a daughter of W. H. Payne, and died in November, 1909. In June, 1911, Mr. Hopkins was married second to Miss Emily Walker, who was born at Fort Smith, Arkansas, and is a daughter of Alexander Walker, who was a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana. Mr. Hopkins had two children born to his first marriage: John May, Jr., and Lily Payne. Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins are members of Grace Episcopal church at Waycross. Through birth, rearing, education and association, Mr. Hopkins is a Democrat in his political attitude and that he should have been chosen as a state representative so early in his political career indicates a large measure of public confidence. He is identified fraternally with Damascus Commandery, No. 18, Waycross, Georgia. Additional Comments: From: A HISTORY OF SAVANNAH AND SOUTH GEORGIA BY WILLIAM HARDEN VOLUME II ILLUSTRATED THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY CHICAGO AND NEW YORK 1913 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/thomas/bios/gbs411hopkins.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/gafiles/ File size: 6.5 Kb