Stephen Hopkins
For descendants of this unique personage, here are some handy references...
If you watched the Janney episode, on "Who Do You Think You Are", it was mostly about Stephen Hopkins. I had not heard about his time in Bermuda, and then in Virginia, prior to coming over on the Mayflower. Available on the free Peacock app: https://www.peacocktv.
The Janney episode also mentioned his contribution to our democracy and human rights. Political scientists are starting to put our ancestor into the same category of thinkers as Thomas Hobbes & John Locke. The best short essay on this aspect is a well-written piece from the NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/
There is good detail and info on his find-a-grave site, as well as books for further reading. Our guy was NOT a Puritan! As proven by his penchant for rum, and for selling it after-hours! https://www.
Lastly, the latest biography is A Stranger Among Saints... https://amzn.to/3ShSuQr
Happy reading!
