~~MORGAN*MOURNING*STEPHENS*FOX*BROWN*WILSON~~
Note, this information on the Hopper family is also found on the Cloda Wilson page. It is listed on this page, as it pertains to Lucy Ann Hopper Wilson, mother of Moses Sampson "Bud" Wilson. Bud Wilson was the father of my grandmother, Flonnie Wilson Smith, the wife of Oscar Smith. However, it also pertains to the mother of Sinthia Wilson, which was Rhoda Hopper, grandmother of Cloda Wilson Smith which is a different branch of the Hopper/Wilson family. Cloda Wilson Smith is the mother of my grandfather, Oscar Smith. These family lines of Hoppers and Wilsons intertwine through the generations and may be duplicated on some pages.
GENERATION 1
William HOPPER was born about 1705 and died about 1783. The children of William HOPPER were, Thomas, Darby, Joseph, Joshua and William HOPPER.
William surveyed in Rockingham County, then Rowan County in 1753. In 1761 he obtained a grant of 710 acres. An additional grant of 510 acres from the Earl of Granville on May 10th was obtained. In 1773 he signed a petition against moving the courthouse in Guliford County. By 1783 he had died. All five of his sons owned adjoining land on Matrimony Creek in present day Rockingham County, North Carolina
Generation 2
Thomas Darby HOPPER was born August 12th, 1732 in Henry County, Virginia to William HOPPER, and died between 1819-1821 in Henry County, Virginia. He was married to Mary MORGAN or MOURNING. Mary was born about 1736 in Virginia and died about 1802. Thomas married Mary Rebecca MORGAN before 1762 in Rockingham County, North Carolina. Mary was born in 1736 in Virginia and died in 1802 in Lafayette County, MO. The children of Thomas Darby HOPPER and Mary MORGAN or MOURNING were, Joseph, Unity, Mourning, William Riley, Jeremiah, Terrill, Thomas and Martin Cloud HOPPER.
It is noted in different family histories, that Thomas had a club foot and couldn't fight in the war.
Generation 3
William Riley HOPPER was born to Thomas and Mary HOPPER about 1768 in North Carolina and died about 1855 in Russell County, Kentucky. William married Hester STEPHENS on May 18, 1793 in Henry County, Virginia. Hester was the daughter of William STEPHENS and Anna Susannah FOX. Hester was born about 1774 in Henry County, Virginia and died about 1825 in Russell County, Kentucky. The children of William and Hester were, Joseph, Bethenia, Jane, Joshua, Ellender, Jesse, Mourning, William and Sampson HOPPER.
The earliest HOPPERS to arrive in present Russell County, Kentucky, then Adair County were: William R. Hopper, Joseph Hopper, Joshua Hopper, Darby Hopper and Thomas Hopper. William and Hester Hopper arrived in present Russell County, Kentucky about 1807. On October 2nd, 1807 he received a land grant of 75 acres in Adair/Russell County on the Caney Fork of the Wolf Creek and would later receive patents on additional tracts of 50 and 100 acres, all on Caney Fork Creek. The area of settlement is the east central part of Russell County, where Bobs Branch and Clear Fork Creeks empty into the Caney Fork Creek. This is where Joseph and Joshua Hopper would settle and where descendants would remain for over 100 years. Two sons, William Hopper JR. and Sampson Hopper would live and have large families on this and adjoining land. These two sons became large land owners. William Hopper SR. was satisfied with the original 225 acres. Hester died between 1820 and 1830 and William SR. continued to live on the farm with his oldest child, Lucy Ann Hopper. In 1850, he and Lucy Ann were living with Sampson Hopper. In 1851 he sold the three tracts of land to Sampson Hopper. Source: Ancestry. COM
Generation 4
Sampson Hopper was born on April 1st, 1809 in Adair County, Kentucky to William Riley and Hester HOPPER, and died after 1870 in Russell County, Kentucky. He married Christina "Tina" BROWN (See BROWN page) on August 20th, 1829 in Russell County, Kentucky. He was also married to Lena BERNARD. The children of Sampson HOPPER are, Rebecca, Marcus, Squire Duncan, Moses, Lucy Ann, Christina, Sally, Cyrus, Joseph, Mary and Sampson HOPPER.
Sampson owned 200 acres in Caney Fork Creek by 1835. In 1851, he bought the 225 acres his father had settled on and by 1856, he owned 1000 acres on Caney Fork. Sampson, Christina and son Marcus were charter members of the original Clear Fork Baptist Church in Russell County. In addition to farming, he operated a brandy still, which wagon loads of peaches and apples were hauled to make the brandy. This was then shipped by boat on the Cumberland to the rest of the nation for sale. Source: Ancestry. COM
Generation 5
Lucy Ann HOPPER was born about 1840 in Russell County, Kentucky to Sampson and Christina HOPPER and died unknown. Lucy married Sampson WILSON (See WILSON page) on October 30th, 1856 in Russell County, Kentucky. The marriage was performed by Moses Harkness WILSON. The children of Lucy Ann and Sampson WILSON, were William R, Cyrus M, Squire Marcus, Celeste, Christeeny M, Electia, General and Moses Samson (Bud) WILSON (See WILSON page). Sampson was a farmer by occupation.