Freeman Hopkins
Encyclopedia
Ontario, New York
Ontario is a town in the northwest corner of Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 9,778 at the 2000 census, and 10,136 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the Great Lake on its northern border.- History :...
. He and his wife Martha Patterson, daughter of Charles Patterson and Martha Hall, came to Ontario in the Spring of 1806 from Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. In 1807 the town of Ontario was founded from a part of the neighboring town of Williamson
Williamson, New York
Williamson is an Upstate New York town in the northwest part of Wayne County, New York, U.S. on the south shore of Lake Ontario. The population was 6,777 at the time of the 2000 census. The town is named after Charles Williamson, a land agent of the Pultney Estate...
, and was originally called "Freetown" after Mr. Hopkins.
During the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
Hopkins left the area and returned to Rhode Island due to the Quakers testimony against participation in wars, and to avoid the hostilities that took place on Lake Ontario. In 1818 the family returned to Ontario.
Martha Patterson Hopkins was born in Mount Washington, Berkshire County, Massachusetts about 1785.
Freeman Hopkins built the first sawmill in the town, and his daughter, Melissa's birth on May 7, 1806, was the first in Ontario. He later went on to father a total of nine children. Sadly, Freeman Hopkins came to an unfortunate end. After becoming blind in his later years, he drowned himself in his cistern.