John H. Hopkins
|
The Most Reverend John Henry Hopkins |
|
|---|---|
| 8th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church | |
 |
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| Predecessor | Thomas Church Brownell |
| Successor | Benjamin B. Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 30, 1792 Dublin, Kingdom of Ireland |
| Died |
January 9, 1868 (aged 75) Rock Point, Burlington, Vermont |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Occupation | American bishop |
John Henry Hopkins (January 30, 1792 – January 9, 1868) was the first bishop of Episcopal Diocese of Vermont and the eighth Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. He was also an artist (both in water-color and in oils), a lawyer, an ironmonger, a musician and composer, a theologian, and an architect, who introduced Gothic architecture into the United States.
John Henry Hopkins was a descendant of the Hopkins family of England which was conspicuous in the reign of Richard II of England in the fourteenth century. In the reign of William III of England in the seventeenth century, Isaac Hopkins was granted an estate in Ireland, where he married Mary Fitzgerald. From them the line of descent runs through the eldest son in two succeeding generations to Thomas Hopkins, who became a merchant in Dublin, Ireland, "dealing both in flour and linen." In April 1791, he married Elizabeth Fitzakerly, "a highly accomplished young bride of sixteen." John's mother was "a skilled musician," an artist with brush and pencil, and a reader of the best literature.
On January 30, 1792, John Henry Hopkins was born in Dublin, the son of Thomas and his wife Elizabeth. He was their only child. Hopkins was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1792, the son of Thomas Hopkins and his wife Elizabeth nee Fitzakerly.
After John was weaned, he was sent to live with his paternal grandmother for several years. She was then living in the town of Athlone in Ireland. She instilled in her grandson the "lesson of daily private prayer," which he kept up the rest of his life. She also taught him to read the Bible, which he also continued the rest of his life.
Back with his parents, John's mother was his teacher. Before he was eight years old, "he had read Shakspere, Dryden, and Pope, besides any quantity of tales and romances." He was proficient in music, in French, and in drawing.
To Philadelphia
In 1801, the family emigrated from Dublin to Philadelphia in the United States. The passage across the Atlantic Ocean was "very long and stormy." At times, everyone on board feared "total shipwreck." The little John "knelt down and prayed to God to deliver them out of their danger." A sailor saw him praying and told the Captain with the comment that "the ship was safe" because "such a little angel was on board."
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