Stephen Hopkins

Life in context.

8. Stephen Hopkins (1581–1644)
Hopkins sailed for Jamestown aboard the Sea Venture in 1609 and survived its wreck on Bermuda. After a mutiny dispute he was sentenced to death but reprieved, eventually reaching Virginia before returning to England. In 1620 he crossed again on the Mayflower. At Plymouth he joined exploration parties, hosted Samoset, took part in early diplomacy with Ousamequin/Massasoit, and served as an assistant governor. His record also includes tavern and court infractions, so the biography is presented as a full human life rather than a heroic legend.
Evidence status. Supported working descent; Hopkins’s historical record is extensive.
Original Stephen Chamberlain Wicks family genealogical wheel supplied by Harriet Powell. Used here as a genuine family-history artifact, not as a portrait.
Research sources: Pilgrim Hall Museum — Stephen Hopkins; General Society of Mayflower Descendants — Hopkins family