Tuesday, December 15, 2015

1879-1883 Autograph Album of Lillie K. Hopkins of Fort Fairfield, Maine, Before and After her Marriage to William Henry Boynton


1879-1883 autograph album that belonged to Lillie K. Hopkins of Fort Fairfield, Maine, from before and after her marriage to William Henry Boynton, who presumably inscribed two pages, one before their marriage and one possibly after.


The album measures approximately 5-1/4 by 3-1/4 and contains the sentiments of about thirty of Lillie's relatives and friends.  An alphabetical surname list and an alphabetical list of the inscribers, together with any personal information they offered, appear at the end of this post.

From brief online research, hopefully correct:  [corrections and additions requested!]

Lillie K. Hopkins, or possibly Lillian K. Hopkins, was born June 22, 1860 at Fort Fairfield, Maine, daughter of Daniel and Hannah Judith (Newhall) Hopkins, who were born at Whitefield, Maine, and South Thomaston, Maine, respectively.

It's likely that the H. J. Hopkins who inscribed a page in the album on March 4, 1883, was Lillie's mother Hannah Judith (Newhall) Hopkins.


One of Lillie's five siblings, two of whom died young, was Martha E. Hopkins, an educator and administrator at Fort Fairfield, Maine, for many years.  She inscribed a page on December 30, 1883 at Fort Fairfield, Maine.


An inscriber named Sara indicated a cousin relationship with Lillie.  Sara inscribed her page on March 22, 1881 and may have indicated where she was when she inscribed it, but I can't make it out.  It's possibly Harvey, New Brunswick, in Albert County, or Hersey, Maine, in Aroostook County, but may be someplace else entirely, and perhaps the words do not connote a place at all.  If you have an idea who Sara was and where she lived, please leave a comment or contact me directly.


Inscriber Lucinda Witherly was presumably a relative of Lillie's maternal grandmother, Rebecca (Witherly) Newhall.


On October 2, 1881 at Fort Fairfield, Maine, Lillie married William Henry Boynton.  He was described as a Skowhegan farmer in a description of the Hopkins family in New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial, Volume 1, by William Richard Cutter, published in 1915.  William Henry Boynton, who was born August 6, 1856,  may have been the son of William Boynton, who died at Gettysburg in 1863, and Martha Elizabeth (Fairbanks) Boynton.

One page in the album was inscribed in 1879 by a Willie Boynton.  Another page, undated, was inscribed by W. H. B., who may have been William Henry Boynton and who may have inscribed the page after their 1881 marriage.  Additionally, there's a 1910 tax receipt for a William Boynton.




Lillie and William had two children:
  1. Hannah Martha Boynton, born April 16, 1883 at Fort Fairfield, Maine
  2. William Henry Boynton, Jr., born October 20, 1884; he married Lura Tracy, and, according to the volume cited above, became a farmer at Mercer, Maine
Sadly, Lillie died November 8, 1886.  William then married Mary Ames (Hopkinson) Bolster, who was divorced from her husband, Elden M. Bolster, in February 1888.  Mary had a daughter Bessie from her first marriage, and she and William had, I believe, six more more children.  

The 1900 Census notes that William and Mary had married about 1881, which is worrisome, and made me wonder if there are two men named William Henry Boynton.  However, it's possible that an informant and/or the enumerator was unaware of William's first marriage and was estimating his marriage with Mary by the age of his oldest child.

William and Mary eventually moved to California, where William died on November 7, 1942 in Ventura County.  Mary had predeceased him in 1939.

Surnames in the Album

?CCaryEElliottKKingRRussell
?ConantHHopkinsLLowellSShorey
BB ?CoxHopkinsLowellWWeston
BartlettCoxHopkinsLowellWitherly
BoyntonCoxHoytLundy
BoyntonCoxHoytPParsons
BrownDDriscoJJohnsonPerley


Inscribers in the Album
  • Sara, inscribed on March 22, 1881; can't quite make out what looks like a place, but possibly Harvey, A. Co., which might be the Harvey in Albert County, New Brunswick; or possibly Hersey, Aroostook County
  • Burpee & Ross & Co. of California.  Not sure of Burpee
B
  • W. H. B.; possibly another page signed by William H. Boynton, Lillie's future husband, if they weren't already married by the time he inscribed this page.
  • Frankie L. Bartlett, inscribed at Fort Fairfield, Maine, on April 15, 1880; friend
  • Willie H. Boynton, inscribed at Fort Fairfield, Maine, on December 28, 1879.  Presumably William Henry Boynton, Lillie's future husband.  He may have been the W. H. B. who inscribed another page, undated, perhaps after his marriage to Lillie in 1881
  • Tucked in the album - 1910 tax receipt showing that William Boynton paid the Town of Fort Fairfield $3.00.  Signed by R. A. Churchill, Collector.  Presumably William H. Boynton, long after the death of his first wife, Lillie K. (Hopkins) Boynton
  • Annie Brown, inscribed at Bridgewater, Maine, on September 26, 1880
C
  • Susie W. Cary, inscribed at Fort Fairfield, Maine, on December 31, 1879
  • Hattie L. Conant of Fort Fairfield, Maine
  • Lizzie Cox, friend; Emma Cox inscribed the facing page.
  • Emma Cox, friend, inscribed on September 27, 1880; Lizzie Cox inscribed the facing page.
  • Alexander Cox, inscribed January 4, 1880
  • Sarah M. Cox, inscribed on September 26, 1880
D
  • Calling card of Martha Drisco tucked in the album
E
  • Euphania J. Elliott, inscribed at Fort Fairfield, Maine, on May 15, 1880
H
  • Lillie K. Hopkins of Fort Fairfield, Maine; album owner
  • H. J. Hopkins, inscribed on March 4, 1883.  Presumably Lillie's mother Hannah Judith (Newhall) Hopkins
  • Mattie Hopkins, inscribed at Fort Fairfield, Maine, on December 30, 1883.  Lillie's sister, Mattie E. Hopkins, who was a school teacher in Maine and New Hampshire, including many years as a teacher and administrator at Fort Fairfield.
  • Emma J. Hoyt, inscribed at Fort Fairfield, Maine, on December 27, 1879
  • Sarah T. Hoyt
J
  • Effie Johnson of Fort Fairfield, Maine, inscribed on May 30, 1880
K
  • Mattie C. King
L
  • Lucy Lowell of Blaine, Maine, inscribed in October 1880
  • Miss E. J. Lowell of Blaine, Maine, inscribed on December 7, 1880.  Possibly Ella J. Lowell
  • Miss Phine J. Lowell of Blaine, Maine; possibly a nickname for Josephine or ?
  • Sarah Jane Lundy, inscribed at Fort Fairfield, Maine, on January 6, 1880
P
  • Charles F. Parsons, inscribed at Fort Fairfield, Maine, on February 2, 1880
  • J. Perley, inscribed on March 15, 1881; not sure of surname
R
  • Lucy Russell, inscribed on May 18, 1880
S
  • F. J. Shorey, inscribed at Fort Fairfield,  Maine, on January 6, 1880; one-time schoolmate
W
  • Florence E. Weston, inscribed on February 5, 1880
  • Lucinda J. Witherly, inscribed on December 12, 1880.  Presumably related to Lillie's maternal grandmother

3 comments:

  1. Daniel Hopkins is my lineage. James/Robert Hopkins of Ft. Fairfield were Daniel Hopkins sons.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My tree suggests that Sara J Clark was the daughter of Margaret Hopkins and Thomas Clark. Margaret and Daniel were siblings, making Sara and Lillian cousins. I have the birth and death for Sara Clark listed as Knox, Washington ME.

    ReplyDelete