Saturday in the Attic – 01/23/10

I really do wish this item was in the attic, as opposed to where I actually found it.  It would be so neat to have an artifact this old in my personal collection.

It’s a letter written by John Hopkins to Gov. John Winthrop.  It was found at the beginning of the book John Hopkins of Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1634 and Some of His Descendants (by Timothy Hopkins, Palo Alto, CA, 1932).

While the letter is in great condition, it is mounted on a page in the book and is bound with the pages of the book.  While the artifact is a wonderful addition to the book, the way it’s preserved, mounted, and bound is less than desirable. 

John Hopkins was born about 1613 in England and died about 1654 in Connecticut.  He and his wife, Jane Goody Strong, are my eleventh great-grandparents.  It is debatable as to whether or not John is the son of Stephen Hopkins of the Mayflower.  John left England and settled in Massachusetts, where he was made a freeman on 4  March 1634/35.  He later removed to Hartford, Connecticut.