Sarah Edwards

Sarah Edwards was the mother of at least ten children. (1) We know her daughter Millie was born about 1783 (2) and she may have been one of the older children as she is one of the first listed heirs of John Hopewell when Milly's brother Henry made application for a land grant in 1847. The last two daughters listed, Rebecca and Theodocia, were probably born between 1795-1800. If Sarah Edwards was born about 1759, she would have been about 22-24 when her first child was born and about 40 when her last child was born.

She married John Hopewell who fought in the Revolutionary War as Private in Cap. Charles Porterfield's and Gabriel Long's Companies, Morgan's Virginia Regiment and was at both battles at the taking of Burgoyne. He enlisted in the Spring of 1777 in Winchester, VA and served until the Spring of 1780 when he was discharged in Frederick County, VA. His brother, Thomas Hopewell, also serving in the Revolution, was in Leesburg, VA in 1780.

The bible record found in the Sullivan County Indiana library says "John Hopewell and Sarah Edwards was married in Mercer Co, Kenty about 1765 or somewheres near Mercer Co, I 'thing'. John Hopewell is my grandfather." (3) However, in 1765 John Hopewell was still in Loudoun Co. VA. We do not know when John Hopewell and Sarah Edwards married, but it is most likely John Hopewell and Sarah Edwards married after the end of his military service. Possibly in Loudoun County.

By 1788 John and Sarah Hopewell and his brother Thomas Hopewell were living in Mercer County, KY. (4) John and Sarah Hopewell moved to Bullitt County, KY by 1810 and in 1818 John Hopewell applied for a pension from Bullitt Co. stating that he was 69 yrs. old, too old to labor, and in "reduced circumstances." His estate he valued at $91. "Two mares one of which is 15 yrs. old, the other 14 yrs. old valued old valued to $60, etc. He and Sarah then moved to Gill Township, Sullivan County, IN. John died in 1826 and Sarah died three years later in 1829. Her stone reads "Sarah, his wife died Sep 8, 1829.

In 1915 a descendant, Florence Hopewell, interviewed some of her elderly relatives and wrote that "it is through John Hopewell Sr.'s wife, Sarah Edwards, that the Hopewells are thought to be heirs of that billion or so dollars estate in NY city." (5) She also noted that Sarah Edwards was born in Bourbon co., KY and of Scotch-Irish descendants. None of this can be verified and the family may have been approached by scam artists who told them that they were in line to inherit money. However, Sarah Edwards may have actually come from a fairly wealthy family since she seems to have signed her name on a deed in 1796. (6) John Hopewell made his mark. Lulu Williamson, a great granddaughter, also said that the father of Sarah Edwards was "Hunter" Edwards and that she was an only child. (7) There is no record of anyone by that name. (8) (9) (10) It may have been a nickname.

SOURCES

(1) Original application of Henry Hopewell, son of John Hopewell, in 1847 from the Library of Virginia listing ten children as heirs of John Hopewell. Heirs of John Hopewell listed in this order: Nancy, Milly, Polly, William, Samuel, John, Henry, Lewis, Rebecca and Theodocia. (Nancy was born probably about 1787)

Typed version of pension application of John Hopewell and the probate court record in Monroe Indiana where his son Henry Hopewell requested a bounty land and named the heirs of John Hopewell

(2) Tombstone reads "Milly, wife of Abraham White, died Oct 26 1857 in the 75th year." Nancy Hopewell, her sister, is the first child listed when their brother Henry Hopewell applied for the land grant. The 1850 census for Sarah Edwards Hopewell reads born in KY.

(3) Bible record found in Sullivan County Library, Indiana

(4) John Hopewell purchased 100 acres of land in Mercer Co. KY for 20 pounds from William Henry in 1788. Mercer Co. Deed Bk 1 pg 120 and pg 121.

(5) Letter written by Florence Hopewell in 1915 as found in the Sullivan County Indiana library

(6) Deed Bk 4 Mercer Co., KY p. 500 and p. 501.

(7) A Hopewell Genealogy as found in the Sullivan County, IN library states, "Another early settler was John Hopewell who married Sarah Edwards. I imagine he was a brother of Thomas. He was a pensioner so we were able to get quite a bit of information about him. He was born in 1751 in England. He enlisted in Capt. Porterfield's Co., and served in Col. Morgan's Rifle Reg. and in Capt. Gabriel Long's Va. Reg. His wife, Sarah, was born in 1759 and died in 1829. Of her ancestry I was able to get the following: Robert Edwards owned property and leased it for 99 years to the town of New York, (supposed to be the spot where Trinity Church now stands) about the year 1774. His heirs were Hunter Edwards and wife who had one child named Sara Edwards who married John Hopewell. Lulu Williamson of Sullivan, Ind. gave me this information. She is a descendent of this family. John and family moved to Ind. where he died in 1826. He is buried in Mt. Zion Cemetery (Old Camp Ground) near New Lebanon, Ind. The D A R has an interesting monument there for him in the form a stump of a tree. There children were:"

Will - who died of cholera in Mercer Co. June 8 1854 or 1855
Henry
Samuel
John m. Kathryn Lisman in Bullitt Co
Lewis - children John, James, Maria, Sarah
Nancy
Mary m. Henry Williamson
Rebecca
Theodocia

Lulu Williamson was a granddaughter of Mary Hopewell who married Henry Williamson. She was born in 1873 and died in 1967

(8) Sarah Edwards born in NY

Records of Trinity church Parish, New York

5 Feb 1759 baptism Sarah, Daughter of Thomas Edwards and Martha Evens
5 Sep 1756 baptism of Hannah, Daughter of Thomas Edwards and Martha Evens.
John Hopewell and Sarah did not name any child Thomas or Martha

(9) Edwards family in Mercer County, KY (Mercer County was created from Lincoln County, KY in 1785

James Edwards is in the Mercer Co Court Orders 1787. BK 1 pg 170 Edwards Vs Nagle BK 1 pg 459 Edwards Vs Green
The complete court record in is E-1

James Edwards is in the land records 1789 BK 1 pg 155. James Edwards to Willis Green
The land is in Danville. May 27, 1789

James Edwards is in the tax records, one male over 21, in 1796, 1797.. He is gone in 1799 but there is a John Edward listed in 1799, 1800 and 1802. Again, john Hopewell and Sarah did not name a child James. and she is supposedly an only child.

In 1801 a John Edwards Sr. is in the land records for Mercer Co BK 4, pg 259, 268, 347, 349. He is of Bourbon Co KY and he is wealthy. The oral history says Sarah was born in Bourbon Co. However, in 1801 John Hopewell and Sarah Edwards had been married for 20 years.

(10) Tithables of Loudoun Co., VA

As can be seen at the right, there were several men named Edwards living in Loudon Co., VA. John Hopewell fought in the American Revolution until the Spring of 1780 when he was "regularly discharged to Frederick County, Virginia." (pension application).
Loudoun County VA was formed from Fairfax Co, VA in 1757 and his father, Samuel Hopewell, was living in 1780. He not die until 1794 and his mother, Mary Conner Hopewell, was also alive at that time. So, John Hopewell was probably back where his parents lived in the Spring of 1780, and at about the time he married Sarah Edwards. His father, Samuel Hopewell, lived in Shelburne Parish and two other men named Hopewell lived in Cameron Parish. These men were registered off and on during the years John Hopewell lived there.

Shelburne Parish                                                                     Cameron Parish

Amos Edwards 1771-1781                                  Abel Edwards 1771-1777
Benjamin Edwards 1760-1785                              Arthur Edwards `772-1777
David Edwards 1764-1771                                   Elisha Edwards 1785
Elisha Edwards 1771-1784                                   Jesse Edwards 1779-1784
Isaac Edwards 1768-1773                                    John Edwards 1774-1778
John Edwards 1768-1782                                     Richard Edwards 1779
Jonathan Edwards 1775-1777                               Thomas Edwards 1776-1777
Joseph Edwards 1774-1777
Phillip Edwards 1772-1785
Zachariah Edwards 1778

Benjamin Edwards was deceased by 22 Nov 1799 when Sarah Edwards was selling land to a Benjamin Edwards for 5 shillings, land that had been purchased by Benjamin Edwards. Film 32309 image 478
Loudoun Co Deed BK Z page 445