Silas and Benjamin Dickerson are related to my Douglass and Pease families of Wilson, NY, being direct ancestors of my cousin Kathryn Dickerson. Her dad, Raymond Dickerson, was the son of Elva Douglass Dickerson. By then, of course, they had moved on through Michigan to McHenry County, Illinois, and were farmers (and then townspeople) of the tiny town of Hebron, Illinois. The town is famous for one basketball team consisting of only 5 players (no second string!!) who had played B-ball together since they were young boys. They went on to win the Illinois State High School championships, much to everyone's shock. Books have been written about this amazing event and the town's watertower is a brown basketball, of course! People still talk about the five guys from little ol' Hebron who conquered the big high schools at the "downstate" win. Vee L. Housman wrote: >Wow, Miriam, what a surprise discovery regarding your grandparents! > >When I first saw the Hopkins name I immediately thought of the prominent >Hopkins family who lived on Lower River Road in Lewiston. Now with your >mentioning of Willard Hopkins Cornell and Silas Hopkins Dickerson, I was >certainly right. Your Church/Cornell families must have been very close if >not actually related to the Hopkins family. What follows below is what I >just scanned from the book, "Landmarks of Niagara County, New York," edited >by William Pool, 1897 > >Enjoy, >vee >Pg. 134 > >Hopkins, S. Silas, was born in the town of Lewiston, Niagara county, March >29, 1852, and has been engaged in farming and fruit growing all his life. He >has fifty acres of apple orchard, fifteen acres of pears, and ten acres of >plums on the homestead. On the farm situated on the Niagara River Road below >Lewiston he has twenty-five acres of quinces, twenty acres of pears and >plums and other fruits. He is a member of the Niagara County Farmers' Club >and has been its president for two years. In 1875 he married E Amanda Young >of Cambria, and they have two children, Edna Young and Arline Douglass. Mr. >Hopkins's parents were Silas S and Abigail H. Hopkins. After the >Revolutionary war his great-grandfather immigrated to Canada from New Jersey >and settled near Hamilton, Ontario, but his two sons, Silas and Benjamin, >not liking the country, Silas came to Lewiston, and later Benjamin settled >in Michigan. His son Silas was the first judge of Niagara county and was >grandfather of the subject of this sketch. Mr. Hopkins's father made a >valuable permanent improvement in the town of Lewiston by draining the great >cranberry marsh opposite his farm and reclaiming a valuable tract of land >which is still in possession of the family. He died June 20, 1871, while his >widow is still living at the age of eighty years. Mrs. Hopkins's family, the >Youngs, came from Pennsylvania about 1810, traveling in wagons and unloaded >near Niagara Falls by an old oak tree, the site of which is to-day marked by >some willows; there they took up land and settled. These were her great >grandfather, John, her grandfather, Samuel, and his brothers, John, >Christian and Jacob. They were driven from their homes three times bv the >Indians during the war of 1812. Mrs. Hopkins's grandparents on the mother's >side, the Hittles, came from Pennsylvania in 1828; her greatgrandfather >served through the Revolutionary war as an officer. > >Pg. 146 > >Hopkins, Willard, was born in the town of Lewiston and has been engaged in >farming and fruit growing all his life. He is in fact one of the most >extensive fruit growers in Niagara county, having upwards of 300 acres of >fruit farms picturesquely situated on the banks of Niagara River, besides >other fruit farms situated in the Model City and on the shore of Lake >Ontario, having about 30,000 fruit trees in bearing. He was one of the >pioneers in planting extensive peach orchards on the Niagara frontier. He >married Sarah A. Peet, and they have two sons: W. Frank and Silas Seward. >His parents were Silas S. and Abigail H. Hopkins, and his father was one of >the best known and most honored men of his day in the town. His grandfather, >Silas Hopkins, was one of the pioneers of Lewiston and was the first county >judge in Niagara county. W. Frank Hopkins married Mary Tower of the town of >Porter. The name and history of the Hopkins family are inseparably >associated with Lewiston from its early days down to the present time, in >which the family continues to uphold its old-time prestige. > > > >