Brief Biographies

Letitia Hooper may have been a younger sister to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob Hooper. Or some of the group might have been first cousins to the others. Whatever their exact relationship, all four have some kind of connection to east Tennessee. And before 1848, all four had moved to Platte County, Missouri.

1. Abraham Hooper (born 1790-1800) was the eldest of the group and the first to arrive in Missouri. He had married Sarah Irving on 20 Jan 1824 at Newport, Cocke County, Tennessee.* Their older children were born in Tennessee - the last of these was born 14 November 1833. The next child, born 20 September 1836, was born in Platte County. Abraham worked as a teamster with the American forces during the Mexican War and died in New Mexico during that service. His widow, Sarah, was mistakenly listed as Sam'l Hooper, a male, on the 1850 Platte County, MO census. Fortunately, however, she did appear under her correct name of Sarah on the Agricultural Census taken at the same date. Along with most of her children, she moved to Kansas before 1860.
   Because he died before the 1850 census was taken, the place of Abraham Hooper's birth is as uncertain as the year. In 1880, individuals were asked to give the place of birth of parents as well as the location of their own birthplace. Nearly half of Abraham's children have been found on the 1880 census. The oldest said his father was born in SC. Two others said Abraham was born in TN. The youngest two said their father had been born in NC. Abraham Hooper's exact death date of 10 February 1847 is known from testimony given by the widow. Because there was no will, Abraham's estate had to be overseen by an appointed administrator. Jacob Hooper was chosen, and Isaac Hooper was one of two men providing the security bond. There thus seems to be close relationship among these men.

   *The officiant for the ceremony was "Royal Stockley." On the 1830 Cocke County census, only three heads of household with the surname Hooper were in the county. Andrew Hooper, who was born between 1760 and 1770, is near the bottom of page 245. Near the top of this same page is a James Earvans [sic] who is of sufficient age to have been Sarah Ervin/Irving's father. Clemmon Hooper (born 1770, according to later testimony) is near the top of page 246. Next to the older Clemmon is his son, Clemmon Hooper (b. 15 July 1810). Fewer than fifty names later is Royal Stoakeley. This proximity of Stokely to Andrew and Clemmons Hooper, and the fact that Abraham and Sarah named their eldest son Clement, strongly hints that there was a connection of Abraham to these 1830 Cocke County men. [Both Andrew and Clemmons, on their 1800 census entries in SC, had sons born between 1790 and 1800.]

2. Isaac Hooper (born 1804 or 1805, probably in NC; died May 1860) had married before 1830 and appears on the 1830 and 1840 census in Sevier County, Tennessee. In 1830, Jacob Hooper lived next door to Isaac. Another near neighbor in 1830 - listed just five households before Isaac - was Mary Wear. She may provide a clue to the 1830 location for Isaac and Jacob Hooper. Mrs. Wear was the widow of one of the early county officials of Sevier. Her residence at that time has been described as "the first house up the river from the mouth of Walden's Creek, on the West Fork of the Little Pigeon near Henderson Springs." The site of her home was five to eight miles from Sevierville. This area lies in the southeast part of Sevier County, quite close to the TN/NC state line. The Isaac Hooper family probably moved to Platte County about 1845 (judging from birthplaces for his children, as reported in 1850.)

   Even though the 1850 census reports that Isaac was born in TN, he more likely was born in NC. On the 1860 mortality schedule for Platte County, the birthplace was NC. Four of Isaac's children have been found in 1880 entries - all gave NC for father's birthplace. Significantly, the most likely person to have known Isaac's birthplace was his widow, and she was living with one of her children who gave NC for the birthplace.

3. Jacob Hooper (born about 1806; died February 1860 TX) appears in 1830 as the next household after that of Isaac Hooper in Sevier County, Tennessee. By 1840, however, there was no such man remaining in east Tennessee. However, a Jacob Hooker [sic] did appear in Platte County, Missouri in 1840. Government Land Office records show that in 1846 he patented land at the Plattsburg land office for 160 acres in the north west part of Section 30, Township 51 N, Range 33 West. Besides serving as administrator for Abraham Hooper in May 1850, Jacob Hooper provided security bonds in connection with two other estates in March 1848 in Platte County. He paid taxes in Platte county in 1847 and 1849. But he has not yet been located on the 1850 Platte County, Missouri census.[His name is missing from Missouri and Kansas and Texas published indexes; nor did any possible match come from inspection of a full transcription of the Platte County 1850 census].
   Before the 1860 census Jacob and his wife Magdalene had moved far south to Collin County, Texas, where Jacob died. His wife and her youngest children, as well as their oldest son Isaac and his family, all lived in Collin County. Four children (or their offspring) had been left behind in the MO/KS border area.
   Of these four left behind, the second son had married in Platte County, MO in 1854 and by 1859 had moved to Atchison County, KS. The third son also had married, probably about 1858; he, too, had moved to Atchison by 1859. The oldest daughter died around 1855; her next oldest sister married the widower and remained in Platte County in 1860, but later also moved to KS. And even Isaac, the son who had been in TX in 1860, moved back to MO.

   Powers of Attorney from these Missouri and Kansas offspring show that there were nine shares to Jacob's estate in 1872. Of these, only five are certain, but at least three others are suggested by the Texas census and marriage records.

4. Letitia (Hooper) St.John (born about 1812/3 TN; died after 1860) had ties to east Tennessee through her in-laws. Her husband was the son of Joseph and Jemima St.John, who had been resident on Camp Creek in Greene County by 1796. The widow Jemima St.John remained in Greene County in 1830, with three sons remaining in her home and with William and Letitia in their own household. Another brother-in-law of Letitia (Hooper) St.John was the Noah St.John enumerated in Cocke County, TN in 1830. Members of the family of Mrs. Noah St.John also were enumerated in Cocke County in 1830.
   The birthplaces of their children show that William and Letitia (Hooper) St.John had arrived in Missouri by 1835; four other St.John brothers were listed there in 1840. Paxton's 1897 county history* identified the maiden name of Letitia St. John and listed her children and their spouses. At least two of her married daughters (Mrs. Jemima Holland and Mrs Ruth Moore) later lived in Lathrop township, Clinton County, MO. Those descendants were in the same neighborhood where Mrs. Elizabeth Hooper (widow of Isaac) lived with a married daughter in 1880.
   

   *Paxton, W. M., 1897, Annals of Platte County, Missouri, from its exploration down to June 1, 1897; with genealogies of its noted families, and sketches of its pioneers and distinguished people: Hudson-Kimberly Publishing Company, Kansas City [MO].

Not all Hoopers in the Platte/Clinton area were relatives: 1860 Clinton County, Missouri, Plattesburg in Concord township, 30 July 1860, line 21 (in household 107/107 of O. H. Jackson) George Hooper 26 Watchmaker, born Switzerland.