View of Baltimore by William Henry Bartlett, circa 1840 - Samford
John Hopkins first shipped when he was 19 years old. He worked for 53 years on coastal merchant ships. John was originally born in Maryland and remained there. John was a bachelor and had a brother, Alexander Hopkins, from Philadelphia.
The last ship that John served on was the Schooner Bell. The Schooner Bell was likely a coastal trading vessel that plied the Atlantic Shipping Lanes or the Caribbean. John was the captain of the Bell in 1857 when the ship was wrecked. The Immigrant Ship Rhine, which sailed between New York and Havre, France, picked up John and his crew and dropped them off in New York.
Schooner Brenda of Boston 1852 - Dow
John Hopkins was admitted to Sailors' Snug Harbor on June 27, 1861, when he was 72 years old. He would remain at the Harbor for 15 years, dying at age 88. John is buried in the Sailors' Snug Harbor Cemetery. He is buried in Plot 3, Row 2, Grave 11; see the cemetery map.