James Theodore "Fate" Hopkins is my great grandfather. I think that you know him primarily as a writer for the Daily Soliphone back in the early 1900's.  I have in my possession an article that he wrote in 1904 that is referred to as a speech that he gave to the "Farmers Union of Greene County, Ark., setting forth the principles of the Union". The article includes a picture of him.  I am trying to locate any other articles that he may have written for the Soliphone.

I thought you might find interesting some other information about
J. T. Fate Hopkins so I have copied the following from my family tree:

J. T. had  a son named J. T. Hopkins, Jr.  Jr. married my grandmother Mary
Emma Barnes in Paragould  October 8, 1917.  My mother, Gladys Hopkins, was  born in  July 1918. Her father Jr., died a few months later on Nov. 23, 1918 in Eureka Springs as a result of the flu epidemic of 1918.

My mother, Gladys Hopkins Roe,  wrote in a book "Grandmother Remembers" that  her grandfather was a merchant, a farmer and that he owned saw mills.

 She also states that before they were married her grandfather lived in
 Seymour, Indiana and her grandmother in Raleigh, N.C. and that they
 corresponded by mail.  They later moved to Arkansas.



1900 Census:  Occupation was a farmer.  He was born in NC.  His mother and  father born in SC.

1920 Census: Occupation is still a farmer.

 In my office is a framed picture of him and the article that he wrote in
 1904. He would have been approximately 57 years of age. It is an address
 that he gave to the "Farmers Union of Greene County" (Arkansas), setting
 forth the principles of the Union and what it stands for. He is described
 therein as the County lecturer and editor of the Union Dept. of the weekly
 Soliphone.  I have put a copy of this article in his scrapbook.

 In the Hopkins file is an envelope marked "Death of Pete Black".  There is
 no date on the article about his death but he was 102 years old.  Of
 interest in the article is a reference to James Fate Hopkins.  He stated
 therein that he and the late Fate Hopkins built the first bridge over the
 St. Francis River, which is 7 miles east of Paragould in 1895.

 I found an article about the Hopkins Bridge being for sale in
 1909. I note that it refers to one P.S. Black.  Somewhere in my collection
 of photos I believe I have a picture depicting the building of the Hopkins
 Bridge. 

 J. T. Fate Hopkins is buried at St. Mary's in Paragould, Arkansas.

 He served In the Civil War as a Confederate.  On his tombstone is Co:1, IS.e or c, INF. C. S. A.  Lynwood Cemetery, Paragould, Ark.  I assume the above was  his company name and Number.

My Mother  said that he had been married before and had several children.
The only one she knew about was Ben Hopkins, who married Ada Warren.  They had several children.  In 1975 two of the children were living in Paragould;  Autrey Gwyn & Eva Hammonds.

Mom was almost 6 years old when her father J. T. Hopkins died on Feb. 23,
1924 of TB.

Mom lived with J. T. Fate Hopkins  and his wife after her father died and
until her Mother, Mary Emma married Homer Herren.  Mom was about 2 years old.

J. T. Fate Hopkins  evidently was a good business man.  He owned several
 businesses including a saw mill. He made 2 trips to Europe.  He took a trip
 to Alaska and the ship he was booked on sank.  Everyone thought he was dead  until he suddenly reappeared.  He was well respected by people in the
community.  He loved to take pictures and had his own dark room.  Mom said  that in her picture album are pictures he took in Texas, Utah and Colorado.  I have not been able to identify these pictures.

He was a wagon master, leading settlers to Calif.  When Mom's father was
about 8 years old, his father James Fate Hopkins, took him, his mother and
an aunt on one of the trips to Calif.  Mom's father made a 2nd trip with his
father when he was 17 years old and kept a diary.  Mom gave the diary to one of her cousins, who claimed she needed it to get into the Mormon Church.  Her name was Goldie Hopkins Zimmerman.  The diary was never returned.  As a  young man living on Pacific St. I remember the diary.  I recall reading  portions of it.  I recall him talking about the wagons being in a circle at night and they could hear what sounded like animal noises but were told it
was Indians.  Mom said the route the wagon train took was thru Kansas,
Colorado, Utah and into Calif.  I also recall seeing some of the pictures my
mom spoke about.  I believe they were taken at Salt Lake, Utah.  I have been  unable to find these pictures.

He was educated probably in North Carolina. At some point, He supposedly put  his brothers and sisters in a wagon and took them to Arkansas.  I do not
know if this was before or after he fought in the civil war.
 
One last issue. another line of my family tree in Greene County is Herren.
I have tried for years to find any information about one of the Herrens in
particular William Kelley Herren, born April 14, 1907 and died Feb. 26,
1942.  I have a picture of his headstone from the Pine Knott Cemetery.
According to our family history, he was a law enforcement officer in Greene
County and was killed while trying to arrest a suspect. As stated, I have
tried in vain to find information about his death.

If anyone would have any information about this arrest or his death, please contact Ron Williams at the address below.


Rod Williams
rodwms@gmail.com

This article has been revised and used with permission of Ron Williams