Trails to the Past

Kent County, Rhode Island Biographies

Personal Paragraphs of West Greenwich

Source: The History of Washington & Kent Counties
Written by J. R. Cole published in 1889 by W. W. Preston & Co.

THEOPHILUS WHALEY.- The story of the life of this early settler of North Kingstown is invested with an unusual and romantic interest. Although a gentleman of attainments and of a wealthy and prominent family, he for many years lived a secluded life in the Narragansett woods. It has been generally supposed that he was a secreted judge of Charles I., but the true history of his life is unknown, and a mystery surrounds his remarkable career, which for more than two centuries has remained unsolved.

Wilkins Updike, Esq., in his " History of the Narragansett Church," published in 1847, presents the following statement in regard to Whaley: " Who this Mr. Whaley really was is still shrouded in mystery. Until Doctor Stiles' " History of the Three Judges " appeared, there never had existed any doubt in Rhode Island, and particularly in Narragansett, that the Whalley who lived in concealment at the head of the Pettaquamscut Ponds in Narragansett was the real Colonel Whalley, one of the regicide judges, with the change of the Christian name of Theophilus for Edward. His children and descendants believed it, and those now living believe it and are confident of the fact.

Reverend Ezra Stiles, D.D., above referred to, a learned antiquarian, and president of Yale College more than a century ago, carefully gathered from aged persons then living who had known Whaley, all the facts that could have been obtained concerning him, which were published in 1794 in his volume entitled " A History of Three of the Judges of King Charles I., Major General Whalley, Major General Goffe and Colonel Dixwell, who at the Restoration, 1660, fled to America and were secreted and concealed in Massachusetts and Connecticut for nearly thirty years, with an account of Mr. Theophilus Whale, supposed to  by Charles W. Hopkins. have been also one of the Judges. The facts and circumstances recorded by Doctor Stiles throw much light upon the true character of Whaley and his manner of life at Narragansett and must form the basis of any authentic account of his career. The more important of these statements are therefore presented in brief in the following sketch.

Theophilus Whale, or Whaley, as the name is now written by his descendants, came from Virginia and settled at Kingstown in the Narragansett country soon after King Philip's war, about 1680. He located at the head of Pettaquamscutt pond, near the spot now celebrated as the birthplace of Gilbert Stuart, where he built a small house or hut near the shore of the pond and provided for himself and family by fishing and weaving, and writing for the settlers. A slight depression in the hill side and a few of the foundation stones still mark the site of his humble dwelling. Although he lived in great obscurity and was very reticent in regard to his previous history, it soon became apparent to his neighbors that he was a man of tense and ability, and it became a matter of wonder to them that a man of such talents and attainments should live in so reduced a manner. He was early suspected of being the regicide on account of his name, and when questioned concerning it his answers were so obscure and ambiguous that they confirmed his acquaintance in that belief.

The farm upon which Whaley settled was owned by Andrew Willett, a son of Thomas Willett, Esq., who was the first mayor of New York city. Andrew had been a merchant in Boston until 1680, when he removed and settled at Boston Neck and died there in 1712, leaving the estate in the possession of his son Colonel Francis Willett. Colonel Willett used to relate many anecdotes of the good old man, as he called Whaley, of whom he talked with great pleasure. When a boy, he said, some of the most distinguished men of Boston, who were the owners of the fine tract of land at Boston Neck, used once a year to visit their estates and his father's house. As soon as they came they always inquired after the welfare of the good old man, and his father used to send him, when a boy, to call him to come and spend the evening at his house. As soon as Mr. Whaley came in, the gentlemen received him with great ardor and affection and treated him with great friendship and respect. They spent the evening together, and the colonel said he never saw any gentlemen treat one another with such cordiality and respect. He used to wonder at it, and could not account for it. They kept shut up in a room by themselves and there seemed to be an air of secrecy about the matter. Their interviews were in the evening only and continued late in the night. Colonel Willett adds that when the gentlemen were gone Whaley always had plenty of money.

In Queen Anne's war a ship of war anchored in the bay. The name of the captain was Whaley, and he was a kinsman of Mr. Whaley, who lived but one mile off, and made him a visit, when they recognized one another. After an agreeable interview the captain invited Mr. Whaley to dine with him on board ship. He accepted the invitation and promised to come, but, upon further consideration, did not venture on board, rendering as a reason that this was truly his cousin, yet he did not know but possibly there might be some snare laid for him to take him. These and similar stories confirmed his acquaintance that he was a secreted regicide.

Judge Samuel Hopkins, a grandson of Whaley, who was about eighteen years of age at the time of his grandfather's death, well remembers his grandfather; that he was a Hebrew, Greek and Latin scholar, and that he was a constant student of his Greek Bible : that he wrote much in the Pettaquamscutt purchase, and that he was a large, tall man, six feet high when one hundred years old, and that he then walked upright; that he had been a captain in the Indian wars in Virginia, and an officer in the parliamentary army in England ; that he would never tell his true history. The most he talked about as to himself was that he was of good descent and education in England ; that in Virginia he was much in the Indian wars, and an officer; that he there married a young wife when he was old, but no tradition that he was ever married before ; that he was a Baptist, and had some trouble in Virginia about the manner of worship. Doctor Stiles' unpublished diary in the Yale College library also states that Whaley practiced medicine in Virginia, but that he gave it up, rendering as a reason that he had not been regularly trained for the profession, and that his conscience would not allow him to continue the practice.

Theophilus Whaley's family consisted of his wife, Elizabeth Mills, whom he married in Virginia, and his children: Joan, who died aged 60 or 70; Anna, who died single; Theodosia, who married Robert Spencer; Elizabeth, who married Charles Hazelton; Martha, who married Joseph Hopkins, father of Judge Samuel Hopkins, and then married Robert Spencer; Lydia, who married John Sweet; and Samuel, who married first Hopkins, second Harrington. Some two or three of the first children were born in Virginia. After some thirty years his children settled off and left him alone, and, his wife dying some years later, he left his old home at the head of the Pettaquamscutt river and went to live with his daughter Martha at Greenwich, on what is now known as Hopkins' Hill, in the easterly part of the town of West Greenwich, where he died about the year 1720. aged 103, and was buried with military honors in Judge Hopkins' burial ground, where his grave may now be found. The farm whereon his grave is located was at one time owned by Whaley, having been transferred to him by the original proprietors in 1709, and was by him transferred to his son Samuel in 1711, and by exchange with Samuel, who removed to Kingston, where many of his descendants now reside, became the property of Joseph Hopkins, son-in-law of Theophilus, since which exchange it has remained in the possession of the Hopkins family until the present time, its present owner and occupant being Henry Clarke Hopkins. The descendants of Theophilus Whaley are numerous, especially in Rhode Island, and are favorably known for their ability, enterprise and industry. They are largely represented by the Whaley, Spencer and Hopkins families.

Notwithstanding the many inquiries of his neighbors and the members of his own family, he would never reveal himself, and his secret was buried with him. The conclusion of Doctor Stiles is that " there is a mystery in Theophilus' character which can never be cleared up, further than to ascertain that he was not one of the judges; " and that " it is most probable that, like Axtel and others, he had a command among the guards that attended the king's trial and execution, and was very active in compassing the king's death."

A careful study of the life of Theophilus Whaley, and of the additional facts which have been brought to light since the publication of "The Three Judges," nearly a century ago, enables the writer to form the following conclusions: that Theophilus Whal6y had been an officer in the parliamentary army in the civil war, and had taken an active part in the execution of the king; that he was of the Whalley family, a wealthy family closely allied to the Cromwells, and prominent in the civil war; that he was born in England about 1617, and was the son of Richard and Frances (Cromwell) Whalley, and that he was identical with Robert Whalley, a brother of Edward, the regicide, who is said to have been "a lieutenant under Cromwell" and "an officer in Hacker's regiment." Hacker commanded at the execution of the king, and was himself executed in 1660. In support of this theory the following evidence is adduced:

1st. His name, verified by the account of the visit of his cousin, Captain Whaley, of the war ship, which anchored in Narragansett bay in the time of Queen Anne's war.

2nd. His account of his family, their opulence, and of his early life, verified by his education and general deportment.

3rd. The mysterious visits from the wealthy and prominent men of Boston, who secretly visited and supplied him with money from time to time, and who had so favorably received Whalley and Goffe upon their landing in Boston a few years before, and who were probably the agents through whom the regicides received their remittances from England, as stated by Governor Hutchinson in his history, and who knew Theophilus to be of the same family.

4th. The age of Theophilus, 103, and the date of his death, not far from 1720, attested by three persons-Hon. Francis Willett, who wrote his will; the aged Mr. Hamilton, who attended his funeral, and his grandson. Judge Samuel Hopkins, fixes the date of his birth near 1617, some two or three years later than the birth of Edward Whalley. Robert Whalley was a brother of Edward, and is believed to have been a few years younger than Edward. Goffe's journal mentions Robert.

5th. The recurrence of given names is noticeable. The maternal grandmother of Robert Whalley was Joan Warren, and his mother, Frances, had a sister Joan Cromwell and a brother Robert Cromwell, who was the father of Oliver, and who also had a daughter Joan. Theophilus' oldest child was named Joan, and a grandson, the son of his daughter Martha, with whom he passed his declining years, was named Robert Hopkins, a name given him presumably by his grandfather, Theophilus [Robert].

Of the family of Richard Whalley and his wife, Frances Cromwell, the following account is given. They had four sons and two daughters, viz.: Thomas, who married Mary Peniston; Edward, the regicide, who married, first, Judith Duffel, and second, Mary Middleton ; Henry, who married Rebecca Duffel, sister of

Judith ; Robert, " Lieutenant under Cromwell, died unmarried ; " Elizabeth, Jane. There is no mention made of children of Thomas. Edward's eldest son, John, was born in 1633. Henry had a son John, who died in 1691. Elizabeth married William Tiffin, of London. Jane married Reverend William Hooke, M. A., Trinity College, Oxford. Robert alone remains unaccounted for, aside from the meager record of the Harlean Society, that he " was a Lieutenant under Cromwell " and " died unmarried." Upon the accession of Charles IL in 1660, his friends would naturally endeavor to screen him from the threatened danger, and after a prolonged absence of years, the report that he had died would gain credence.

The plain inference must be., that at the restoration he was forced to flee for safety, and so escaped the fate which befell Hacker and others who had taken a prominent part in the execution of the king, and that he doubtless tied from England and secreted himself in America, and that his subsequent career can only be traced in the record of the life of Theophilus Whaley in Virginia and in the Narragansett country.

It is believed that the foregoing presentation of the subject is a more satisfactory solution of the mystery which has hitherto surrounded the life of Theophilus Whaley than any yet presented, and that future investigations will more fully verify the conclusions here set forth.

Pardon Hopkins. -Among the early settlers of the tract of land now comprising the town of West Greenwich the Hopkins family was prominent, and by its enterprise and integrity contributed in no small degree to the welfare and prosperity of the town. Joseph Hopkins, the ancestor of this branch of the family, is believed to have been the son of William and Hannah (Goffe) Hopkins, residents of Roxbury, Mass., and members of Reverend John Elliott's church at that place. He married for his second wife Martha Whaley, a daughter of the noted Theophilus Whaley, of Narragansett, and after a few years' residence at Kingston, R. L, removed about the year 1713 to the locality now known as Hopkins' Hill, in the easterly part of the town of West Greenwich, where he resided until his death, which occurred May 15th, 1735.

Samuel Hopkins, the second son of Joseph and Martha, was born in Kingston January 6th, 1703-4, and died in West Greenwich April 14th, 1790. He resided at the homestead on Hopkins' hill and was familiarly known as " Judge Sam." In addition to his farming interests he was actively engaged in public affairs. He was at various times, from 1743 to 1767, elected a member of the general assembly from West Greenwich and was for a number of years a justice of the court of common pleas for Kent county. President Stiles of Yale College, who visited him September 24th, 1785, for the purpose of obtaining information concerning his grandfather Theophilus Whaley, in his " History of Three of the Judges of King Charles I," speaks of him as follows : " I visited in 1783  Samuel Hopkins, Esq., aged 81 of West Greenwich, a grandson of Whaley and living on his grandfather's farm. He was a man of good sense and accurate information, had been in civil improvement, a member of the assembly and Judge of the Court."

Samuel Hopkins married April 23rd, 1729, Honor Brown, daughter of Alexander and Honor (Huling) Brown, of North Kingstown, and granddaughter of Beriah and Abigail (Phenix) Brown and Alexander and Elizabeth (Wightman) Huling, families of wealth and influence. Beriah Brown was a prominent member of the Society of Friends and the Wightmans, according to tradition, were the descendants of Edward Wightman, who was the last to suffer martyrdom in England in 1611.

Samuel Hopkins, Jr., the second son of "Judge Samuel," was born October 15th, 1734. He also represented the town of West Greenwich as deputy to the general assembly and was appointed to fill various other town offices.

Rufus Hopkins, the eldest son of Samuel, Jr., was born in 1773. He was one of the pioneers in the manufacture of cotton goods in this region of the state. His family of nine children were somewhat remarkable for their vigorous constitution and long life, the youngest having nearly reached the age of sixty years before the first death occurred. The average age of the nine children was seventy-five years. Their names were: Phebe, Layton, Halsey, David, Elizabeth, Mercy, Samuel, Cynthia and Polly.

Layton Hopkins, the eldest son of Rufus and Amey (Shippee) Hopkins was born April 19th, 1793. He was a farmer and resided in the eastern part of the town of West Greenwich, where he was widely known and respected for his excellent judgment in business matters and for his kind and social disposition.

Such was the ancestry of Pardon Hopkins, the son of Layton and Elizabeth (Whitford) Hopkins, who was born in the town of West Greenwich February 12th, 1815. His early years were spent on his father's farm and in acquiring the rudiments of an education, such as the common schools of those days afforded. Later in life he learned the trade of a house carpenter. He has, however, devoted the greater part of his life to the public affairs of his native town, which he has almost uninterruptedly and faithfully served in one capacity or another for nearly half a century. For twenty years he was town clerk and was subsequently elected to the office of town treasurer, which position he now (1888) holds. He also officiated as postmaster a number of years, and from time to time has served his fellow townsmen in various other offices pertaining to their government, all of which duties have been performed by him in a reliable and trustworthy manner, as his frequent re-election to each office abundantly testifies. Mr. Hopkins is an enterprising, self-reliant man, retaining much of the vigor and activity of his earlier years; interested in the passing events of the day and the welfare of those around him, and endowed with those sterling qualities of mind and heart which have won for him the confidence and respect of a wide circle of friends and acquaintances.

He married first April 2nd, 1837, Lydia A. Lillibridge, who died January 5th, 1843. He married second September 1st, 1844, Phebe A. Palmer, who died February 13th, 1857. He married third February 11th, 1858, Hannah C. Bailey. He has two sons Charles W. Hopkins, born August 8th, 1839, now residing in Providence, R. I., and William P. Hopkins, born July 10th, 1845, residing in Lawrence, Mass.

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