Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-08-29

vices Mrs. T.. VI. Rice and Mis-, Gcni-
We've llo,ford ret urncu this week to resume
their studies at Randolph No?mli school
.... Earlier varieties OF potitu,-,,o far dug.
have Turned ont very poorly. both as to
quantity and quality. 1t seems to he fast
becoming il settled conviction with our
farmers, that the entire crop this year will
he very much of Il failure. 90. Painting and
other imprOvcmentsart in pro rrrso ON the
Baptist church and parsonage the work
being done in very ere itablc manner by
Mr.. George Egrrton and Mr. George
Campbell, Il painter from Montreal.
Obituary.
Madame Mcusina Muller HOPKINS.
whose deceasc in the ninctir,h year Of her
age. took place at Rock Point, Tuesday.
was for titty-tWO years the wife, and for
sixteen year, the widow. Of the late Rt.
Rev. john Henry Hopkins, ID. u. Ill.
d.. Bishop of the Diocese of Vermont.
JWho died on the 9Th of january 1868.
She was the third daughter of Ca,p par otto
Mulicr wealthy merchant of Hamburg
Germany, and was born May -. 1875. In
li3,. Napoleon }pndpartr occupied liam
burg causing the financial ruin of many
citizens. Among these was her father
who emigratcd to Baltimore in the follow
inG year, when Mrlusina was thirteen.
For five years the family pro,pcrpd there.
till in lNl3 The British invaded that cityand
ruined them II second time by war. Again
they rm9ratcd, this time to HARMONY. a
few miles North of pittshug Penn. To
gethrr with their household goods. they
travelled in the old style-canVas- covered
eight horse Conestoga wagon to pittshurg
There was no other way of travelling in
those days and the journey occupied three
whole weeks
One day while ON their way they
were met by II young horseman ON the
mountain road. He was introduced To he
ladies as Mr.. John Henry Hopkins. an
iron master. After IL pleasant interview
he accepted Mr. Mullcr's invitation To call
on them after their arrival. He kept his
appointment and the result was his mar
riage to Miss Melusina on the sth Of May
1916.
The young couple began life at Iigonicr
Valley, near Pittsburg, and in succession
during subsequent years they made their
home at pttsburg. Pa. Cambridge. Mass,
Cwhen the Rev. John II, Hopkins was as
slstant minister of Trinity Church Bos
tom and finally at Burlington, VT. ton his
becoming Bishop of the Diocese in 1892 }
since the latter date, Madame Hopkins has
resided in Burlington.
For tifty-two years of married life lsl6-
1858, Madame Hopkins continued the
faithful wife, the SympathiZer and SOlacc
of her husband. Through his varied and
rising career as Iron Master Lawyer Dea-
con, Priest, Bishop and Educator and final
ly as Presiding Bishop, she lived but to re
fleet his every wish,and to,,aid him with her
unusual energy Most of Bishop Hop
But when his first Vermont Episcopal In
stitute at the south end of Church
street, failed in 1899, many IA dark day
succeeded until 1874, when he removed his
family out to the woods" of Rock Point.
During these, and after years of trial and
poverty, when disaster followed upon dis
aster, Mrs. Hopkins noble and Christian
, fortitude, her unstinted self sacrifice, her
labors in all domestic cares, and her pious
hopefulness stayed up his spirit and re-
= same Institute was revived again by
> him and located on Rock Point. none en-
r tered more ardently into the spirit of tri-
umphant thanksgiving for his success in
that long three years effort than She.
They celebrated their Golden Wedding
c at Rock Point in 1866 During their halt
70 century of married life thirteen children
, had been born To them. Eleven of these
4, lived beyond the age of thirty, Thirty
seven of their descendants gathered at the
: old homestead for the Golden Wedding
e. Although ii number We're not there, with
: thankful joy and pride the loving eyes of
. both parents welcomed the grand, and
great grand, and great-great- grand chill
dren, But as the years have rolled by
since 1906, ninety-thrcc instead of thirty
seven, have greeted their venerable Moth
: er and enlarged her heart and decpened
her gratitude to God. The custom has
been to send her the photographs of each,
and proudly has she counted her treasures
rs one by one the thiCkening album on her
table has told the tale
Madame Hopkins was gifted with SUI
perlnr soprano voice. For over thirty
: years, not only did she lead the singing AT
: home IN the morning and evening prayers.
while the Bishop played the accompani-
lneht on the piano, to music of his own
composition while all the children sang.
but she was her husbands chief reliance
70 in the choir of the church, where he was
70 the Hector in pittsburg. There She was
likewise organiSt, and in Burlington to
the very last her chief delight was to sing
and play the favOrite hymns of his cOmpO-
Sltlun, and thus carry herself back III
Thought TO bygone years, of unbruken
family union and love
For the last fifty years of her life, her
correspondence with her absent children
has been surprising and Volumin0us. They
often playtully called her the Great dis
- tlbuting Office of family news and she
, IN turn used To say that she "liycd on the
United States mail, ~ 50 entirely sWaycd
was she 10 smiles or tears by the letters
2 she received She held it Il sacred priv.
| lege To answer each one and that she did
e IN unialling clearncss of style and pen
manshlp To the very last. II was To her a
calling, an occupation
AS To her religious devotion, it often