Transcription of the Levi Hooper Family History from Walpole As It Was and As It Is by George Aldrich, The Claremont Manufacturing Co., Claremont, N.H., 1880, page 278.
Foster Hooper portrait from Walpole As It Is and As It Was
HOOPER, LEVI, the progenitor of the Hooper family in Walpole, was born in Bridgewater, Mass., in 1742. When quite young he went on a whaling voyage to Hudson’s Bay and on his return enlisted as a soldier in the last French war, which ended in 1763. He enlisted for nine months, and when the time of enlistment had expired he was unable to get this pay unless he would stay three months longer. At the expiration of the next three months he found himself no better off, when he and two other soldiers deserted and made for home, guided by blazed trees, till they arrived at Charlestown, No. 4, where they stopped for the night. The next day they reached Walpole, and stopped in a log hut that stood on the site of the present cider-mill which stands on the Hooper premises. The soil and the heavy growth of timber pleased him so much that [page 279] he was induced to return, after visiting his friends, and locate in town. He returned to Walpole in 1771, and soon after buried his wife, whose maiden name was Susanna Leach, and, the same year married Sarah, the daughter of Jonathan Hall, by whom he had six children. He paid £160, lawful money, to Samuel Chase for his farm, in 1775, and located on the southern part. In 1781 he had built and moved into the Mansion, so called, now the residence of George D. Hooper, where he lived till he died, in 1806; she died Feb. 9, 1823, aged 81. He was second lieutenant in a company of General Bellows’ regiment, in Revolutionary times, and afterward captain. He was a man of resolute character, held many town offices, and accumulated a competency for old age. Ch. I. Susannah, b. 1772; m. Henry Foster, May 24, 1792. (See Foster.) II. Salmon, b. Aug. 7, 1774; m. Rebecca Foster, Nov. 8, 1795. Ch. 1st, Rebecca, b. March 31, 1797; m. George Flint, July 26, 1830; three oh. 2d, Mary, b. May 4, 1799; m. Alfred Flint, April 14, 1819, and had four ch., three daughters and one son, Col. Franklin Flint, U. S. Army. She m. the second time, Asa P. French, May 1, 1843, and had one son, Frederick F. 3d, Levi, b. April 7, 1801; m. Harriet, dau. of John Graves, Jan. 19, 1826, and had nine ch., born in town; viz., (1) William Foster, b. Jan. 12, 1827; d. Dec. 13, 1867. (2) Frances Maria, b. Oct. 5, 1828; d. in infancy. (3) Frederick Hubbard, b. June 12, 1830; studied medicine, and is a practicing physician. (4) Martha Ellen, b. July 30, 1832; m. Josiah W. Knight, and had one son; d. Nov. 22, 1864. (5) Ira H., b. April 7, 1835; m. Ellen, dau. of Abner Wheeler,—issue, two ch. (6) Sarah Louisa, b. Sept. 5, 1837; d. March 30, 1839. (7) Henry H., b. Sept. 9, 1840; d. Dec. 31, 1864. (8) Mary E., b. Apr. 5, 1843; m. Henry Weymouth. (See Ap.) (9) George L, b. May 14, 1846; residence, Boston, Mass. 4th, Sally, b. Apr. 22, 1803; m., first, Artemas Adams, Jan. 26, 1823; ch., three sons; m., second, Daniel T. Potter, of Troy, N.Y., May 12, 1833; m. third, Silas M. Bates, of Watertown, Mass., April, 1839. 5th, Foster, b. April 2, 1805; m. first, Nancy C., dau. of Davis Carpenter, Nov. 6, 1832; m., second, Nancy L. Wood, of [page 280] Meriden, Mass., in 1836; ch., three sons and three daughters. Foster Hooper was a man of more than ordinary natural ability. In his younger days he taught school, and is remembered by the author of these pages as his first male teacher. He studied medicine, obtaining his professional education at Burlington, Vt. He went to Fall River in 1826, where he enjoyed, for more than a generation, an extensive practice, and was held in high estimation by the medical fraternity. He was one o f the prominent men in Fall River during his residence there, and in all the civic transactions in the city he took a leading part. He was elected to the Legislature in 1831; was county treasurer three years, and in 1846 and 1848 he was in nomination for member of Congress, but was defeated each time by a small majority. In the cause of education he always took great interest, and was at one time chairman of the Board of Education. In 1853 he was a member of the State Convention to revise the Constitution. Up to 1856 he was an ardent Democrat in politics, when he went into the Republican ranks, and was, if anything more active than he had previously been in the Democratic party. In short, Dr. Hooper was the leading spirit in Fall River for more than forty years. He went to New York in October, 1870, to attend a Utilitarian convention, which was to be held there, and when on the boat on his way thither he was taken ill; but arrived at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, where he was taken worse, and physicians were summoned; but he died in about an hour, from disease of the heart. 6th, Laura, b. June 3, 1807; m. George Kilburn, Dec. 18, 1825, and had ten ch., nine living, six daughters and three sons. 7th, Hepsibeth, b. April 14, 1809; m. first, Jonathan Griffin, April 6, 1830,.and had one child, Elizabeth R.; m. second, Azariah Shove, of Fall River, and had seven ch. 8th and 9th, Emily and Salmon, b. in 1811 and 181, d. in infancy. 10th, Emeline, b. Feb. 23, 1820; m. Jonathan Slade, of Somerset, Mass., May 29, 1851, and has one child, a son, now in college. 11th, Salmon, b. Dec. 3, 1822; m. Selina Stone, of Paris, Me., July 5, 1846, and had three ch. II. James Winslow, b. 1776; died young. III. James, b. 1778; m. Eleanor, dau. of Ebenezer Wellington, [page 281] Jan. 18, 1802, and settled on the old homestead of his father. He had some aspirations in the military line, and was at one time captain of a company, and was ever after called Captain Hooper. He was a member of the Legislature in 1830, and one of the selectmen of the town several years. He d. May 30, 1867; she d. Feb. 26, 1858. Ch. 1st, James, jr., b. Aug. 31, 1803; d. Dec. 31, 1877. He m. Mary, dau. of Ephraim Lane, Jan. 19, 1826. He was an honest, industrious, and thriving farmer in town, for more than forty years, and accumulated a competency for old age. The fruits of their marriage were two daughters, and one son, Warren, who is a successful merchant in Boston. 2d, Henry W., b. Nov. 28, 1807; m. Mary E., dau. of the late Jonathan H. Chase, April 10, 1832, and had seven ch. He removed to Charlestown, N.H., in 1853, where he now resides, a thrifty farmer. 3d, Charles, b. Dec. 16, 1809; m. Almira, dau. of Ephraim Lane, May 23, 1839. He has been for a quarter of a century extensively engaged in general farming, sheep husbandry, and tobacco culture, in town, and has had his days of sunshine and shadow,—accumulating large gains and meeting with heavy losses. He has no children. 4th, William, b. Feb. 21, 1812; m. Elvira Pulsifer, of Rockingham, Vt., and settled on the homestead of his father and grandfather. He has two ch., George Dana and Frank W., the latter of whom received a classical education, and is a ripe scholar. He is now a successful teacher of the High School in Keene. 5th, Ellen, b. Dec. 10, 1816; m. Charles L. Jones, Aug. 13, 1839, and lives in Boston,—no ch. 6th, Frances R., b. Nov. 11, 1819; m. Lucius A. Jones, Aug. 3, 1842, and lives in Boston, Mass.; she has two sons. 7th, Harriet, b. Oct. 12, 1824, and lives with her brother Charles. It is safe to say that no four sons belonging to one family, born in town, have been more pecuniarily successful, as farmers, than the four sons of Capt. James Hooper. IV. Elisha, b. 1781; m. Jemima, dau. of Stephen Ormsby, May 29, 1803, and settled on the farm now owned by John L. Houghton. Mr. Hooper was a farmer, and was deacon of the Christian church in the Hollow for many years, lived an exemplary life, and died May 11, 1851; she d. [page 282] Nov. 9, 1870, aged 86. Ch. 1st, George, b. July 7, 1805; m. Clarissa W., dau. of Levi Fay, March 30, 1830; they had two ch., one living , Edward. Mr. H. and wife are now living in Putney, Vt. 2d, Caroline, b. Feb. 27, 1807; m. Levi Ball, and has three ch. living. 3d, Phebe L., b. Sept. 13, 1809; m. Lyman Houghton, July 4, 1837. (See Ap. for ch.) 4th, Lewis, b. April 6, 1812; m. Mary Metcalf, and had ch. (See Rebellion.) 5th, John, b. June 22, 1818; m. first, Abigail Ball, May 26, 1840; m. second, Agnes L. Flanders, Dec. 21, 1870; had six ch., by first wife, five living. 6th, Lucy, b. Sept. 19, 1820; m. John B. Russell, and had one daughter and three sons, one of whom, Edward, is a clergyman. 7th, Sarah, m. Samuel W. Bradford, and lives in Keene. V. Sarah, b. 1783; m. William Gage, Aug. 9, 1801; no ch. He d. May 13, 1847.