Nathan (Uncle Nace) Hopkins, MSA SC 5496-51877

Nathan (Uncle Nace) Hopkins, b. circa 1831 - d. 1900
MSA SC 5496-51877
USCT Soldier, Talbot County, Maryland

With the addition of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation to Maryland’s new constitution on November 1, 1864, slavery was abolished. In 1867, the citizens of Trappe, Talbot County, Maryland created an annual celebration of “the Emancipation of the Proclamation” to pay tribute to the end of slavery.¹ The leader of Emancipation Day was a former slave, “Uncle Nace” Hopkins,² who with help from both whites and blacks, organized the parade, the meals, and the church service held at the local black church, Scotts United Methodist Church.³ Each year, Uncle Nace led the parade until his death on March 23, 1900.⁴ Although the date of the celebration has changed from November 1st to October, the town of Trappe has continued to celebrate the abolishment of slavery.⁵ It was at his death that the day became known as “Uncle Nace’s Day,” paying tribute to the importance of Uncle Nace to the local community. For, as his daughter Lourana and his great-granddaughter Helen said:

“Things too numerous to mention, records lost down through time, kept the memory of Nace Hopkins alive.” ⁶

        Nathan “Nace” Hopkins was born into slavery in Trappe, Talbot County, Maryland circa 1831 to Madison Hopkins and an unknown woman.⁷ According to a letter written by a member of the family which would become influential in Nace's success, R. T. Mullikin, on December 6, 1875 Nace was owned by a Mrs. Mason Shehan.⁸ While no concrete documents linking the Shehan family to Nathan Hopkins currently exist, there is a Mrs. Sophia Shehan of Trappe who owned three slaves. One slave is listed as being a twenty-eight year old male, the correct age of Nace Hopkins in 1860.9 Yet, oral histories state that he was owned by the McKnett family. According to a petition written in 1864, Nathan Hopkins is the slave of Mrs. McKnett.¹⁰
        Comprised of Robert, Mary, and their son John Percival, the McKnetts moved from their home in Caroline County to Trappe, Talbot County, Maryland in 1856.¹¹ With the purchase of 135 acres of land known as “Discovery,” the family brought with them their slaves, Caroline and her children, Charles, Mary, Fanny, and Arine.¹² Caroline’s death certificate places her birthplace in Caroline County, proving that the McKnetts brought her with them upon their purchase of “Discovery.”¹³

        Upon the death of Robert McKnett in 1859, his wife Mary and their son Percy inherited his property.¹⁴   As per the inventory of Robert Mcknett’s estate, his property included “six Negro slaves,” Caroline, Charles, Mary, Fanny, Arine, and Alice.¹⁵ However the list does not include Nathan Hopkins, giving credibility to Mr. Mullikin’s statement. According to the Federal Census of 1870 and oral history, Alice was Nathan Hopkins’ daughter.¹⁶ This places Caroline’s introduction to Nathan Hopkins sometime in 1857. Between 1861 and 1868, Caroline and Nathan had four more children, James, Lourana, Alexander, and Madison and, as of 1864, Caroline is labeled as “Caroline Hopkins,” his wife.¹⁷

        When Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863, it legalized the enlistment of black men into the federal army and navy. Freed and enslaved blacks enlisted, including Nathan Hopkins. However, there exists no record of his enlistment, leading many to think that he enlisted under a false name. Yet, Oral histories as well as two letters written in 1864 dictate that he enlisted and served.¹⁸ As stated in a letter dated January 4, 1864:

“Permission is hereby given to N Hopkins, (Colored) soldier, to proceed to Talbot County, Maryland by boat by command of Brig. General Shockwood.” ¹⁹

Another letter, written on February 15, 1864, by Lieutenant J. L. Foster of the 30th Regiment, states that “Nathan is an enlisted man of the 30th Reg. U.S. Colored Troops on sick leave of absence to report for duty whenever called for.”²⁰ Lieutenant J. L. Foster goes on to warn any person interfering with Nathan Hopkins.²¹ Based on the two letters, Nathan Hopkins enlisted sometime late in 1863, became ill, and was sent home in January 1864. In October 1864, Nathan was placed in jail for giving a slave boy thoughts of escaping from his owner, meaning Nathan was never called upon to join the 30th Regiment after he was sent home.²²

        While Nathan was in jail, Caroline was in court attempting to free her children. On October 1, 1864, Caroline was summoned into court to explain why her children, Jane, Alice, Walter, Charles, Mary, and Fanny should be freed from Mary E. McKnett. Caroline failed to appear and the case was called off by order of the court when she failed to appear again on November 9. Again, Caroline was summoned into court on January 10, 1864 to show cause of why her children should not be bound. The children in question were Charles Weiber, Fanny Weiber, Mary Weiber, Alice Hopkins, Walter Hopkins, Lourana Hopkins, and Arena (Alex) Hopkins. All replied that their reason was they were “now Emancipated.” On January 17 Caroline was summoned to show why Mary and Fanny Weiber should not be bound, giving the reason of “Now Emancipated.” On January 31, Caroline and her children were summoned and brought into court by the sheriff, but failed to appear in court. On February 7 the court dismissed the case.²³

        The Negro dockets involving Caroline’s children are examples of the many difficulties the enlisted colored troops’ families endured. Some slaveholders turned on black soldiers’ families by driving them off and forcing them to fend for themselves or refused them their freedom.²⁴ Because the soldiers’ families had no legal claim to freedom, Union officials could do little to prevent slaves from being abused or forcibly held.²⁵ No records indicate that Nathan’s and Caroline’s children were freed, but the court cases suggest that Mrs. McKnett resisted freeing her slaves. Mrs. McKnett may have had the children apprenticed out since apprenticeships were a favored device of regaining control over newly freed slaves in Maryland.²⁶ A petition written in 1866 requesting the relinquishment of Caroline’s son, Charles Weiber, from services to Samuel Griffins denotes that at least one child was forcibly apprenticed out by the McKnetts.²⁷

        The difficulties Nathan and his family faced during the Civil War and directly after gaining freedom give compelling evidence. His experiences helped him understand the magnitude of emancipation and gave him an understanding of why it should be celebrated by the community. Uncle Nace Hopkins, along with the community of Trappe, created Emancipation Day in 1867 to pay homage to the past and to recognize and encourage the future achievements of the community.²⁸

        By 1870 Nathan Hopkins, his wife, and their children, Alice, James, Lourana, Alexander, and Madison were living separate from the Mcknetts.²⁹ Oral history dictates that in 1878 Nathan, who could not read or write, helped establish a school for blacks on the grounds of the Scotts United Methodist Church. A letter written by the Talbot Board of School Commissioners on May 7, 1878 describes Nathan’s importance to the black community in establishing a black school:

“To Nathan Hopkins:
The School Board desires to build school houses for the colored schools in the county. The policy of using colored churches for social purposes is to be speedily abandoned.
In order to procure a school house, the colored people must provide a suitable lot of sufficient size for house and playground. This lot must be deed to the school board free of all cost, except cost of title papers. I hope that the colored people of Trappe will provide a lot as early as possible.
Alexander Chaplian
Secretary” ³⁰

        Sometime in the 1870s Hopkins acquired his own land because Hopkins mortgaged his land in 1878 for $25.00 to J. D. Clark.³¹ In 1884 Nathan and Caroline created a black community known as “Eastfield” when they purchased “Money Make,” or “Eastfield,” farm for $575.00. They acquired a mortgage from R.R. Butler in the sum of $561.98 to pay for the land.³² In 1886, Nathan gave James Chaney 6.5 acres of his 24 acre farm, providing Mr. Chaney the mortgage to pay for the land even though he needed to make an income in order to pay his own mortgage to R. R. Butler.³³ James Chaney later sold back the 6.5 acres to Nathan and, in 1889, Money Make Farm was foreclosed on by R. R. Butler because Nathan could not make payments on his mortgage. However, Nathan retained some land because he sold the deed to his property in 1894 to James Cowgill.³⁴
        Another of the many items Nathan Hopkins was given credit for acquiring for the black community was the road, known as Money Make Road, leading from Trappe to the black settlement of “Eastfield.” No extant record states Hopkins’ role in getting a road built for the black community of “Eastfield,” but several entries in the Board of County Commissioners Road Accounts connect him with the maintenance of a road near his property. There exist several entries in which Nathan, or Nathaniel, Hopkins requested work or did work on the roads. ³⁵

        Although Uncle Nace Hopkins died in 1900, his deeds for his community are still remembered.³⁶ He was a well respected leader by both whites and blacks who connected the community. This respect was exemplified by two accounts provided by the Easton Star Democrat. On November 15, 1915 Colonel J. C. Mullikin, who had vouched for Nace on several occasions, gave an account of Uncle Nace, commenting that “his name will be perpetuated by the colored people of the county.”³⁷ Another account of Uncle Nace appears in the November 26, 1925 edition of the Easton Star Democrat in which he is described as a “sort of leader among his people” who all looked up to him.³⁸ “When ever Uncle Nace sought something for his people, it was always granted because of the faith people had in him.”³⁹ So his story is told still and Uncle Nace Hopkins is continued to be remembered by the community during the longest celebrated event on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Emancipation (Uncle Nace’s) Day.

2. To the black community, Nathan Hopkins was known as “Uncle Nace.” Whites generally called him Nathaniel, Mr. Hopkins, or Nathan.