LPJ Collection - My Heritage Set
JAMESTOWN

Owner Comments:

2007 P MS70
Jamestown

Mintage: 79,801

Part of My Heritage Set this coin celebrates the 400th Anniversary of the founding of Jamestown and is dedicated to my ancestor Stephen Hopkins survivor of Jamestown and also a traveler onboard the Mayflower and signer of the Mayflower Compact. He died in Plymouth Colony around 1644 and there is some evidence that Hopkins who arrived on the Mayflower was the same man of that name who had arrived in Virginia in 1609 aboard the new flagship of the Virginia Company the Sea Venture. The ship was on its way to the Jamestown Colony in Virginia with much needed supplies when it was deliberately driven onto the reefs of Bermuda to prevent its floundering during a severe storm. All 150 of the passengers and crew and a dog survived the shipwreck and lived off the wildlife they found on the island and supplies salvaged from their wrecked ship.

While stranded on Bermuda Hopkins along with several others attempted to start a mutiny against the governor they being displeased with his policies. Hopkins was sentenced to death after his plan was discovered but was eventually set free after protesting the ruin of his wife and children. It was said so penitent he was and complained so much alleging the ruin of his wife and children in his trespass that it wrought in the hearts of all the better sorts of the company and the sentence was commuted. The ships longboat was fitted with a mast and a few men were sent to Jamestown for help but were never seen or heard of again. Hopkins and the remaining survivors spent nine months on Bermuda building two smaller ships the Deliverance and Patience constructed from Bermuda cedar and materials salvaged from the Sea Venture. He and the other castaways eventually made their way to Jamestown where Hopkins appears to have stayed for some years before returning to England.

The story of the Sea Venture shipwreck and Hopkins mutiny is said to be the inspiration for The Tempest by William Shakespeare. The play relates the story of a shipwrecked group stranded on an enchanted island. Shakespeare added the character of a drunken bottler with delusions of grandeur who he named Stephano. Hopkins learned of this play upon his return to England and stated quote to have provided some of the fabric for Shakespeares vision of The Tempest and to appear in the play even in the absurd disguise as Stephano is in itself is a kind of immortality unquote. He served as an aide to Captain Miles Standish and later served as assistant to the Governor of the Plymouth Colony. The Wampanoag Treaty of 1621 made with the Indians was done in Hopkins home at Plymouth. He helped draw up the colonies Bill of Rights which is viewed as one of chief accomplishments of the Plymouth Colony in 1636. There were only two other men who had been to the New World so his knowledge and experience was important and he was respected for his previous experience with Indians and was elected ambassador for native relations. He set up a trading post with the Indians for furs. During that time he ran a store where he also sold alcohol which was frowned upon by the Pilgrims. He also built and owned the first wharf in Plymouth Colony and in 1638 built a house at Yarmouth on Cape Cod before returning to Plymouth Colony a year later leaving the home to his son Giles.

This dedication was complied with information taken for Wikipedia and various Stephen Hopkins descendant websites and my own families genealogy research.