Some say our subject's father is Benjamin HOPKINS of Virginia, and some say his father is John HOPKINS of Montogomery Co., NC.  I know of no hard evidence proving either.

The 1820 census of Randolph Co., NC, was lost, but in the 1830 and 1840 censuses of Randolph Co., NC, our subjects have a son born 1810-15, but no son born 1815-20.  In fact, there is no room in their household in 1830 or 1840 for any additional son of any age other than one born 1810-15.  And was this son Ananias or Joshua?  How close are the estimates of their ages?

1.  Jordan R. Dodd, ed.  1993.  Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia Marriages:  Early to 1850.  Liahona Research, Orem, UT (Broderbund CD-229):  not found.

1.  D.L. Murray & N.R. Murray.  1995.  Marriage Index:  MD, NC, VA, 1624-1915 (Broderbund CD-4):

Sides, Simon C

Hopkins, Chany Louisa

04 Aug 1857

Rowan Co.

NC

1d.  LDS.  Family Search: Internet Genealogy Service:  IGI - International Genealogical Index (online at FamilySearch.org).

Edward Ned HOPKINS Spouse: Hannah CROW Marriage: Abt. 1787, Of, Rockingham, North Carolina Source: [patron submission]

Edward Ned HOPKINS Spouse: Hannah CROW Marriage: 1802, North Carolina Source: patron submission

Edward Ned HOPKINS Spouse: Hannah CROW Marriage: 1802, Kentucky Source: none given

Obviously, these are all guesses as to when and where they were married, but as Hannah was born in NC and their children were born in NC, they were almost certainly married in NC — and given our subjects' ages, the 1787 marriage date is out of the question.  There's nothing to suggest this family was ever in Kentucky.

2.  1800 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com):  Edward not found, as expected.  The only HOPKINSes in Randolph Co., NC, are Charles (p. 319, 10001-00001-00) and Richard (p. 318, 22010-20010-00). There is also a James CROW in Randolph Co., NC (p. 305, 31101-12210-00).

3.  Census Index:  U.S. Selected Counties, 1810 (Broderbund CD-313):  not found.  The only HOPKINS in Randolph Co., NC, is Charles (p. 28, 02001-00001-00).  Edward's presumed brothers, Hampton HOPKINS (p. 541, Ln. 1, 40010-00100-00) and Richard HOPKINS (p. 540, Ln. 11, 11101-31110-00), are in Montgomery Co., NC, along with a widow, Betsey HOPKINS (p. 540, Ln. 20, 02100-00001-00), and John HOPKINS (p. 590, Ln. 13, 00100-10100-00).

4.  Census Index:  U.S. Selected Counties, 1820 (Broderbund CD-314):  not found, but the 1820 censuses of both Randolph and Montgomery Cos., NC, were lost.

5.  1830 Census Images:  Randolph Co., NC (online at the Randolph County NCGenWeb site).

1830

NC

Randolph Co.

First Regiment

p. 20AB

Edward Hopkins

000 120 100 - 002 200 100

100 000 - 000 000

These data indicate:

No. & Sex	Age Class	Therefore Born	Individuals Inferred
1 male	15-19	1810-1815	= Son A
2 males	20-29	1800-1810	= Martin (b. 1808) = John (b. 1804)
1 male	40-49	1780-1790	= Edward (b. 1781/2)
2 females	10-14	1815-1820	= Rebecca (b. 1823/4) = Annie (b. 1814)
2 females	15-19	1810-1815	= Prudence (b. 1811/2) = Elizabeth (b. ca. 1811)
1 female	40-49	1780-1790	= Hannah (b. 1781/2)
1 male slave	9 or under	1820-1830	= ?

If they had son, Moses (b. 1817), where is he?

6.  1840 Census Images:  Randolph Co., NC (online at the Randolph County NCGenWeb site).

1840

NC

Randolph Co.

p. 69AB

Edward Hopkins

000 010 001 - 000 110 001

010 000 - 000 000

These data indicate:

No. & Sex	Age Class	Therefore Born	Individuals Inferred
1 male	20-29	1810-1820	= Son A (b. 1810-15)
1 male	60-69	1770-1780	= Edward (b. 1781/2)
1 female	15-19	1820-1825	= Rebecca (b. 1823/4)
1 female	20-29	1810-1820	= Annie (b. 1814)
1 female	60-69	1770-1780	= Hannah (b. 1781/2)
1 male slave	10-23	1816-1823	= ?

Again, if they had son, Moses (b. 1817), where is he?  Listed one line above son, James HOPKINS, and one line below son, Martin HOPKINS, who is listed two lines below son, John HOPKINS. 

7.  1850 Census Index/Microfilm (online at GenealogyLibrary.com):  Southern Division, Randolph Co., NC, p. 154B, 1071/1083, enumerated 21 Oct 1850 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

Edward Hopkins	68	M	Farmer	200	Virginia
Hannah     "	68	F			NC
Elizabeth  "	24	F			"

There is no Moses HOPKINS in the 1850 census born in NC.

8.  1860 Census Images (online at Ancestry.com; Image #157 of 385):  Ashboro P.O., Western Division, Randolph Co., NC, p. 217A/435, PN 157, 1172/1157, enumerated 15 Aug 1860, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1860 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

Hannah Hopkins	80	F		h.		190	NC
Elizabeth  "	48	F		"			"

Listed two households from son, James HOPKINS. 

9.  1870 Census Index/Images (online at Genealogy.com; Image #17 of 28):  Burney Mill P.O., New Hope Twp., Randolph Co., NC, Roll 1156 (Book 1), p. 404A, PN 17, 136/143, enumerated 22 Sep 1870, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1870 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

Hannah Hopkins	93	F	W	At home			North Carolina
Elizabeth  "	50	F	W	Keeping house		75	"

10.  LDS.  Family Search: Internet Genealogy Service:  AF - Ancestral File (online at FamilySearch.org).

11.  Anon.  2003.  The Heritage of Montgomery County, North Carolina.  Vol. III.  Montgomery County Historical Society (excerpt posted to the Hopkins Family Genealogy Forum, online at GenForum.com).  In Vol. III, on p. 384, is a biographical sketch of Benjamin HOPKINS, said here to be the father of our subject, but the article contains many obvious and serious errors, so caveat emptor!

... Edward “Ned” Hopkins was born in 1772, and in 1801 he married Hannah Crow, daughter of Enoch and Elizabeth Crow.  Ned and Hannah had ten children.  The first born was James Edward Hopkins (sometimes spelled Geames), who was born in 1802 and married Mary Rebecca Ellis in Rowan County, NC.  John Calvin Hopkins (1804-1881) married Christina Harris.  Joseph Alexander Hopkins was born in 1806 and married Rebecca Griffin. Martin Hopkins (1808-1888) married Elizabeth Steed. Elizabeth Hopkins, born in 1818 never married.  Prudence Hopkins was born in 1812 and married Zebedee Russell around 1832 — they are buried at the Russell Cemetery near Eldorado in Montgomery County.  Annes “Annie” Crowe Hopkins was born in 1814 and married Eli Russell. Moses “Mose” Hopkins (1816-1892) is said to have married at least twice, but he had no children.  Marcus “Mark” Hopkins was born February 20, 1818 and died March 29, 1878 in Yuma, AZ.  He never married. Rebecca Hopkins was a twin to Mark and she married Richard Griffin...

Brothers Moses HOPKINS (1817-1892) and Mark HOPKINS (1813-1878) are not sons of Edward & Hannah (CROW) HOPKINS.  They are sons of Mark HOPKINS (Sr.) & Anastasia Lukens KELLOGG, and they were born in New York, not North Carolina.  This Mark HOPKINS is the famous railroad baron, Treasurer of the Central Pacific Railroad, and the legend that he Edward & Hannah's son is untrue.  Please see discussion.  The Rebecca HOPKINS who married Richard GRIFFIN was born in 1823/4, not 1818 (or 1813).