Thomas HOPKIRK and Elizabeth SMELLIE

Thomas(6) HOPKIRK was the seventh child of Francis(5) HOPKIRK and Mary PATERSON.

Thomas married Elizabeth SMELLIE on 15 Jan 1744, Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland.

Linked here are pictures of the portraits of Thomas Hopkirk, a close-up of the portrait of Thomas, and his wife Elizabeth Smellie, and a close-up of the Elizabeth. Thomas is wearing his merchants wig in this protrait.

We owe our thanks to Laurence Anderson and all the descendants of Barbara Hopkirk(1792-18??) for saving these wonderful portraits and sharing them with the rest of the family now scattered all over the world.

Thomas and Elizabeth had the following children:

     Mary(7) HOPKIRK, christened 13 Nov 1744. She probably died prior to 1757.

     Barbara (7) HOPKIRK, christened 24 Jun 1746. Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland

     Elizabeth(7) HOPKIRK, christened 24 Jul 1748. She probably died prior to 1754.

     James(7) HOPKIRK, christened 14 Nov 1749. He married Christian Glassford on 28 Mar 1784, in Glasgow

     Francis HOPKIRK, christened 26 Jun 1751.

     Elizabeth(7) HOPKIRK, christened 23 Oct 1754

     Mary(7) HOPKIRK, christened 14 Jan 1757. Probably died young.

     Margaret(7) HOPKIRK, christened 9 May 1758.

     Thomas(7) HOPKIRK, christened 26 Nov 1759

     Francis(7) HOPKIRK, christened 11 May 1761

     Mary(7) HOPKIRK

Below is Dalbeth, the Hopkirk Family Home purchased in 1754 by Thomas(6) Hopkirk.

From the Natural History Society of Glasgow, a paper written by Robert Turner titled "Thomas Hopkirk of Dalbeth: A sketch of his Life and Botanical Work" states that Thomas(8) Hopkirk's grandfather Thomas(6) Hopkirk "was a West India merchant-one of those so-called 'Tobacco Lords' or 'Virginia Dons,' who during much of the last century bore themselves bravely on the 'plain-stanes.'  He was also one of the original partners of the 'Glasgow Arms Bank.'  About the middle of the century he lived in High Street, on the east side, five doors north of the Cross, in a tenement long known as 'Hopkirk's Land.'  In a part of this house the celebrated David Dale afterwards retailed French yarns and acted as agent for the Royal Bank of Scotland, when in a humble way its first Glasgow branch was opened there.  About 1754, this Thomas Hopkirk purchased Dalbeth Estate, and there he died in 1781.*"

"* It might be interesting from a Glasgow standpoint to say more of this grandfather, Thomas Hopkirk, and his times, and the strange anomaly by which he was fined 20 pounds in 1752, for declining to accept the office of Councillor to which he had been elected, and again in 1770 was forced to raise an action in the Court of Session to escape a fine of 40 pounds imposed on him by the Town Council for refusing to accept the office of Dean of Guild."

Additional Information and another view of Dalbeth.

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Last updated on 18 June 2011