Francis Ira Hopkins

This is about Frank I Hopkins and his father Ira J. Hopkins both.  I found as I wrote this, I couldn't help but combine the information of the two.

In 1979, Frank said he would like to know where his father came from.   I started looking for information at our public library, but at the time I was pregnant with my youngest daughter.  After her birth, I had very little time to do research and finally gave up all together.  Frank died the Sunday after Thanksgiving, November 25, 1984.  He had told me in 1979 that he felt he would die at the age of 62, like his father.  Frank was 62 when he died in 1984.

 At the start of this, Frank told me as much as he knew about his family.   This is from my notes.

Ira J. Hopkins was born on March 15, 1862 in Clyde, N.Y.  He was said to have driven a heard of cattle from New York to Cleveland at the age of 19.  Stayed in Chicago.  Moved to Mexico City because he feared consumption.   There was a book of poems given to him August 29, 1909 “Poems of Pleasure”.  The name marked out.  He was a 33 1/3   Mason.

Ira worked as an architect in Mexico City for about 25 years and had a Mexican partner.  Frank some how got the impression that his father had an affair with his partner’s wife. He thought she was the one who gave his father the book of poems.  Also in a family photo album there were several photos of her along with others, and her head had been deleted from each photo.

Ira meet Marion Frances White in 1919.  She was working as a nurse on a border train between Texas and Mexico.  She was born in New Orleans, LA on May 19, 1893 to parents James White (24) and Marion Kiernan (22).  James occupation is listed as Consul at the time. He later became a judge.  They had a total of four children.  Marion,  Erin, Hibernia, and one son Kiernan.

He was 57 and she was 25, they married in San Jose Mexico, date unknown.

They had one daughter who was born in Mexico City and died as an infant.  Francis Ira Hopkins was born on July 24, 1922 in the Santa Rosa Hospital, San Antonio, Bexar Co, Texas.   His birth certificate  showed his parents living at the Elane Hotel, father’s occupation as Decorator. No name was given for the infant and in 1974 Frank had his birth certificate Amended.  He had affidavits from his mother and her sister Elizabeth White.  Baptism was on Aug 13th 1922 at St. Mary’s Church, San Antonio, Texas.  The family moved back to Mexico City.  Frank had a Spanish nurse named “Trinidad”.

In 1925, when Frank was three, his father, then 62, died from pneumonia.   He caught cold walking to work.  In papers I received from the State Department in 1979:

“Report of the Death of An American Citizen >American Consular Service”  it shows that he died at Cowdray Sanitarium, Mexico City, Mexico.

He was buried in the American Cemetery, Mexico City.  It shows that his wife, Mrs. I.J. Hopkins address was  Chapultepec Heights, Mexico. D.F.

Because Ira was not a Mexican citizen, his partner got all of the business.  Frank’s mother had to support herself and Frank by working as an Spanish teacher at the University in Mexico City.  Frank had photos taken at Corpus Christie, TX when he was 3 years of age. Marion finally moved the family to Dallas when Frank was about four or five.  Her mother, now a widow had moved there from New Orleans to be close to her other children.  The aunts all called Frank “Poncho” because he could speak  Spanish.  At the age of 6 or 8 they moved to New Orleans and Frank went to Jesuit School.  He had some photos that were taken when he was seven, at Gettysburg.  They moved back to Dallas when Frank was about 10 years old.  At the age of  12 years Frank went to Ben Milam Elementary School and lived at 1126 Broadway.  Later he attended North Dallas High School and graduated in 1941.  He then took a 9 month course:  International Accounting Society Accounting.

On Dec 23, 1941, sixteen days after Pearl Harbor, at the age of 19, Frank joined the Army Air Corps as a private.  His civilian occupation was listed as :

Accountant – Was employed for 1 year by Burgoughes Adding Machine Co. of Dallas, Texas.  Kept books of consignment branch, making entrees of accounts in this connection.  All journal entrees were sent to main office.  Used adding machine.

His Military Education is listed as: (the spelling is from his papers, some misspelled)

Airplane Mechanic School, Sheppard Field, Texas, attended a 110 day course of instruction in airplane mechanics.

PreFlight School, Kelly Field, Texas, attended a 6  week course of instruction.  Studied code, mathematics and air craft recognition.  Also navigation.

Primary School, Chica Sha Okla., attended a 9 week course of instruction in flying.  Navigation, theory of flight and also dynamuis were among the courses studied.

Basic Perrin Field, Sherman, Texas, attended a 5 weeks course of study in actual flying and advanced course offered in Primary.

Liaison School, Lamacsa, Texas, attended a 6 week course of instruction in flying and minor maintenance of small aircraft.

By Jan 28 1943 he had his Liaison Pilot Wings.  His Separation Qualification Record states:

Liaison Pilot –Piloted and maintained a small liaison airplane of 175 horsepower, for the purpose of ferrying officers, taking aerial observers  on observation missions and transporting small amounts of critical materials.  Inspected and performed minor maintenance on airplane to which assigned.

Battles and campaigns:  Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland, Central Europe    GO 33  WD 45.

My mother remembers visiting an old Army buddy of Frank’s who told about  him flying a plane full of wounded men and being shot at.  The plane caught fire and Frank had some scars on his hands from the fire.  But Frank landed the plane and all were safe.  He had seen the Concentration Camps, and revisited them on a group trip the year he died.  But he never talked about any of it.

He was a Staff Sergeant in the 47th Army Air Forces Liaison Pilot Squadron when Discharged.

He enlisted again in Oct 4, 1949 until Jan 22, 1953. 

He later went to SMU in Dallas, TX and received a law degree.

**I recent years I did track down Ira's father.  I find him in Michagan, Allegan, Otsego 1870 census when Ira J is 9 yrs old.

Buel born 1831, NY

Katie Ann, born 1828, NY

William D. born 1855, NY

John S.  born 1857 Ohio

Effie Annette  born 1858  Ohio

Ira J. born 1861 NY

Buel born 1864 NY

Adelbert D. born 1867 Michagan.

In 1880 census for Michagan, Allegan, Otsego they are still there.

Burl  age 48 Farmer

Katie  age 45 Housekeeping

William  age 25  farming

Ira  age 18  gen work

Buel age 16  at home

So did Ira go back to New York for those horses at age 19?  Look at the 1870 census, they went back to NY at least once, so I would guess family was still there.

Found Ira in    "Record and Index of Persons Registered and of Poll Lists of Voters City of  Chicago Northern Dist of Illinois  1892".

Residence is:  283  43” St.

Name:  Hopkins, I J

Nativity:  New York

Term of Residence

Precinct:  5 mos

County:   3 yrs

State:    3 yrs

Native: Yes

Naturalized: No

Qualified Voter:  Yes

Date of Application to be Registered:  Oct 18, 1892

Find him again in Ellis Island Records

Manifest for Morro Castle - Sailing from Vera Cruz on Aug 19, 1915  Arriving in New York on Aug 29, 1915.

Hoplins, Ira J.

U.S. Citizen

54y

single

Place of birth  Clyde, N.Y.    Date  March 1861.

Address in U.S.:  84 Clifton Ave. Chicago, Ills.

Funeral set for Frank Ira Hopkins

A funeral for Frank Ira Hopkins of Dallas, founding partner of a Dallas title company and civic leader, was set for 1 pm today at St. John's Episcopal Church with burial at Restland Memorial Park.

Hopkins, 62, died of cancer Sunday at his home.  In 1966 he helped found Southwest Land & Title Co., where he was senior vice president.  He had worked as an attorney in the Dallas area title industry for 35 years and was active in the East Dallas real estate community, where he helped found the Multiple Listing Service Breakfasts.  He co-founded the East Dallas Chamber of Commerce and was its president twice.  In addition, he helped build St. John's Episcopal Church and served two terms as its senior warden.

Born in San Antonio, he moved to Dallas as a child and graduated from North Dallas High School.  He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.  He graduated from Southern Methodist University and SMU School of Law.  He was a York Rite and Scottish Rite Mason.

Survivors include his wife, Joy D. Hopkins of Dallas, two sons, Michael J. Hopkins and Randolph J. Hopkins, both of Dallas; four daughters, Franette Hopkins Mathias, and Paulette Hopkins, both of Dallas, and Jennie Turner and Laura Nelson, both of Mesquite; and eight grandchildren.  The family requested that memorials be made to the American Cancer Society.