ELIZA ANN WOODRUFF HOPKINS
Very soon after Eliza Ann and Charles Bronson Hopkins's marriage in 1837, he took her to Joliet, Illinois, where he had already lived and had business interests.
Coming from the very small, rural village in New Jersey where she was born and reared, and having such a very large, and distinguished, extended family there and all over the area, she was hardly prepared for her new life on the then-western frontier of Illinois as it was in 1837. I believe it would have been impossible for Eliza to know in advance exactly what she was bargaining for.
At any rate, upon her marriage and move to Joliet, Illinois, she began to encounter life under much meaner circumstances, with people of ruder spirits, little to no education, less variety in choice, and poor quality, of foodstuffs, and so on and so forth. With the glow of first love dimming, I have no doubt that while she may not have voiced her displeasure in circumstances at first, once the newness of it all wore off, her husband would hear her complaints, big and small. Charles, then, began to struggle with his own sense of self-worth, how he could please her, support her and the children, and become a bread-winner worthy of this "daughter of luxury", in her eyes and perhaps in the eyes of her father, brother, and cousins. For, in fact, several family members of both Eliza and Charles Hopkins lived in Joliet, Illinois.
Charles tried his hand at this and that, but eventually things deteriorated to the point that, when news of the discovery of gold in California reached Joliet, Charles was ready for anything that might promise a future. Gold fever had arrived in Joliet, and Mr. Hopkins surely "got the fever". He left in 1851 with his brother, Socrates, on a wagon train going west to become rich with gold. It's a long story, but when Charles left, he left confident that she would have enough money to provide while he was gone. He evidently left her some cash, and there was also money owed to him by his cousin, who was going to pay it back to Eliza within a certain period of time. That money never came. As her resources played out, she was left on her own to support herself and her small children.
In time, she found a position with the Joliet Signal, for which she wrote articles of prose and poetry. It was certainly tough going for a woman alone with three children and few resources.
Eliza was a person who suffered much under the constraints that life dealt her. She probably felt that life had dealt her a cruel blow. Once Charles was gone, and she alone was responsible for her boys, I have no doubt that she bore her trials with stoicism. However, since she was a writer, her griefs, complaints, grudges, and general unhappiness with the situation found a release in her writings.
Her cynicism found expression in her writing, whether it was in poetry or prose. Social injustices as she interpreted them received the full vent of her pen. She had a tender heart especially for overworked and careworn women, and for children, especially "bound" children or otherwise suffering in poverty. However, she had no patience for stupidity, false pride, and people who put on airs. Through her writing, she tried to guide people into the right way of thinking of things.
Eliza wrote for the local newspapers under E.A.W.H. or Mrs. E.A.W.H. She also used fancy pseudonyms that give no hint that she was the author, such as "Blue Bell", and things like that.
Cousin Don through ardent research, has provided us with a collection of newspaper articles written by Mrs. E.A.W.H., appearing mostly in the Joliet [Illinois] Signal, or the Ladies' Enterprise in Boston.
Joann River
As an Adult
She had a unique wit and sense of humor. She was also deeply religious, having been reared in the Presbyterian faith. She was homesick for family and home in New Jersey. She adored her boys; she missed her husband. She enjoyed close friends. For the places where she lived with her boys, she always kept a fond attachment.
Click here to read Eliza's articles.
West Jordan, UT
Updated - 24 February 2015