| − | Stephen Hopkins was born in Scituate, Rhode Island. He was self taught and had little formal education. <ref>[http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/HOPKINS.htm Stephen Hopkins, USHistory.org]</ref> Hopkins was a farmer that inherited his father's estate. In 1742, he sold of his father's farm and moved to Providence. He married at the age of nineteen to Sarah Scott and fathered seven children. Hopkins purchased a store and became a wealthy merchant. | + | Stephen Hopkins was born in Scituate, Rhode Island. He was self taught and had little formal education. <ref>[http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/HOPKINS.htm Stephen Hopkins, USHistory.org]</ref> Hopkins was a farmer that inherited his father's estate. In 1742, he sold his father's farm and moved to Providence. He married at the age of nineteen to Sarah Scott and fathered seven children. Hopkins purchased a store and became a wealthy merchant. |