Charles F. Hopkins, his wife and Mrs. Harriet Hopkins, his mother, and two brothers, Ernest and Arthur, came from Verulum, Ontario to Duffield in 1902. Charles Hopkins came as a missionary, to what was then known as White Whale Mission, located on the east side of Wabamun Lake on land that was reserved for the Paul Indian Band. Mr. Hopkins held services at the Mission and then travelled by horseback and team to other points, serving an area from Seba Beach to Noyes Crossing. It was through his effortd that the Hopkins Church was built at Smithfield.
In 1903, Charles Hopkins wife and twin children passed away, and in 1906 he left Duffield for Athabasca Landing. After four years at this point he moved to Grande Prairie, establishing the first Methodist Mission at Lake Saskatoon. He opened services in all the early settlements west of Grande Prairie. He also helped to build churches with his own hands at Scenic Heights, Halcourt and Lower Beaver Lodge. Mr. Hopkins remarried in 1918 and retired from the ministry in the early twenties. He passed away August 26, 1948 at the age of seventy-nine years. His mother, Mrs. Harriet Hopkins, had had returned to Toronto where she died in 1921.
Charles' brothers, Ernest and Arthur, married the McClelland sisters from Rexboro. Their father, Robert McClelland was postmaster at Rexboro. Soon after Ernest was married, he left for Grande Prairie where he took up farming; he had two sons, Mac, now living at Lake-of-the-Woods and Cecil now living at Tangent. Ernest was a sports fan and did a lot of curling. His wife predeceased him and he passed away in April, 1970, at the age of eighty-three.
Arthur Hopkins and his wife Grace remained on the home farm,SW10-53-3-W5 and also bought the NW10-53-3-W5. They had four children: Clara, Bill, Edgar and Jean. Mrs Grace Hopkins passed away in 1926 and is buried in the Smithfield Cemetery.
Arthur Hopkins was councillor for the Municipality for over twenty years and was also a school trustee. He was active in all community projects. The school was moved from NW8-53-3-W5 to land on NW10-53-3-W5 which Arthur Hopkins donated. All the family attended school there. Some of the first teachers in the Smithfield School were Mr. Lent, Miss Starrett and Miss McCracken.
Many were stories of those early pioneers. There were long drives with horses or oxen to Edmonton for supplies. Each overnight stopping-house provided the setting for a choice anecdote. The Hopkins had reasonably close neighbours: Lents, Franceys, Hedges, Reverend and Mrs. Percy Sutton and Dr. Carthew. Later a store was built on the east side of Wabamun Lake and operated by Charlie Dunn and later by Bill Taylor. In the earlier days people traded their eggs, butter and vegetables for groceries. Farming was hard work in the early days, clearing the land with an axe, breaking the sod with a walking plow and oxen, picking roots and broadcasting the seed. Then came the cutting, done with a scythe and threshing done with a flail.
Attending church and visiting were the highlights of social activity until more people arrived. Then dances, box socials and concerts were held in the schoolhouse. In the early thirties the community decided it needed a hall. Everyone helped and the hall was built on NE10-53-3-W5. Mr. Hopkins, Mr. D.D. Schaefer and Mr. Partridge were the first directors of the hall. Another memory we have is of the telephone strung on the barbed wire fences. Many were the evenings we would visit via telephone with everyone joining in. A real party line that was! We listened to Mr. and Mrs. D.D. Schaefer's radio this way for quite a while until until we got our own.
Mr. Arthur Hopkins passed away June 5, 1952, at the age of seventy-four years and is buried in the Smithfield Cemetery.
Clara married Klass Pelsma and they lived on what is now Bud Bush's farm until 1951, then moved to Chauvin, Rosalind and Strome where Klass was a grain buyer for United Grain Growers. Klass passed away on December 9, 1974, and is buried in Edmonton. Clara is now living in St. Albert with their one daughter Helen.
Bill married Susan McGuire and bought his dad's farm, NE10-53-3-W5. They farmed until 1967, then moved to Duffield. Mr. and Mrs. Wickhurst bought the farm and Mrs. Pillman now resides there. Bill and Susan Hopkins have three daughters, Grace, Theresa and Susan.
Jean married Lee Wold and lived in Edmonton, Calmar and finally settled in Westlock. They have two children, Chris and Sharon. Jean is now Mrs. Steve Schenkenfelder and lives in Duffield.
Edgar married Peggy Gaschnitz in 1939, and in 1940 built a store next to the Community Hall. In 1942 he sold the store to Mr. Bush, Sr. who later sold it to Mr. Becker. It was then sold to Mr. and Mrs. J. Fuhr. Edgar and Peggy then built a home on the SW16-53-3-W5 where Edgar repaired watches and clocks. In 1961 they moved to Duffield where Edgar operated the Federal Grain Elevator until it closed in 1971. They have two children, Linda and Bruce.
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