Ann Borden Hopkinson (1747-1827) · New Jersey Slavery Records

Research Tips

This white person has 1 related event in the database, listed at the bottom of this page.

Identifier

NJS-PER-04810

Given Name

Ann

Family Name

Hopkinson

Alternate Name

Borden

Birth Date

1747

Death Date

1827

Sex

Female

Biographical Description

Ann Hopkinson née Borden was the daughter of Colonel Joseph Borden (1719–1791) and Elizabeth Rogers of Bordentown, Burlington County, New Jersey. The family was among the prominent founders of Bordentown, which is named for Ann's grandfather Joseph Borden, the elder.

Ann married Philadelphia attorney Francis Hopkinson. In the 1770s, they lived in Bordentown, and Francis Hopkinson became a New Jersey delegate to the Second Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Ann's husband returned to professional life in Philadelphia in 1777, but the family continued to maintain a residence and small farm in Bordentown. The house is now on the National Register of Historic Places, known as Francis Hopkinson House, located at 101 Farnsworth Avenue in Bordentown.

Ann and Francis had at least two enslaved people in their household, named Dan and Violet.

Keywords

white person

enslaver

Places

Bordentown

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Enslaver of

Dan (b. ca. 1771) {Hopkinson household}

Violet (b. ca. 1750) {Hopkinson household}

Spouse of

Francis Hopkinson (1737-1791)

References

See the 1785 and 1786 Pennsylvania Tax & Exoneration Records for Francis Hopkinson listing "2 Negroes," pictured in this digital presentation: VanJessica Gladney, “Quadrangle Dormitories,” Penn & Slavery Project, accessed July 28, 2026, https://pennandslaveryproject.archives.upenn.edu/2025/07/11/quad-dorms/.

See Background Note in the finding aid for Hopkinson Family Papers (Collection 1978), the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, https://hsp.org/sites/default/files/legacy_files/migrated/findingaid1978hopkinson.pdf.

See nomination form for Francis Hopkinson House, National Register of Historic Places, ID 71000496, NPGallery, https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/2e795b87-8c8a-45c5-b41a-3cb38227a157.

This person is represented on the following page(s):
WikiTree: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Borden-541

Record Contributor

Jesse Bayker

Linked Events

Additional Participant in:

1790-08-13 Will (of Francis Hopkinson): Dan, Violet (Role: Enslaver, Heir or Beneficiary)