Biographical and Historical Note

An Episcopalian turned Baptist, William Hooper (1792-1876) was a theological professor at Furman Institute, South Carolina (1838-1840), professor at South Carolina College (1840-1846), President of Wake Forest College (1846-1849), teacher in a classical school near Littleton, N.C. (1849-1851), pastor of New Bern Baptist Church (1852-1854), President of Chowan Female Collegiate Institute in Murfreesboro, N.C. (1855-1861), teacher in the Female Seminary, Fayetteville, N.C. (1861-1865); and associate principal, with his son-in-law John D. Hooper, of Wilson Collegiate Seminary for Young Ladies (1866-1876). He moved to Chapel Hill, where he died on August 19, 1876. He was married to the former Frances Pollock Jones.

Collection Overview

This collection contains biographical information, correspondence, diaries, images, and a published transcript of a speech given at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Correspondents include his wife Frances Pollock Jones Hooper, 1834-1835; his daughter Mary Elizabeth in 1834; his son-in-law John DeBernier Hooper in 1838 and 1875; Marie J. Battle in 1867; and professor Romeo Elton in 1839. The collection contains two diaries; the 1823 diary records his trip to Virginia and a visit with then-former U.S. president Thomas Jefferson, and the 1859-1862 diary entries are brief and refer to teaching in Murfreesboro and Fayetteville. Images, all of which are copies or photocopies, include photographs of Hooper and his grandfather William Hooper (1742-1790), a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

The bulk of the collection is photocopies, either of items whose originals are present in the collections of other institutions such as Brown University and the University of North Carolina Southern Historical Collection, or items held by individuals.

Collection Inventory

• Biographical and genealogical materials
  • Biography Files, containing a booklet of biographicl sketches sketches from various printed works; and correspondence relating to Hooper and other family members. (1850-1980, Undated, (1915)) box 1 folder 1
  • Biographical sketch copied by Frances DeBernier Hooper [grandaughter] (circa 1900) box 1 folder 2
  • Hooper, William, "Fifty Years Since: An Address Before the Alumni Association of the University of North Carolina," North Carolina University Magazine, vol. 9, no. 10  (1860 June) box 1 folder 15
• Correspondence
  • Incoming
    • Hooper, John DeBernier (undated) box 1 folder 3
  • Outgoing
    • Battle, Marie J., from Wilson, N.C., regarding teaching position at the Wilson Collegiate Seminary for Young Ladies. (1867 November 13) box 1 folder 4
    • Elton, Romeo, from Furman Institute (1839 October 14) box 1 folder 5
    • Hooper, Mary Elizabeth [daughter], letters from Charleston, S.C., regarding his trip  (1834 December 27, 29) box 1 folder 6 (December 27 letter is original.)
    • Hooper, Frances Pollock Jones [wife], letters from Charleston, S.C., regarding his trip (1834 December 29, 1835 January 8) box 1 folder 7 (1834 letter is original)
    • Hooper, John DeBernier [son-in-law], letter from Camden, S.C., regarding his travels, and letter from Chapel Hill, N.C., regarding accidental death of his cousin in 1806 (1838 February 4, 1875 October 28) box 1 folder 8
• Diaries
  • "Diary of My Travels." photocopy of diary of his travels in Virginia, including a visit with Thomas Jefferson  (1823 August 25-October 23) box 1 folder 9
  • Personal diary, entries are from Murfreesboro, Fayetteville, and Warrenton, N.C. (1859-1860, 1862 February 1-October 19) box 1 folder 10 (Original item)
• Photographs and images
  • Hooper, William (1792-1876), photograph print box 1 folder 11
  • Hooper, William (1742-1790), photograph of portrait box 1 folder 12
  • Hooper, William (1792-1876), image photocopies box 1 folder 13
  • Hooper, Frances Pollock Jones, photocopy of artwork: a silhouette of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus  (1814) box 1 folder 14

Summary Information

Repository

Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives

Creator

Hooper, William

Title

William Hooper Papers

ID

MS56

Date [inclusive]

Quantity

1 half-document box

Extent

0.21  Linear Feet

Administrative Information

Publication Information

Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, 2004

Revision Description

Revised by Nancy Sullivan and Stephanie Bennett, 2023

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for use. 

Copyright Notice

The nature of the WFU Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. 

Preferred Citation

William Hooper Papers (MS 56), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA. 

Related Materials

Related collections at Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives include: New Bern Baptist Church Records (CRMF689), Samuel and Sarah Wait Papers (MS117), and Wilson First Baptist Church Records (CRMF767).

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