Wiley Marion Hopson was born in July 1832, in Meriwether County, Georgia. He lived through a period of tremendous change in American history, from the antebellum South and the Civil War to the growth of rural communities in East Texas. By the time of his death on May 20, 1913, Hopson had spent nearly five decades in Texas, raising a large family and making his living as a farmer and carpenter.

Little has been established about Hopson’s early childhood or his father, but census records provide glimpses into his life as a husband and father. On June 23, 1860, he was living in the Willow Creek area of Robertson County, Texas. At 26 years old, he was employed as a carpenter. His wife, Mary Elizabeth Howard, was 18 and worked as a seamstress. Their household included two young sons, Madison Rowan, age three, and Earl B., age one. A 43-year-old woman named Agnes Merrit, born in Georgia, was also living with the family. Her relationship to the Hopsons has not been conclusively established, but is likely his mother.¹

The outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 brought upheaval to Texas communities and families. Hopson served in the Confederate military, specifically Co. D of the 36th Mississippi. His later Confederate pension application was filed in Texas in 1899.²

The 1870 census recorded Hopson, then 37, working as a farmer in Henderson County. His personal estate was valued at $180. Mary kept house, while several of their children were growing old enough to contribute to the family’s work. Their sons Rowan and Earl were listed as farm laborers, as was their son John. Other children in the household included Caledonia, James, and Richard.³

Hopson and Mary Elizabeth raised a large family. The 1880 census identifies children still living at home as Madison Rowan, John, James, Marion, Richard, William, Joseph, and May. Their descendants became part of the broader network of families connected to Henderson County and its neighboring communities.⁴

One of the more striking records connected to Wiley Marion Hopson’s life comes from a criminal case filed in Henderson County on November 24, 1875. In The State of Texas vs. Tine Shelton and Jack Shelton, cause number 1107, Tine Shelton and Jack Shelton were accused of assault with intent to murder W.M. Hopson.⁵

The surviving case file contains a substantial collection of documents that offers a glimpse into the county’s criminal justice system during the Reconstruction era. Among the records are arrest warrants for both defendants, witness subpoenas and attachments, and a bond note for H.E. Shelton. The defendants’ attorneys submitted applications for subpoenas and a motion to quash, while Jack Shelton requested a severance, seeking to have his case tried separately. The file also contains a medical excuse for H.E. Shelton.

Tine Shelton submitted an application for a continuance, a motion for a new trial, and bills of exception as the proceedings developed. These documents reflect the legal efforts made during the case, although the surviving summaries alone do not establish the specific arguments presented in each filing.

The most significant piece of evidence is the verdict recorded on the back of the indictment, which was signed by grand jury foreman B.W.J. Wofford. The jury’s handwritten statement reads:

“We the jury find the defendant gilty (sic) and assess his punishment two yeares (sic) is the state … penitentiary.”

This verdict documents a conviction and a sentence of two years in the state penitentiary. However, the quoted wording does not identify the defendant by name, so the original indictment and associated verdict should be examined to determine precisely which defendant was convicted and whether the verdict applied to both men.

As the years passed, Hopson continued to live in Henderson County. The 1900 census identifies the youngest Hopson son, Cas.⁶ The closest to a biography of Wiley Marion Hopson is an account in Reminiscences of the Boys in Gray by Mamie Yeary. He says, “W.H. Hopson, Athens, Texas – born July 9, 1832, in Mereweather County, GA. Enlisted in the Confederate Army in Mississippi as a private in Frank Kimbrue’s Company, Perrin Battalion. We were disbanded at Macon, GA., and attached to the Twenty-fifth Mississippi Cavalry. I was in only one skirmish on Yazoo River. Was paroled with my company at Grenada, Mississippi.”⁷

In about 1902, a newspaper in Athens published a photo taking in Leagueville. Wiley Marion Hopson is identified as the man on the right with a white beard. This is the only known photo of him.

Wiley Marion Hopson died on May 20, 1913, in Henderson County, Texas, at approximately 80 years of age. He is buried in Blackjack Cemetery.⁸ His life connected several important chapters in the history of East Texas: the migration of families into the state, the Civil War and its aftermath, and the development of rural communities such as Murchison and Leagueville.

Although many details of his personal life remain unknown, the surviving records allow us to trace his journey from Georgia to Texas, his work as a carpenter and farmer, his military service, and the family he raised. Together, these records preserve the story of one man whose life was woven into the history of early Henderson County.

1. United States Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States, 1860, Precinct 1, Robertson County, Texas, roll M653_1303, p. 164, Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29, National Archives, Washington, D.C. ↩︎
2. Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Confederate Pension Applications, 1899–1975, collection CPA22491, roll 407, pension file nos. 22491–22536, application years 1906–1913, Austin, TX. ↩︎
3. United States Census Office, Ninth Census of the United States, 1870, Precinct 4, Henderson County, Texas, page 301B, roll M593_1591, Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29, National Archives, Washington, D.C. ↩︎
4. United States Census Office, Tenth Census of the United States, 1880, Henderson County, Texas, enumeration district 034, page 160D, roll 1310, Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29, National Archives, Washington, D.C. ↩︎
5. Bishop, J. B., and W. T. Eustace. Documents Pertaining to the Case of The State of Texas vs. Tine Shelton and Jack Shelton, Cause No. 1107, 1875. Legal documents, 1875–1879. The Portal to Texas History. University of North Texas Libraries. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth90554/. Crediting Henderson County District Clerk’s Office. ↩︎
6. United States Census Office, Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900, Justice Precinct 4, Henderson County, Texas, enumeration district 0059, page 2, roll 1644, Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29, National Archives, Washington, D.C. ↩︎
7. Yeary, Mamie, comp. Reminiscences of the Boys in Gray, 1861–1865. McGregor, TX. ↩︎
8. “Wiley Marion Hopson,” Find a Grave, memorial no. 7379928, accessed October 15, 2026, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7379928/wiley-marion-hopson. ↩︎