The Making of Phoebe May Hopper- Pioneer to Professor

Portrait of Phoebe Mae Hopper taken from the 1909-1910 Nebraska Wesleyan University Yearbook.

Text and Research: Abbey Parten, Brooke Lindquist, Hayley Piippo

Dedication: To Our Parents
“Who, together with many other brave pioneer parents, had the courage, perseverance, faith, and idealism to lay the foundation upon which was built the great commonwealth of Nebraska.”

-Phoebe May Hopper
Lincoln, Nebraska
February 19, 1951¹

Robert W. and Mary Catherine Hopper

York County Historical Association and Nancy Beach

The manuscript of Phoebe May Hopper (1867-1967) entitled Little Pioneer’s Parents begins with this dedication to her parents, Robert Washington Hopper (1829-1923) and Mary Catherine “Kate” Hopper (1836-1918). Phoebe May Hopper attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln with contemporary Willa Cather, who authored many notable novels about life in the Midwest. Later, she became a distinguished professor of English at Nebraska Wesleyan University (NWU) from 1901-1938. May was active in the Lincoln community until her death in 1967. She kept detailed diaries which show that after her time at NWU, she was active in Professional Employer Organization (P.E.O.), Lion’s Club, the Red Cross, her church, the Wesleyan Reading Club, American Association of University Women (AAUW), W.S.C.S. (a Methodist women’s group), the Phi Kappa Phi honor society, and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). She was also the president of the Women’s Wesleyan Educational Council (WWEC) until 1945.

“When Robert Hopper was 20 years old, he enlisted in the 41st Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Hopper participated in several Civil War Battles including Vicksburg. On February 18, 1866, he married Mary Catherine Cowgill of Illinois. In 1871 they brought their family to York County.” ²

Hopper Family in front of home ca. 1880

York County Historical Association and Nancy Beach

The Hopper family’s story in Little Pioneers Parents begins on an August morning in 1871. The Hopper Family departed their home in Illinois to embark on their 500-mile journey to York County Nebraska by wagon. The family consisted of Robert “Father,” Kate “Mother,” May, Charlie, and baby Helen. They brought along their three animals as well… Trump (dog) and Kit and Bell (mules). The journey consisted of many challenges and wasn’t always easy. May was about five years old and watched as her parents persevered through unprecedented times.

The Hopper family settled on a 160 acre claim to the northeast of York, NE. Robert Hopper filed his claim in 1871 and did not prove-up the land until 1888- seven years later. Proving-up land is a concept that came about because of the Homestead Act of 1862, which allowed individuals to settle land and keep it if they could prove they had made improvements upon it. The original dimensions of the frame house described in the Hopper manuscript was 16x16’ but was added on by the time the land was proved-up to 26x26’. ³ The homestead was about 6 miles south of Lincoln Creek. To go to Lincoln, NE for supplies, the Hoppers would have had to make a one-week trip there and back. ⁴

Site of Hooper Homestead Today

As May and her siblings grew up, Father and Mother made it a goal to give their children a great life. While having a conversation with a blacksmith, Father said, “I should rather give my children an education than a piece of land.” ⁵ Towards the end of Little Pioneer’s Parents, Father and Mother discuss how excited and intrigued they are with their children getting an education. “Father and Mother and all the other pioneers had sacrificed much to give schools to their children. Now the day had come when they had given their children to the schools.” ⁶ This is what Mother and Father had been dreaming of, they were watching their success. “...Here was the beginning of the fulfillment of one of their dreams.” ⁷ Due to construction, May and her siblings attended School District 51 even though they were supposed to attend School District 77. The first graduating class in the York School District was in 1884.⁸ As you can see, the Hoppers valued education, and it is no surprise that Phoebe May Hopper became an educator herself.

Abbey Parten, Hayley Piippo, and Jean Bolton (great niece of Phoebe May Hopper)

Ruth Jean Bolton is the great-niece of Phoebe May Hopper and typed the original Little Pioneer’s Parents manuscript. Bolton was born in York county in 1921 and attended Nebraska Wesleyan University, where she studied English and Teaching. During our trip to York, we had the privilege to meet and talk with Bolton to learn more about her life and hear the stories of her aunt “May” (Bolton called her aunt by her middle name). Before the trip, our group sent Bolton a letter in the mail with a few questions about the relationship she had with her aunt. These questions included her favorite memory of her aunt, what she thought as she typed the manuscript, and what her aunt would have thought about NWU students studying her manuscript and sharing pieces of it with the world.

Bolton’s favorite memory of her aunt May was watching her comb her hair. “She was prim and proper about everything.” ¹⁰ As she typed the manuscript, Bolton often questioned if it would ever be able to reach publication. During our interview in York, Bolton shared how she found the story boring and wondered if anyone would care to read it. Though these were her initial thoughts, she could “dream along” and dive deeper into the text. ¹¹ Bolton believes her aunt would be “delighted” to know students are reading about her journey to Nebraska and the perseverance of her parents. ¹² Aunt May was disappointed when the manuscript was not published, but we can keep the story alive by teaching others about the Hopper family through our class.

Note from the authors:

Hi! Our names are Abbey Parten, Brooke Lindquist, and Hayley Piippo. We are freshmen at Nebraska Wesleyan University (NWU). For one of our classes, we were tasked with finding ways to share engaging information about women of the past using the unpublished manuscript of NWU 1901-1938 professor, Phoebe May Hopper. This article and The Incredible Perseverance of the Woman Pioneer- An examination of women pioneers from 1800s and 1900s York County, Nebraska, are the results of our research. We hope you enjoy our work and learn a little more about the extraordinary women pioneers that helped shape the world we know today.

[1] Phoebe May Hopper, “Little Pioneer’s Parents” (private collection of Jean Bolton, 1951), 1.

[2] The History of York County, Nebraska (Curtis Media Corp., 1988).

[3] Nancy Beach, conversation with authors (P, A, P, H), October 30, 2020

[4] Nancy Beach

[5] Hopper, 71

[6] Hopper, 71

[7] Hopper, 71

[8] Greater York Area Centennial Corporation, Greater York Area Centennial, souvenir historical booklet, 97, 1970

[9] Jean Bolton (great niece of Phoebe May Hopper) conversation with authors, October 30, 2020.

[10] Jean Bolton

[11] Jean Bolton

Bibliography

Beach, Nancy. Conversation with authors (P, A, P, H). Anna Palmer Museum and York County. October 30, 2020.

Bolton, Jean (great niece of Phoebe May Hopper). Conversation with authors. October 30, 2020.

Greater York Area Centennial Corporation. “Greater York Area Centennial.” Souvenir historical booklet. 1970.

The Greater York Area Genealogical Society. The History of York County, Nebraska. Curtis Media Corp., 1988.

Hopper, Phoebe May. “Little Pioneer’s Parents.” Private collection of Jean Bolton. 1951.