Twenty-eight-year-old William Hopkins died this date, December 6th, in 1848 from lack of “medical attendance” according to the City Coroner. Little else can be found about Mr. Hopkins at this time. He may have been the person that advertised in the February 1848 newspapers an “Oyster cellar” for sale at 154 South 6th Street. Maybe not. I believe historian Michael A. Ross said it best about this type of research. “When writing micro-history, it often seems as if your subjects have gone down the hall, around the corner, and out the door.” At this point, frustratingly, Mr. Hopkins is around the corner.
