Escape to New York – A new start in business – Death of Emma – Adoption of nieces – trips to Europe – retirement and legacy.
Thomas George Hodgkin’s early life had been blighted by the poor relationship with his stepmother, Ann King. I have written about this in the earlier post ‘Mother H and Thomas Hodgkins.’ We can now continue with the life of Thomas George after his marriage in 1829.
Thomas George Hodgkins and his wife, Emma, emigrated to New York in about 1830. Their candy-making business was at 49 Courtlandt Street in Lower Manhattan. Sadly, we know this address as being the place where Emma died aged 36, in 1843. Emma had become addicted to laudanum, an opiate commonly prescribed as a painkilller, and easily available in the 19th century. She died of an overdose of laudanum and spirits, was found unconscious in her bed, and despite the efforts of two doctors, died two hours later. The coroner’s verdict was suicide.
Thomas kept in touch with Emma’s family in Stoke Newington, but in 1849, Joseph Clarke, his brother in law and a widower, died, leaving two daughters in the care of his second wife, Martha. Apparently this did not work out as Joseph had intended, and in January 1850, Emma Sarah Clarke aged 14 and Annie Jane Clarke aged 9, sailed for New York to join their uncle, Thomas George Hodgkins. Emma and Annie became his new family, and he lavished care, attention and education on them. They travelled to Europe four times, and on one trip to Italy, when Annie became ill with malaria, she was nursed back to health by her uncle. Thomas later wrote, ‘I rescued my ward from the jaws of death’.
In 1851, Ann Hunter (ex Ann Wilds, ex Ann King, aka ‘Mother H) of Brighton, England, died, and mentioned her stepson in her will:
“I give to Thomas Haskins [Hodgkins] of New York in America my diamond mourning ring and I direct the same to be delivered to Mr Clark of Newington near the Elephant and Castle to forward the same to the said Thomas Haskins [Hodgkins].”
It is possible that Thomas never received the said ring, as by the time Ann Hunter died, Joseph Clark was also dead. Was this intended as a peace offering, and a way to make Thomas aware of her passing? If Ann Hunter knew of her stepson’s success, she would also have known that he would have no need of money, or valuable gifts.
Thomas was apparently a millionaire not too many years later. His success enabled him to eventually move out of Manhattan to Brambletye Farm, Setauket, Long Island. Friends and colleagues noted his increasing eccentricity, particularly with regard to his philanthropic acts. Guilt and regret over his actions as a young man seemed to weigh heavily on his mind. He wrote to Samuel P Langley in 1891 concerning his intended bequest to The Smithsonian Institution:
“I am invited to redeem the failure of my youth; when shipwreck, exposure, hardship and bad water; combined to make my fragile body unequal to contain and allow for the expansion of soul with which my creator endowed me. I was compelled to renounce the brilliant career that at 18 years of age, lay open to me; with vice-regal surroundings more brilliant and gorgeous; representing a power more limitless in its sphere than royalty itself. And to what fate did my decision ultimately subject me!!! Can you form an idea of the “Crucifixion” of the mind: a prolonged agony of 50 years duration.”
Thomas’ reference to his intended career ‘in vice-regal surroundings’ may refer to his studying medicine under the London surgeon Sir Astley Cooper, who was surgeon to the Prince Regent. Thomas may have had high hopes of achieving the same measure of success. However, it was not to be, and his decision to quit had apparently a long term detrimental effect on his mental health. His gratitude to Dr George Brown Goode and to Samuel P. Langley for their support, was manifest in his bequest to the Smithsonian Institute of $200,000. An estimate of the worth of such a sum in 2020 would have a purchasing power of about $5 million.
In addition to his bequest to the Smithsonian, Thomas left £20,500 to The Royal Institution in London, $100,000 to the New York Society for Protection of Children, and $100,000 to the Society for the Protection of Animals.
Before his death, he funded the creation of the Emma S Clark Library in Setauket in memory of his niece who had pre-deceased him. And so it was that a public library in New York still bears the name of the orphaned daughter of a Stoke Newington wood turner.
Thomas George Hodgkins gravestone in Setauket has the following epitaph:
“A Man of Noble Purpose
And wide-spread philanthropy
He trusted in God
And honored his adopted country”
To which could be added – Against all the odds given by a poor start in life.
Author’s acknowledgments:
I am grateful to Professor W.H. Brock for his advice on researching the life of Thomas G Hodgkins and I also would like to thank Tad Bennicoff, Archivist at the Smithsonian Institute Archives for his kind assistance in tracking down Hodgkin’s letters.
You might also like to read: William Hodson Brock: The future of research at the Royal and Smithsonian Institutions IN The Case of the Poisonous Socks. Royal Society of Chemistry, 2011.
