SPONSORS

The 400 For $400 is a group of dedicated and community minded businesses and citizens who graciously donated $400 to help fund Dover400 events and operations.

Those who donate to the $1,623 will receive a unique gift that will only be available to those that donate to The 1623 Society.

The 1623 Society was brought about from the minds of Stephen & Julie Roberts as a way for people that have unique or special connections to Dover to show their appreciation for this city, its history, and the people that live here.

Those who donate to the 1623 will receive a unique gift that will only be available to those that donate to The 1623 Society. Interested or want to know more about 1623 Society? Contact us at 400dover@gmail.com with a subject line of 1623 Society Inquiry.

Thank you to our sponsors

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His 10th great grandfather was Edward Hilton who established the first permanent settlement in New Hampshire which was the 7th in America.

In 1623 Hilton built the first house in Newfields about 200 feet from the first family cemetery.

Carter’s mother, Joanne Pratt Riker and his grandfather, John Pratt have taught Carter a lot about his family history. John’s plan to take the entire family to visit the Hilton Castle (1390) in Sunderland, England built by Carter’s 18th great grandfather has been delayed for two years because of Covid.

Edward Hilton’s son, also Edward married Ann Dudley who was the granddaughter of Thomas Dudley who was one of the first governors of Massachusetts and built the first house in Cambridge, MA.

Through the Hilton and Dudley lines, Carter is descended from numerous kings of England and Italy, members of Parliament and Lady Godiva.

Gwen and Doug Steele

Virginia Guy

Carol Sawtelle

Tony Wold, The Closet Connection

Patrick and Karen Duffy

Patrice Foster

Michael Tiffany

Anonymous donor

Stephen and Kathleen Haight

Civilworks New England, A Division of Haight Engineering, PLLC

Stephen and Julia Roberts

The 1623 Society was formed on the suggestion of Steve Roberts, who is also the Society's first donor. Steve Roberts is a direct descendant of Thomas Roberts (b.c. 1600, d. 1673), one of the original settlers of Dover. Thomas Robert's lineage dates all the way back to the beginning of Dover when he landed on Dover Point with the Hilton Brothers in 1623. Thomas' wife Rebecca, is believed to be the sister (or sister in law) of Edward and William Hilton. Thomas settled on land on Dover Neck which remained in the family until the mid 20th century. He was elected as president of the court in 1640-1641 (thus called Governor), as the third and last colonial governor of the Dover Colony before it became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1641.

Thomas Roberts is buried in the cemetery on Dover Point Road. His great grandson Ebenezer, moved to what is now Rollinsford in the early 1700s, and established a farm on property which is still owned by the family. While Steve is also descended from several other early English colonists (Wentworth, Hall, Rollins, Littlefield, Pinkham, Jones, Nutter), he also has French Canadian heritage on his mother’s side (the Mayrand family of Dover; Saint Charles Catholic Church was established by a great uncle, Father Richard). "I grew up on stories about the family which were collected by family historians, especially my grandmother, Katherine Roberts and great uncle John Harry Roberts," said Steve. "Our kids are the 12th generation of the Roberts family in America, and the Roberts family takes great pride in its deep roots in the Dover community."

Guy and Joanne G. Eaton

Guy Eaton is a direct descendant of Captain Thomas Wiggin (1592–1667), the first governor of the Upper Plantation of New Hampshire, a settlement comprising modern-day Dover, Durham, and Stratham

Kevin and Dee McEneaney

Kevin McEneaney’s grandparents immigrated to Dover from Ireland in the late 1800s.

William Hopkins In Memory of Fran Hopkins

Frances Gail Hopkins was born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1944 to Mary Elizabeth Kelleher and Joseph Bilodeau. Fran’s mother was a nurse and she followed her into that career, graduating from Rhode Island Hospital School of Nursing. Hopkins began her career at Rhode Island Hospital before she and her husband Bill relocated to Dover in 1966, where Fran helped open Wentworth-Douglass Hospital’s coronary care unit.

She worked as a surgical nurse, operating room nurse, emergency room nurse, an American Red Cross instructor and a substitute nurse at Horne Street before she touched thousands of lives as the school’s full-time nurse from 1991 to 2016. She died at age 75 on May 22, 2020, due to complications from COVID. In 2021, The city's School Board voted unanimously to rename the school where she served 25 years in her honor. It's expected the official new name will be Fran Hopkins Elementary School at Horne Street.

Chad and Sheila Kageleiry

David and Maureen Staples