The name Mt Vernon originates from two sources. Firstly it is the name of George Washington's home which is situated on a beautiful aspect overlooking the Potomac River, in Virginia, USA. A visit there reveals a large and well-proportioned mansion which is appealing yet unpretentious for so great a man. General Washington loved both his wife and his home deeply and was thus moved to write to her daily during absences on war campaigns; often with instructions concerning activities on the farm. The place also has warmth about it that is almost tangible where slaves were treated as free men and the few that did run away were never seriously pursued. Vernon is also the middle name which has been given to almost every male member of our family for many generations in memory of Vernon Edward Hooper, a revered patriarch who died in Durban in 1954.
The Crest
The crest of Mt Vernon also has a family connection being the rank insignia of Noel Vernon Hooper who served as a Sergeant Major in an anti tank regiment of the South African Army in North Africa during the Second World War. He was captured at Tobruk and held as a prisoner - of -war in Eastern Germany before escaping and making his way through Poland and Russia to finally reach Odessa on the Black Sea.