Herman Samuel Hanson (1896 - 1961)

Born 17 Dec 1896 in Blue Blanket Township, Walworth, South Dakota, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Zella Estelle (Olmstead) Hanson — married 1922 in Ponoka, Ponoka County, Alberta, Canada

Husband of Florence B (Gill) Seamount — married 1961 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States

Died 27 Jul 1961 at age 64 in Decatur, DeKalb, Georgia, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Kimberly Latta [send private message]

Biography

Herman Samuel Hanson was a Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) minister (Elder). He was born 17 Dec 1896 in Selby, Walworth, South Dakota, to Ingeborg Helene Halvorsdatter (~1861 - 1949) and Carl Johan Hanson (1865 - 1943).^[1] He was baptized in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Glenham, South Dakota, on 10 Jan 1897.^[2] His middle name was the same as that of his father's brother, Samuel Hanson. Samuel is also the name that his great uncle, Svendung Svendungsen adopted after he immigrated to America.

Herman raised money for the Seventh-day Adventist church as a colporteur in Alberta. In June, 1919. he sold books worth $43.50.^[3]

From "Alberta Academy Notes," Western Canadian Tidings (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) Vol 1 (17) 26 Dec 1912: Enrolled at the Alberta Academy in Lacombe, Alberta:

Herman Hanson, Ida Louise (Hanson) Haysmer (1892-1978).^[4]

He married Zelle Olmstead (1901-1959) in Ponoka, Alberta, Canada in 1922.^[5]

From "College News Notes," Western Canadian Tidings (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) Vol. 12 (13) 5 July 1922:

"Herman Hanson en route from Hutchinson, Minn., where he has attended school the past year: Miss Zella (Olmstead) Hanson (abt.1901-1959), who recently finished the nurse's course in California."^[6]

He matriculated into Walla Walla College in the Fall of 1923.^[7]

From "W[alla] W[alla] Sanitarium, North Pacific Union Gleaner (College Place, Washington, USA) Vol 19 (33) 14 Aug 1924:

Mr. and Mrs. Herman Hanson have joined the family, Mrs. Hanson as surgical nurse, and Mr. Hanson will attend the college the coming year.^[8]

From, "Walla Walla Sanitarium," North Pacific Union Gleaner (College Place, Washington, USA) Vol 20 (3) 15 Jan 1925:

Dr. and Mrs. C. A. Haysmer (Ida Louise (Hanson) Haysmer (1892-1978) and Clyde A. Haysmer (1897-)), of the Portland Sanitarium, have been guests at the Sanitarium for a few days. They are on their way to Korea, and stopped here to visit Mrs. Haysmer's brother, Mr. Herman Hanson.^[9]

From "News Notes," North Pacific Union Gleaner (College Place, Washington, USA), Vol 22 (14) 3 April 1927:

It seemed quite natural to see the faces of Mrs. and Mrs. Herman Hanson…at College while they were visiting relatives and friends over the weekend.^[10]

In 1940, Herman, Zella, John and Nadine lived in Portland, Multnomah, Oregon. The digitized census record at FamilySearch incorrectly reports that Nadine was 19 years old in 1940. She was actually about the same age as her brother, John. The enumerator stated that she was 12 and born in Idaho. Both children were living in Boise, Idaho, in 1935, according to this census. Their last names were both "Wagner," indicating that they were related to one another and that Herman and Zella were still in the process of adopting them. Both are listed as "lodgers." The other person living with the family, 26-year-old Hazel B. Rutherford, lived in Loma Linda, California, in 1935, suggesting that she was a Seventh-day Adventist associate.^[11]

From "Alberta News Notes," Canadian Union Messenger (Oshawa, Ontario, Canada) Vol 14 (1); 11 July 1945:

Elder Herman Hanson, Educational Superintendent of the Oregon Conference, and his sister, Mrs. MIkelsen (Hilda Eleanor (Hanson) Mickelson (1894-1974))of Edberg, were recent callers at the office.^[12]

In 1947 Herman and Zella lived in Spokane, Washington, where Herman was the Department Secretary for the Uper Columbia Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Their home address was W3607 Providence Avenue.^[13]

From : Southern Tidings (Decatur, Georgia) Vol 42 (48) 8 December 1948: "…the Southern Union Conference committee unanimously elected Elder H. S. Hanson to [the position of Southern Union Educational Secretary]. Elder Hanson has been the educational and Missionary Volunteer Secretary of the Georgia-Cumberland Conference for a short time. Prior to coming to the Southland, he spent twenty-two years in various lines of our educational work. He served as dean of men at Gem State Academy and Walla Walla College for a five-year period. He was principal of Mt. Ellis Academy in Montana for two years, and during the following fifteen years his work was in the capacity of education superintendent of the Idaho, Oregon, and Upper Columbia Conferences in the North Pacific Union.

Elder Hanson has a strong conviction and genuine belief in the educational program of Seventh-day Adventists. Where he has worked he has built up a solid structure for this type of service.^[14]

In 1950 Herman, Zella, and John lived in Decatur, DeKalb, Georgia.^[15]

Herman and Zella lived in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1951. Herman was listed as the Educational Superintendant of the Southern Union Conference of Seventh Day Adventists. His home address was 163 Vidal Blvd. His wife's name was listed as Zella E).^[16]

Zella died in August 1959. Herman married Florence B. Gill in 1961. The ceremony took place in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, which is strange, since he lived in Georgia. Within the year, he was dead. He died in Decatur, De Kalb, Georgia on 27 July 1961.^[17][18] One of his grandchildren saw Florence holding his head under the water in the bathtub the night before he died;

I can remember very little about either of them but I was only 4 when Zella died. I got to go to Georgia with them and I can only remember that Grandma Zella let me sit on the back of her couch and eat grapes. also Grandpa showed me a bluebirds nest in his backyard.

I sort of remember the lady grandpa married later. she was mean to my sister and I. One night we were staying at grandpa's house I heard a loud boom. I got out of my bed and right beside my bedroom this new wife was holding my grandpa's head underwater in the bathtub. when she saw me she screamed at me to go back to bed. the next morning my parents were there and told me grandpa had died from a fall in the shower. I try to tell them what I saw but no one would listen. to this day I still believe that women killed my grandpa.^[19]

Herman died in DeKalb, Georgia, on 27 July 1961.^[20]

Obituary of Herman S. Hanson

From Review and Herald (Washington, D.C.), Vol 138, Issue 36, 7 Sep 1961

Hanson.--Herman Samuel Hanson, born in 1896, in Selby, S. Dak.: died at Decatur, Ga., July 27 1961. He was ordained to the ministry in 1936. He received his B. A. degree from Walla Walla College. Hew as dean of men at Gem State Academy in 1925 and later served as dean of men at Walla Walla College. For a time he was an evangelist in Canada. In 1930 he became principal of Mount Ellis Academy and in 1932 was called to the teaching staff of Gem State Academy. In 1933 he became educational secretary of the Idaho Conference, and for several years he also headed the MV and home missionary departments in that conference. In 1940 he was elected educational and Sabbath school secretary of the Oregon Conference, which post he held until 1945. He also directed the temperance work for two years in that conference. Next he was educational secretary of the Upper Columbia Conference, and in 1948 was elected educational and MV secretary of the Georgia-Cuumberland Conference. In 1950 he was called to be educational secretary of the Southern Union. In 1922 he married Zella Estelle Olmstead, and after her death married Florence Gill. Surviving are his widow; a son, John A. Hanson of San Antonio, Tex.; three grandchildren; two brothers, Dr. Alfred N. Hanson of Glendale Calif., and JOhn Hanson of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; four sisters, Mrs. C. A. Haysmer of Melrose, Mass., Mrs. Lawrence Michelson of Leslie, Mich., Mrs. Agnes Kneeland of Cloverdale, B.C., Canada, and Mrs. Esta Brannell of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.^[18]

Sources

1. ↑ Birth: "South Dakota, Department of Health, Index to Births 1843-1914 and Marriages 1950-2016," database, (FamilySearch Record: QKD8-HDMQ : accessed 26 March 2024), Herman Hanson born on 17 Dec 1896, son of Charles Hanson & Helen Johnson, in Walworth, South Dakota, United States; citing Birth, Walworth, South Dakota, United States, South Dakota Department of Health, Pierre.
2. ↑ Baptism: "U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969," database with images, Ancestry Sharing Link - (Ancestry Record 60722 #4196876 : accessed 26 March 2024), Herman Samuel Hansen baptism on 10 Jan 1897 (born 17 Dec 1896), child of John Hansen & Helene Hanson, in Glenham, South Dakota, USA; citing Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Archives, Elk Grove Village, Illinois, Congregational Records. Image 523 of 543.
3. ↑ "Colporteur's Reports, Alberta Conference," Western Canadian Tidings (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) Vol 9 (12) 18 Jun 1919, p. 8; Adventist Digital Library, https://adventistdigitallibrary.org/adl-418612/western-canadian-tidings-june-18-1919?view_only=true&solr_nav%5Bid%5D=3a0d8d91eef102f2d2e9&solr_nav%5Bpage%5D=0&solr_nav%5Boffset%5D=10; Acc'd 16 Apr 2024
4. ↑ "Alberta Academy Notes," Western Canadian Tidings (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) Vol 1 (17) 26 Dec 1912; p. 7; Adventist Digital Library; https://adventistdigitallibrary.org/adl-418451/western-canadian-tidings-december-26-1912?view_only=true&solr_nav%5Bid%5D=3a0d8d91eef102f2d2e9&solr_nav%5Bpage%5D=0&solr_nav%5Boffset%5D=2; Acc'd 16 April 2024
5. ↑ Marriage: "Alberta, Canada, Marriages Index, 1898-1944," database, (Ancestry Record 61560 #93571 : accessed 26 March 2024), Herman S Hanson marriage to Zella Olmstead in 1922 in Ponoka, Alberta, Canada; citing Provincial Archives of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Alberta Marriage Indexes, Certificate Number 1573.
6. ↑ "College News Notes," Western Canadian Tidings (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) Vol. 12 (13) 5 July 1922, p. 2; Adventist Digital Library; https://adventistdigitallibrary.org/adl-418687/western-canadian-tidings-july-5-1922?view_only=true&solr_nav%5Bid%5D=3a0d8d91eef102f2d2e9&solr_nav%5Bpage%5D=0&solr_nav%5Boffset%5D=1; Acc'd 16 Apr 2024
7. ↑ Editors, "Walla Walla College Enrollment," North Pacific Union Gleaner, Vol 18 (42) 1 Nov 1923, p. 11,
8. ↑ "W[alla] W[alla] Sanitarium, North North Pacific Union Gleaner (College Place, Washington, USA) Vol 19 (33), p. 6; Adventist Digital Library, https://adventistdigitallibrary.org/adl-377965/north-pacific-union-gleaner-august-14-1924?view_only=true&solr_nav%5Bid%5D=3a0d8d91eef102f2d2e9&solr_nav%5Bpage%5D=0&solr_nav%5Boffset%5D=16; Acc'd 16 April 2024.
9. ↑ "Walla Walla Sanitarium," North Pacific Union Gleaner (College Place, Washington, USA) Vol 20 (3) 15 Jan 1925, p. 4; Adventist Digital Library; https://adventistdigitallibrary.org/adl-377985/north-pacific-union-gleaner-january-15-1925?view_only=true&solr_nav%5Bid%5D=3a0d8d91eef102f2d2e9&solr_nav%5Bpage%5D=0&solr_nav%5Boffset%5D=6; Acc'd 16 Apr 2025.
10. ↑ "News Notes," North Pacific Union Gleaner (College Place, Washington, USA), Vol 22 (14) 3 April 1927, p. 4; Adventist Digital Library; https://adventistdigitallibrary.org/adl-378098/north-pacific-union-gleaner-april-3-1927?view_only=true&solr_nav%5Bid%5D=3a0d8d91eef102f2d2e9&solr_nav%5Bpage%5D=0&solr_nav%5Boffset%5D=8; Acc'd 16 Apr 2024
11. ↑ 1940 Census: "United States Census, 1940," database with images, (FamilySearch Record: VRT5-2DB : accessed 16 April 2024) FamilySearch Image: 3QS7-L9MR-8JS, Herman S Hanson (43), married head of household in Portland City Election Precinct 206, Multnomah, Oregon, United States. Born in South Dakota; citing Affiliate Publication Number: T627; Line: 12; Digital film/folder number: 005449219; Image number: 109; Sheet number: 2; Sheet letter: A.

    1 Apr 1940: Portland City Election Precinct 206, Multnomah, Oregon, United States

    Name	Sex	Race	Age	Status	Relation	Occupation	Birth Place
    Herman S Hanson	M	White	43	Married	Head		South Dakota
    Ella E Hanson	F	White	38	Married	Wife		Canada
    Nadine B Wagner	F	White	19	Single	Lodger		Idaho
    John A Wagner	M	White	9	Single	Lodger		Idaho
    Hazel B Rutherford	F	White	26	Single	Lodger		Nebraska

12. ↑ "Alberta News Notes," Canadian Union Messenger (Oshawa, Ontario, Canada) Vol 14 (1); 11 July 1945, p. 4, https://adventistdigitallibrary.org/adl-405880/canadian-union-messenger-july-11-1945?view_only=true&solr_nav%5Bid%5D=3a0d8d91eef102f2d2e9&solr_nav%5Bpage%5D=0&solr_nav%5Boffset%5D=3; Acc'd 16 Apr 2024
13. ↑ 1947 Directory: "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995," database with images, Ancestry Sharing Link - (Ancestry Record 2469 #821343827 : accessed 16 April 2024), Name Zella Hanson, Gender Female, Residence Year 1947, Street Address Seventh-Day Adventists 1W3607 Providence av, Residence Place Spokane, Washington, USA, Spouse Herman S Hanson, Publication Title Spokane, Washington, City Directory, 1947;
14. ↑ V. G. Anderson, President, Southern Union Conference, "Southern Union Educational Secretary," Southern Tidings (Decatur, Georgia) Vol 42 (48); p. 1; Adventist Digital Library: https://adventistdigitallibrary.org/adl-388342/southern-tidings-december-8-1948?view_only=true&solr_nav%5Bid%5D=c5de4c584527f5c5032a&solr_nav%5Bpage%5D=0&solr_nav%5Boffset%5D=0; Acc'd 16 April 2024.
15. ↑ 1950 Census: "United States 1950 Census," database with images, (FamilySearch Record: 6F7W-RDY4 : accessed 16 April 2024) FamilySearch Image: 3QHK-SQHW-YVDL, Herman S Hanson (53), married had, Supr, in household of Herman S Hanson (53) in Decatur, DeKalb, Georgia, United States. Born in Souh Dakota; citing Page: 87; Line: 21; Digital film/folder number: 109012426; Image number: 37.

    1 Apr 1950: Decatur, DeKalb, Georgia, United States

    Name	Sex	Race	Age	Status	Relation	Occupation	Birth Place
    Herman S Hanson	M		53	Married	Had	Supr	Souh Dakota
    Zella E Hanson	F		48	Married	Wife		Canada
    John Arthur Hanson	M		19	Never married	Son		Idaho

16. ↑ U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995: "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995," database with images, "Rev. Herman S. Hanson, Educational Superintendant of the South Union Conference of Seventh Day Adventists." His home address was 163 Vidal Blvd. His wife's name was listed as Zella EAncestry Sharing Link - (Ancestry Image : accessed 16 April 2024), Zella E Hanson; citing Georgia > Atlanta > 1951 > Atlanta, Georgia, City Directory, 1951.
17. ↑ Death: "Georgia Death Index, 1933-1998," database, (FamilySearch Record: V49W-7P8 : accessed 29 April 2024), Herman S Hanson death 27 Jul 1961 (age 64) in DeKalb, Georgia; citing DeKalb, Georgia, certificate number 17912, Georgia Health Department, Office of Vital Records, Atlanta.
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1} Obituary of Herman S. Hanson, Review and Herald (Washington, D.C.), Vol 138, Issue 36, 7 Sep 1961, p. 24; Adventist Digital Library, https://adventistdigitallibrary.org/adl-354340/review-and-herald-september-7-1961?view_only=true&solr_nav%5Bid%5D=9e629a4813cd58f7a336&solr_nav%5Bpage%5D=0&solr_nav%5Boffset%5D=0; Acc'd 29 Apr 2024.
19. ↑ Living grandchild of Herman and Zella Hanson, as told to Kimberly Latta 29 Apr 2024.
20. ↑ Death: "Georgia Death Index, 1933-1998," database, (FamilySearch Record: V49W-7P8 : accessed 16 April 2024), Herman S Hanson death 27 Jul 1961 (age 64) in DeKalb, Georgia; citing DeKalb, Georgia, certificate number 17912, Georgia Health Department, Office of Vital Records, Atlanta.