Matthew Harvey Hanna (1806 - 1872)

Born 28 May 1806 in Tennessee

Husband of Phebe Ann (Cook) Hanna — married 3 Aug 1828 in Tuscaloosa, AL

Descendants

Died 8 Jul 1872 at age 66 in Hanceville, AL

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Edith Lawrence [send private message] and Joshua Hanna [send private message]

Biography

Matthew Harvey Hanna was born in Tennessee on May 28, 1806, just 10 years after it became the 16th State in the Union. By the time he was 22, he had moved to Hanceville, AL and married Phebe Cook on August 3, 1828. Together they settled down to make quite a large family.

Records indicate that they had 11 children, though it is possible that one is missing: the 1840 US Federal census shows Matthew's family as having 5 male children between the age of 0-10, but there are only 4 candidates for this in later records. This is either an error or there was a child born between two of the elder sons who died before other records appeared.

Matthew was appointed Justice of the Peace on April 5, 1841 and served as surety for a large number of weddings between the 1830s and 1860s. And on July 13, 1858, Matthew was appointed US Postmaster for the town.

Matthew, along with all of his eligible children, signed up to fight in the Civil War. Matthew appears as a private on a roll of Independent Rangers with his sons William and Charles, though there is no official service record for Matthew beyond this mention.

By 1866, all living members of the Hanna family (Phebe, William, and John had died) were located in Matthew's home, except Sarah Ann, who had married and moved into her husband's house nearby.

The 1870 US Federal Census holds the last record of Matthew's household in a way so neatly incorrect that it is worth reporting. The household is listed as Harvey (64), Althie (40), Montgomery (24), Nathaniel (21), and Lapart (18). Respectively, these coincide with Matthew Harvey Hanna, Orpha, Matthew Montgomery, Newton Jackson (not his brother Nathaniel), and Lafayette. It is likely that some neighbor reported to the best of their ability the names of the family living down the road.

On July 8, 1872, at the age of 66, Matthew died, and the remaining children dispersed around Alabama or further afield to Texas (particularly Hood and Wise, Texas). Matthew and Phebe are buried along with their sons William and Francis and his wife Elivia in a small family plot in Hanceville, AL. The gravesite is located at 409 County Rd. 569, Hanceville, AL 35077 on private property owned by the Pugh family. The family is wonderfully accommodating of the Hannas' snooping around their property. A local historian and author, Robin Sterling, helped arrange for a monument for Francis based on his Civil War service, and Mr. Pugh erected the stone. Upon Mr. Pugh's death in 2012, he was buried in the Hanna family plot alongside those whose graves he had watched over.

Sources

• Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed 7 December 2016), memorial page for Matthew Harvey Hanna (1806 - 1872) - Find A Grave Memorial. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=66728916
• Ancestry.com. U.S., Appointments of U. S. Postmasters, 1832-1971 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors. Original data: Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971. NARA Microfilm Publication, M841, 145 rolls. Records of the Post Office Department, Record Group Number 28. Washington, D.C.: National Archives.
• Administrators Records, 1870-1922; Author: Alabama. Probate Court (Blount County); Probate Place: Blount, Alabama
• Ancestry.com. Alabama, Civil Appointments, 1818-1939 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. Original data: Card index to the commissions and civil appointments register of the Secretary of State. Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Alabama.
• Ancestry.com. Alabama State Census, 1820-1866 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. This collection was indexed by Ancestry.com World Archives Project contributors. Original data: Alabama State Census, 1820, 1850, 1855 and 1866. Montgomery, Alabama: Alabama Department of Archives & History. Rolls M2004.0008-M2004.0012, M2004.0036-M2004.0050, and M2008.0124.
• Ancestry.com. Alabama Civil War Muster Rolls, 1861-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Muster rolls of Alabama Civil War Units. SG025006-25100. Montgomery, Alabama: Alabama Department of Archives & History.
• Year: 1870; Census Place: Township 11 Range 3, Blount, Alabama; Roll: M593_3; Page: 382B; Image: 77075; Family History Library Film: 545502
• Year: 1860; Census Place: Western Division, Blount, Alabama; Roll: M653_2; Page: 975; Image: 329; Family History Library Film: 803002
• Year: 1850; Census Place: Subdivision 17, Blount, Alabama; Roll: M432_2; Page: 157A; Image: 319
• Year: 1840; Census Place: Western Division, Blount, Alabama; Roll: 3; Page: 78; Image: 832; Family History Library Film: 0002332