John Armstrong Hanks

b. 19 April 1812, d. 27 April 1889
John Armstrong Hanks|b. 19 Apr 1812\nd. 27 Apr 1889|p87.htm|John Hanks|b. 1770\nd. 29 Jun 1839|p99.htm|Jane Douglas Armstrong|b. bt 1768 - 1769\nd. 22 Nov 1851|p100.htm|Elijah Hanks|b. 17 Dec 1740|p1692.htm|Ann Craft|d. 1798|p1693.htm|John Armstrong|b. b 1731\nd. 1810|p1867.htm|Anne (—?—) (Armstrong)|b. c 1739\nd. 6 Feb 1823|p1868.htm|

Grandfather of Louise Underwood.
2nd great-grandfather of Laura Jane Munson.
Family Background:
Underwood and Allied Families
Appears on charts:
Pedigree for Louise Underwood
Click to view thumbnails
Dr. John Hanks
     John Armstrong Hanks was born on 19 April 1812 near Hillsboro, Orange County, North Carolina.2,1,3,4,5 He was the son of John Hanks and Jane Douglas Armstrong.1 He married Euphemia Matthias Morris, daughter of Enos Morris and Elizabeth (—?—) (Hough-Morris), on 16 May 1839 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.4,5,6 Euphemia died in 1850, and he married second, Catherine Burke Walker, daughter of Carleton Walker and Caroline Mary Mallett, on 2 July 1851 in Pittsboro, Chatham County, North Carolina.4,5,7 He died on 27 April 1889 in Pittsboro at age 77.5,4,2 He was buried in Pittsboro United Methodist Church Cemetery.3 Click to view image
     
     John began the study of medicine at about 17 years of age under Dr. Spenser McClenahan.4 He entered the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in October 1835.4,5 He graduated on 31 March 1837. The title of his essay was "Chlorosis."5,4,8 At the request of the University of Pennsylvania in 1915 for biographical information on Dr. Hanks, John's daughter Virginia responded with a letter Click to view transcript dated July 6th, and followed up with a completed questionaire dated July 17th. In the questionaire she wrote, "He practiced medicine from 1837 until a failure in health in 1880, when he ceased from much active work; being in partnership with his son Dr. Lucien Albert Hanks, the arduous work from 1880 to his death in 1889, was performed by his son. He did volunteer help in the Richmond Hospitals after several severe battles [of the War Between the States], but only temporarily as he was needed in Chatham County to look after the soldier's families."4

     John and Euphemia must have met in Philadelphia, for it is the only location they had in common before their marriage in 1839. Euphemia was not quite fifteen when John graduated medical school, so it seems unlikely that they were romantically involved at that early date. However, they may have known each other through Euphemia's older brother Horatio who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1829. Euphemia's Memory Book suggests she was living in and attending school in Philadelphia in 1838 and early 1839. A reasonable guess is that John remained in that city for the two years between his graduation and marriage, but almost as reasonable is that he set up his practice in Pittsboro and returned for Euphemia when she was old enough to marry. However it may have happened, the first record found of any Hanks in Chatham County is the birth of John and Euphemia's first child. In exactly ten years, to the day, they had six more children, and thirteen days following, Euphemia died of "fever." John wrote an incredibly sad poem in Euphemia's Memory Book sometime after her death. Click to view image Although he remarried and had other children, there is no doubt that Euphemia was the love of his life. Nineteen years following her death, he wrote in a letter Click to view transcript to his son John, "...at most I can promise myself but a few more years & then I shall be laid alongside of your Sainted Mother in the old church yard to await the reunion of spirit & body at the last day."

Additional Data

John was mentioned in his father John Hanks' will dated 16 June 1838 in Pittsboro, Chatham County, North Carolina.9 Click to view image

John Armstrong Hanks appeared on the 1840 U.S. Census in Chatham County, North Carolina. In his household were 1 male 20-29 (John; 1 female under 5 (Virginia); 1 female 15-20 (Euphemia).10 Click to view image

John A. Hanks appeared on the 1 June 1850 Federal Census of Lower Regiment, Chatham County, North Carolina, enumerated 14 August 1850. His children Virginia M., Lucian A., Mary C., Louiza B., Laura, William and John W. were listed as living with him, as was John's mother Jane Hanks.11 Click to view image

When Enos Morris died, his widow Ann retained a widow's dower interest in his land. When Ann died in 1852, the interest reverted to Enos' estate. The value of the dower was distributed amongst Enos' surviving children, and his grandchildren or the estate of those who were deceased, each receiving a share, or fraction of a share, that in total, plus expenses, equaled the value of the dower:

Recd. September 29th 1853 of Saml Hart Surviving adm. of the estate of Enos Morris decd. Five hundred and sixty three 19½/100 Dollars in full of the share of Euphemia Hanks decd of principal sum Yielding Widows dower as per auditors Report
$563.19½               for John A. Hanks Adm of Euphemia M Hanks
                              Enos Morris Lloyd Atty in Fact. Click to view image
John A. and Catherine Hanks appeared on the 1 June 1860 Federal Census of Pittsboro, Chatham County, North Carolina, enumerated 16 June 1860. His children from a previous marriage, Virginia, Lucian, John, Catherine, Louisa, Laura and Martin, and their sons, Walker and Thomas A., were listed as living with them.12 Click to view image

J.A. appeared for the second time on the 1 June 1860 Federal Census of Pittsboro, Chatham County, North Carolina, enumerated 18 June 1860.13 Click to view image

Jno A. and Kate Hanks appeared on the 1 June 1870 Federal Census of North side Pittsboro Road, Pittsboro, Chatham County, North Carolina, enumerated 4 June 1870. His children from a previous marriage, Lucien and Mary K., and their children, C. Walker and Thomas A., were listed as living with them.14 Click to view image

John A. appeared on the 1 June 1880 Federal Census of Centre township, Chatham County, North Carolina, enumerated 1 June 1880. His son Thomas was listed as living with him.15 Click to view image

Children of John Armstrong Hanks and Euphemia Matthias Morris

Children of John Armstrong Hanks and Catherine Burke Walker

Citations

  1. [S193] Family data, John Hanks Bible Dictionary, Dictionary of the Holy Bible Containing, An Historical Account of the Persons: A Geographical and Historical Account of the Places: A Literal, Critical, and Systematical Description of Other Objects, whether Natural, Artificial, Civil, Religious, or Military: and The Explication of the Appellative Terms, Mentioned in the Writings of the Old and New Testament. The Whole Comprising Whatever Important is Known Concerning the Antiquities of the Hebrew Nation and Church of God; Forming A Sacred Commentary; A Body of Scripture History, Chronology, and Divinity; and Serving in a Great Measure as a Concordance to the Bible; In Which are Added for the First Time, Notes, Historical, Literary, and Theological Illustrated with Elegant Maps and Plates (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Ecclesiastical and Literary Press of Zadok Cramer, 1807); original owned in 2003 by Virginia M. McGee (Houston, Texas).
  2. [S267] Adin Baber, Nancy Hanks, of Undistinguished Families; a genealogical, biographical, and historical study of the ancestry of the mother of Abraham Lincoln (Kansas, Illinois: Adin Baber, 1960).
  3. [S194] John A. Hanks M.D. tombstone, Pittsboro United Methodist Church Cemetery, Pittsboro, North Carolina; photographed by Joe U. Munson Jr.
  4. [S195] Completed questionaire from Mrs. J.P. Taylor (Pittsboro, NC) to Dr. Ewing Jordan, 17 July 1915; University of Pennsylvania (North Arcade, Franklin Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Questionaire completed by Mrs. Taylor per request of Dr. Ewing on behalf of the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. The subject was Mrs. Taylor's father.
  5. [S196] Letter from Mrs. J.P. Taylor (Angleton, TX) to Dr. Ewing Jordan, 6 July 1915; University of Pennsylvania (North Arcade, Franklin Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Mrs. Taylor's response to a request from Dr. Ewing, on behalf of the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, for biographical information on her father.
  6. [S267] Adin Baber, Nancy Hanks, of Undistinguished Families, does not give the location.
  7. [S1134] Brent H. Holcomb, Marriages of Chatham County, North Carolina, 1772-1868 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1987; reprint Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com, 2006), 38.
  8. [S197] Martin J. Hackett, "Re: Morris and Hanks Inquiry," e-mail message from <e-mail address> (Philadelphia, PA) to Laura M. Cooper, 7 May 1999.
  9. [S277] John Hanks will (1838), Chatham County Will Book: C: 99-100, County Clerk's Office, Pittsboro, North Carolina.
  10. [S200] John A. Hanks household, 1840 U.S. Census, Chatham County, North Carolina, page 182; National Archives micropublication M704, roll 357.
  11. [S59] John A. Hanks household, 1850 U.S. Census, Chatham County, North Carolina, population schedule, Lower Regiment, page 451B-452A, dwelling 4, family 4; National Archives micropublication M432, roll 624.
  12. [S58] John A. Hanks household, 1860 U.S. Census, Chatham County, North Carolina, population schedule, Eastern Division, Pittsboro post office, page 13/7A, dwelling 105, family 101; National Archives micropublication M653, roll 892.
  13. [S58] 1860 U.S. Census, Chatham County, North Carolina, population schedule, Eastern Division, Pittsboro post office, page 10B, dwelling 167, family 167.
  14. [S198] Jno Hanks household, 1870 U.S. Census, Chatham County, North Carolina, population schedule, North Side Pittsboro Road, Pittsboro Post Office, page 7/154, dwelling 46, family 46; National Archives micropublication M593, roll 1129.
  15. [S199] John A. Hanks household, 1880 U.S. Census, Chatham County, North Carolina, population schedule, Centre township, enumeration district (ED) 26, sheet 3C/90, dwelling 29, family 30; National Archives micropublication T9, roll 957.
  16. [S194] Carleton Walker Hanks tombstone, Pittsboro United Methodist Church Cemetery, Pittsboro, Chatham County, North Carolina.
  17. [S194] Sarah C. Hale Hanks tombstone, Pittsboro United Methodist Church Cemetery, Pittsboro, Chatham County, North Carolina.
  18. [S194] Thomas Ashe Hanks tombstone, Pittsboro United Methodist Church Cemetery, Pittsboro, Chatham County, North Carolina.