The Hanlin Family HIstory

The Hanlin Family became part of the Melvin family when Samuel James Melvin,
my Great-Grandfather, married Helen M. Hanlin on November 14, 1867.

 

The first we learn of the Hanlins in this country is that in 1792 our foremother, whose maiden name was Stewart, a widow with four sons and three daughters came to America from County Tyrone, Ireland. They settled first in Lancaster County PA then in 1798 moved to West Middleton, Washington County, Pennsylvania. In 1800 they bought a large tract of land near what was afterward called Hanlin Station, PA. The children were:

  1. William, whose descendants we find in Alabama
  2. John, who married a cousin named Hanlin and lived near Paris, PA.
    They had 6 children, Alexander, John, James, William, Eliza and Margery.
  3. James, no record
  4. Alexander, born Nov. 1, 1778
  5. Elizabeth, no record
  6. Nancy, no record
  7. Jane, died single.

Alexander, the fourth child, married Elizabeth Scott in 1805. Her mother’s maiden name was Grant.
Elizabeth Scott was born in Ireland on February 14, 1780, and was brought to America when two years old.
Alexander Hanlin lived to be ninety years old and died in 1868. They had 10 children named:

  1. Alexander, born January 1, 1806
  2. William, born August 24, 1808
  3. Francis, born April 16, 1810
  4. John, born February 3, 1812
  5. James, born February l7, 1814
  6. George, born March 28, 1816
  7. Stewart, born March 2, 1818
  8. Charles, born September 26,1820
  9. Grant,  born October 28, 1823
  10. Eliza,  born January 30,1826

Alexander was married in March 1832, to Margaret Gracey who was born July 20, 1814, and died May 23, 1853. He later married Margaret Dickey. He was accidentally killed by being struck by a heavy wooden beam of a cider press.

William married a Miss Scott. Their children were Scott, Ruth and Rebecca.
Ruth, married McCray.
Rebecca, married Leeper. Their children: Francis married Ruth Criss.

After the death of his first wife, Francis married Elizabeth Lyons. To this union were born five children:

  1. Stewart
  2. James
  3. Mary
  4. Elizabeth
  5. Letitia

John married a Miss Fink and they had nine children,  Nancy, Elizabeth, Sarah, Mary, George, Hudson, Alexander, John and Kessler.

James – there is no record of the name of his wife but his children were: Orpha, Kate, Martha, Tracie, Jessica, Sue, Alexander and Stewart.

George married a Miss Jackson. No children.

Stewart, unmarried, died in California having gone there in 1849.

Charles married a Miss Lyons. Three children were born to them: Letitia, Filmore and Florence.

Grant married Sarah Fink, a sister of John’s wife and a distant relative of Mike Fink of Mississippi River fame. Their children were Cynthia, Xenaphon, Sarah, Frank, Mary, Angeline, Lincoln, Lily, and Grant.

Eliza remained unmarried.

Children of Alexander Hanlin and Margaret Gracey were:

  1. Elizabeth, born November 24 , 1834
  2. William, born July l5, 1836
  3. John, born June 27, 1838
  4. Isabel,  born February 2, 1840
  5. Nancy,  born  January 4, 1842
  6. George, born February 23, 1844
  7. Helen, born December 23, 1845
  8. Mitchell, born  March 14, 1848
  9. Stewart,  born  March 9 , 1850
  10. Margaret,  born November 6, 1853

Elizabeth married Robert Riddle and two children were born to them:
Margaret, unmarried
Annie, who married Coleman Ligett. They had no childlren.

William married Susannah Creswell. To them the following children were born:

  1. Rachel
  2. Grace
  3. DeFord
  4. George
  5. John
    plus two more who died in infancy.

John, unmarried, died in 1859

Isabel married James Carothers. They had two children, Mary and Mitchell.

Nancy married George Morrison and they had two children, Etta and Alexander.
Alexander married Ada Jameson and they had one child, Fern.

George married Laura Green. They had no children. George later married a Miss Stevenson and they had four children.

Helen married Samuel J. Melvin. They had five children:

  1. Charles, married Flo Chambars, no children
  2. William, who died in childhood
  3. Grace, unmarried
  4. Galbraith, who married Sue Mary Wells. They had one child, Paul.
  5. Alice, unmarried.

Mitchell married Rachel Morgan. They had one child, Edward.

Stewart married Caroline Buxton. They had 4 children, an infant who died, Harry Randall, Lewis Alexander, Fred Albert and Margaret.

 

SPECIAL NOTES…
Gracey, the father of Margaret Gracey Hanlin, served in the British Navy under Lord Nelson and received a medal for valor in the Battle of the Nile from the British government.

George Hanlin son of Aexander and Margaret Gracey Hanlin, served three years in Company K. 140, Pa. He fought in the battle of Gettysburg and was wounded in one ear.