WILLIAM HANLIN. The Hanlin family for almost a century have been identified with the progress and development of Hanover township. They have assisted in the advancement and support of the schools and churches, and all other enterprises which have served to place Hanover township in its present position with the magnificent galaxy of townships contained in Washington county. The present generation of this family trace their ancestry to four brothers, William, John, James and Alexander Hanlin, who were children of Alexander and Nancy (Stewart) Hanlin, and natives of County Tyrone, Ireland. The father dying in County Tyrone, the family, consisting of the widow, the four sons and three daughters ( Elizabeth, Nancy and Jane), came to America in 1792. Their first location was in Lancaster county, Penn., where the sons engaged in various kinds of employment, in fact, energy and health was their sole capital. One daughter, Nancy, was married in eastern Pennsylvania, and there passed her days. Between 1795 and 1800 the other members of the family came further west, locating on the waters of Buffalo creek, in Washington county, on the "Lawton farm." The brothers continued to work in partnership until the beginning of the present century, when James purchased land near Paris, Hanover township, this county, and followed the river, making trips to New Orleans. He was married to Miss Miller. William, John and Alexander jointly purchased of one Charles Campbell a large tract of land near Harmon's Creek, in Hanover township, this county, to which they moved. William was affianced to Anna, daughter of John Fulton, of Hanover township, and his wedding day was set, but he died before the marriage was consummated. John Hanlin was born in 1771, in County Tyrone, Ireland, and in 1823 married Nancy Hanlin, a distant relative, and a native of Ireland. Her parents came to America, locating in Steubenville, Ohio, leaving their infant daughter with an aunt in Ireland, with whom she crossed the ocean when but two years of age. To the union of John and Nancy (Hanlin) Hanlin the following children were born: A. M., Margery (unmarried, living with her brothers in Hanover township), William, John (a farmer of Hanover township), James (deceased), and Eliza (unmarried, living with her brothers). After his marriage, John Hanlin located on that portion of the original tract which the three brothers had purchased together, where he resided the remainder of his life. He died in 1846. He was a respected citizen, kind-hearted and generous. In 1878 his widow passed away at the advanced age of nearly eighty-six years. She was buried beside her husband in St. John's Episcopal cemetery, in Brooke county, W. Va. They were both members of that church.
William Hanlin was born August 5, 1829, in Hanover township, this county, and passed his boyhood on the farm of his father, where his first knowledge of farming was obtained. He remained at home until the Civil war began, then enlisted at Paris, in Company K, One Hundred and Fortieth Regiment, P. V. I.; the first active engagement was at Chancellorsville, after which he followed the fortunes of his regiment until the afternoon of the second day at Gettysburg, when he was shot in the left leg, while fighting at a point about 200 yards northwest of Devil's Den. He was put in an ambulance by his captain and taken to the field hospital, thence removed to the general hospital at York, Penn. His wound kept him from duty until the close of the war, when he was honorably discharged May 20, 1865, and returning to his native county, resumed work on the farm. On November 2, 1865, he was united in marriage with Elizabeth Wilson, who was born in 1839, a daughter of Henry Wilson, of Hanover township. They have one son, Horace W., who is living at home. The farm which has been the home of Mr. and Mrs. Hanlin since their marriage, adjoins the old place which he and his brother purchased in 1856. He carries on general farming and stock raising. No person needs to go hungry or in want when in the neighborhood of the Hanlins, whose traits of generosity are characteristic of their name. In politics William Hanlin is a most enthusiastic Republican "from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot." He is a member of the Episcopal Church, his wife being identified with the Presbyterian denomination.
Text taken from page 1110 of:
Beers, J. H. and Co., Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893).Transcribed March 1997 by Neil and Marilyn Morton of Oswego, IL as part of the Beers Project.
Published March 1997 on the Washington County, PA USGenWeb pages at http://www.chartiers.com/.[ [Back to Beers Table of Contents] [Back to Beers Project Page]