AMERICA THE GREAT MELTING POT
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Direct descendant is highlighted in red
James McCoy Hannahs | see FAMILY TREE | |
Born: 16 Dec 1822 Greenup Co. KY Married: 12 Apr 1848 Scioto Co. OH Died: 20 Jul 1902 Portsmouth, Scioto Co, OH |
FATHER
MOTHER
WIFE
CHILDREN
1. Ira Hannahs
b. abt. 1849 OH
m. 20 Jul 1891 to Mary Scott in Scioto Co. OH
d. 19 Jun
1897 Springfield, Clark, OH
2. Susan R. Hannahs
b. 21 April 1850
Portsmouth, Scioto Co., OH
m. 17 Jun 1874 to Lewis Shepard
in Vermillion, IN
d. 21 Nov 1880 Newport, Vermillion, IN
3. James M Hannahs
b. Dec 1853
Portsmouth, Scioto Co., OH
m. 21 Jul 1880 to Kate Davis in
Portsmouth, Scioto, OH
d. 15 Feb 1932 Portsmouth,
Scioto, OH
4. Sallie Hannahs
b.
6 May 1855
m. 27 Jun 1889 to George Monett in Portsmouth,
Scioto, OH
d. 11 Apr 1940 Columbus, Franklin, OH
James Hannahs
by Susan Brooke
Aug 2023
According to his obituary, James Hannahs was born 16 Dec 1828 in Greenup Co.
KY. (1) He moved to Portsmouth, OH about 1830 when he was 8 years old. By
1841 he was working as a cook on a steamship and managed to save a burning ship.
(2) In 1847 there was a flood in Portsmouth and James Hannahs took a yawl from
his ship down Front Street picking up his sisters to keep them out of the water.
(3)
He married Eliza Sheflin the next year in Portsmouth on 12 Apr 1848. (4)
He was 25 and she was 18. James's father, John Hannahs, had died in the 1830's and his mother, Susannah, died
in 1843 when he was about 22. He and his sister, Ruth ( six years older ) must have
had to take over the care of the younger children. When he married in
1848, his wife, Eliza Sheffin, was also mostly on her own. Her father had
died in 1840 and her mother was raising several younger children.
James Hannahs was an outgoing, fun loving man. On the 4th of July 1858 he
was written up in the newspaper for having so much fun at the Portsmouth
celebration that he "ate so much that he has not been hungry since." (5)
He was still a cook on the steamships, but he may not have been making a lot of
money. He was very close to his older sister, Ruth. For whatever reason,
in 1858 he sent his 7 year old daughter, Susan Hannahs, off to Vermillion Co. IN
to live with his sister Ruth Porter. (6) She had no children and took in
Susan as her own daughter.
"During the war, he served on government
transports. He was captain of the 'Piketon,' on the Sandy River in 1862 and was
captain of the 'Navigator,' on the Mississippi, in government service. (14)
He was still a cook in the 1860 census but with a personal estate of only $100.
Ten years later in 1870 he was listed as a clerk with a personal estate of $150.
(7) By 1873 he was a barkeeper. (8) And, he was listed as a saloon keeper
in the 1880 census. (9)
They had 4 children, but had given their daughter
Susan away to his sister when she was 7 years old. However, they remained close
to this child. Susan married in Indiana and died in 1880 leaving one
daughter, Grace Shepard. James and Eliza Hannahs gave a beautiful photo
album to this granddaughter in Dec 1887. She filled it will photos of her
family. (10)
His wife, Eliza Shefflin, died in 1895. The next year he
was standing on a corner when a lady hit him with her "wheel" and he was knocked
senseless. (11) However, he seems to have recovered as he celebrated his
75th birthday in good heath the following year. (12) By 1900 when he was 78
years old he was living with his son James Hannahs in Portsmouth. (13) He died
20 Jul 1902. (14)
Sources
(1) Obituary of James Hannahs
"James McKoy Hannahs was born in Greenup county, Ky., December 16, 1822. His
father was John Hannahs, a brick-layer and his mother's maiden name was
Elizabeth Susan Barklow, a daughter of Benjamin Barklow. His father and
mother had eight children: Ruth, married Richard H. Porter of Newport, Ind.;
Ira Allen; James; Sarah Jane, married Joseph Cook, M.D., of Newport, Ind.;
Susan married James Ross the tailor; the next three were triplets, Shadrack,
Meshack and Abednego born, May 20, 1830. All three grew to maturity.
Shadrack died in 1885 at the age of 25; Abednego died in 1880 and Meshack is
living in Newport, Ind. The latter was in the Civil war in the 14h Indiana
Infantry and was wounded at Antietam.
James, our subject, came to Portsmouth when he was eight years old, and has
made Portsmouth his home ever since."
(2) Portsmouth Times, 1 Jul 1876
(3) Portsmouth Time 20 Dec 1878
"The present rise in the river recalls to the minds of the elder citizens the freshet of 1847, which was at its highest stage on the 17th of December. -- James Hannahs was cook on the Scioto docked in Portsmouth. -- Hannahs' family were then living where the Aetna House now stands, and Jim brought his yawl and took his sisters in it and brought them aboard the boat to keep them out of the water. Col. Graham and fifteen others took this yawl, and started down Front street with a band of music in it, stopped at Yaeger & Lloyds's, where the Massie House now stand, and took in a bottle of spirits, which Docs Lloyd let down from the second floor with a string."
(4)
Marriage of James Hannahs to Eliza Shefflin
Marriages of Portsmouth, OH
Hannahs, James & Elvira (Eliza?) Sheflin 12 Apr 1848
(5) History of Scioto County pg. 348 by Nelson W. Evans 1796-1903 "July 4, 1858, came on Sunday, and Saturday was observed. ----- Then there was a public dinner. Jim Hannahs was the cook. Plates were set for 1,500. There were thirteen regular toasts and four volunteer toasts, responded to by W.E. Gilmore. ------ It was the greatest celebration of the day ever held in Portsmouth. 500 pounds of roast beef, 45 pounds of boiled ham, 10 roast pigs, 2 roast sheep, 200 pounds of baked fresh fish, 700 loaves of bread, 500 pies, 200 pounds of cheese, 50 pounds of cakes, and 2,000 sugar cakes were consumed. It is said that the uniforms of the firemen and the military men were perfectly dazzling. The girls of the day have not recovered from that celebration yet. It is now related that Jim Hannahs ate so much that day that he has not been hungry since."
(6) Obituary of Susie Hannahs from Hoosier State, Wednesday 24 Nov 1880
(7) 1860
census Portsmouth, Scioto, OH
James Hannahs Cook Value of
Personal Estate $100
1870 census Portsmouth, Scioto, OH
James Hannahs Clerk,
Value of Personal Estate $150
(8)
Portsmouth City Directory 1873
Hannahs, James, barkeeper, Aetna House
saloon, h. Fourth
(9)
1880 census Portsmouth, Scioto, OH
James Hannahs Saloon Keeper
West Sixth Street
(10) Album given to Grace Shepard from her "Grandma and Grandpa Hannahs, 25
Dec 1887
"Th3 first tri-weekly Cincinnati and Portsmouth packet ever run in the trade
was the Oneida. -- The Oneida was built in the spring of 1840 -- The
officers were --- : Cook, James Hannahs, of Portsmouth.
She commenced running
in the trade in the summer of 1840, occiassionally extending her trip to
Pittsburgh. On one of the latter trips, in March, 1841, the boat took fire
in the hold from furnace sparks, and burned to the water's edge, near Letart
falls. The pilot vamosed, and James Hannahs, the cook, who knew how to
handle the wheel, run the boat ashore, escaped over the wheel house from the
burning steamer, getting a good ducking, but fortunately escaping a roasting. "
(11)
The Portsmouth Times Oct 3, 1896.
"J. M. Hannahs Sr. met with a
painful accident last evening. He was standing on the corner of Third and Market
streets, when Miss Saide Snodgrass came along on her wheel. He
was thrown violantly to the paved streets and when picked up was insensible.
He was carried into Lewis's livery stable and a physician called. He is
better today."
(13) 1900 census Portsmouth, Scioto, OH
.