JOHN HANNER and MARTHA DOAK HANNER
"The ancestors of John Hanna of Guilford County immigrated to Pennsylvania from Scotland. John's father moved to Virginia from Pennsylvania, and John Hanna continued the tradition by migrating on to North Carolina.
"Though no proof has been found, it is believed that he married Martha Doak of Guilford County. John got a Granville grant for 700 acres on Beaver Creek. Some of this land was sold to their son Robert, but John and Martha still lived on the land as late as 1776 [Guilford Co. Deeds, 1:170, 419; 4:17].
"John Hanna's residence was given as Surry County, North Carolina, when he bought two tracts of land from William Porter in June, 1778. This property was on Stewart Creek on the Tararat River in Surry County. John and Martha sold one of these tracts to their son John Doak Hanna on the same day [Surry Co. Deeds, A:254-7]. On the 15th of April 1793, John sold all his remaining land on the Tarrarat River to the same son [Surry Co. Deeds, F:96-8].
"The same date is on John Hanna's Surry County will, brought in for probate less than a year later during the February court term, 1794 [Surry Co. Wills, A:13]. John's will names:
"wife (unnamed)
"Sons: Robert, John Doak, Roddy, James (to have half of my Cumberland land), William (to have half of my Cumberland land), Samuel
"daughters: Mary Doak, Martha Thomas, Margaret Doak"
--from Guilford County, North Carolina, Genealogical Society Journal article, "The Hanna / Hannah / Hanner Family" by Betty H. Case.
ROBERT HANNER and ISABELLA ERWIN HANNER
"Robert Hannah, son of John and Martha Hanna, bought land in Guilford County from his father in 1772 and 1776 on Beaver Creek, and from John Doak in 1785 on Alamance Creek [Guilford Co. Deeds, 1:170, 419; 4:97]. He was a farmer, but also served in the state House of Commons from 1790 to 1795, and from 1807 to 1812. He married Isabella Erwin, daughter of Robert and Martha (McClintock) Erwin; the Guilford County marriage bond is dated 1 Feb. 1773.
"Robert Hannah wrote his will on 14 July 1818, and it was brought in to court for probate during the May 1819 term [Guilford Co. Wills, B:77]. The will names:
"sons: Robert, John, James, Joseph, Jesse, Abner, William & Alexander
"daughter: Nancy Gillespie"
--from Guilford County, North Carolina, Genealogical Society Journal article, "The Hanna / Hannah / Hanner Family" by Betty H. Case.
JOHN HANNER and ANNE GILLESPIE HANNER
John Hanner, son of Robert Hanner, married Anne Gillespie on 4 September 1801. She was the daughter of Col. John Gillespie and Elizabeth Armstrong Gillespie.
In the same year that he married Anne, John purchased from Col. Gillespie a farm on the south side of the South Buffalo River. (In later years much of the property was known as the John A. Young nursery tract.)
John was the Clerk of Court for Guilford County from 1816-1832, and was succeeded by his son Alfred.
The Greensboro Patriot reported on 12 January 1850: "DIED. ... In this county, the 11th, John Hanner. The deceased was formerly for many years Clerk of the County Court, enjoying the confidence and esteem of the community in his public and private relations."
John Hanner performed many church duties for Buffalo Presbyterian Church, which he and Anne joined in August 1821. In 1825 he served as Clerk and laster as Secretary of the congregation. He later served as a trustee to the church. John, Anne, and many members of their family are buried in the Buffalo Presbyterian churchyard.
Guilford County deeds record the distribution of John's land among these descendants: Allen A. Hanner, John G. Hanner's children, Orpheus S. Hanner, Daniel J. Hanner, Ann Eliza Hanner, and Caroline I. Hanner. When Anne Hanner died eight years later, her will named these children: sons, Orpheus S., Daniel J. and Allen A.; and daughters, Ann Eliza Haner and Caroline I. Young.
John and Anne Gillespie Hanner are buried in the Buffalo Valley Presbyterian Churchyard in Greensboro.
DANIEL JAMES HANNER and SUSAN E. A. YOUNG HANNER
Daniel J. Hanner (1815-1901) and Susan Edith A. Young Hanner (1829-1882) were both natives of Guilford County. Daniel was raised in the Buffalo Presbyterian Church, and Susan in the Alamance Presbyterian Church. Susan was the daughter of Col. Matthew Young and Sarah Vance Young.
After a stint as a merchant in Graham, Alamance County, North Carolina, the family moved to Davidson County. Here, he established a post office named Hannersville, and was a merchant and planter.
They were the parents of eight children, with only John Young Hanner not living to adulthood.
After the Civil War, Daniel and Susan moved to the Randleman community in nearby Randolph County. This may have been an economic move for the family to work in the Randleman mill following economic collapse as a result of the war. At some point after Susan's death, and the death of daughter Ophelia Caroline Hanner, Daniel returned to the family home in Hannersville. Here he lived with daughter Fannie and her husband Charlie Welborn until his death.
ALFRED PLEASANT HANNER and EMMA SUSAN BLACK HANNER
Alfred Pleasant Hanner, firstborn of Daniel J. and Susan E. A. Young Hanner, married Emma Susan Black on 24 Feb 1887. He became a prominent planter and merchant in Davidson County. They purchased the two-story Victorian Adams home across the Lexington Road from the Daniel J. Hanner home, and raised their family there.
Their fourth child and oldest daughter, Martha "Mattie" Susan Hanner, was my grandmother. Alfred Pleasant and Emma had 11 children, and 10 survived to adulthood.
In 1915, Alfred Pleasant Hanner was tragically killed in a horse and wagon accident. While leaving Lexington with merchandice purchased for his store, his horse became spooked. The wagon was overturned, and a box of the merchandice crushed him so badly that he was taken to a nearby home, where he was treated by a doctor but died the next morning.
Several years after his death, Emma sold the family home and moved to Thomasville, where she built a two-story boarding house and kept roomers for many years. She died of cancer in 1940.
The photos in the slideshow below are of Daniel J. Hanner, my 2nd great grandfather, and my grandmother, Mattie Hanner Hepler. I hope to have more soon.
