Who Were the Hannahs of Indiana?
By Elisa Walter
 James
Hannah emigrated with his family from Ireland to Wilmington, Delaware
in the late 18th century. He and his brothers moved into Harrison
County, Ohio around 1802. He entered into the profession of law in
Indiana after his brother was appointed the first judge of the Indiana
territory by William Henry Harrison. The Hannah family practiced the Quaker faith. James Hannah moved his family to the Quaker settlement of Plainfield, Indiana, eventually settling in Wayne County, another Quaker settlement. Quakers were abolitionists and instrumental in the establishment of the Underground Railroad. The Hannah family’s involvement in the UGRR movement is a strong possibility.  Samuel Hannah and Eleanor Bishop were the parents of Alexander Moore Hannah. At the time of Alexander’s birth in 1821, Samuel was an innkeeper and merchant in Centerville, Indiana. He followed in his ancestor’s footsteps and began his political career in Centerville, serving as sheriff, post master, justice of the peace and county council member. He later moved his family to Indianapolis where both his political star and personal fortune rose. Samuel was elected to the Indiana Legislature and also served as State Treasurer. He was involved in the planning of the Michigan Road, the great highway linking southern and northern Indiana. He participated in Indian treaties which forced tribes to cede parcels of their ancestral lands for the building of the road. The stock market crash of 1837 stalled the road project resulting in the state shifting responsibility of funding the construction onto the individual counties involved. The ceded lands were sold to private investors and those monies used to pay local contractors. These land owners were then responsible for the upkeep of their portion of the highway and were allowed to collect taxes or tolls for this upkeep. |
Samuel
Hannah was a Quaker but his faith did not hinder his ambition. He
purchased a large tract of ceded land in Southport Township and began
to grow his wealth, not only with farming but also with collected road
tolls. Samuel suffered a public humiliation in 1857 during a
congressional inquiry into missing highway funds. In a statement given
by Samuel to the congressional committee, he stated that he was not
guilty of any wrong doing. This incident must have been strenuous upon
his political and physical health, because he left public life shortly
after and died in 1869. According to local history, Samuel’s son, Alexander Moore Hannah sold his harness making business in Centerville, Indiana in 1850 to participate in the great California Gold Rush. Different sources claim that he found enough gold to become partner of a barley and vegetable ranch in California. After 5 years, he sold his share of the ranch and returned to Indiana to work for his father who was then president of The Indiana Central Railroad. Unfortunately, to date, I have found nothing to document Alexander’s gold rush story. However, Alexander’s brother, William Pugh Hannah, did move west into Washington Territory and later into California. I do have supporting documentation of William’s migration. Whatever the true events of Alexander’s life between the years of 1850 and 1855, it is fact that he reported income in Southport Township on the 1864 tax record. No property is listed on the record, but on the 1865 record he and his father both report income and a carriage for tax. Alexander received 240 acres of his father’s Southport land holdings around this time and, in 1858, built his red brick Italianate home adjacent to the portion of Michigan Road which crossed his property.  Local legend is that the Alexander Hannah residence was a stop on the Underground Railroad.
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In
addition to the income he collected from the road tolls, he also built
a thriving farm business. It is possible that he had a business partner
at one time also. George Sanders and his family appear in Alexander
Hannah’s household in the 1870 Federal Census. George’s
status in the household is listed as “farmer” and his
personal estate is valued at $12, 000. Alexander added a new wing to
his house in 1872 which included servant’s quarters and in 1873
he married Elizabeth Jackson. The Sanders family does not appear in the
Hannah household on any subsequent census records. At the age of 37, Alexander apparently decided it was the right time to attain a wife and family. However, his daughter was stillborn on March 16, 1875. He and Elizabeth had no other children and Elizabeth died on January 19, 1888. Alexander survived her another 7 years, dying April 15, 1895. Local legend is that the Alexander Hannah residence was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Although there is no existing documentation to prove this claim, his Quaker roots, his family’s migration from a Quaker settlement in Ohio to Quaker settlements in Plainfield and Centerville Indiana, and the location of his Indianapolis home directly on an established UGRR route, seems to lend credence to the claim. A further clue to the validity of the claim is the fact that Alexander met and married his wife, Elizabeth, in Yorkville, Illinois which was a hub on the Railroad route from the south into Chicago. Innkeepers, harness makers, public servants, railroad presidents, congressmen, Quakers, gold diggers, abolitionists: the Hannah family of Indiana has a varied and colorful profile. It seems the family’s commitment to their faith did not, however, preserve them from public scandal or participating in nefarious Indian treaties. Alexander Hannah’s home has become a beloved landmark of Indianapolis. The house has only been owned by 2 families since it was erected in 1858; Alexander Hannah and Roman Oehler, who purchased the property 4 years after Alexander’s death. The house is currently owned by the Oehler descendants. The UGRR history has become legend; as much a part of house as the brick and mortar. |
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