William Hanna 1818-1894

HANNA, CALDWELL, MCILROY

Posted By: Beverly Gerdts (email)
Date: 1/8/2021 at 06:12:42

Columbus Gazette, Columbus Junction, Iowa
Wednesday, January 1, 1894 page 1

Our community was shocked Sunday morning to learn of the death of Wm. Hanna of Columbus City. the sad event occurred Saturday night, December 10, after an illness of only a few days. His death was very unexpected; indeed, few people here knew of his sickness until they heard of his death. We have not been able to procure the necessary data for a fitting obituary but have the promise of one next week prepared under the supervision of a member of the family.

Columbus Gazette, Columbus Junction, Iowa
Wednesday, January 10, 1894
page 7

In the death of Father Hanna, Louisa county has lost on of her foremost citizens. He was always a bold, aggressive, fearless, outspoken man. He had nothing to conceal, nothing to evade. His confidantes were all with whom he associated. He was and open book, with some blotches in it of course, but it was right side up so that all might read. He was born October, 18, 1818 in the state of Ohio. He was born and raised on a farm and became early inured to all the hardships of poverty in that early day. His education was limited, as was that of nearly all farmer lads of those days. In 1837 he was married in Harrison county, Ohio, to Jane Caldwell. Thirteen children were the result of the union. Of these six are known to be living. One of them, Wm. Wilson Hanna, was lost sight of many years since and nothing is known of his whereabouts, if alive. His first companions died in 1862. In 1863 he was again married to Jane McIlroy, who, with three of the four child born to them still survive. In 1852 his wife inherited a few hundred dollars which she placed unreservedly in his hands. He began the handling of live stock, principally sheep, which he marketed in Philadelphia by the slow process of driving them over the mountains. He was much more than ordinarily successful. Made money and established a credit for honesty and fair dealing, possessed by few of his competitors. In 1858 he began merchandising, beginning first with a stock of shoes, but enlarging to a general merchadise establishment. In connection with this he established a wool market and soon handled an immense amount of that fiber, one of the largest dealers in Ohio. In 1868 he sold out his business and in 1870 came to Columbus City, Iowa and this became his home till death. His principle business here being that of shipping poultry, of which he has handled immense quantities. Politically he was independent and honest. He was first a whig in politics, but revolted at their protection ideas. He early espoused the acolition cause was a free-soiler as early as in 1848. He continued an ardent anti-slavery man until the final abolition of slavery after the war. Since then he was an ardent greenbacker and never faltered for a moment in his advocacy of flat money. He has considered the money question the leading one since slavery was abolished and has lost no opportunity to impress his views on those with whom he came in contact. Only last year he was a candidate for senator of the peoples party from this district. But when the attempt was made to make him appear the opponent of prohibition, he defined the position in unmistakable terms. He was always an uncompromising prohibitionist and an enemy of the saloon. No proffer of votes could induce him to swerve from is life long conviction on this subject. He opposed Iowa prohibition because he thought in inoperative. He bitterly opposed the government tax on intoxicating liquors because he believed it made all the people partners in the iniquitious trafic. He desired the total prohibition of its manufacture in this country. In religion, as in politics, he was entirely independent of all organizations. Was at one time a member of the M. E. church, though raised a Calvinist. He afterwards became a Wesleyan Methodist on the question of slavery. He was a local preacher in both these denominations. He was buried in the Columbus city cemetery there to wait the resurrection morn.