HANKS, Alvin B. - Putnam

Alvin B. HANKS. Earnest labor, unabating perseverance, good management and a laudable ambition to succeed - these are the elements that have brought Alvin B. Hanks prosperity and won for him the good will and respect of all with whom he has come in contact. A native of Putnam County, where he first saw the light of day on December 25, 1851, he has spent the major part of his life in his native locality and is, therefore, well known here. His parents were Stephen E. and Eliza M. Ketchins Hanks, the former born August 29, 1813 and died May 1, 1883; the mother was born Dec 11, 1811 and died April 7, 1896. They were for many years numberedamong the well known and highly respected residents of Putnam County, Indiana where they resided from the fall of 1851, when the father bought a tract of land, which, however, he did not enter upon until the spring of 1852. Stephen Hanks was a stanch Democrat in his political views and, though he never sought public office for himself, he took an intelligent interest in current public affairs. He also took considerable interest in church work as a member of the Christian Church and at his death he was buried in the Brick Chapel cemetery. The Hanks family to which he belonged was closely related to Nancy Hanks, the mother of Abraham Lincoln. Alvin B. Hanks was born but a few months after the arrival of his parents in Putnam County, and he is the third in order of birth of the three children which now survive out of a family of 9 born to his parents, the other survivors being Mrs. Olivia Priest, of this county, and John. Alvin B. Hanks received his education in the common schools, having attended at the Locust Grove School house and he early took an active part in the operation of the home farm. He has all his life devoted his chief attention to the time-honored occupation of husbandry and in this line of effort he has achieved a definite success. He is the owner of a splendid farm, comprising 170 acres of as good land as can be found in Monroe township, the greater part of which is in cultivation. He carries on a general line of farming and also devotes some attention to the raising of livestock. The place is well improved, containing a comfortable and attractive residence, commodious barns and other necessary buildings, the general appearance of the place conveying an air of comfort and prosperity. On Dec 24, 1872, Mr. Hanks was united in marriage with Helen Shumaker, a native of Floyd twp, Putnam County born Nov 17, 1855, and this union has been blessed with four children, namely: Aden B., Pearl, Belle and Eva. Mrs. Hanks is a daughter of James and Elizabeth Howren Shumaker, of Ohio where they were married in 1834 and two children were born to them. At an early day they moved to Indiana and settled in Floyd Twp, Putnam County, entering land and improving a farm. They remained there until all of their children were grown, when they sold out and retired to Bainbridge. Two years later they found a good home here with their daughter, Mrs. Hanks, where they both died, he on Aug 5, 1894 and she Feb 4,1897. They belonged to the Bainbridge Christian Church. He was a Republican and filled the office of Justice of the Peace a number of years. In young manhood he was a school teacher. Their children were Newton, Daniel, Alvira (Mrs. King); Henry; Mary J (Mrs. Wm. Herrod); Lydia (Mrs. Wilkinson); Abner died young; Julia (Mrs. Samuel Walls), Helen (Mrs. Hanks), Monroe. In politics Mr. Hanks is a pronounced Democrat and active in the party campaigns, though the only public office ever held by him was that of truant officer. Practical and progressive in his farming operations, shrewd, yet absolutely honest in his business affairs, courteous to his acquaintances and of a strong social disposition, Mr. Hanks has won many warm friends throughout the community.