A Biography of John Hanna

of Barton, Tioga Co., NY

" John Hanna was a sturdy Scotchman possessing all the true and noble traits for which the men of that nationality are noted. In personal appearance he was of light complexion, light brown hair, and blue eyes; in stature, short. Born at Galloway Scotland, in 1744. When but a boy of eighteen years, he sailed to this country, his passage being paid by his father, but John made himself so useful on board the vessel, that the Captain, who was a good friend of the family, was glad to return to the boy his passage money as remuneration for services he had rendered.

At Philadelphia, the port of the vessel, the lad first set foot on American soil.

With a supply of good advice, and no doubt some information from the Captain, and the small capital earned during the passage, he began a life in this new and strange country. What knowledge he had of localities in the States previous to his arrival is not known, but he very soon found friends akin, and settled among them at Scotch Valley. Here he met and afterwards married, a Scotch lassie, Margaret Mac Auley [actually McCullum]. Well might he have been attracted by this beautiful character, and later years proved her to be a wise selection, for not only was she a good wife and mother, but loved by all who met her, and because of her good heart and cheerful manner she was the first to be sought in times of joy or sorrow.

The incident of these two lovers first meeting, was often told by her daughter Nancy. 'My father was riding along on a fine black horse, of which he ws very proud. He met a group of young ladies and stopped to talk with them. He was much admired by the girls, but in this group there was one who kept admiring the fine horse, the other eyes were all on father. It was not long after that mother admired the man more, and she got both horse and man.'

This surely proved to be a happy meeting, and we who have their blood in our veins may well be proud of it.

George MacAuley [McCullum}, the father of Margaret was born in Scotland early in the eighteenth century. Very little is known of his early life, but after his marriage he sailed with his family for America.

And a sad voyage it was, for at sea the wife died and was buried in the deep waters of the ocean.

Little can we realize the grief of this man, who could not turn back to be with his friends in his bereavement, but go on to a strange and wild country, and only his children for companions, who little knew what it all meant. A condition which no doubt did much to influence the life and mind of the daughter Margaret, as she seemed to assume the responsibilities of the home.

George [McCullum] was a staunch Presbyterian in faith, and a leading man among the pioneers in that fertile section of Pennsylvania where he settled, and which he endeared to himself and all by giving it the name of Scotch Valley.

Near this valley is Mt. MacAuley [?], one of the foothills of the Alleghany Mountains, named for him and to ever stand a memorial for one of the true blue pioneers of this country.

As this man's [George's] life had its full share of sadness, so was the end. He left his cabin to search for some of his cattle that had been lost in the woods, and neither he nor the cattle ever returned. Fragments of his clothes were found which told the story of the sad end by the ravenous wolves, the terror of the early settlers, especially in winter when they traveled in packs, and would attack a man or his stock in the very door-yard.

So ended a life devoted to his family, neighbors and country, leaving a quantity of improved land, and giving as heritage good blood in the veins of his posterity.

John Hanna was true to his adopted country, for at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War he was among the first to enlist as a private, serving three months under Captain Porter of Pennsylvania.

He re-enlisted in the fall of 1777, serving two months under Captian Williams.
He again re-enlisted in July 1778, and served two months under Captain John Nelson, and took part in the Battle of Trenton.

In 1832 he applied for pension and it was readily granted to him.

After the war he settled on a tract of land at Berwick, which he cleared and made ready for cultivation. He prepared everything to make this place his home where he might enjoy the peace and liberty for which he had helped fight to win.

Soon after he was informed that another settler had a prior claim to this land, and Mr. Hanna was obliged to abandon it.

The loss of this land, together with the depreciation in value of the Colonial currency must have been very discouraging, but he had always been a man hard to down, this incident might have been but trifling to him as compared with some of his experiences, so he made another start in a section that was not much more than discovered.

His brother-in-law, Ebenezer Ellis, had already settled in the vicinity of Ellis Creek and learning from him that land could be had in this section, he lost no time in starting.

In 1793 he came up the Susquehanna Valley, the mother and three younger children (Jane, Nancy, and William) in two canoes with the house-hold goods, while the father and son (John, Jr), the oldest child, then seven years of age, came by Indian trail, driving the horses and cattle before them.

They settled near the mouth of Ellis Creek, taking possession of a log cabin vacated by the pioneer, Corney Ellis.

He later exchanged this land with Ebenezer Ellis, and soon became possessor of a large landed estate, nearly two thousand acres in all, purchasing at one time of Peter Lorillard nearly one thousand acres known as the Douglas Patent. It is related that he traveled to New York on foot to obtain the first deed to this land.

Once a year after, he made a trip to the city on horse back to make his payments, carrying his gold in saddle bags.

We can picture his log house as it stood south of where the farm house now owned by Mrs. Seely Hanna is. At the one side of it is an old fashioned well-sweep, and in the doorway the sturdy pioneer standing, and by his side his hospitable wife; what a picture for travelers along that road today. Back of the house is the first frame barn built in the town of Barton. This barn should have special mention, as religious services were often held there, and it was within these same walls the first quarterly meeting of this vicinity was held.

We, who today can have all the implements and machinery necessary to facilitate the work on a farm, little know the test a man was put to in this part of the country at the time John Hanna came. How he must have labored under every difficulty to get some land cleared and ready for cultivation, then have it to harvest.

Little by little, the land was cleared, and one at a time were implements bought, so at the start he was forced to contend with much hard labor and no luxuries. To illustrate this, he had no threshing floor, so he kept the grain until winter. Then after the little pond on his farm had frozen over he would do his threshing on the ice.

And this much done there was no flour mill where he might take the grain to have it ground. Again he resorted to methods of very early days, and in Indian fashion, used a hollow stone set up on a stump, and in that pounded the kernels to a powder, using a long wedge-like stone for a grinder. And by another incident, it may truly be said "Mr. Hanna earned his salt". Salt was a necessary luxury in these early days, and it took a man of courage to venture after it. Mr. Hanna seemed to be the man to take all such tasks, and many times he followed the Indian trail to Horseheads, and return with all his shoulders could carry. With true Scotch generosity he would share his treasure with all his neighbors along the path on his return.

Another story told by Mr. Hanna illustrates how they were annoyed by the wild animals. He was fond of telling that once when carrying home a haunch of venison on his shoulder, he was obliged to stop three times to fight the wolves.

The cold summer of 1816 was one long remembered by the pioneers of this section. For months they had no bread, and greens were a rare treat. Then Mr. Hanna's perserverance was shown. Cutting rye while it was yet in the milk, he dried it on sticks laid across a kettle of live coals, and thus prepared for grinding, half a bushel of grain. Again his generosity is shown; he gathered his neighbors about him and treated them to the first bread they had tasted in months.

Mr. and Mrs. Hanna were earnest Christians, and to their efforts in a great measure, the Methodists are indebted for the strong foothold they had in this vicinity.

For a long time in their home were held the only religious services in their parts, and later, when Emory Chapel, - dear to the hearts of the early settlers and their descendants, - was built, he gave the land and contributed liberally toward the building. He also gave the land for a free burying ground to the settlement of Ellistown.

Mr. Hanna died at the advanced age of 101 years, and well does the writer remember the description of his funeral as given by one of our oldest residents. She and a friend, both girls in their teens, had been urged by their parents to attend. They walked from Factoryville along the highway to the Chapel, which he loved so dearly. The road was crowded with pedestrians, and carriages of all descriptions. It seemed as if the population of many counties was on their way to pay a last tribute of respect to the oldest inhabitant, and one who had done so much for this locality.

Of such ancestors of this man and woman were , generations following may feel a just pride, as well, ever have a standard for all as upright men and women.

And may we, as descendants, ever keep good a name honored and esteemed, left in our care."