The 1860s Farmer

Typical 1860s farm scene

They are my 3rd great-grandparents; and, by any standard, then or now, they were very successful farmers. 

Stiles and Nancy Newhouse Hanks

Stiles Hanks (1795-1863) and his wife Nancy Ann Newhouse Hanks (1797-1878) were the typical farming couple of the 1860s who started out in Virginia and ended in Ohio. They had nine children: seven sons and two daughters. At least five of the sons became farmers, and one of the daughters married a farmer. The Hanks family were part of the 58 percent of the labor force who were farmers in the mid-1800s.

Stiles Hanks served during the War of 1812. One would be led to believe that this war occurred only during 1812. However, the war lasted from 1812 to 1815. Stiles served in 1813 with the 56th (Taylor’s) Regiment of the Virginia Militia as a private. This regiment was comprised of men all from Loudoun County where Stiles, his parents, and his five siblings were all born and residing. Loudoun County is located in the northern tip of Virginia.

Loudoun County, VA

On September 18, 1817, Stiles and Nancy were married in Lovettsville, Loudoun County, Virginia. Not long thereafter, per the 1820 U.S. census, we find the Hanks family in Muskingum County, Ohio. One the “perks” of being a military veteran at this time period was the land bounty.

The land bounty granted veterans land for homesteading purposes – this was prior to the

Muskingum County, OH

1862 Homestead Act. In order to receive a land patent on the homestead, Stiles had to live on the land for a minimum number of years, farm the land, build a home. On July 28, 1828, Stiles received his land patent for this homestead. 

The Hanks farm developed into a prosperous enterprise. Stiles and his family lived during a time of technological innovation in the agricultural field resulting in increased production with less man hours per acre.

1860s Farm Equipment (left to right): Gang Plow, Seed Planter, Sulky Plow

By the time of the 1860 U.S. census, farmers had experienced the introduction of the grain reaper, improved self-governing windmills, sulky plows and gang plows, grain drills, horsepower, and the Mason jar for preserving food. The 1860 U.S. Agricultural Census reveals Stiles Hanks status as a farmer. Here is the inventory of his assets list in 1860 dollars followed with the 2015-dollar value.

• Cash value of farm - $4,440 – 2015, $126,806
• Value of implements & machinery - $200 – 2015, $5,712
• Value of 5 horses & 6 swine - $700 – 2015, $19,992
• Value of orchard products - $40 – 2015, $1,142
• Value of slaughtered animals - $40 – 2015, $1,142

The total dollars are $5,420 then; $154,794 in 2015 values. These values do not take into account the 9 milk cows, 14 “other” cattle, 60 sheep, 20 bushels of wheat, 500 bushels of Indian corn, 200 pounds of wool, 10 bushels of Irish potatoes, 24 bushels of buckwheat, 400 pounds of butter, and 10 tons of hay.

I have tried to find out the 1860 values of some of the above items; I could not find 1860 values for

Typical 1860s farm wife's dress

buckwheat or hay. Here’s what I did find:

•  9 milk cows - $234 – today, $6,683
• 14 “other” cattle - $476 – today, $13,595
• 60 sheep - $255 – today, $7,283
• 20 bushels wheat - $20 – today, $583
• 500 bushels Indian corn - $14,000 – today, $50,800
• 200 pounds wool - $907 – today, $25,908
• 10 bushels Irish potatoes - $6 – today, $171
• 400 pounds butter - $60 – today, $1,714

If these values are added to the previous totals, we get:  $21,379 then and in 2015, $610,555.

Ohio became a state in 1803. Stiles Hanks and his family became one of Ohio’s success stories. Stiles Hanks and Nancy Ann Newhouse Hanks are my adoptive mother’s 2nd great-grandparents.

Headstones - Stiles (left), Nancy (right) - as posted on Findagrave.com

 Note: Except for the portraits and headstones of Stiles and Nancy Hanks, all images are from Google Images.