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.

More of What's Your Family All About

Last time I wrote about family and how last names tie us together as family.  Family, in the standard sense, is those with whom we grow up with and around. But, family is also those we find lurking in the family tree. In my tree I have Irish, Welsh, Norwegian, French, English, and German ancestors, just to name a few nationalities.

It has always been of interest to me what last names mean or the origin for last names.  In my last posting, I looked at some of the Irish and Welsh names. So, here is what I found in the French, English, and German “family” names.

• Bourque—is French. The original spelling was Bourrique “probably a derivative of bourre ‘tawny’, ‘fawn’ (from Latin burrus), hence denoting a man with tawny hair.”  Ancestry.com
• Campion—is French for professional champion.  This last name was probably introduced by the Normans to England.
• Dickman—English, Dutch, German—take your choice.  If your background is Dutch or German, this name is an occupational name for someone who dug ditches or it is a locational name for someone who lived near or next to a ditch or a dyke. For the English, the name refers to a servant.  Ancestry
• Forster—is considered to be an English and French name with the French version being Forester which evolved into Forster and Foster in England.  The original meaning behind the name is that a person with this name was one who was in charge of a forest, or one who lived near a forest, or one who was in charge of growing timber.  However, F`rster is also a German name for one who lives in or near a forest.  Searchforancestors.com
• Gaskill—specifically comes from Lancashire, England; and, specifically in Cumbria it refers to where one lived:  near a goat shelter (Old Norse geit ‘goat’ + skáli ‘shelter’).  Ancestry.com
• Hanks—is considered to be a short form of the name Hank; specifically, a patronymic for the name Hankin.  The use of a patronymic is basically being named after one’s father; i.e., Johnson (for John’s son).  Thus, Hanks is a short form for Hankin’s son.  Sources identified that this name comes specifically from Gloucestershire, England. Ancestry.com
• Menard—is a French name meaning “brave or hard strength.” Thinkbabyname.com
• Perkins—in both the English and Dutch backgrounds, this name is considered to by a patronymic of Perkin.  And, Perkin is considered to be a “pet name” for Peter.

For those of you who are interested in pursuing this further, the information above comes from Ancestry.com, searchforancestors.com, thinkbabyname.com, and 4crests.com.

The below photo is of Lena and Theodore Forster who were married on April 18, 1897.  They are my husband's great aunt and uncle.  They had seven children--all born in Minnesota.

© Linda Oliver, 2017