A to Z Challenge: Hannah

Hello and Welcome to H Day!

Today we’re going to talk a little about Hannah, the inspiration for this blog and so much more!

Name:

Hannah Ann Lindsey

Vital Information:

Hannah was born on 4 March 1860 and died on 25 April 1937 in Indiana.

Relation to Me:

Maternal 2x great grandma

Tidbits/Characteristics/Commonalities:

I’ve written about Hannah in this space before but didn’t want to complete the A to Z Challenge without including her in this way, too, as she remains such an important figure in our family and in my life.

Hannah was my Grandma Eve’s grandma and was written about extensively in Eve’s memoir not only for her strength and resilience but also for her take-no-shit approach to life.

According to Eve, Hannah kicked her abusive husband out of the house in 1900 while pregnant with her sixth child. She also had the foresight to honor her eldest daughter’s request to attend University and pursue a career instead of marrying.

Additionally, she broke the arm of a “sneak-thief” with an ax handle and was known to broadcast the names of men who drank away their pay while she fed their families on credit from her grocery store. One of those drunks tried to set fire to her house one night and she doused him and the flames in lye-water.

Hannah was not to be messed with.

Finally, I’d like to highlight Hannah’s beliefs*, as listed by Eve:

• Never whine or blame others for your lot
• Find, accept, and enjoy the law
• Pay for and accept what you want outside the law’s provision
• Be self-sufficient and earn your way under the law
• Call the truth and back your play
• Admit your errors, make amends, dismiss the event
• Live in the now, savor it
• Hold no grudge but observe what “pays”
• Respect your own and all other territories & limitations

*In one of Eve’s many spiral notebooks I found lists containing each of her parent’s and grandparents’ beliefs. I believe she wrote these in the 1980’s as she began planning her memoir.

To learn further details about Hannah’s life and why I adore her so, please read Introducing Hannah.

In Your Research…

Is there one ancestor who has held the attention of generations for unique reasons? Have you heard stories of women in your line who were “before their time”?

If you could fold time and sit with one ancestor for a bit, who would that be and why?

Housekeeping

My theme for the 2025 A to Z Challenge is Kin! The first names of direct lineage kin, to be more specific.

I’m spending the majority of the month focusing on the first names of many of my direct lineage kin. I’ll include their full names, any vital information I’ve found in my research, their relation to me, any fun tidbits/characteristics/experiences, and any commonalities I may have gleaned between myself and them.

In a couple of cases, where I have not identified an ancestor whose first name starts with a particular letter, I will choose a unique middle name, a direct line surname, and/or ancestral lands/places of significance.

Pop over here to read my full theme reveal: A to Z 2025 Challenge Theme Reveal: Kin

Pop over here to visit our host and see what they’re up to throughout this year’s challenge: A to Z Challenge

If you’re visiting from the A to Z Challenge please leave a comment so I can visit you, too! If your comment bio doesn’t link back to your site, please feel free to add the link to your most recent post to the comment field so I can be sure to find you.

Thanks for being here! See you again soon!

Onward,

Melissa