Notes on "The Illustrious Hanson Family", by Marion Geoble, appearing in the Pomo Bulletin magazine:
George M. Hanson, a man prominent in the early history of Illinois, who was a member of the senate of that state when Abraham Lincoln made his first appearance as a legislator, and who placed Mr. Lincoln's name before the national convention as a candidate for vice-president in 1856, brought three of his sons to what is now Lake county in 1854. They prospected the region thoroughly and first settled on Middle creek, near Upper Lake. Mr. Hanson returned to Yuba county and the sons, who were David Mark, Daniel Apperson and John Francis, soon moved to Long Valley where they took up land and built their homes. Pg. 130, 1914 History.
David M. also served as District Attorney for Lake County. He was a talented writer and owned and edited a newspaper in Lower Lake for several years, during his varied career. John Francis owned a ranch of 520 acres, and built a grist and saw mill at the head of Long Valley on his property. He also had about 2,000 acres in range land on which he ran sheep in Weldon's Valley near Sulphur Bank. Daniel A. followed in the familys footsteps, owning a farm of 140 acres, planted to grain, hay and fruit, including 400 apple and pear trees, not including other fruit trees in Long Valley.
Daniel and Emma Morine Hanson were married at Yuba City, in Butte County, and they settled on the North fork of Cache Creek. Their oldest son Rufus T. was married to Velma Rannells, the daughter of I. Wilson and Mary Jane Bonham Rannells in 1898. Following the death of Mr. Rannells, his wife and three children moved to Lake County, and Velma received her education at the old Lakeport Academy, and was a teacher at Lower Lake for a number of years. They were the parents of one child W. Rolland Hanson, well known educator, sportsman and civic leader, who is retired now and lives at Lakeport with his wife, the former Polly Shaul, youngest daughter of Benjamin F. and Minnie Cary Shaul, pioneer residents of the Mountain District.
Rolland is the only surviving member of the Hanson family. He was a school teacher prior to his appointment in 1939 as Deputy Supervisor of the county schools, serving in that capacity until elected as Superintendent of Schools for Lake County, an office he held for 6 terms, or 24 years before retiring.
He, like his great grandfather, George M., his grandfather Daniel, and father Rufus has been an ardent sportsman for the majority of his life, and has been associated with a number of hunting and fishing organizations. He was elected to the city council of Lakeport, serving for two terms of four years each, and has chaired several charitable committees and served as a member of numerous county commissions.
The May 1985 issue of the Pomo Bulletin will continue on with the article, "Early Reminiscences of Clear Lake" written by his great uncle; the first installment starts on page 16 of this issue of the Pomo Bulletin.
PLEASE NOTE: I stopped updating the web page around 2001, but I've continued to work on my project. My family history is now in Word document format, with the goal of publishing it once I consider it to be as complete as I'm going to get it. While I'm greatly indebted to those who have assisted me in my research, I'm finding that the demands of everyday life don't allow me to consistently respond to email inquiries. So, I'm offering my most up-to-date volume for sale, at a price of $19. For those interested, it is at 118 pages right now, printed by a laser printer on 8.5x11 32-lb./98 brightness paper, and wire bound. The table of contents, revision history, and index are available at the following links. To order a copy, please email me at [email protected], and I'll send it within 3 days of payment. If you indicate the family line you are interested in, I'll send you a new bound copy if and when I update my research for that line. Thanks,
Jay
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