Hanan, Archimedes

The following data is extracted from History of the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and Washington, 1889.

ARCHIMEDES HANAN. - This venerable pioneer, whose portrait appears in this work, was born on the 9th of November, 1810, in Harrison county, Kentucky. The early years of his life were truly those of a wanderer. Illinois, Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota reckoned him as a citizen at sundry times and places up to the year 1852. In the spring of that year he started on the long and wearisome journey across the plains.

Oregon was his objective point; and after the usual trying though interesting incidents of the immigrants' career, he stopped at Albany in the fall of 1852. There he took a government claim about four miles form the town; and there he resided till 1865, when he sold his seven hundred and forty acres of land for ten dollars per acre, and went to the town of Albany, where he formed a business partnership with Beach & Montieth. The firm erected a large flouring mill; but, the business not proving a very successful investment financially, Mr. Hanan sold out, and in 1871 removed to a farm on Whisky creek, Washington territory, whence he again journeyed on seven years later to Dayton. There he owned much valuable property, and had a pleasant home. His happiness was irreparably marred, however, in 1880, by the death of his faithful wife. Her maiden name was Ann Maria Van Winkle. She became the wife of Mr. Hanan in 1837, and during forty-three long years had followed him through the varying fortunes and vicissitudes of his lot with the Spartan devotion which is nowhere better shown than in the lives of the frontier women of this coast.

Among the other evens of his active and varied career, Mr. Hanan was a prominent actor in the great Indian war of 1855. He was first lieutenant of Company H of the First Regiment of Oregon Mounted Volunteers, and took a most creditable part in the fierce fight on the Walla Walla.

Mr. Hanan has no children, though he cared for and educated a girl who is now living near Cheney, Washington, and who is the mother of nine sons and one daughter.

In spite of his burden of years, Mr. Hanan is still hale and hearty, and enjoys in this autumn of his days the deserved esteem of a large circle of friends and acquaintances.

Source: History of the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and Washington, 1889

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