The homemade tombstone for W. C. Hanks was made by pressing pre-made hardware store letters into wet concrete with nails. Attesting to its true homemade-ness, one of the letters is backawards.
This stone stands in a plot with 5 other family members, all with commercial tombstones.
From the dates on the tombstones, Blasterz wonder if he is buried with brothers?
We found W. C. Hank's death certificate, which listed a Big Spring address for him in 1931. He died of acute nephritis and a heart attack. Mrs. Ann B. Hunter, the person giving the death certificate information, didn't know any family information.
In the 1930 US census we found Willie C. Hanks living at 201 N Goliad in Big Spring with his niece, Ann Hunter. Willie is 75 and single, never married. He was born in TX, father born in KY, and mother born in NC. He is not working. Ann is 45, divorced, got married at age 34. She was born in OR, her father is born in NC, and her mother is born in TX. Ann is not working. they do not have a radio.
Working backwards, in 1920 Wiley Hanks is living on his farm in Sweetwater TX with his brother Byrd Hanks. Wiley is 66, and his brother is 79. Neither have ever married. Both are born in TX, father born in Y and mother born in SC. Wiley is a farmer working on his own account. He owns his home with a mortgage.
In the 1910 US Census, Wiley (age 55) and Bird (age 69) are on the same farm as in 1920. They are working for themselves as general farmers on their stock farm. They have two boarders, Sam and Claudie Brown, father (age 56) and son (age 15) living with them. Sam Brown is a farm laborer working for wages and Claudie goes to school.
Then there is a gap, so we had to go way back and work forwards:
In 1860 the family is living in El Monte, Los Angeles County CA. Father Elah Hanks (age 52) is a farmer with real estate of a value of $1000. He is born in KY. He is living with wife Anna (age 39) who is keeping house. She is born in SC. They are living with their children:
George M, age 23, a farm laborer born in MS
Byrd S., age 19, a farm laborer born in TX
Thomas E., age 16, a farm laborer born in TX
Mary C. age 7, born in TX
Wiley C., age 5, born in TX
Anna M., age 1, born in CA.
By 1880 most of the family has returned to Texas, living in Tarrant County. The family is scattered on 3 adjoining farms. Mother A. Mariah age 59 born in SC is living in the household of George Little, age 24. His 21 year old brother lives with him. A. Mariah;'s relationship to George is not listed, but it is possible she is his grandmother.
Next door, Thomas E. Hanks, his wife Rosaline and their daughter Cinthea are farming. Thomas Hanks is a white farmer age 36 born in TX, so we are confident that this is the same Thomas Hanks we find buried in the plot with W. C. Hanks in Sweetwater.
Next door to Thomas, George (age 43, born MS), Byrd (age 38, born TX) and Wiley (age 24, born TX) Hanks are farming together. Their sister Anne M. (age 20, born CA) lives with them.
SO -- with all that, we can say that Wiley hanks is buried next to his brothers Byrd and Thomas Hanks in the family plot in Sweetwater Cemetery. Why his is the only homemade tombstone we cannot know.
There are a total of 20 Hanks family members here, all descendants of Anna Moriah Hardin, who married Eli Hanks in Yalobusha Co. MS in 1836. Source: Find-A-Grave (
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