Thomas Leander Hankins and Samantha Angeline Petty
Thomas Leander “Lee” Hankins was born on 13 Jun 1858 in Hopkins County, Kentucky, the son of Albert Hankins and Isabella Jane Goodloe. Lee had two brothers and one sister and they were the 5th generation of the Hankins family to live in Hopkins County and the 4th generation of the Goodloe family.
Samantha Angeline Petty was born on 3 Apr 1861 in Dalton, Whitfield County, Georgia. She was the daughter of John R, Petty and Margaret E. Thomas, the 3rd of their 10 children. Samantha’s family came to Kentucky around 1868, settling first in Logan County then moving on to Hopkins County between 1870 and 1876.
Lee and Samantha were married on 14 May 1879 at the Hopkins County courthouse in Madisonville. They lived in Hopkins County for the rest of their lives but in several different communities. In 1880, they were living in Earlington but sometime between then and 1891 they moved to Dalton where several of their seven children were born. In 1903 they moved back to Earlington and built a house there in 1904. In the 1920’s they moved to Madisonville to a house on West Broadway.
Lee worked as a farmer but was also a Baptist minister. He served as the minister for several churches in Hopkins County and neighboring Webster County over the years.
Lee died on 23 Apr 1929 at their home in Madisonville from complications of diabetes. Samantha died on 7 Jan 1944 at the Hopkins County Hospital from influenza. They were both buried in Grapevine Cemetery in Hopkins County.
Lee and Samantha’s children:
Thomas Richard “Dick” was born on 13 Jun 1858 in Hopkins County. He married Bettie Smith there on 1 Mar 1905 and they had two children. Bettie died in 1909 and Dick married Edith Rhea Jackson between 1910 and 1914, probably in Tennessee. Dick and Rhea lived in Birmingham, Alabama and had one son. Dick died on 11 Jan 1965 in Birmingham and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Springfield, Robertson County, Tennessee.
Albert Elvie was born on 17 Oct 1882 in Hopkins County. He served in the US Army during World War I and spent 18 months in France. He was married at least 4 times, probably more, but had no children. He died on 7 Jun 1959 in Arizona and was buried in Pines Cemetery, Spokane, Washington where he had been living for several years.
Verda Waller was born on 1 Dec 1884 in Hopkins County. She married John William McCauley on 27 Sep 1904 in Earlington. Verda and Will had 11 children between 1905 and 1932. They initially lived in Hopkins County but moved to neighboring Muhlenberg County between 1906 and 1909. Verda died on 16 May 1942 in Greenville, Muhlenberg County and was buried there in Pleasant Hill Cemetery.
Aggie Lee was born on 3 Nov 1889 in Hopkins County and died before she was 20 months old on 2 Jul 1891. She was buried in Prospect Cemetery in Dalton, Hopkins County.
John Corum was born on 22 Dec 1893 in Hopkins County, He married Gertie Tapp there on 28 Dec 1910. They had 3 children and John died on 7 Sep 1923 in Madisonville. One of their children died in 1916 as an infant and Gertie died in 1925. Their two surviving children went to live with Lee and Samantha.
William Perry was born in Oct 1898 in Hopkins County. He enlisted in the US Army in 1916 and was discharged in 1920. He was stationed in France for a time during World War I. He married Margaret Hill on 12 Apr 1921 in Hopkins County. They had one child and Perry died in Denver, Colorado in 1922 of tuberculous. He was buried in Odd Fellows Cemetery in Hopkins County.
James Bailey was born on 27 Mar 1901 in Hopkins County. He joined the US Army in 1917 and was discharged in 1919. Like his brothers Elvie and Perry, Jimmy also served in France during World War I. He was married twice but had no children. He died on 26 Nov 1874 in Carlsbad, California. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern California.
Lee and Samantha were my great-grandparents through their daughter, Verda.
