Charles Hanson Family (c. 1885)

This picture of the Charles Hanson family dates to around 1885. This can be determined since Charles and Jane's youngest daughter, Hannah, who was born in 1887, is not in the picture and Nettie (far left) who was born in 1881, appears to be about 3 or 4 years old.


Charles Hanson family (Decorah, IA: J. T. Relf, c. 1885). Image courtesy of Verla Williams. From left: Nettie, Oscar, Jane, Clara, Charles, Minnie, and Ben.

Additional confirmation that the image is from the early 1880s comes from a Family Tree Magazine article: "According to the Biographies of Western Photographers: A Reference Guide to Photographers Working in the 19th Century American West (Carl Mautz), J. T. Relf operated a photo studio on Water Street in Decorah, Iowa, in 1880."

In 1885, the state of Iowa took a census. As expected Charles Hanson's family listed above, as well as his elderly father, Martin, are all still sharing a household in Madison township, Winneshiek county.


Detail of 1885 Iowa Census. Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.

69 / 69 / Hanson, Charles / 39 / M / M / Farmer
_____, Jane / 37 / F / M / Keeping house
_____, Bernt M. / 17 / M / S
_____, Clara M. / 11 / F / S
_____, Minnie A. / 9 / F / S
_____, Oscar C. / 7 / M / S
_____, Annettie G. / 3 / F / S

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Source Information: Ancestry.com. Iowa, State Census Collection, 1836-1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. 
Original data: Microfilm of Iowa State Censuses, 1856, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925 as well various special censuses from 1836-1897 obtained from the State Historical Society of Iowa via Heritage Quest.