Benjamin A. Hankins (1847 - 1915)

Born 21 Mar 1847 in Bensalem Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States

Husband of Emma (Touzer) Hankins — married 1874 in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States

Descendants

Died 6 Mar 1915 at age 67 in Anglesea, North Wildwood, Cape May County, New Jersey, United States

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Private Benjamin Hankins served in the United States Civil War.
Enlisted: September 6, 1864 in Trenton, New Jersey
Mustered out: June 30, 1865 in City Point, Virginia
Side: USA
Regiment(s): 38th Regiment, Company K, New Jersey Infantry

Biography

Benjamin was born in 1847. He passed away in 1915.

[New Jersey] Hankins, Benjamin A - 38th Infantry, Company K NAID: 82906533 Textual Records 1 Image[1]

On findagrave.com:

Pvt Benjamin A. Hankins

BIRTH: 21 Mar 1847, Bristol, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA

DEATH: 6 Mar 1915 (aged 67), North Wildwood, Cape May County, New Jersey, USA

BURIAL: Fairview Memorial Cemetery, Cape May Court House, Cape May County, New Jersey, USA

MEMORIAL ID 37749726 ·

Civil War Union Army Soldier. Enlisted as a Private on 6 September 1864. Enlisted in Company K, 38th Infantry Regiment New Jersey on 15 Sep 1864. Mustered Out Company K, 38th Infantry Regiment New Jersey on 30 Jun 1865 at City Point, VA.

My Granny, Emma Hankins: by Charles Neill

The year was 1858 when our great grandmother Emma Touzer was born. She was seven years old when Abraham Lincoln was shot and killed on April 15, 1865.

Our great grandfather Benjamin A. Hankins was born in 1847 in Bristol, PA. He served in the Civil War (Co K 38 infantry), the same time as his father, Eleazer’s second term.

At the age of 15, Emma was hired as a cook for the workers employed by Hurst/Marshall, the general contractors who built the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse. In 1874, Emma & Ben were married and moved to Anglesea in North Wildwood, NJ. They lived on the lighthouse site in a little shack, Granny cooking for the men who were working on the lighthouse and Ben hauling supplies and transporting workmen by boat from Bennie’s Landing in Cape May Court House as there weren’t any bridges or railroads onto the island yet.

When the lighthouse was finished, the cookhouse was moved to 4th & New Jersey Avenues where the WaWa stands today. It was on that block that Emma & Ben built a charming two-story house with a white picket fence surrounding it. There were 5 tall trees that fronted the house. They were landmarks from out at sea. During the summer months, people walking by would stop and sit under the trees to rest and cool off. There was a hitching post by the street for horses, blackberry bushes grew in great abundance. There was a chicken coop with plenty of chickens for fresh eggs and sometimes a nice roast chicken dinner. Out in back of the house were the pig pens and the barn. Of course, there was a large garden with plenty of fresh vegetables to eat and can and we have to mention the proverbial outhouse.

Granny had two children, a boy named Clarence, born in 1874 and a girl named Amanda born in 1881. At the age of 13, young Clarence was crushed to death between two railway cars.

Amanda married Richard Davis and had three children, all girls, Emma, Elsie, and Mae, my mother. Richard Davis was hired as an officer on Anglesea’s one man police force.

Amanda was pregnant with her fourth child when one day she was tending to her cow, also her pet, who playfully pinned her up against the wall. The cow’s horn pierced Amanda’s stomach and she died from complications at 27 years of age. This left Granny with three granddaughters to raise on her own. To make ends meet she took in boarders.

All three granddaughters married after they grew up. Emma & Elsie moved to Philadelphia. My mother Mae married Clarence Neill from Belfast, Ireland and had eleven children. We lived across the street from Granny, but every summer, my parents would rent out our house for extra money, which meant moving in with Granny. To get some peace and quiet Granny would love working outdoors in her garden. She also made friends with a pet crow who would love to sit perched on her shoulder. Some say he would call her name. Granny lived a long life. She died in 1947 at the age of 89.

Sources

• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/MGXK-J17
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37749726/benjamin-a-hankins
• http://www.sunbythesea.com/old/archives/IndianSummer09/Emma-Hankins_iSUM09.pdf