Catherine Hanks

Catherine, wife of John Hanks, is notable as being a 2nd great-grandmother of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, and because the settlement of her estate was administered by her son Joseph Hanks, whose whereabouts in and around the time period of the estate settlement have been the focus of much genealogical research.

Catherine might have been born on or around 1694 as Catherine Williams, but no direct evidence nor reasoning has been located for her birth date nor her maiden name. More detailed research into the Williams family in Richmond County may shed additional light. Some Hanks descendants at Family Search believe her surname was Evans, but they offer no evidence.

It is highly likely she was born in or prior to 1699, as her first child with John Hanks, William, was christened in 1715.

We have record that Catherine and John had at least nine children:

1. . William Hanks, christened 1715
2. . Eleanor Hanks, christened 1717
3. . Elizabeth Hanks, christened 1720
4. . Sarah Hanks, christened April 1723
5. . Catherine Hanks, christened October 1723
6. . Joseph Hanks, christened 1725
7. . John Hanks, christened 1728
8. . Thomas Hanks, christened 1732
9. . Alexander Hanks, christened 1734

According to Adin Baber's read of Richmond County order books, Catherine and John were cited in 1737 to show cause why their children should not be bound out, and then Catherine was cited again for the same, this time as a widow, on 4 August 1740, by which time we know that her husband John had died.

Catherine lived as a widow almost forty years after her husband's death, dying intestate, probably in January, 1779. The subject of her estate settlement is here covered in as much detail as is currently available.

• WikiTrees-Williams-30105
• page 308 of Nancy Hanks, of undistinguished families; a genealogical, biographical, and historical study of the ancestry of the mother of Abraham Lincoln.  by Baber, Adin.  Published 1960. "John and Catharine Hanks - their children"
• Reference: FamilySearch Genealogy - SmartCopy: Nov 17 2020, 20:58:59 UTC