CHAPTER 4 HAND STORY MANUSCRIPT

THE HAND FAMILY STORY
____

CHAPTER 4

THE HAND FAMILY IN ILLINOIS

ELIAS HAND moved from New Jersey to Sangamon County, Illinois May 30, 1838 and settled only one farm away from WILLIAM [SENARD] SINNARD, father of AMANDA. AMANDA SINNARD was living in Illinois at the time with her husband JOHN LEWIS SINNARD. Her son, COURTLAND CHADBURN SINNARD, was born on July 7, 1838, approximately thirty days after the arrival of ELIAS HAND and JOHN LEE HAND. JOHN LEE HAND very likely knew AMANDA, JOHN LEWIS SINNARD and COURTLAND before the family divorced. After her divorce, AMANDA SINNARD probably moved back to live with her parents, WILLIAM and MARY SINNARD, only one farm away from ELIAS HAND, the grandfather of THOMAS LEE HAND.

On March 6, 1846, THOMAS LEE HAND and AMANDA MELVINA FITZALLEN SINNARD were married. THOMAS LEE HAND was either 22 or 26 years old at the time. AMANDA was 29 years old. COURTLAND SINNARD, who was now THOMAS LEE HAND'S stepson, was almost eight years old. It is not known how THOMAS LEE HAND supported his family at the time, but the 1850 ILLINOIS CENSUS, Sangamon County, notes THOMAS HAND as a farmer.

On April 23, 1854 JOHN LEE HAND was born to THOMAS LEE HAND and AMANDA MELVINA FITZALLEN SINNARD HAND. This event occurred eight years after their marriage. AMANDA was then thirty seven years old. JOHN LEE HAND was their only child.

The 1860 ILLINOIS CENSUS, Sangamon County also lists a record of the family of THOMAS LEE HAND. THOMAS LEE HAND was listed as being 36 years old, a farmer and born in Illinois. If he was 36 years old in 1860, then his birth date must have been in 1824 instead of 1820 as the family record indicates. This record, combined with the 1850 ILLINOIS CENSUS, would indicate that THOMAS LEE HAND was very likely born in 1824 and not 1820 as previously believed. His wife, AMANDA, is also listed as 36 years old and born in New Jersey. It is obvious that the census recorder confused the two places of birth for THOMAS and AMANDA by reversing them. AMANDA was also born in 1817, which would have made her 43 years old at the time of the census and not 36 years old as indicated.

The SINNARD connection must have been very strong while THOMAS and AMANDA lived in Illinois. In the 1860 ILLINOIS CENSUS, THOMAS and AMANDA have been entered on the next line below A.W. SINNARD and his family. A.W. SINNARD was AMANDA'S brother. On the fifth line below THOMAS LEE HAND is listed MARY SINNARD, AMANDA'S mother. A.W. SINNARD and THOMAS LEE HAND were both farmers as was WILLIAM SINNARD, AMANDA'S father. From the INDEPENDENT PRESS, Vol. 3, No. 15, Taylorville, Christian County, Illinois, Friday, May 4, 1860, comes the following excerpt:
UNPAID TAXES FOR THE YEAR 1859
T.S. HAND ------ 40 acres, value $160, tax $1.55
W.J. SINNARD - 10 acres, value $160, tax $ .39
W.J. SINNARD - 40 acres, value $160, tax $1.55
T.S. HAND is probably THOMAS LEE HAND and W.J. SINNARD is probably WILLIAM J. SINNARD, another brother of AMANDA.

It would be interesting to know what the relationship in the family was like. JOHN LEE HAND and COURTLAND CHADBURN SINNARD both knew their grandmother, MARY CHADBURN SINNARD, as she did not die until 1865 when JOHN LEE HAND was 11 years old. Their grandfather, WILLIAM SINNARD, was known only by COURTLAND CHADBURN SINNARD, as he died in 1856 when JOHN LEE HAND was only two years old.

On December 3, 1865 AMANDA MELVINA FITZALLEN SINNARD HAND died in Macon or Christian county, Illinois. It is unknown how she died or where she is buried. In one of those ironic circumstances, AMANDA'S death came only ten days after the death of her mother, MARY CHADBURN SINNARD, on November 23, 1865. This left THOMAS LEE HAND and JOHN LEE HAND, 11 years old, alone. It is know that COURTLAND SINNARD left home before the death of his mother as MYRLE T. SINNARD wrote that COURTLAND CHADBURN SINNARD went to Kansas as a young man and lived around Oskaloosa and later around Orlando and Perry, Oklahoma. Macon County, Illinois marriage records, Vol. III, p.19, show the following:
CORTLEN SINNARD, MARIA WILSON, March 3, 1864.

The 1870 ILLINOIS CENSUS notes the following data:
Macon County, dwelling 49, family 49.
SINNARD, COURTLAN .. 32 .. M .. farmer .... property value $900 .... birth, Illinois
MARIAH ....... 24 .. F .... keeping house .. birth, Ohio
LAURA ........... 3 .. F .... born, July ......... birth, Illinois
CLARAH .. 10/12 .. F .... born, July ......... birth, Illinois
OGDEN, JOHN ..... 30 ... M .. farmer .... property value $300 .... birth, Kentucky

COURTLAND and his family finally settled in Pleasanton, Kansas. The HANDS, SINNARDS and BOUCHERS in Kansas are the subjects of the next chapter.

orn22

PAGE GRAPHICS CREDIT