Hi Peter
I found your message today, and it interests me greatly.
I have for some time been aware of the Hanna/Hannah family branch you mention, and am particularly interested in John Hanna who was born in Fermanagh in 1783, as I suspect that he might be the father of my great great grandfather Noble Hanna (or, to use his full name, George Noble Hanna).
What I do know is that Noble's parents were John and Anne Hanna, and that Noble was born in Fermanagh - probably at Mullaghdun, and probably in the second half of 1824. John and Anne had both died by 1855.
I suspect that John and Anne were the John Hanna and Anne Fleming who married on 24 October 1815 in the Parish of Galloon. In any event, they are the only John and Anne Hanna I have been able to find...and the only John Hanna I have found who might have been the person who married in 1815 is the John Hanna born in 1783.
There are no Hanna records at the Church of Ireland in Mullaghdun: we have checked this. As you are probably aware, however, there are quite a few Hannas listed in the records of the Kinawley parish. The problem is that the register for 1803-1836 has not been published online, and that is the one that is likely to indicate how the various Hanna/Hannah families fit together. I have been trying to work out how to access the Kinawley records (which I have ascertained still exist), but it is a bit difficult from where I am (ie Australia).
I read some time ago that when they left Scotland not many of the Hannas came to Fermanagh, and it seems that a number of closely-related family members might have gone there (though there do appear to have been both protestants and catholics). There is one interesting indication that this might be the case. In the case of the Hannas who came here, there was a strong family resemblance which I suspect (from the descriptions of him which exist) came from great-great-grandfather Noble. My grandfather and two of his uncles - were all recognisably "Hannas", as is my aunt. Some time ago, I found a photo attached to an Ancestry family tree of a Hanna whose father (from memory Edward Armstrong Hanna) was born in Fermanagh in around 1825 - and it seems to me that he is also recognisably a Hanna...to such an extent that he could well have been a nephew of great-great grandfather Noble.
All very interesting!
Anyway, I'd be delighted to hear from you and to see if, by putting our heads together, we can track down how these families connect.
By the way, as regards spelling of the name, great-great grandfather seems to have always spelled his surname "Hanna" - except on his marriage certificate where he signed "Hannah". This seems to have caused a problem for the witness, one Lawrence Hanna(h) (probably a brother). It is quite clear from the certificate (accessible online - they married in Liverpool) that Lawrence originally signed "Hanna", with the "h" being added as an afterthought, presumably because Noble signed using a different spelling (possibly because the minister had used the "h"). A couple of the children's births were registered as "Hannah", but obviously in error, as Noble's signature was consistently "Hanna".
Look forward to hearing from you.
John Hanna
