This is the first of an ongoing series of biographies of some of the area's prominent residents. Please contact me if you would like me to feature one of your ancestors or someone you're curious about. Guest bios are welcome and will be posted!
Today's featured person is David Daniel Hanover, a prominent Alpena businessman. He was born in Canada in June 1861 to James Hanover of Connecticut and Hannah Brereton of Ireland. He arrived in the United States in about 1868.
By 1887, David owned a "saddle, harness, glove and mitten, and sporting goods" store on the corner of 2nd and Chisholm and lived above it. By 1889 he had partnered with his sister Elizabeth Hanover Barlow, and together they owned a dry goods store at 118 S 2nd Ave (current location of Country Cousins) called E.H. Barlow & Co. In 1891-2, their store had moved to 104 S 2nd (current location of Traveling Ladders.) In addition, he owned a second business at 101 S 2nd (now the JC Penney catalog store) listed as "Harness Mnfr and Dealer in Turf and Sporting Goods" in the city directory.
On November 5, 1891 he married Miss Clara Lehndorff, daughter of R.L. and Loretta Lehndorff, in Detroit. They made their home together at 212 S 3rd Ave in Alpena. Their one and only daughter, Myssel Katherine Hanover, was born in Alpena on January 26, 1893. Myssel was named after David's favorite racing horse, Missile, as I found out in one of Bob Haltiner's books. Sadly, Clara passed away at the age of 33 on September 20, 1895. David would never remarry.
In 1900, David and his daughter Myssel were living with his sister and business partner Elizabeth Barlow, who had married Edward Fisher the previous year, at 211 S 3rd Ave across the street from his former residence. Edward died before 1910, and after that Elizabeth and David continued to live together at that house until at least 1930.
David's only child Myssel married Stanley Wilson on October 11, 1914 in Detroit.
By 1920, David had retired comfortably at a young age. He appears to have remained with his sister Elizabeth for the rest of his years, perhaps too saddened by the death of his young wife Clara to ever remarry - especially when the close partnership with Elizabeth already provided companionship, financial strength, and someone to do the "womanly duties" around the house. In those days many men remarried simply because they could not take care of themselves, their children, and their homes without a woman around.
David passed away on June 4, 1945 at the age of 85 and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery.
His daughter Myssel had at least three children with her husband Stanley in Detroit, was back in Alpena living at 730 State Street (currently the Ferguson residence) in the 1950s. She passed away in 1987 at an old age.
(According to the State Treasury, there is unclaimed property of hers transferred from Comerica Bank in their possession, so if you are a direct relative you may want to check it out. It could be a safe deposit box containing precious family heirlooms)
If you would like to share something about David, please leave a comment! Hope you enjoyed learning about him and his family.
Update: In September, I visited John Henry's Antiques in Alpena and found a postcard addressed to Myssel and her aunt, "Mrs. Fisher" and couldn't resist buying it after learning all about the family!
