Hannibal Hamlin was born in 1809 in Paris Hill, Maine. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in Maine in 1833. He served terms in the Maine legislature, in the U.S. Congress, and was Abraham Lincoln's vice-president during Lincoln's first term in office. He was married twice: first to Sarah Jane Emery of Paris Hill in 1833, and after her death in 1855 to her half-sister, Ellen Vesta Emery, in 1856. He and his first wife had four children: George, Charles, Cyrus and Sarah. He had two children, Hannibal E. and Frank, with his second wife. Hannibal Hamlin died in 1891. Ellen Hamlin died in 1925.
Hannibal Hamlin's second son Charles, whose papers make up a major portion of the collection, was born in 1837 in Hampden and died in 1911. A lawyer, businessman and soldier, Charles Hamlin was in constant contact with his father and managed his affairs in Maine while the elder Hamlin was in Washington. After reading law with his father, he was admitted to the bar in 1858, beginning a practice in Orland, Maine. During the Civil War he served with various Maine regiments, was Assistant Adjutant-General on the staff of Major-General Hiram G. Berry, and fought in the Battle of Gettysburg. After the war, he resumed his law practice in Bangor. He was also president of the Blanchard Slate Mining Company.
From the description of Family papers, 1802-1975 (bulk 1850-1911). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 55479587
