John J. Hanson, who has a splendid farm partly in Champaign and partly in Ford County, is one of that type of citizens who begin life without special advantages or the inheritance of means except ability to toil and make the best of an environment, and has proved himself one of the sturdy characters in this section of Illinois. His home is just beyond the Champaign County line in Ford County, opposite section 4 of Harwood Township. He gets his daily mail delivery over Route No. 3 from Paxton, Illinois.
Mr. Hanson is a native of Sweden but has spent most of his life in Champaign County. He is a son of Charles and Martha Hanson, and his mother died when he was two years of age. He then grew up in the home of his grandmother and also an uncle, who brought him to America when John was nine years old. He received the bulk of his education in the public schools at Paxton.
At the age of twenty-six Mr. Hanson married Miss Annie Danielson, who was born near Rantoul, daughter of G. and Hilda (Staff) Danielson. Her parents were also natives of Sweden and had a family of nine children. Mrs. Hanson was educated in the Gallagher school near Ludlow.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hanson started farming in Ford County, and four years later moved to the Danielson farm in Champaign County, where they remained eleven years. They had all the qualities which are requisite to making a success as farmers and as factors in the life and uplift of a community. From the fruits of their labors they bought their present fine farm, consisting of 200 acres, 120 acres lying in Ford County and eighty acres in Champaign County. In 1913 Mr. Hanson erected a fine country home at a cost of $4,000. This is one of the most pleasant and attractive country residences in that region. Mr. Hanson has installed a complete water system, furnishing water both hot and cold, and also a Delco electric lighting plant. These improvements, together with telephone and rural mail delivery, give the family all the conveniences of the city in the midst of attractive rural surroundings. Mr. and Mrs. Hanson have five children: Martha, Phoebe, May, Theodore and Ella. To properly educate these children has been one of the chief objects of Mr. Hanson. Martha, Phoebe and May have all finished the eighth grade of the public schools. They have also taken instrumental lessons in music, and music is one of the features of the Hanson family life.
Mr. Hanson’s political support is given to the Republican party. His fellow citizens, having the utmost confidence in his judgment, have elected him to such offices as road commissioner and school director. This confidence is well placed, since he is willing to take from his own time what is necessary to keep up the standard of schools and also contribute to the good roads movement. As a fanner Mr. Hanson raises many bumper crops and in some years has had a harvest of 9,000 and 10,000 bushels of corn. The family also believe in enjoying the good things of life as they go along, and they have a fine five-passenger touring car which enables them to get over the country and visit friends at a distance. Mr. Hanson is one of the leading officials and workers in the Lutheran Mission Church at Paxton. For years he has filled the office of deacon, and is now church treasurer and a trustee. The pastor of this church is Rev. G. Nelson. The family attend worship in the same church and the children are members of the Sunday school.