Correspondence, 1882-1925 and undated

Series II consists of correspondence to and from Charles F. Hanna. In the early letters dating between 1882 and 1888, Hanna revealed what would become a life-long complaint: that he worked long hours with little if any time off and was not much appreciated. In a March 22, 1883 letter to Mr. Guillemin, he wrote of his busy day working 9 to 5 at the office and 7 to 12 at home. "I have no idle moments, except my sleep, restoring nature." In 1884 Hanna applied for the position of General Appraiser of the Customs Service. He did not get the position and, in a letter to "My dear Captain", vented his frustration for not receiving much recognition for his twenty years of work. "One-fifth of a century of slowly revolving years, the flower of my life, spent in building for myself: nothing!"

Hanna was proud of being born on July 4, his "natal day." He often mentioned it in his correspondence. In a letter dated August 19, 1913, he described the circumstances. His maternal grandfather often brought his large family together for reunions. In 1841 Hanna's parents and siblings who lived in New Orleans traveled to Baltimore for one of these gatherings. The family stayed at the home of one of his mother's cousins, near the intersection of Howard and Franklin streets in Baltimore. "I was ushered into this mundane sphere at 9 o'clock in the morning" on July 4, 1841. The family apparently never returned to New Orleans to live as Hanna wrote that he lived in Baltimore his entire life.

Before his retirement in 1922 Hanna was already active in the U. S. Civil Service Retirement Association. In several letters from 1910 through 1915, he indicated his desire to raise the interest in Civil Service employment and provide adequate compensation for such work. In 1910, Hanna served as President of the Baltimore branch of the association.

The correspondence to Hanna includes copies of letters of recommendation written for him for positions in the Customs Service.

Materials are separated into two groups: From and To Charles Hanna. Arrangement is chronological within each group.