This interview was recorded around 2005 on a road trip up to Atlantic Mine, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where my great grandfather, Michael John Hanley (1890-1964) was born. He lived there until about 1920 when he married my great grandmother, Alma Ratz Hanley (1894-1979) and moved to Flint, Michigan.
The interviewer is Michael’s grandson, my father, Patrick Hanley. He is speaking mostly with my great aunt Beverly Hanley Mansour (1929-2009). “Bev” is one of Michael’s four daughters. Another daughter, Mary Ellen Hanley Topolinksi (1927-2015), is also in the car and participates in the conversation. They are reminiscing about their trips up to Atlantic Mine, from Flint when they were children to visit their father’s childhood home and family. These visits started in the late 1920s and continued on through at least the 1930s. The other Hanley siblings, often mentioned but not part of this interview, include two more of my great aunts, Helen Hanley Toups (1922-1989), Joyce Hanley Schnelker (1932-1982), and my grandfather, Michael John Hanley Jr. (1924-2015).
Hanley Siblings (left to right): Mary Ellen, Michael, Joyce, Helen, Beverly (about 1935)
Hanley Siblings (left to right): Mary Ellen, Michael, Joyce, Beverly, Helen (back)
This is a work in progress and I expect it will be updated in the future. The recording was on an old digital voice recorder and the quality was not great to begin with. It was also recorded in a car, on the highway, with no special microphones. In order to transfer it to the computer I first had to use my smartphone to record the audio from the recorder (like when you had to use your tape recorder to record your favorite song when it came on the radio). I have put together that audio with some photos in this video.
I then painstakingly transcribed, as best I could, what I heard. There are no doubt errors, omissions, and mistakes. I considered having a transcriptionist do this but without some specific knowledge about our family tree and the places and people mentioned, I thought there would be too many mistakes.
Besides, the process of transcribing this interview myself was invaluable. Each time I listen to a section I learn something new. A piece of history becomes clearer. I expect this interview has many more genealogical gems to provide with future listens. And there are several more interviews I haven’t even looked at yet!
I occasionally include minute marks so you can more easily follow along with the transcript. If you would rather not download the pdf file above, you can listen to the interview while scrolling through the images below.
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My grandfather, Michael John Hanley Jr. (1924-2015), received letters from U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan. He also attended a White House reception hosted by President Ford on April 8, 1975.