Hugh Berry Hancock

Author: Karen Sikes Collins

Hugh Berry Hancock was born in Austin, TX in 1855 to Judge John Hancock and his enslaved woman, Eliza. One observer noted Eliza was “coffee colored” and Hugh was “cream colored,” nearly white. He was only a few months older than his white half brother, Edwin, whose mother, Susan, was Judge John’s legal wife. In 1860, Judge Hancock sent Hugh, his brother, and his mother to live in Oberlin, Ohio, thereby freeing them. Hugh’s brother and mother died soon after arriving, and Hugh was boarded and cared for by the Patterson family. Hugh later attended Oberlin College at his father’s expense. When Congress was in session in Washington DC, Hugh would visit his father who served as Representative from Texas for four terms. Hugh would return to Oberlin with money to support his pack of dogs and his love of hunting and fishing. He returned to Austin and married Susie James O'Connor, a former Oberlin student, in November 1879. They had four daughters, Bessie Hancock Doran, Bertha Hancock Avila, Nettie Hancock Washington, and Hugh Ella Hancock Gregory.

Wife Susie O’Connor Hancock taught at the School for the Deaf and Dumb, and Hugh owned the Black Elephant Saloon. Hugh did not accept his father’s offer to send him to a northern law school. Nor did he make use of a farm his father was rumored to have purchased for him. He was politically active in the Republican Party and in 1892 was elected representative from the 8th ward to the Austin City Council. There are no indications that half-brother Edwin or father Judge John openly recognized Hugh as part of the family. While his white cousin, Lewis, became mayor and his half brother, Edwin, managed Judge John’s estate, Hugh seems to have remained socially outside, though he was a “bright, genial gentlemanly fellow and humorous too.” Hugh pushed against the restraints of segregation, getting in trouble in 1885 for demanding to be served in a white restaurant. According to the Austin Statesman newspaper, Hugh was arrested for gambling, assault, or fighting many times from 1883 to 1905. In 1905 Hugh was sentenced to a work camp but escaped after two months. He was tracked by bloodhounds and recaptured. A short while later Hugh Berry separated from his wife and moved to Idaho where he died in 1910. His wife taught at Prairie View College for a while, and then with her daughters left Texas. Judge John has no living white descendants, but through his sons Orange and Hugh Berry he has many black descendants, including Friends actress Aisha Tyler.

Following is a transcription of a newspaper article in the Cleveland Leader, October 28, 1880 in which the writer details how he determined that Congressman Judge John Hancock, and not presidential candidate General Winfield Scott Hancock, was the father of biracial Hugh Berry Hancock.

“HUGH HANCOCK, The Highly Sensational Rumor that General Winfield Scott Hancock Had A Cream Colored Son Who Was Reared and Educated at Oberlin, Falls to Earth for Want of Sufficient and Valid Proof. Hugh’s Geneology Traced Back to Old John Hancock of Texas, Who Seems to Have Loved Not Wisely, But Too Numerously.

Oberlin, October 28-“Do you know that General Hancock had a son at Oberlin a couple of years ago attending school?” asked a prominent Cleveland business man of me yesterday. I told him I was not aware of that fact, and questioned him further, when he disclosed the following sensational tale: “I met an Oberlin gentleman this morning, who asked of me if I ever heard that General Hancock had a coffee colored son attending the college at this place. On my telling him that I had not, he gave me a few of the particulars. He said that a young man calling himself Hugh Hancock, a native of Texas, and about as old as Order 40, had been until quite recently a student at the Oberlin college. Hugh claimed that his father was a white man of Considerable Function, whom the people called General. There, that is all I know of the story, and if you wish to learn more Oberlin is the place for you to steer for.”

Accordingly I dropped down here last night, fully determined to beat the bushes and get what game there was. The first Oberlinite I attacked was President Fairchild, of the college. It was just after evening prayers at the chapel, and I put my question to him before he got off the platform. He admitted that Hugh Hancock had been a student, but declared that he knew nothing of his pedigree. President Fairchild is a nice-looking old gentleman, so I believed him. He told me, however, that Professor G. W. Shurtleff had heard of the rumor, and had given it some investigation, so I trudged over to his house.

The Professor’s Story was substantially like this: “A short time after the Democrats nominated Hancock, several colored waiters in Milwaukee told it around that they had attended school in this place with a certain Hugh Hancock, who was a full-fledged son of the Democratic candidate for the Presidency. The story was quickly hushed up by the hotel keeper who employed these waiters, on account of his fearing it might hurt his trade. The rumor gained circulation and the first thing I knew it had reached Oberlin. I knew that Hugh had been here, a bright, genial gentlemanly fellow humorous too, and I remembered that Jack Meyers, who now lives in Janesville, Wis., was intimate with him. Hugh was a great hunter and always kept a large pack of dogs. Jack Meyers was also a sportsman and the two became acquainted and friends through their love for hunting.

Well, a short time after I began my search for the links with which to make the claim, Mrs. Meyers, who is the daughter of our Dr. William Bunce came back here on a visit and she asserted positively that it was her husband’s belief that Hugh was the child of General Hancock. That strengthened my fast failing suspicions, and to work I went again. Well, the result of my labor was simply this: I found that there was formerly in the National House a Judge Hancock from Texas. He was a big man in his section and his neighbors, like all Southerners, to confer a title befitting the man, deemed Him General.Well, a short time after I began my search for the links with which to make the claim, Mrs. Meyers, who is the daughter of our Dr. William Bunce came back here on a visit and she asserted positively that it was her husband’s belief that Hugh was the child of General Hancock. That strengthened my fast failing suspicions, and to work I went again. Well, the result of my labor was simply this: I found that there was formerly in the National House a Judge Hancock from Texas. He was a big man in his section and his neighbors, like all Southerners, to confer a title befitting the man, deemed Him General.

This man, I became convinced, was the sire of Hugh, the yellow boy. You see, Hugh used to go to Washington to visit his father, but the old gentleman would not allow his son to recognize him in public. Hugh would find a nice quiet boarding place and would receive visits from his father there. After he had seen all he wanted of the capital city he would return to Oberlin with his pockets filled with money. Old man Hancock did all he could to have Hugh change his name, but the young man was too smart to do that. Finally Hugh left school, having made but little headway, and went to Texas where his father had purchased him a ranch. He afterwards sold his farm and is now teaching school, not daring to come back here on account of the agreement which he made when his father bought him the farm. I can say, after a thorough investigation of the matter, that there is not the faintest shadow of proof upon which to accuse General Hancock, the Democratic nominee, of being the father of Hugh.”

Somewhat baffled, I wended my way to the residence of Mr. J. B. T. Marsh, the treasurer of the college, who, it was claimed by my Cleveland informant, knew all the particulars of the lineage of the cream-colored youth in question. Mr. Marsh asserted that he knew nothing whatever of the case, only upon hearsay evidence, so I left him and ambled across the road to the dwelling of Dr. William Bunce, whose son-in-law, John Meyers, is supposed to know the entire history of young Hancock’s descent. The doctor is a quiet man and one of good judgment. He related substantially the story told by Professor Shurtleff.

His daughter, the wife of Mr. Meyers, was out on a visit this fall, and she insisted, so the doctor said, that the first story was the correct one. Her husband, she said, knew all the details and was firm in his belief that Hugh Hancock was the son of General Winfield Scott Hancock. Meyers, so his father-in-law tells me, received letters from Hugh after the two became separated, in which some of the secrets of his birth and life were told. The doctor firmly believed in the story related by Meyers until quite recently, when he somewhat modified his views; but there is one thing quite certain: if Hugh Hancock is ever proven to be the offspring of the gentleman from Governor’s Island, you may rest assured it won’t shock or startle the doctor any.

After I had probed about this far I became convinced that I had perhaps reaped a mare’s nest, if not several of them, but, like truth I would not down, so other citizens were called upon. At last I found Judge G. W. Steele, a keen, bright long-headed lawyer, whose opinions are to be respected. The Judge has returned from Indiana, where he did some splendid work in the way of organizing. He and Dorsey traveled together, and they made right smart of a team. He and Frank Carter, the hardware merchant, were bent over the Oberlin poll book hard at work when found. From him was learned the complete history of the “mysterious heir,” so to speak.

Said the Judge: “A number of years ago there came to Oberlin a coffee colored woman and two boys. They took up their residence near the outskirts of town. After a while one of the boys died, and soon afterwards the mother followed suit; or moved away. Which of the two she did I am not able to say; anyway she disappeared. The remaining child was Hugh Hancock; he was a little fellow then. Well, he lived here, no one paid any attention to him, and finally grew up into young manhood. He was fine looking, almost white, and had plenty of money. People wanted to know where he got it, and it leaked out that his father was a rich white man.

That explanation was all that was necessary, and Hugh pursued the even tener of his way, devoting his time to hunting, fishing and the like; he was not a loafer by any means, but seemed to be fond of fun. He fell in love with a white girl out in the country but was headed off before any damage was done. Occasionally he would go to Washington to visit the old gentleman, and about three years ago left for good, going to Texas to live. I heard the rumor of his parentage directly after the nomination of Hancock, and spent two days in company with another gentleman in working the case up. I was in hopes that General Hancock would turn out to be the father, but after a careful search I became convinced that ex-Congressman John Hancock of Texas was his illegal sire.

I met a banker in Toledo who used to do Old John’s Business when Hugh was here in Oberlin, and from him gained a portion of my information. Then correspondence was commenced with a number of gentlemen from the Lone Star State, and the fact became deep-rooted beyond extraction that Old John of Texas was the individual to blame for Hugh’s appearance upon earth. Why, there are four or five of us here who have followed the trail, and we all came to a halt in the same place, slam-bang against the Texas Hancock. John Wall, a colored man who resides here, and who was an intimate friend of young Hancock, will tell you the same story.”

Mr. Frank Carter says he saw Wall the other day, and drew from him the same story told by Judge Steele. Wall was inclined to be a little offish a year or two ago, and joined the Greenbackers, but lately he has been edging toward Republicanism again, and would love to kick Hancock in the bowels if he could. Hence his version of the history of Hugh is considered correct.

As Professor Shurtleff said, there is not a shadow of proof upon which to base the belief that the Democratic corpse to be is any relation to the dashing young fellow in Texas. But after the election is all over, and after Winfield Scott has again resumed his easy chair, his cigars and sparkling champagne-I say, after all this, if it should turn out that old John has been credited with too much, just chalk down the fact that there will be one or two gentlemen in Oberlin who will not be surprised a particle. MORO”