This collection contains 5 letters that Thomas Benton Hagan wrote to his sister Clara about his life in the Canal Zone between 1907 and 1910. He frequently commented on family affairs, including his brothers' legal troubles.
Hagan, who signed his letters with his middle name, "Benton," frequently responded to news of his brothers, including the unspecified legal difficulties of Clarence and Ralph (which involved imprisonment). Hagan urged his sister to pass on advice for Ralph, and mentioned the possibility that he would never see his brother Clarence again. He also discussed his life in the Canal Zone, where he worked as a laborer. On at least one occasion, he served as acting foreman. Hagan suffered with fevers on multiple occasions; one illness required a 17-day hospitalization. On December 30, [no year], he mentioned the death of a friend in a work-related accident; the entire machinist union planned to attend the burial. Hagan wrote his letters on stationery from the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA).
Thomas Benton Hagan ("Benton") was born in Frederick, Maryland, on November 27, 1876, the son of John C. and Catherine Hagan. He had seven siblings: Marshall, Clarence, John Thurston, Clara, Eugene, Marian, and Ralph. Between 1907 and 1910, he worked as a laborer in the Canal Zone. On at least one occasion, he served as acting foreman. Hagan later moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked as a machinist in the Navy Yard. He married a woman named Agnes between 1920 and 1930. Thomas Benton Hagan died in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 7, 1944. His sister, Clara Hagan, married Charles B. Payne. They lived in Baltimore with their children, Eugene, Ralph, James, and Catherine.
