The patriarch of the family, Henry Edward Hannah (1864 - 1937), was born in Duffus, Morayshire, Scotland.   He was married twice, Sarah Jane Kelly Hannah (1864 - 1905) and Bertha Caroline Silverson Hannah (1880 -1955), 17 children were born of the two marriages.  The children were born in the borough of Verdun, in Montreal, Quebec and they are of Scottish-Canadian heritage.

Among the children there were many who carved and painted wooden sculptures, mostly figurative, that ranged in size from 5 or 6 inches to 12 inches or more.  Generally, the men were the carvers, save for one or two exceptions, and the women shared the painting of them.

The Hannah carvers worked in the Scandinavian flat plane carving tradition.  They learned their skills from Carl-Johan (CJ) Trygg.  CJ had emigrated to Quebec earlier in the 20th century and eventually relocated near Saint-Sauveur, Quebec, where he established a wood carving school.  CJ taught the flat plane style of carving, a tradition in Northern Europe, and also the “caricature” style of figurative carving.  This was usually humorous, tongue in cheek carvings, unlike the more formal Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, another wood carving center in Quebec, who’s figurative works were carved from life.

Too many Gerald “Pat” Hannah was the best carver of the Hannah family.  He certainly had more control with his knives and chisels and his carvings were more detailed and with better proportions.