“M.A. Hanna” stands for Martha Ann Hanna (1859-1913), co-owner of the Orangeacres tract, which birthed Mahanna Avenue in December 1903. “Mattie” may have wanted to cement her maiden name for posterity as just one month later she married a Scottish veterinarian with the breathtaking moniker of Dr. John Andrew Gregor MacGregor McDonald. He abandoned her less than a year after their nuptials and that’s all I know about him. Not that I could find out much about Mattie either. She was born in Henry County, IL and spent many years in Kansas, where she got into real estate speculation. She continued plying her trade upon moving to Long Beach (probably in 1901), where she resided until 1912. She then built her home – her final home – in Sierra Madre. Her early demise may have been due to hereditary conditions: none of her six siblings made it past the age of 54 either.
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