Editing Hank Snow (section)

==Early life==
Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow was born on May 9, 1914 in the small community of [[Brooklyn, Queens County, Nova Scotia|Brooklyn]] in Queens County, [[Nova Scotia]],<ref name="LarkinGE" /> to George Snow (1886&ndash;1966) and Maude Marie Hatt (1889&ndash;1953).<ref name="Hatt-1983">{{Cite book |last=Hatt |first=Dr. William Swasey |title=Hang on to your Hatts! A genealogy of the Hatt family in America. |year=1983 |location=Sarasota, Florida |page=98}}</ref><ref name="TannerObit-1953">{{Cite news|title=Obituary of Maude Tanner (Nee Hatt)|last=Tanner (nee Hatt)|first=Maude|date=October 22, 1953|publisher=Liverpool Advance, Liverpool Nova Scotia}}</ref> He was the fifth of six children, of whom the two eldest died in infancy. His parents were married on November 10, 1909, in [[Liverpool, Nova Scotia]].<ref name="Hatt-1983" /> In his autobiography, Snow describes his parents' struggle to feed their four remaining children during hard financial times. His father worked for low pay as a foreman in [[sawmill]]s, often far from home, while his mother helped support the family by washing clothes and scrubbing floors. Both parents showed musical talent. Snow said his father loved to sing, and described his mother as an accomplished singer who played piano during [[silent film]]s at the local theatre and sometimes performed in [[minstrel show]]s. She also enjoyed playing her [[pump organ]].<ref name="HankSnow">Hank Snow with Jack Ownbey and Bob Burris. (1994) ''The Hank Snow Story: Hank Snow, the Singing Ranger''. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press.</ref>

Snow's parents legally separated when he was eight, and the local [[Overseer of the Poor]] decided he and his siblings should be taken from their mother due to her financial difficulties. One sister moved in with an aunt while the other two were sent to separate foster homes. Snow went to live with his paternal grandmother, who forbade him from mentioning his mother and abused him.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Hank Snow |url=https://hanksnow.com/about-hank/ |website=Hank Snow Home Town Museum}}</ref> After divorcing his father, Hank's mother married Charles Tanner in 1930.<ref name="TannerObit-1953" /> Tanner was frequently violent and abusive towards Snow.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hank Snow Biography |url=https://alancackett.com/hank-snow-biography |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=alancackett.com}}</ref> Gradually, Snow began visiting his mother in nearby [[Liverpool, Nova Scotia|Liverpool]], and eventually, after his grandmother's attempt to send him to [[reform school]] failed, he was allowed to rejoin his mother.<ref name="HankSnow" /> 

===Musical beginnings===
After his mother's remarriage, she ordered a Hawaiian [[steel guitar]] and lessons, along with 78 rpm [[gramophone record]]s. Initially, she forbade Snow from touching it, but later, she was amazed by his skill. He was soon playing for neighbours and others.<ref name="HankSnow" />

===Life at sea===
[[File:The Famous Bluenose.jpg|thumb | Photo of the ''[[Bluenose]]''. Snow painted the schooner on cardboard winning 1st prize at the Lunenburg Fisheries Exhibition.]]

In 1926, Snow worked on a fishing [[schooner]] as a "flunky" or [[cabin boy]].<ref>The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines ''flunky'', in this sense, as "one performing menial or miscellaneous duties." Snow's duties included forking cod from the deck into a bin where a "throater" would grab the fish, slit its throat and belly before passing it on to another crew member who would remove its head.</ref><ref name="AllMusic"></ref> The job was unpaid, but Snow was allowed to sell cod tongues and fish he caught. After one trip, he used his earnings to buy a guitar and chord book. In 1927 or 1928, he heard radio broadcasts of country artists like [[Vernon Dalhart]] and [[Carson Robison]], which inspired him to sing and play for his crewmates.<ref name="HankSnow" />

In August 1930, Snow's schooner nearly wrecked on [[Sable Island]], but they were saved by a change in wind. Witnessing other vessels lost in the storm, he vowed to never return to sea.<ref name="HankSnow" />

===Life after sailing===

Snow returned home and worked at various odd jobs, including peddling fish, transporting passengers, unloading ships, and working in the woods. In September 1935, he married Minnie Blanche Aalders.<ref>NS Scotia vital statistics, [https://www.novascotiagenealogy.com/ItemView.aspx?ImageFile=77-970&Event=marriage&ID=221136 marriage record] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303200943/https://archives.novascotia.ca/vital-statistics/ItemView/?ImageFile=77-970&Event=marriage&ID=221136 |date=2023-03-03 }}</ref> Their son, Jimmie Rodgers Snow, was born soon after.<ref name="HankSnow" />