When Charles Hanks was born on December 3, 1875, in Kentucky, his father, William, was 30 and his mother, Margaret, was 21. He had three brothers and four sisters. He served in the U.S. Army during World War I as a Sergeant in Company L, 28th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. He died on May 28, 1918 and is now buried in Somme American Cemetery, Bony, France. He also has a marker in Cloverport Cemetery, Cloverport, Breckinridge County, Kentucky, USA.