Sunday, August 31, 2008

August 31, 2008-Another Marjamin Manning 1805-1882

In my entry of August 10, 2008, I reviewed The Many Thomas Mannings. I was very uncertain about Thomas Manning II. Thanks to a cousin, I now have him clearly in mind. She has given me a very thorough genealogy of the Mannings. Thomas Manning II was born abou 1776 and he died May 21, 1844. He was married to Elizabeth Beck and their children were:

Thomas J. Manning (Thomas III)
Marjamin Manning
Cathryn Manning

I know about Thomas Manning III and have documented him fairly well. You can read about him in the August 10, 2008 entry. I haven't yet looked at Cathryn Manning, but today I spent some time learning about Marjamin Manning. You may recall that Thomas Manning III had a son named Margamin Manning who died while a Prisoner of War. It appears he was named after his uncle, Marjamin.

Marjamin Manning was born in 1805 in South Carolina and died May 16, 1882 in Milledgeville, Georgia. He was married to Elizabeth Champion. Their children were:

Eliza Ann Manning (1825- October 14, 1906) She married Horatio Tatum (Sept. 1821-February 9, 1908). Their children were John, James, William A., Sarah, Hugh and Robert J. Horatio Tatum is noted to have been the sheriff of Dawson County, Georgia. I also found a picture of him sitting in front of McClure Mercantile in Dawson County with some other men. Here is the picture. He is the third from the right. The picture was posted on the Digital Georgia web site.










Hannah Manning (1831-1860). Hannah married Newton Harbin.

Massey Caroline Manning (1835- ). Caroline married William C. Anderson.

Mary Emily Manning (May 18, 1828-September 6, 1900). Mary married Henry Clifton Talley ( January 31, 1827-June 30, 1890). Both Mary and Henry died in Sparks, Bell County, Texas and are buried at the Volo Cemetery.

Sarah Manning (October 22, 1832-March 20, 1911). Sarah first married Sylvester Edwards (1829-1862). They had three children: Jasper, Nancy and Kiziah. Sylvester Edwards died July 24, 1862 in General Hospital #8 in Richmond, Va. as the result of a Civil War injury. He served with the 38th Regiment, Co. I, of the Georgia Volunteer Infantry. After his death, Sarah remarried to William Riley Sluder (1811- Novemeber 17, 1917). I haven't found that they had children. William Sluder served with Sylvester Edwards, Sarah's first husband, in the 38th Regiment, Co. I, of the Georgia Volunteer Infantry. William was captured at Spotsylvania, Va. May 12, 1864, paroled Febryary 1865 and then exchanged May 10, 1866 at Boulware & Cox's Wharves on the James River.

Nancy Manning (August 30, 1840-January 15, 1919). Nancy married Tyre Harden.

Kissiah R. Manning (1845- ) married William P. Gregory.


There are several interesting records about Marjamin Manning. In August 1860, the Grand Jury of Dawson County charged him and nine other men with Riot because they cursed, threw rocks at and hollered at people in the town square. They also beat up Henry Houser, the grocer. Marjamin was found guilty and sentenced to pay a $100 fine or serve 4 months in jail. It's unclear whether he paid the fine or went to jail.

He and his wife Elizabeth donated land for the First Baptist Church of Dawsonville.

An interesting but unclear issue about Marjamin is that he died May 16, 1882 in Milledgeville, Baldwin County, Georgia in an insane asylum. His son in law, William Sluder, husband of Sarah Manning, was appointed his guardian because he was insane. He apparently had a will that was probated May 31, 1882, but I have not yet found that record. It is sad that two Mannings named Marjamin/Margamin died in very unfavorable locations. Marjamin in the Milledgesville Insane Asylum and Margamin at Camp Douglas as a Prisoner of War. The descriptions of Milledgesville Asylum are really horrible and sound very much like the conditions at Camp Douglas. Both were filthy, people were bound in chains, the food was rationed or not available. There was suffering and sickness in both. I will tell you more about Milledgesville in another blog entry.




Tuesday, August 26, 2008

August 26, 3008-Laura Manning's Uncles

On August 14, 2008 I wrote about finding Laura Manning and what a rewarding experience it was. Part of the frustration in knowing very little about her was that I knew quite a bit about her ancestors. Laura's mother was Amanda Mallow Griffith and her grandmother of Jerusha Jane Heffington Mallow. Her grandfather was Stewart Dickey Mallow. It is Stewart's brothers, who are Laura's great uncles that I want to mention today.

Stewart Dickey Mallow was one of 19 children born to Michael Mallow and Charlotte Gortner. Among the 19 were 11 sons, the oldest son Anderson was born in 1817 and the youngest son, Armstead was born in 1845. Six of the 11 sons served in the Civil War. They include:

Durrell Pendleton Mallow- Born November 27, 1843 and died during the war, but it is not known when or where. He served in the 16th Regiment, Texas Cavalry, Company H (Fitzhugh's).

George Harrison Mallow-Born December 17, 1833 and died in 1863, probably in battle. He married Frances Tyler in 1857. George was a Sergeant and served in the 16th Regiment, Texas Cavalry, Company H (Fitzhugh's).

John Preston Mallow-Born March 24, 1832 and died prior to 1863, probably in battle. He married Elvira E. Strother in 1857. John served in the 16th Regiment, Texas Cavalry, Company H (Fitzhugh's).

Louis Clark Mallow-Born March 20, 1828 and died in 1916. In 1865 he married Sally Hampton. Louis served in the 16th Regiment, Texas Cavalry, Company H (Fitzhugh's). He was a bugler.

Oliver Paton Mallow-Born September 4, 1826 and died July 26, 1912. He married Sara Ann Sander in 1853 and then he married Margaret Basket in 1872. Oliver served in the 16th Regiment, Texas Cavalry, Company H (Fitzhugh's).

Thomas Augustus Mallow-Born March 3, 1839 and died July 11, 1929. He married Margaret P. Gates in 1866. He was the only one of the Mallow sons who did not serve with Fitzhugh. He served in the 22nd Regiment, Texas Cavalry (1st Indian-Texas Regiment).

It can certainly be said that the Mallow family gave of themselves through the military service of their sons, Laura's uncles. Laura's grandfather died before the Civil War at age 35, in 1857. Based upon the family's tradition of service, Stewart Dickie Mallow would have been among his brothers in service to his country had he not met an untimely death.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

August 17, 2008-Back to the Mannings-Putting the Pieces Together

Today, as I was reading some Walker County, Georgia history, I came across a site that was listing historical sites in Walker County. The internet site was called Waymarking.com. The interesting finding was a house in Walker County named the William Little House. It is a house in which Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood spent some time recouperating after the Battle of Chickamauga. In that battle, Gen. Hood was injured and his leg was amputated just below the hip. Gen. Hood was invited to stay in the William Little House by Col. Francis "Frank" Little, the son of William. Prior to going to the William Little House, Gen. Hood had been treated at the Clisby-Austin House, home turned into hospital, in Tunnel Hill, Georgia.

Col. Frank Little had served in the 11th Georgia Infantry, Anderson's Brigade and Gen. John Bell Hood's Division at the Battle of Chickamauga.

When it caught my eye, I remembered that William Little was a neighbor of Thomas Manning Jr. (Thomas III). They both are buried in the Young Family Cemetery in Walker County. On the 1860 census of Walker County, William Little is household #680 and Thomas Manning is household #699. They were both land owners with property and estates valued at least $12,000 and above.

That suggests to me that they may have lead similar lifestyles. The picture of the William Little House reflects a rather genteel setting, white house, wrap around porch. I immediately thought that is possible that Thomas Manning had a comparable house in Walker County. So, I have saved a picture of the William Little House and I can reflect on Thomas Manning when I look at it and wonder what kind of house Thomas had. I think it was like William Little's house.

The William Little House
Walker County, Georgia



Friday, August 15, 2008

August 15, 2008-Jesse Brown's Nephew-John German

When researching our family and related families, we have learned so much about their search for a better life. They moved, many times a hardship, with their families, pets and all their possessions in search of land and a new life. There are many stories to tell about our ancestors migration.

Jesse Wilson Brown (1826) was one of 13 children born to James Brown (1776-1850) and Nancy Brookshire (1780-1870) of Wilkes County, North Carolina. Jesse was the 12th child out of 13 children. Jesse migrated from Wilkes County, North Carolina to Scottsboro, Alabama and finally to Fannin County, Texas where he raised his children. Among his children was Thomas Calvin Brown, the first of the Brown's to move to Oklahoma. Jesse's move to Texas was a successful one and he is survived by many descendents who have prospered.

Jesse's sister, Rebecca Brown ( 1804-1851 ) was the 2nd child, making a 22 year difference in their ages. Rebecca Brown married Thomas Didamus German (1808-1876) and they migrated to Fannin County, Georgia. They had 8 children and their son, John (1830-1874) was the oldest. John is the nephew of Jesse Brown. Jesse was just four years older than his newphew John. Jesse and John were migrating from the Carolinas and Georgia about the same time. However, John's story is a very sad one.

John German married Lydia Cox (1832-1874) and they had 7 children: Rebecca, Stephen, Catherine, Joanna, Sophia, Julia, and Addie. John German bought some property in Fannin County, Georgia from his father, Thomas, and worked very hard to make a comfortable home for his family. They had an orchard, vegetable garden, livestock and chickens. He built the original home which was one large room downstairs and one upstairs. He gradually added on a kitchen, a spring house and a few other rooms.The location of their home was in the mountains of southeastern Georgia. They really weren't too far from their original home in Wilkes County, North Carolina. According to various documented records, they really loved where they lived.

When the Civil War broke out, John German enlisted. He was ultimately captured and became a prisoner of war. His health had failed. All the while, his wife and children worked very hard to keep their homestead in the best condition they could. They suffered through theft and pillaging from Union soldiers. Soldiers stole their livestock and destroyed their property. When the war ended in 1865, John German returned home where he found his family home nearly destroyed. Because of his failing health, he probably didn't think he could put in all the effort it would take to rebuild it.

Someone he knew had told him about Colorado where the air was clear, land was available and people were finding gold. John and his family spent five years preparing for their journey to Colorado and a new life. In April 1870, John and his family started on their journey. They traveled up through Tennessee, across to Arkansas and Missouri. They stopped in one location for several years so they could raise some crops and earn some money. They also stopped for a while in Stone County, Missouri where his Uncle Rufus Brown lived. Rufus was the brother of John's mother, Rebecca. Rufus had migrated to Missouri about 15 years earlier. By 1870, John's uncle, Jesse Brown had arrived safely in Fannin County, Texas with his family.

After leaving Stone County, Missouri, they continued west across the plains of Kansas. They were really focused on reaching their destination which was close to the Kansas/Colorado boarder. On September 10, 1874 they were nearing a point where they could follow the railroad line toward their destination or take another route where they would find more available water. They were heading toward the Smokey Hill River and their goal was to reach Ft. Wallace by the next day. John and his family had heard about Cheyenne Indian raids throughout their journey and they were very cautious. John and his son Stephen would walk ahead or along side their wagon with guns in hand being cautiously alert.

On September 11, 1874 they started their journey in the early morning with John and Stephen walking ahead of the wagon. They saw a herd of antelope approaching and John hoped he would be able to get one for the family's journey. While in the midst of the antelope passing buy, they suddenly heard the whoops and shouts of Indians. Before they could take any action, the Indians attacked the family. John German was immediately hit in the head with a tomahawk and killed. His son Stephen was shot and killed. As John's wife Lydia jumped off the wagon to go help John, she too was killed. Daughter, Rebecca also tried to help by attempting to stab one of the attackers. She was killed also. The Indians took what they wanted from the wagon which included food and some of the oxen. They burned the wagon, its contents and family members.

They took the five remaining children, all girls, with them. They stopped nearby the massacre site at a stream to look at their captives. When they realized that daughter, Joanna had long blonde hair, they killed her and scalped her. The four daughters who remained captives were the two youngest, Julia and Addie and the older two, Catherine and Sophia.


Word got out about the massacre of the German family and military troops from Ft. Wallace began searching for them. The troops were under the command of Gen. Nelson A. Miles and Lt. Frank Baldwin. They began a massive search for the Indians and their captives, the daughters of John German. The Indians knew the troops were searching for them and so they began moving to avoid them, by going into Texas and Oklahoma. Because the two youngest daughters were small, they could not ride horses and couldn't walk fast, so the Indians abandoned them.

Julia and Addie German wandered the plains of Kansas for six weeks. They had no food, water, clothing and no one to care for them. They ate fruits, nuts, grasses. They hid at night, a different place each night, so they wouldn't be found by wolves or other prowlers. The two older daughters, Catherine and Sophia, were kept captive by the Cheyenne for 6 months. They suffered torture, physical and sexual abuse, and hunger, all which would be impossible to accurately describe. For a period of time, Catherine and Sophia were separated from each other. Ultimately, all four girls were rescued and brought back safely. Their story of survival is an amazing one.

Their rescue was the result of an intense military operation, active negotiation with the Indians and the heartfelt efforts of those involved. It just isn't possible to describe all of the circumstances surrounding their capitivity and rescue in this blog. Lt. Frank Baldwin was awarded the Medal of Honor for his roll in the rescue of the children of John German.

You can go online and search for John German or Lt. Frank Baldwin and find excellent descriptions and timelines of this sad event. There are two books and many stories written about the massacre of John German. One book is "Girl Captives of the Cherokee" by Grace E. Meredith available at online bookstores. Ms. Meredith's book has photographs of all four girls. Another, "The Moccasin Speaks" by Mrs. Feldman is out of print, but still available.

John German's mother, Rebecca died in 1851, well before he had his journey. His father, Thomas, was still living in Fannin County, Georgia when the attacks occurred. Upon hearing of the death of his son and family, Thomas German began correspondence with Gen. Nelson Miles regarding the rescue and safety of his granddaughters. The father of Lydia Cox German was also in contact with Gen. Miles. Copies of their letters are contained in Ms. Meredith's book.
Catherine, the oldest daughter, decided on behalf of the others, that they would not return to the South. Instead, they stayed in Kansas and were placed in foster homes. I suppose she may have been influenced by the fact that her father was seeking a better life for them in making the migration to the west which cost the life of John, his wife and four of his children.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

August 14, 2008-Finding Laura Manning

Laura Griffith Manning was my paternal great grandmother. I have never heard anyone in the family tell stories about her or describe what she looked like. It seems there has been little mention of her name. In April 2008, I decided that I wanted to focus on women in the family and I decided to start with Laura.

Laura Griffith was born in Collin County, Texas in 1874. Her parents were George Griffith and Amanda Mallow Griffith. Her father died when she was very young and I don't know who his parents were. Amanda's parents were Jerusha Jane Heffington Mallow and Stewart Dickey Mallow. Laura married great grandfather Forbis Manning in 1893 in the Choctaw Nation (Oklahoma). Forbis was 1/4 Choctaw Indian and Laura is noted on the census to be white. I could find Forbis and Laura on the Choctaw Rolls and on the census for Bryan County, Oklahoma. I knew she was buried in Caddo, Oklahoma because I visited the grave sites of the LeFlores and Mannings there. I decided to backtrack a bit and follow the census for her mother, Amanda and her grandmother, Jerusha.

I could find them fairly easily until 1900 and then it seemed I hit a dead end. I recalled that after Jerusha's husband, Stewart Mallow died, Jerusha remarried. She married Mr. David Allen.

So, I searched for Jerusha Allen. It worked because I found a 1900 Bryan County, Oklahoma census with Jerusha Allen as the head of household. I was very surprised to find the other household members to be "Mandie" Griffith (Laura's mother, Amanda), Ellen Patterson (Amanda's sister), Liddie and Annie Patterson (Ellen's daughters). All of the women were noted to be widowed. I knew Jerusha died in 1901, so I looked to the 1910 census for Mandie, Ellen and Ellen's daughters. I found Ellen Patterson living with her daughter Annie in 1910 and then with her daughter Lydia in 1920. Lydia had married Mr. Avant and they were all living in Texas.

I had the feeling that if I found a relative of Lydia Avant and Ellen Patterson, they might know something about their neice/cousin Laura Griffith. The outcome of my search was amazing. I found that Lydia had a daughter Lillian who married Mr. Stone, so I looked in the "Find Living People" section on ancestry.com and found a Stone family living in the town in Texas where Lydia Patterson Avant had lived. I wrote them a short note letting them know who I was and that I was looking for the relatives of Ellen Patterson and Lydia Patterson Avant,who were descendents of Jerusha Jane Mallow. I got an immediate email from one of the family members stating that she was the great-great granddaughter of Jerusha Jane Mallow. What followed were a series of wonderful emails and lots of pictures.

I received a picture of Jerusha Jane Mallow, her daughter Ellen Mallow Patterson, Ellen's daughter Lydia Patterson Avant and Lydia's daughter Lillian Stone. Also received a picture of the trunk Ellen Mallow Patterson used when she moved from Oklahoma to Texas, pictures of crochet work done by Ellen and Lydia, and a picture of a cape worn by Jerusha Jane Mallow. I really treasure these pictures.

Of course, they knew Ellen's sister was Amanda Mallow Griffith and knew Amanda's daughter was Laura Griffith, but they didn't know much else and didn't have any pictures of them. I kept looking at the pictures of these very pretty women and imagined that great grandmother, Laura Griffith Manning probably looked very much like them. I had some satisfaction in having an image in my mind about her. So, I basically felt I had completed all that I could regarding Laura.

In July 2008, I was in Oklahoma City for a family funeral. I went to visit my aunt and uncle who had done the family genealogy years ago. Whenever I visit them, they usually bring out some old family photos for us to look over. They did and it was really good to see some I had not seen before. There was one really old studio photo, with scratches all over it, picturing two very pretty women, nicely dressed. I asked who the women were, but neither my aunt or uncle knew. I turned the picture over and could see some faint writing on the back. I took the picture over to the window for better light. You cannot imagine what I felt when I saw the name LAURA GRIFFITH written on the back. I felt so happy to see her. She was beautiful, looking very much like her aunt and cousins, just like I thought she would.

I can truly say that the process of Finding Laura Manning has been one of the most rewarding genealogy experiences I have had.

Here is the photograph and that is Laura Manning on the right.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

August 12, 2008-Always Looking for Manning Clues

As you know, before my obsession with genealogy, I was obsessed with buying and selling antique and vintage books. Well, I am still buying books on a small scale. With my focus on genealogy, I have begun to seek books with family histories or significant historical events. My favorite place to buy books has always been the Croatan Bookery in Nags Head, North Carolina.

In late June 2007, we were back in Nags Head for a visit and I went to the Bookery. I always stay there far too long and and leave with a big box full of books. I was about to check out when I passed a stack of soft cover books. The one that caught my eye had a great black and white photo of a woman on the front. When I opened it, I was amazed at page after page of black and white pictures. Each picture had the names of the persons in the picture. I knew I must have found a great reference for someones genealogy. Imagine how surprised I was when I looked at the title and author information. The title is "Down to Earth People of Appalachia" and the author/photographer is Kenneth Murray. Looking closer, I noted that the forward to the book was written by Ambrose Manning.

A Manning clue!!! When I opened to the title page, there was an inscription signed by Marie Manning Brown. Manning and Brown, this had to be fate. I knew I had to have the book. But, also the book was published in Boone, North Carolina which is in the county where the Browns were from. I couldn't wait to get back home so I could find out about Ambrose Manning.

I did try to research Ambrose and his Manning ancestors, but I was still too new at knowing the best genealogy records to locate them. I let much time go by without trying again to find him.
I did learn that he was an authority on the places and people of Appalachia, a professor at East Tennessee State University, and that he was from North Carolina. I won't go on and on about everything I learned because as it turns out, Ambrose Manning was not a relative. I learned he was not a relative in June 2008, when I tried again to research his family. I found his entire family in an online obituary of Ambrose who had just died a week earlier. Named in the obituary was Marie Manning Brown, who had signed the inscription.

I keep this book right on my desk and look at it from time to time.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

August 10, 2008-The Many Thomas Mannings

Since I am new at genealogy research, it seems to take a while to put things together. Even though I have a copy of the family history completed by my Uncle in 1989, I have not been able to clearly understand the Thomas Mannings. So, I have now spent some time in tracking them through the South Carolina census starting in 1790. In order to provide some clarity, I have renamed them. I'll start with the most recent Thomas Manning.

Thomas Jefferson Manning- T. J. was born in 1832 in York, S.C. He moved to Indian Territory after completing medical school. In 1857, he married Matilda Elizabeth LeFlore. T.J. and Matilda are my great-great grandparents. His name first appears on the 1850 census in York, S.C. In the earlier census, they only recorded the name of the head of the household.

Thomas Manning, Jr.- I now call him Thomas Manning III. He was the father of T.J. and he was born in 1802 in York, S.C. He married Jane Stewart. His name first appears on the York, S.C. census in 1830. There are two people in his household, 1 male over 20 and under 30 and 1 female over 20 and under 30. In 1830, Thomas III would have been 28 years old and Jane Manning would have been 23.

In 1840, Thomas III was in Walker County, Georgia with 5 children. In 1850, he is in Walker, Georgia with 8 children. In 1860, Thomas III and Jane are in Walker County and have 2 children at home. In 1870, they have 3 children at home in Walker County. In 1880, Thomas III and Jane have their granddaughter, Effa living with them, still in Walker County. Thomas III died on September 11, 1889.

Thomas Manning, Sr.-Now, Thomas II. This is where it starts to get confusing. I previously thought Thomas II was born in 1750 and died in 1802. As I searched the census of York County, it became clear that the Thomas born in 1750 was not this Thomas Manning, but rather it was his father, Thomas I. The birth and death dates I now show for Thomas II are in a range, based upon the census records. Thomas II is the father of Thomas III and had he been born in 1750, he would have been 52 when Thomas III was born and would have died the same year Thomas III was born. I believe Thomas II was born about 1775 and died after 1840 because he appears on the 1840 York census. He would have been born when his father, Thomas I was about 25 years old. Other than Thomas III, I am not sure who his children were. One record shows a Thomas Manning with children Thomas, Cathryn, Marjamin and his wife Elizabeth Beck.

The parents of Thomas II were Thomas Manning and Elizabeth Reid. The siblings of Thomas II were William 1770-1836 who married Nancy Thomas; Catey ; Elizabeth who married Mr. Davis; Mary Polly who also married a Mr. Davis; Robert Manning 1783-? who married Mary Ann. These names appear on the transcription of the will of Thomas I who died in 1802. The will found on the York, S.C. genealogy page shows the name spelled as Manion.

Thomas II appears on the 1810 census as Thomas Manning. His household has 3 males and two are under age 10, 2 females with 1 under age 10. In 1820, he is identified as Thomas Manning with a household of 2 males (Thomas II and one son) and 3 females. One son must have left home by 1820 and a daughter born between 1810 and 1820.

In 1830, two Thomas Mannings appear on the census. Thomas Manning Sr (Thomas II) and Thomas Manning Jr (Thomas III). Thomas II household included one male age 10, one male over age 60 and one female over age 60.

In 1840, in the household of Thomas Manning (Thomas II) there is one male over 60 and under 70 (Thomas II) and one male over 30 and under 40. There are no females in his household. His wife must have died between 1830 and 1840. By 1840, Thomas III had moved to Walker County, Ga.

Thomas Manning I-Thomas was born in 1750 and died in 1802 in York, S.C. He was married to Elizabeth Reid. He appears on the 1790 York census as Thomas Manning with no designation of Jr. or Sr. In his household there is 1 male over 16 (Thomas I), 3 males under 16 (Thomas II, William and Robert) and 1 female (Elizabeth).

In 1800, he is noted as Thomas Manning Sr. with a household of 3 males, 1 age 10-15 (Robert who was born in 1783), 1 age 16-25(Thomas II), 1 age over 45 (Thomas I) and 1 female (Elizabeth). His son William is on the same census page with his household containing 1 male under age 10, 3 females under age 10, 1 male 25-45 (William) and 1 female 25-45 (Nancy).
Thomas I died July 29, 1802 in York County. So, the census after 1800 with Thomas Manning appearing would be Thomas II.

On the transcription of his will, Elizabeth is his wife. William, Thomas and Robert are his sons. Elizabeth, Polly and Catey are his daughters. Robert Manion(Manning) is one of the executors and the other is Randolph Landaland. I can't identify who Landaland is. The witnesses are John Ramsey and Landaland. On a website noted as the Reid Clan, they show Thomas David Reid marrying Mary Ramsey, who was the daughter of Col. John Ramsey and Sarah Birdsong. It is possible that Thomas David Reid was the brother of Elizabeth Reid, but that's another project.

Monday, August 4, 2008

August 4, 2008-Why Did Thomas Manning, Jr. Move to Georgia?

Trying to determine why Thomas Manning, Jr. moved from York County, South Carolina to Walker County, Georgia is a an interesting process. Thomas was born in York County and lived there until about 1833. Thomas and Jane's first two sons were born in York County. John was born in 1830 and Thomas J. was born in 1832.

Multiple things were happening in Georgia around 1832. The government was "negotiating" with the Cherokee Indians for their land in northern Georgia in exchange for land west of the Mississippi. Georgia had been offering land to settlers through land lotteries since since 1805 . In total there were eight lotteries. The last two lotteries were in 1832 and 1833. The lottery in 1832 included The Land Lottery and The Gold Lottery, which was a lottery for land that was in the areas where gold had been discovered. Land belonging to the Cherokees was part of this 1832 lottery. Thomas did not move until after September of 1832 because Thomas Jefferson Manning was born in York County in September 1832. The 1832 lottery was held from October 22, 1832- May 1, 1833. The 1833 lottery was held in December 1833. So, he could have been in Georgia for the 1832 and 1833 lotteries.

In order to qualify for the Land Lottery, he would have to have been a resident of Georgia for three years prior to the lottery. The residency requirement was not required if he had been an officer in the army or navy of the USA. There is no record of him having been a military officer.

I have looked through some of the land lottery records and have found no Manning, so far.

It is noted in the history of Georgia, that many land speculators, who qualified for the Land Lottery and obtained land in a lottery, were quickly selling the land for a profit. Evidently, some people who were involved in running the lotteries were some of the speculators. I suppose word, that the owners of Lottery Land were selling property, would have traveled and settlers may have gone to Georgia to obtain land at a good price. Two good sites that discusses the Georgia Land Lotteries are:

ngeorgia.com/history/lotteries.html

wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Land_lottery

In 1828, gold was discovered in the mountains of northern Georgia and there was a Gold Rush that lasted until about 1840. The prospect of finding gold would have been a good reason for him to move. The combination of gold and land would have been an even better reason.

Perhaps his decision was influenced by the westward migration that was occuring and maybe it was his intention to move further west. He might have known someone living in Georgia, a friend or maybe another Manning family member. Whatever the reason for his move, he settled in Walker County, Georgia and that's where nine of his children were born and where he lived for the remainder of his life.

August 4, 2008-Young Cemetery, Walker County, GA-The Final Word

Since my post on July 26, 2008 , I have clarified some of the relationships of those buried at The Young Cemetery in Walker County, Georgia. The purpose of this clarification effort was to attempt to clarify the relationship between my ancestors, Thomas, Jane and John Manning, with the others buried at Young Cemetery. Among the others are Youngs, McWilliams, Littles, Jacksons, Patterson.

Some of the comments from my earlier post have proven to be correct, but I believe this is The Final Word. James Young 1775-1850 was from Spartanburg, SC. His wife was Anna Foster 1782-1840. James and Sarah Ann Young are buried at Young Cemetery. James and Anna had 12 children.

James
Mary Ann
William
Margaret
John Calvin
Maiden
Robert
Jane
Hamilton
Betsy
Frank
Polly

John Calvin Young married Lula McWilliams. She was the daughter of Nannie Neal McWilliams and Capt. William McWilliams. Capt. Capt. William McWilliams and Nancy Neal McWilliams ( his second wife) are buried at Young Cemetery. Neither John Calvin Young or Lula are buried there.

Margaret Young married Mr. Jackson.

Betsy Young married William Little. Betsy and William Little are buried at Young Cemetery. Among their children, Bettie M. Little married Rev. Mose Jackson. Bettie Jackson is buried at Young Cemetery. Sallie (Sarah) Little married Capt. William McWilliams. Sarah Little was the first wife of Capt. McWilliams and she is buried at Young Cemetery, as is Capt. Williams. A son, J.R. Little 1847-1919 and his wife M.A. Little 1853 are also buried there.

Frank M. Young (F.M.) married Martha Ann Green. Capt. F.M. and Martha Young are also buried there. Among their children, George T. Young 1853-1884 and Sarah Young 1859-1883 are there too.

Another related person at the cemetery is R. P. McWilliams 1881-1907, whose exact relationship is not apparent.

The four people buried there who are unrelated to all the above mentioned people are Thomas, Jane and John Manning and Robert Patterson. The relationships of all the others are pretty clear now. It is still unclear why the Mannings are there in a family cemetery of people unrelated to them. I shall put this to rest because a bigger question is: Why did Thomas Manning move from South Carolina to Georgia?

Saturday, August 2, 2008

August 2, 2008-Margaman Manning-1840-1865

Margaman Manning was born January 29, 1840 in Walker County, Georgia to Thomas Manning, Jr. and Jane Stewart Manning. He was the fifth of eleven children born to Thomas and Jane. His name first appears on the 1850 census in Walker County and he is 11 years old. On the 1860 Walker County census, he is household #698. He is noted to be 20 years old and the head of the household. His wife is Harriet and she is 18. He is a farmer with $375 value of his personal estate. His father and mother are noted to be household # 699 on the 1860 census. That suggests they were living very close to each other.

In researching Margaman on various genealogy sites, his name is spelled Minjaman, Migamin, Margamin, Mingaman and Migamin. On the 1860 census, when he is living next to his parents, the spelling is Margaman.

Margaman's wife was Harriet Evelyn Thornton. She was born April 24, 1842 in Calhoun, Gordon County, Georgia. Her parents were Issac Thornton 1817-1906 and Clarinda Nuckles 1819-1862. Harriet's brother, Augustus Sterling Clark Thornton married Margaman's sister Mary J. Manning. Margaman and Harriet were married January 23, 1859. In 1861, Margaman and Harriet had a daughter, Julia Elizabeth Manning.

Margaman enlisted in Company C, 39th Georgia Infantry Regiment on February 28, 1862. On the military record of the 39th Infantry Regiment, he is shown to be a resident of Whitfield County, Georgia. Whitfield borders Walker County to the east. At the time of his enlistment, he was a 5th Sargeant. He was promoted to Full 3rd Sergeant on September 15, 1863 and to Full 2nd Sergeant in 1864. He was wounded at Jonesboro, Georgia August 31, 1864 and captured there by Union Soldiers September 20, 1864. He was sent to Camp Douglas in Chicago, Illinois and was a prisoner of war. Margaman died at Camp Douglas March 21, 1865.

It has been recorded that over 6,000 Confederate soldiers died at Camp Douglas. The winter of 1864 was apparently an extremely harsh one with frigid temperatures. It has been documented that the prisoners were not given adequate clothing, food or medical care. It is also recorded on various sites, the prison was filthy, filled with vermin, human waste and sick and dying soldiers. The site of the Encyclopedia of Chicago at encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org, has some photos of the camp as well as the history.

Harriet Thornton Manning remarried after Margaman's death. She married William Summerfield Dobson. Harriet died May 25, 1896 and is buried at Bald Knob Cemetery in Wise County, Texas. Julia Elizabeth Manning married John Robert Morris. Julia and John had five children. Their oldest was named Thomas Margeman Morris, apparently after Julia's father.
Julia died December 31, 1953 and is buried at Hubbard, Hill County, Texas.