March 1, 2009-Keziah Manning and William Gregory

On August 31, 2008 I wrote about the family of Marjamin Manning and Elizabeth Champion. I knew a little about some of their children. Thanks to a descendent of Marjamin and Elizabeth who made a comment on my blog, I am adding some information about their daughter Keziah (Kessiah). The person commenting provided some information and then I spent a little time looking for more. About her name, I have spelled it differently each time I have written it. I saw it on one of the census as Keziah, so that's how I will use it.

Keziah Manning was born in 1845 in Georgia. She married William Porter Gregory and they had nine children.

Charles Gregory
William S. Gregory
Ella E. Gregory
James A. Gregory
Lula Gregory
Martha E. Gregory
Noah D. Gregory
Thad P. Gregory
Joseph Henry Gregory

On the 1880 census in Dawson county GA, Keziah and William are listed with their children Charlie, Ella, William, James and Lula.

On the 1900 census, also in Dawson county, Keziah and William Gregory are listed with children Ella, Lula, Martha, William, Noah, Thad and Joseph Henry. They are household # 31 and their son Charles Gregory and his family are household #30. On this same census James A. Gregory and his family are household #5. By the time of this 1900 census, Keziah's parents Marjamin and Elizabeth had died. Elizabeth died in 1895 and Marjamin died in 1882.

In 1900 the family of Charles included his wife Roxie and children Robbie M., Lula B. and William A. Also in 1900, the family of brother James A. included Florrence E. and Annie L. Gregory. James was 22, Florrence was 23 and Annie was age 2. Some family trees on ancestry. com show that Annie Gregory's mother was Effie Fletcher. So, perhaps her full name was Florrence Effie Fletcher. James Andrew Gregory who according to the comment on this blog was also known as Andrew James Gregory.

Andrew James Gregory migrated to Oklahoma around 1903. His first wife had died and he remarried to Laura Tharp on October 1, 1910 in Garvin County, Oklahoma. Their marriage date was after the 1910 census was taken. Prior to his marriage to Laura, on the 1910 census in Garvin county, Andrew James Gregory is listed with his children Annie L. age 12, Pearl age 5 and George R. Gregory age 2. Andrew James Gregory and Laura Tharp had six children: Bertha, Walter, Elmer, Myrtle, Clyde and Roy. I found a wonderful picture of them on the Davenport Family Tree on ancestry.com.

William and Keziah Gregory also migrated to Oklahoma, maybe at the same time and their son Andrew James. William P. Gregory died July 29, 1909 in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. On the 1910 census in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma the children, Noah, Thad and Joseph Henry are living with their mother who was listed as Mrs. Gregory.

On the Garvin county record of marriages T.P. (Thad P.) Gregory age 26, married Sarah Burford age 18 on October 4, 1914.


I found the 1917 draft registrations for Thad P. Gregory and his brother Joseph Henry Gregory. Thad was living in Rosedale, Wyandotte, Kansas and he noted that people dependent upon him were his wife and his mother. So, it appears that Keziah left Pauls Valley, OK and moved with Thad to Kansas. Thad indicated that he was a cement worker and worked for J.E. Clark, a Kansas City company. Wyandotte county Kansas is right on the boarder of Missouri. Rosedale, where he lived, is now a part of Kansas City. On the draft card of Joseph Henry Gregory he stated he lived in Kansas City, MO and that he was a cement finisher, also with the J.E. Clark company in Kansas City.

I will have to spend a lot more time on the Gregory family and put some more pieces together before it will be very clear. But, I have made some progress. I was glad to learn that in addition to my own Manning ancestors, other Manning cousins also migrated to Oklahoma-"Where the wind comes sweeping down the plains".