I have revisisted the "Many Thomas Mannings" several times. I am still having a hard time settling on some issues about my great great grandfather, Dr. Thomas Jefferson Manning. Dr. Manning was born 24 Sept. 1832 in South Carolina to Thomas Manning and Jane Stewart.
One of the first things I would love to find is a really good photograph of him. The only image I have seen appears to be a photograph of a portrait. It's not very life-like and doesn't reveal much of anything about him. We have several studio photos of my great great grandmother, Matilda LeFlore Manning. Even better than a single image of him would be a studio portrait of he and his family. I will definitely keep looking for that.
I am very proud to say that Great Grandfather was a physician. I know that for sure by reviewing the Civil War Pension application completed by Matilda Manning in 1922. I have copies of letters written to various Civil War veterans who might have known Dr. Manning and have their response that they knew him. On the application it states that he served as a physician under Gen. Douglas Cooper. Knowing that he served as a physician in the Civil War, I am certain he was a very competent doctor. The part of his medical background that I can't quite pin down is when and where he completed his education. Being in the medical field myself, I am very interested in clarifying this point.
It has been reported that he attended the University of Nashville and graduated in 1855, but I have not found a source to verify that date or his attendance. I have learned some interesting things about medical education of that era. By visiting the Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, Maryland, I learned that the training in the 1850's was of a short duration. Students paid to attend lectures in which they gained specific medical knowledge. It was not at all like the current rigorous training that today's physicians adhere to. A very interesting source, specifically related to the University of Nashville Medical Department is entitled Peabody College: From a frontier academy to frontiers of teaching and learning which is authored by Paul Keith Conkin, published in 2002 by Vanderbilt University.
In this book, Mr. Conkin describes the medical education at the University of Nashville Medical Department beginnning in 1850 by stating that it was never enforced that students admitted to the Medical Department had to have completed High School. Students had to be literate, be 21 years of age by the time they graduated, must have studied with a physician for 3 years prior. Mr. Conkin stated that the age and the prior experience was many times relaxed. He goes on to say, "Any young man could pay $105.00 in fees for a 4 month series of lectures and limited lab and clinical experience. If they repeated the lectures a second time and passed an oral exam they received an MD". The University of Nashville Medical Department was at its height in enrollment about the time it has been said that Dr. Manning might have graduated.
I was very pleased when I came across some publications by the Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society that listed the graduates of the Medical Department of the University of Nashville. The lists of graduates appeared in Vol. 12, # 1,2,3,4 in 1998 and 1999. They can be purchased from the Society. Before you purchase them, you can check a surname index for each issue. I checked each issue which lists the graduates of the Medical Department and found only one Manning and his name was Jack. I really thought I had come upon something. I know that indexes may not be complete, so I am going to order the issues to see for myself. I sure hope I see Thomas Jefferson Manning in one of the issues. If I don't, I'm not sure where to check next. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sept. 28, 2009- An Even Younger Henry Bonner
On August 26, 2009, I posted a great picture of some of my family that included my father, Henry Forbis Bonner. He looked to be about 13 and I commented that in this photo he was the youngest of any photos that I have. Well, thanks to my Uncle Buddy, I now have some older photos of him. They are really nice. Here are a few. You will notice he is the youngest in each of these photos. All were taken in Caddo, Oklahoma around 1929.
In this photo there is Buddy, Ross (father), Henry and Alvene Bonner.
Standing by the car is Alvene, Henry and Buddy Bonner. Their mother, Eula Manning Bonner is inside the car.
Here are some other cute photos with Henry, Buddy, Alvene Bonner and their father, Ross Bonner.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
August 26, 2009-One of My Favorite Pictures
This great picture is one of my very favorite family photos. This is a picture of some of the members of the Ross and Eula Bonner family. Left to right: Eula Manning Bonner, Ross Bonner, Alvene Bonner, Henry Forbis Bonner, Poppy Bonner and the Bonner family dog.
I'm not sure of the year, but I'm guessing about 1937. Henry Forbis Bonner is my father and this photo shows him at the youngest age of any of the family photos.
Very Nice!
August 26, 2009-Eula Manning Graduation
My grandmother, Eula Manning Bonner, graduated from Caddo High School, in Bryan County, Oklahoma in 1914. I obtained information from Mary Maurer who has the website, "Caddo My Home Town", about who was in her graduating class. Mary said the students included:
Eula Manning
Myrtle Malone
Bonnie Jeanes
Buenos Phillops
Edith Moore
Beulah Pinson
Estelle Peters
Kimbrough Overstreet
Dudley Maytubby
I thought that the picture above was a graduation picture, but it's all girls and more than the nine listed who were in her class. It's a wonderful picture. Eula is on the far right, in the top row.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
June 20, 2009-Edna Bridwell Bonner
Edna Louivesy Bridwell Bonner was my great grandmother. I don't have much knowledge of her life and background. She was born in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana in 1870 and was one of 15 children. Her parents were Wesley Bridwell , born 1820 in South Carolina, and Elizabeth Satterwhite, born 1829 in Georgia. Her father, Wesley was one of 8 children of John Bridwell and Rachel Cox. After Rachel died, John remarried and had eight more children. So, Wesley was one of 16 children of John Bridwell.
Edna married my great grandfather Thomas H. Bonner in 1888 in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana when Edna was 18 and Thomas was 43. Thomas was born in British America in 1845. I'm not exactly sure where that is, maybe Canada or a British Carribean island. Thomas was 25 years older than Edna. That makes me wonder if he may have been married before. Their children were Addie, Edward, Ross (my grandfather), Robert, Thomas and Maude. Addie , Edward and Thomas were born in Louisiana and Ross, Robert and Maude were born in Hattiesburg, MS. My existing family genealogy showed that young Addie died at age one in Louisiana, but I recently found a headstone for Addie Bonner, "daughter of T.H. and E.L. Bonner". She was buried at Windham Cemetery in Laurel, MS. Laurel is not very far from Hattiesburg, only about 30 miles. I'm still trying to put those pieces together.
Great grandfather Thomas Bonner died around 1902 either in Mississippi or Louisiana. He was said to have been a Railroad Detective. On the 1900 census, Thomas and Edna and five of their children except Addie are listed on the Perry County, MS census. Thomas is noted to be a carpenter and both of his parents to be from Ireland. Edna is noted to have given birth to 8 children with 5 living. That means that besides the five listed on the 1900 census, plus Addie who died in 1899, she must have given birth to two other children. At the Windham Cemetery in Laurel, Mississippi where Addie is buried, another child, Sada Auma Bonner is buried. Her marker also reads, "daughter of T.H. and E. L. Bonner. She was born in 1893.
In 1910 Edna and her five children are in Choctaw county, OK. I have wondered why they moved from Mississippi to Oklahoma and not back to Edna's home in Louisiana after Thomas died. Although, Choctaw county, OK is only about 180 miles from Homer, Clairborne County, LA. I still don't know why they went on to Oklahoma, but there are some commonalities that I have found.
The area around Laurel and Hattiesburg, MS was known for its lumbering and lumber mills. On the 1900 Perry MS census, many neighbors of the Bonners worked in lumber mills. The area they moved to in Choctaw county was also known for its lumber mills. The Choctaw Lumber Company, founded by the Dierk's brothers was a thriving business when Edna and her children moved there. Perhaps someone they knew in Mississippi, who was in lumbering, moved to Oklahoma.
I identified a Bonner family in Choctaw county at the time Edna moved there, Dr. Robert Bonner, but it does not appear that he was related to great grandfather Thomas Bonner. While in Choctaw county, Maude Bonner died at age 12 at Ft. Towson, Oklahoma and she is buried there. Coincidentally, Dr. Robert Bonner and his family are also buried at the Ft. Towson Cemetery. There was a smallpox outbreak in 1912 when she died. Maybe that's what caused her death. While in Choctaw county, Robert, Edward and Ross worked for the Choctaw Lumber Company. That information was noted on the WW I draft cards for Robert and Edward and on the census for Ross. Even on his WW II draft card, Edward while living in Arkansas was working for a lumber company. That just makes me think, they had an early influence from lumbering.
While I haven't found that any of Edna's siblings moved to Oklahoma, I did find that a few of her cousins did move there. Her cousin Adolphus Bridwell lived in Pottowatomie county in 1900 and in Kiowa county in 1910. Her cousin, Sarah Elizabeth Bridwell Quillian lived in Cotton county in 1900 and before. Her children were born in Indian Territory in the late 1890's. I guess that doesn't provide enough family support to explain why Edna moved her children from Mississippi to Oklahoma after Thomas Bonner died.
Grandfather Ross Bonner married Grandmother Eula Manning. Eula died in 1940, leaving my Aunt who was only 7 years old. Edna moved to Oklahoma City in 1940 and lived with Ross to help take care of Poppy for one year. Then she moved back to the Ft. Towson area until she required a nursing home. She moved back to Oklahoma City where she passed away in a nursing home in 1950.
My Aunt Poppy recalls visiting Edna at her home. She said Edna was very poor. She kept chickens and she let them come into her house. They even laid eggs in pans and bowls in the house. She would call the chickens in the house by saying, "Come on babies". She also said Edna would sew the small cotton snuff or tobacco bags into pillow cases or sheets. Must have taken a whole bunch of snuff bags to make a sheet. Edna must have been industrious.
Edna is buried at Memorial Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
I have posted some pictures on flickr related to Edna and you can see them there.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29098057@N07/sets/72157620075851228/
Edna married my great grandfather Thomas H. Bonner in 1888 in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana when Edna was 18 and Thomas was 43. Thomas was born in British America in 1845. I'm not exactly sure where that is, maybe Canada or a British Carribean island. Thomas was 25 years older than Edna. That makes me wonder if he may have been married before. Their children were Addie, Edward, Ross (my grandfather), Robert, Thomas and Maude. Addie , Edward and Thomas were born in Louisiana and Ross, Robert and Maude were born in Hattiesburg, MS. My existing family genealogy showed that young Addie died at age one in Louisiana, but I recently found a headstone for Addie Bonner, "daughter of T.H. and E.L. Bonner". She was buried at Windham Cemetery in Laurel, MS. Laurel is not very far from Hattiesburg, only about 30 miles. I'm still trying to put those pieces together.
Great grandfather Thomas Bonner died around 1902 either in Mississippi or Louisiana. He was said to have been a Railroad Detective. On the 1900 census, Thomas and Edna and five of their children except Addie are listed on the Perry County, MS census. Thomas is noted to be a carpenter and both of his parents to be from Ireland. Edna is noted to have given birth to 8 children with 5 living. That means that besides the five listed on the 1900 census, plus Addie who died in 1899, she must have given birth to two other children. At the Windham Cemetery in Laurel, Mississippi where Addie is buried, another child, Sada Auma Bonner is buried. Her marker also reads, "daughter of T.H. and E. L. Bonner. She was born in 1893.
In 1910 Edna and her five children are in Choctaw county, OK. I have wondered why they moved from Mississippi to Oklahoma and not back to Edna's home in Louisiana after Thomas died. Although, Choctaw county, OK is only about 180 miles from Homer, Clairborne County, LA. I still don't know why they went on to Oklahoma, but there are some commonalities that I have found.
The area around Laurel and Hattiesburg, MS was known for its lumbering and lumber mills. On the 1900 Perry MS census, many neighbors of the Bonners worked in lumber mills. The area they moved to in Choctaw county was also known for its lumber mills. The Choctaw Lumber Company, founded by the Dierk's brothers was a thriving business when Edna and her children moved there. Perhaps someone they knew in Mississippi, who was in lumbering, moved to Oklahoma.
I identified a Bonner family in Choctaw county at the time Edna moved there, Dr. Robert Bonner, but it does not appear that he was related to great grandfather Thomas Bonner. While in Choctaw county, Maude Bonner died at age 12 at Ft. Towson, Oklahoma and she is buried there. Coincidentally, Dr. Robert Bonner and his family are also buried at the Ft. Towson Cemetery. There was a smallpox outbreak in 1912 when she died. Maybe that's what caused her death. While in Choctaw county, Robert, Edward and Ross worked for the Choctaw Lumber Company. That information was noted on the WW I draft cards for Robert and Edward and on the census for Ross. Even on his WW II draft card, Edward while living in Arkansas was working for a lumber company. That just makes me think, they had an early influence from lumbering.
While I haven't found that any of Edna's siblings moved to Oklahoma, I did find that a few of her cousins did move there. Her cousin Adolphus Bridwell lived in Pottowatomie county in 1900 and in Kiowa county in 1910. Her cousin, Sarah Elizabeth Bridwell Quillian lived in Cotton county in 1900 and before. Her children were born in Indian Territory in the late 1890's. I guess that doesn't provide enough family support to explain why Edna moved her children from Mississippi to Oklahoma after Thomas Bonner died.
Grandfather Ross Bonner married Grandmother Eula Manning. Eula died in 1940, leaving my Aunt who was only 7 years old. Edna moved to Oklahoma City in 1940 and lived with Ross to help take care of Poppy for one year. Then she moved back to the Ft. Towson area until she required a nursing home. She moved back to Oklahoma City where she passed away in a nursing home in 1950.
My Aunt Poppy recalls visiting Edna at her home. She said Edna was very poor. She kept chickens and she let them come into her house. They even laid eggs in pans and bowls in the house. She would call the chickens in the house by saying, "Come on babies". She also said Edna would sew the small cotton snuff or tobacco bags into pillow cases or sheets. Must have taken a whole bunch of snuff bags to make a sheet. Edna must have been industrious.
Edna is buried at Memorial Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
I have posted some pictures on flickr related to Edna and you can see them there.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29098057@N07/sets/72157620075851228/
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
May 12, 2009-My Grandmother's Facebook
There is a lot in the news about social networking on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. They have rules for participation and even censor information that is submitted by some of its members. I am a member of Facebook, though not an active participant. I go there and learn a whole lot of information about my children and grandchildren. It's fun to "sneak around" and read what everyone is doing. I have recently realized that my Grandmother and her Grandmother also had their own social networking sources.
Their communication and social information came in several ways. Of course, they wrote letters to each other. I recently read a letter written in the 1920's from my Aunt Vera to her sister, my Grandmother in which Vera talked about her children and Grandmother's children. Aunt Vera was offering to send clothing that her children had outgrown. She gave the ages of all the children, their size, their favorite things and activities they were doing in school. It was a clear picture of her family which took her a while to write and even longer before it was received by my Grandmother. I could go on Facebook right now and see pictures of my grandchildren and probably learn what they had for breakfast.
Another way of sending information was through picture post cards. The photograph of the family member was printed on the post card and a card was mailed to all the relatives. The most significant way my ancestors gained their information about family, friends and neighbors was in the newspaper. The newspapers, many published weekly, reported national news, but was absolutely full of "social networking" information.
I got my first look into this "social network" when I purchased a book entitled, Caddo Newspapers, Vol. I, published by the Bryan County Genealogy Library in Calera, Oklahoma. The social information in the Caddo Oklahoma Star in 1875 and 1876 was listed under the headings called "Local Items" and "Star Lights". Later in 1900, The Caddo Herald had headings like "Bennington Notes", "Caney Cullings", "Durants Dots" and "Bokchito Notes". Here is some of the invaluable information I obtained.
"There will be a party at A.A. Conine's next Thursday.
Dr. I.W. Folsom, of Atoka, called to see us this morning.
A few days ago, while a sister of Timothy Dwight was at church, her house and its entire contents were consumed by fire.
Rev. Allen Wright will preach here next Sabbath at 11 o'clock.
The fur trade is brisk; numerous pony loads of polecat, and other skins arrive daily.
Henry Childs, of Pauls Valley, was in town last week.
T. Fisher has opened a new meat market. "
I learned from these snipets that I can go to a party next Thursday, go to church to hear Rev. Wright, buy meat at the new market, get some polecat fur and send condolenences to the Dwight's about their house having burned.
Here is more information of a social nature taken from the Marietta Monitor, October 1, 1896. In this newspaper, they classified the information simply under "Personal". Just look what you could learn.
"James Fish left Friday to visit his old home in Kentucky.
Randolph Ross went to Roff on Sunday.
Judge Love went to Tishomingo on Sunday.
Dr. Schwartz will be at the Marietta Hotel, one day only-October 5.
W. A. Culwell of Burneyville, shipped a carload of hogs from here on Tuesday. "
I learned that Mr. Fish, Mr. Ross and Judge Love probably did not make it to the Marietta Hotel to see Dr. Schwartz on October 5 since they were out of town. And for Mr. Culwell to have a carload of hogs to ship, he must have raised a whole lot of hogs.
In the Ardmore, OK newspapers their social networking categories included: "About Ardmore", "Inter-Territorial", "Davis Driblets" and "Items of Interest". I could go on and on giving you information from these old newspapers because they are so interesting. I will instead give you some links so you can do some reading for yourself. You can "sneak around" these links looking for information, just as I "sneak around" Facebook. I think you will learn that Facebook has nothing on the power of the printed word. You will also probably notice that it took the newspapers very few words and no pictures to convey a clear message.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~okbits/marietta.html
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~okbits/admorestate.html
Happy Reading!!!!!!!
Their communication and social information came in several ways. Of course, they wrote letters to each other. I recently read a letter written in the 1920's from my Aunt Vera to her sister, my Grandmother in which Vera talked about her children and Grandmother's children. Aunt Vera was offering to send clothing that her children had outgrown. She gave the ages of all the children, their size, their favorite things and activities they were doing in school. It was a clear picture of her family which took her a while to write and even longer before it was received by my Grandmother. I could go on Facebook right now and see pictures of my grandchildren and probably learn what they had for breakfast.
Another way of sending information was through picture post cards. The photograph of the family member was printed on the post card and a card was mailed to all the relatives. The most significant way my ancestors gained their information about family, friends and neighbors was in the newspaper. The newspapers, many published weekly, reported national news, but was absolutely full of "social networking" information.
I got my first look into this "social network" when I purchased a book entitled, Caddo Newspapers, Vol. I, published by the Bryan County Genealogy Library in Calera, Oklahoma. The social information in the Caddo Oklahoma Star in 1875 and 1876 was listed under the headings called "Local Items" and "Star Lights". Later in 1900, The Caddo Herald had headings like "Bennington Notes", "Caney Cullings", "Durants Dots" and "Bokchito Notes". Here is some of the invaluable information I obtained.
"There will be a party at A.A. Conine's next Thursday.
Dr. I.W. Folsom, of Atoka, called to see us this morning.
A few days ago, while a sister of Timothy Dwight was at church, her house and its entire contents were consumed by fire.
Rev. Allen Wright will preach here next Sabbath at 11 o'clock.
The fur trade is brisk; numerous pony loads of polecat, and other skins arrive daily.
Henry Childs, of Pauls Valley, was in town last week.
T. Fisher has opened a new meat market. "
I learned from these snipets that I can go to a party next Thursday, go to church to hear Rev. Wright, buy meat at the new market, get some polecat fur and send condolenences to the Dwight's about their house having burned.
Here is more information of a social nature taken from the Marietta Monitor, October 1, 1896. In this newspaper, they classified the information simply under "Personal". Just look what you could learn.
"James Fish left Friday to visit his old home in Kentucky.
Randolph Ross went to Roff on Sunday.
Judge Love went to Tishomingo on Sunday.
Dr. Schwartz will be at the Marietta Hotel, one day only-October 5.
W. A. Culwell of Burneyville, shipped a carload of hogs from here on Tuesday. "
I learned that Mr. Fish, Mr. Ross and Judge Love probably did not make it to the Marietta Hotel to see Dr. Schwartz on October 5 since they were out of town. And for Mr. Culwell to have a carload of hogs to ship, he must have raised a whole lot of hogs.
In the Ardmore, OK newspapers their social networking categories included: "About Ardmore", "Inter-Territorial", "Davis Driblets" and "Items of Interest". I could go on and on giving you information from these old newspapers because they are so interesting. I will instead give you some links so you can do some reading for yourself. You can "sneak around" these links looking for information, just as I "sneak around" Facebook. I think you will learn that Facebook has nothing on the power of the printed word. You will also probably notice that it took the newspapers very few words and no pictures to convey a clear message.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~okbits/marietta.html
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~okbits/admorestate.html
Happy Reading!!!!!!!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
May 10, 2009-Today is Mother's Day
Today, I have received lots of Mother's Day wishes. It's a beautiful sunny day making Mother's Day even better. When I began researching genealogy and my family's history, I wanted to learn more about the women in the family. Traditionally, its much easier to learn about the men in the family. Learning about the women has been a great challenge. In honor of the Mothers in my family, I would like to give you their names. Some I know and love and others I haven't known, but have an understanding of their contribution to their family.
Naomi Harris Bonner-my Mother
Mary Alexander Harris- Maternal grandmother
Louella Palmer Bonner-my Step Mother
Doris Monroe Brown- Mother in Law
Eula Inez Bonner- Paternal grandmother
Mattie Hurst Alexander-Maternal great grandmother
Laura Griffith Manning- Paternal great grandmother
Minnie Todd Harris-Maternal great grandmother
Edna Bridwell Bonner-Paternal great grandmother
Matilda Leflore Manning-Paternal great, great grandmother
Amanda Mallow Griffith-Paternal great, great grandmother
Nancy McNeese Todd-Maternal great, great, grandmother
Analiza Alexander-Maternal great, great, grandmother
Margaret Guest Hurst-Maternal great, great grandmother
Grandmother Harris-Paternal great, great grandmother
Grandmother Bridwell-Paternal great, great grandmother
Grandmother Bonner-Maternal great, great grandmother
I could go on because I have learned about many of my grandmothers from other generations.
I think I will stop here so I can acknowledge all the Mothers and Grandmothers in my family for their contributions to their own family and the sacrifices they made.
Naomi Harris Bonner-my Mother
Mary Alexander Harris- Maternal grandmother
Louella Palmer Bonner-my Step Mother
Doris Monroe Brown- Mother in Law
Eula Inez Bonner- Paternal grandmother
Mattie Hurst Alexander-Maternal great grandmother
Laura Griffith Manning- Paternal great grandmother
Minnie Todd Harris-Maternal great grandmother
Edna Bridwell Bonner-Paternal great grandmother
Matilda Leflore Manning-Paternal great, great grandmother
Amanda Mallow Griffith-Paternal great, great grandmother
Nancy McNeese Todd-Maternal great, great, grandmother
Analiza Alexander-Maternal great, great, grandmother
Margaret Guest Hurst-Maternal great, great grandmother
Grandmother Harris-Paternal great, great grandmother
Grandmother Bridwell-Paternal great, great grandmother
Grandmother Bonner-Maternal great, great grandmother
I could go on because I have learned about many of my grandmothers from other generations.
I think I will stop here so I can acknowledge all the Mothers and Grandmothers in my family for their contributions to their own family and the sacrifices they made.
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