William Mann's Parents

There are so many men named William Mann who came from England, it's a difficult name to research. Without any mention of his birthplace or parents' names in any records I had found, I was lost on my Second Great Grandfather's ancestry. Until someone posted the record of his second marriage on the Family Search website.

This page of a marriage register from Peoria county, Illinois for the year 1896 shows "William Mann" of "Harbine, Jefferson Co. Neb", a "farmer" age "66" who was born in "Forncett, Norfolk" is the son of "Robert Mann and Elizabeth Groomes". This is definitely the marriage of "my" William to Mary Armstrong, his second and her first marriage. I've edited the image above to show it all on this page. 

So, it's exciting to learn his parents' name and birthplace, but...

Also posted is this record of a baptism for "William, bastard son of Elizabeth Mann." The Baptism occurred on February 22, 1829 in Forncett, St Peter, his mother listed as a spinster. William Mann's birth date is consistently listed as February 12, 1830 in every other record I have, but for various reasons dates can be incorrect.

The heading on this record reads:

Baptisms in the Parish of Forncett, St Peter in the County of Norfolk in the Year 1829

The last line reads:

Col 1 When Baptized:  1829 February 22nd No. 228

Col 2 Child's Christian Name:  William Bastard son of

Col 3 Parents Name, Christian:  Elizabeth

Col 4 Parents Name, Surname:  Mann

Col 5 Abode:  Forncett St Peter

Col 6 Quality, Trade, or Profession:  Spinster

Col 7 By Whom the Ceremony was performed: (not sure) 

Forncett is about 110 miles northeast of London, and 10 miles southwest of Norwich. St Peter's is a church parish located there. Click on the link for more information and a photo of this historic church on Wikipedia.

So, did Robert Mann exist? Should I look for a Robert Groomes? Another record posted on Family Search for Elizabeth Mann shows her burial in the year 1847 at the age of 60. This would mean in 1829, she was about 42 years old. She lived in a Union Workhouse in Forncett, I need to find out more about that place. More research on these names might turn up some other records. Could this be why little information can be found about William Mann's heritage? 

Whatever the case, William Mann traveled to America on his own, married a widow with a young daughter, raised her and seven children of his own, was married to his first wife for 33 years, became a successful farmer and left a legacy to be honored.