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| Copy of Bible Record, property of Doris Menke, date created unknown. |
Written in a Bible record, printed in an obituary and etched on his tombstone, the date of February 12, 1830 is recorded as the birth of William Mann. He was born somewhere in England, but I have not found any bread crumbs to the exact location. If he had any siblings, he seems to have not had any contact with them. His parents remain a mystery. He told the 1900 census taker that 1852 was the year he immigrated, but I don't find a William Mann in any ships passenger lists for 1852.
The first definite record I've found of my Second Great Grandfather William Mann in America is an 1865 listing of voters in Princeville Election District in Peoria county, Illinois. An 1873 map with a list of settlers in Princeville precinct, Peoria County, Illinois indicates that William Mann had settled there in 1854.
In 1860, only one William Mann is listed in census for Peoria county. He is 48 years old living with a Smith family and no one else named Mann. His age would be too old for William and too young to be his father. Our William should be 30 years old, but he might be the man listed in Van Buren county, Iowa living with the Thomas Rain family. That man's age is given as 23 which is too young. But it's interesting because this William worked as a miner and Van Buren county happens to be the same place that Nancy (Climie) O'Brien, a widow with a one-year-old daughter, lived. Her husband had been a miner and was killed in an accident before June 1st, the date of the census. The daughter, Nancy Jane, was born July 23, 1859. William and Nancy were married on September 14, 1861, but I haven't found the location. They spent some time in Macon county, Missouri before William took her back to Princeville, Illinois by 1865. Did William go to Iowa to work in the mines to earn money, try out Macon, Missouri, then go back to Illinois to farm?
When a cousin gave me this photo of William Man and wife several years ago, she said she didn't know which wife was with him. After finding a photo posted online (below) of Nancy's half-sister Jane, I see a strong family resemblance between the two women.
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| Sisters Jane Jones Vandermark and Nancy Climie Mann, date unknown |
Nancy was born in Canada to Thomas Climie/Clemie who was originally from Scotland and Mary Jane Hull an immigrant from Ireland. She had two older brothers, Andrew and Robert. Some people believe Thomas Climie died shortly after Nancy was born, others believe he left his family and married another woman. At any rate, her mother Mary Jane got remarried to Edward Jones and later moved to Van Buren county, Iowa. Together Mary Jane and Ed had four girls and one boy. Mary Jane died when the boy was born in 1854. At age 16, Nancy was likely the caretaker for those children. Two years later her step-father remarried and had two more children. Nancy married John O'Brien in 1858, had her daughter Nancy Jane, and then was a widow within two years.
Eleven children were born to William and Nancy in Princeville, four died as infants. The only record of them comes from the Bible record. No marked graves for these infant children have been found or recorded.
From the Bible record, the children of William and Nancy:
- Ada, born July 10, 1862
- Corean, born February 16, 1864, died at birth
- Lafayette, born January 13, 1866
- William B, born October 25, 1867
- Stephen A, born August 25, 1869, died in infancy
- Horace M, born July 28, 1870
- Marvin Oscar, born November 15, 1872
- Carrey, born January 11, 1875, died in infancy
- Effa, born March 8, 1876
- Clarence L, born June 18, 1878
- Elsie, born August, 1880, died at birth
Between 1880 and 1881, William and Nancy moved their family to Jefferson county, Nebraska. In December of 1881, they lost their oldest son Lafayette. I haven't found the cause of his death at age 15. Nancy died on February 11, 1894, just a day before William's 64th birthday.
By 1885, William owned 880 acres of land in Jefferson Precinct, Jefferson County, Nebraska. His farm was worth $4650 according to the agricultural census taken that year. He grew corn, oats, wheat & a little rye and livestock included cattle, hogs, chicken and horses.
Mary Armstrong was the daughter of another early Princeville, Illinois setter James Armstrong and his wife Margaret. Mary was a pioneer school teacher in Brimfield and Princeville townships. She was a faithful worker in the church, taught Sunday School and was a member of the Womens Christian Temperance Union. She and her sister Margaret were known all over the northern part of Peoria county where they raised flax and prepared it for cloth themselves. Starting this endeavor during the Civil War, they carded and spun wool and wove it into blankets and rugs for many years.
It would be interesting to know if William Mann went back to Princeville with the intention of marrying Mary Armstrong, or if Mary had come to Nebraska and they got reaquainted. It's very likely they had known each other during the 1860's when William lived in Peoria County. She and William Mann were both 66 years old when they married in 1896, but I don't know where. It was Mary's first marriage. They lived at 715 Grace Street in Beatrice, William died there on August 29, 1905. Mary died January 17, 1912 and was buried in Coin, Iowa near a niece.
