William Manning

1592 - 1666  (74 years)

• Name	William Manning
  Birth	1592	Taunton, Chard, Somerset, England
  Gender	Male
  Death	1666	Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA
  	William Manning Sr.’s will, written by an unknown person, was drawn shortly before his death, and is on file in the Suffolk County [Mass.] Probate Office. In his will, “Willyam Maninge” of Boston in new england, county of Suffolk, left his whole estate to his wife ”Elizabeth Maninge” during the rest of her natural life. At her death, he willed only one third of what remained of his before “this last marriage” to his son Samuel, since through the providence of God he has “a good estate”. The other two thirds he bequeathed to his grandchild Samuel Walsbie. His desire was that this grandchild Samuel Walsbie might be “put to a trade” according to the discretion of his wife and overseers. He signed his will with an “X”, his mark.
  Person ID	I23175	Master
  Last Modified	27 Jun 2015

  
  

  Family	Mary Elizabeth,   b. 1600, Taunton, Chard, Somerset, England d. 1634 (Age 34 years)
  Children	+ 1. John Manning,   b. 1610, , Kent, England d. 20 Feb 1688, Elizabethtown, Essex, New Jersey, USA (Age 78 years)
  Family ID	F6078	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 1592 - Taunton, Chard, Somerset, England Death - 1666 - Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Notes

  William Manning (Sr.) and his son William both traveled to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in approximately 1634. It is not known whether they traveled on the same ship. William Manning's first wife, whose name is no longer known, died during the voyage. After arrival, he was to remarry. This second wife, named Susannah (her maiden name is no longer known), would die at Cambridge on Oct. 16, 1650. Immediately following their arrival in the Colony, the Manning family took temporary lodgings in Roxbury for nine or ten weeks. Being of some means (by modern standards probably comfortable middle class), they soon purchased property in Cambridge (a house and garden), together with some outlying land for crops and such. The original homestead was at the southwest corner of what are now called Mount Auburn and Holyoke Streets, just a block south of Harvard Square. There is, at present, a house on this site which is very old, but it is probably a replacement dwelling for the original Manning Homestead. William Manning Sr. would eventually return to Boston, where he died, probably in 1666, at the age of 74. Uncertainty exists regarding the dates of both his birth and death. At the time of his death, he was living in Boston, where he had joined the First Church. The location of his grave is no longer known. William Manning Jr. remained at Cambridge in a house located at the southeast corner of Dunster and South Streets, diagonally across from a warehouse he also owned. He was known as a waterman, and a memorail plaque nearby identifies the location of Manning Wharf, at that time quite close to the banks of the Charles River. He married Dorothy (whose maiden name is no longer known) at a date which is uncertain. William Jr. was a very successful merchant, and became one of the most respected members of the Cambridge community. Perhaps the crowning achievement of his life was the rebuilding of Harvard. Harvard was founded at Cambridge in 1636. The original College building was in need of serious repair by 1672, and in that year, the General Court of the colony appointed William Manning Jr., and a church deacon named John Cooper, to oversee the task of rebuilding Harvard College. Of the two, Mr. Manning was to manage the business of rebuilding, while Deacon Cooper was to officially represent the Church. The task was difficult almost beyond imagining. Funding for the project was raised by subscription at all the surrounding parishes, whose needs for ordained ministers were met exclusively by Harvard. It was Mr. Manning's task to convert their promises into negotiable currency, contract with craftsmen for the work required, and in general oversee the entire task. Collecting on these pledges required considerable creativity. Often poor, the parishes could only pay in goods, such as pigs, chickens, or grain. Managing the construction became an exercise in trade and barter, requiring excellent business skills. At the same time, persuading the parishes to make good on their pledges required much political skill, as many were unwilling or unable to fulfill their promises. He accomplished this task with such resounding success that his reputation in the community was elevated until he was perhaps one of its most respected members. In matters of business and money, he was trusted implicitly by all of Cambridge. The building was opened in 1677, and commencement exercises from the College were held there in that year. Completely finished in 1682, the building was named Harvard Hall. It measured 42 feet by 99 feet and was four stories tall. It stood for 82 years, until destroyed by fire on Jan. 24, 1764. A modern building, also named Harvard Hall, stands on the site. William Manning Jr. was often chosen for public office in the Colony. He was a Selectman (a member of their legislative body), and served as an official emissary of the Church to England, in the recruiting of important new ministers. He died "full of years and honors", an ancestor to be proud of. William Jr. and Dorothy Manning had six children. Of the two boys, one (John) lived to the age of 29. He never married. The other, Samuel, was born on July 24, 1644. Samuel would carry on the Manning name, establish a family home at Billerica, Massachusetts, marry twice, and father 14 children, among them 7 sons. William Jr. died at Cambridge on March 14, 1691, at the age of 77. Dorothy died on July 26, 1692, at the age of 80. They are buried side by side in the old cemetery at Christ Church, near Harvard Square, at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Garden Street. Their tombstones may still be seen there. William Manning , the founder of his family in America, came to the Colony of Massachusetts Bay at an early date, probably sometime in the 1630’s. Where he came from originally is not known for sure, but as the Mannings had long been a numerous family in England, and as he came contemporaneously with the migration of other emigrants from that country, it is certain that he was from a branch of that ancient family. His reason seems to have been to follow the teachings of Rev. Mr. Hooker, an eminent minister of Chelmsford County Essex, England. It is believed the William and his wife probably heard Mr. Hooker preach at Chelmsford, and that there were among those who wished to secure the privileges of worshiping God according to the dictates of their own conscience, seeking first asylum in Holland and afterwards crossing the ocean to the new land. Nothing is known of his first wife except that she made the voyage with him, dying before they reached their destination. William lived, for his first nine or ten weeks in the new land, at Roxburg, Massachusetts (this town has since been annexed as part of the city of Boston). He then moved to Cambridge, where the Rev. Hooker was then pastor. This was probably in about 1634. In 1636, due to the dissatisfaction of the pastor’s “flock” in Cambridge, “because of want of accommodations of their cattle and room for new settlers”, many of the families and their leader Mr. Hooker, moved to Connecticut. By this time, however, it seems that, either because of attachment to his new home, or the ties of business, William was unable to join that portion of the flock to follow their beloved pastor, but instead remained in Cambridge. His trade or business is not known, but it seems probably that, like his son, he was a merchant, a business he no doubt followed while yet in England. He owned a house and other lots of land, but the records as to the deeds and sales, is not complete on holdings at that time. His homestead was at the southwest corner of Mount Auburn and Holyoke Streets later named Spring and Crooked Streets respectively. This is only a short distance south of Harvard square. He was made a freeman in 1640, which meant that he was made a church member and voter. He lost his second wife Susannah by death in 1650, and at sometime later moved to Boston, where he united with the First Church in 1664. Here he remarried to Elizabeth (maiden name unknown) and she survived him. The date of his death is unknown, but it is thought to be about 1666, and his birth is thought to have been prior to 15692. The record of his children is very vague, that he had only one son to reach manhood is probable. He may have had daughters, some may have remained in England. As far as present knowledge goes, however, his descendants of the following generation seem to have been limited to William born about 1614 in England, and Hannah (the certainty as to which of William’s wives was her mother is not possible. It is thought that she married a David Walsby of Braintree, Massachusetts and had two sons. William Manning is thought to have been born prior to 1592. He came to the Colony of Massachusetts Bay sometime in the 1630's from a large and ancient family in England. His reason seems to have been to follow the teachings of Rev. Hooker, an eminent minister of Chelmsford County Essex, England. It is believed that William and his wife probably heard Mr. Hooker preach at Chelmsford and that they were among those who wished to secure the privileges of worshiping God according to the dictates of their own conscience, seeking first asylum in Holland and later crossing the ocean to the new land. Nothing is known of his first wife except that she made the voyage with him, dying before they reached their destination.William lived for the first nine or ten weeks in the new land at Roxburg, Massachusetts, which has since been annexed as part of the city of Boston. He then moved to Cambridge where Rev. Mr. Hooker was then pastor. This was probably in about 1634. In 1636, due to the dissatisfaction of the pastor's flock in Cambridge, "because of want of accommodations of their cattle and room for new settlers", many of the families and Mr. Hooker moved to Connecticut. By this time, however, it seems that either because of attachment to his new home or the ties to business, William was unable to join that portion of the flock to follow their beloved pastor, but instead remained in Cambridge. His trade or business is not known, but it seems probable that like his son, he was a merchant, a business he no doubt followed while in England. He owned a house and other lots of land, but the records as to deeds and sales, is not complete on holdings. His homestead was at the southwest corner of Mount Auburn and Holyoke Streets, later renamed Spring and Crooked Streets, respectively. This is only a short distance south of Harvard Square. He was made a freeman in 1640 which meant that he was made a church member and voter. He lost his second wife, Susannah by death in 1650 and sometime later moved to Boston, where he united with the First Church in 1664. Here he married Elizabeth (maiden name unknown) and she survived him. The record of his children is vague, that he probably had only one son reach manhood, and he may have had daughters, some of whom may have remained in England. His descendants are thought to be only William (born about 1614 in England) and Hannah (her mother is not known). She was believed to have married David Walsby of Braintree, Massachusetts and they had two sons. The date of his death is unknown, but is thought to be about 1666.