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BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION:
JOHN WORTLEY MANWILL
(by Alan Manwill)
John Wortley Manwill was born May 8, 1791, in Litchfield, Lincoln
County, Maine. He was the son of Samuel Manwill and Polly Wortley.
Of Samuel Manwll very little is known. John Wortley Manwill lists
his father in the 1870 U.S. Census as having been born in England.
With Polly Wortley he had three children, Susanna (born January
22, 1787), Martha (born January 4, 1789), and John Wortley Manwill,
the youngest child. All three were born in Litchfield and are
listed together as having been born to "Manual and Polly
his wife. "
Polly Wortley was born in Maine. The Wortley family had already
been in New England for several generations. The same town record
that lists the birth of John Wortley Manwill and his sisters,
also lists the intention of marriage of Polly Manual to Abner
True of Litchfield, filed January 2, 1796. Since divorce was
virtually nonexistent in those days we can fairly safely assume
that Samuel Manwill must have passed away in the previous few
years. Polly Wortley and Abner True had six children of their
own which lived together with John Wortley Manwill and his sisters.
In 1812, at the age of 21, John Wortley Manwill enlisted for
duty in the War of 1812. His enlistment papers describe him as
being five-feet, six-inches tall, having blue eyes and dark brown
hair. He listed his occupation as farmer. He began duty November
6, 1812, in Capt. David C. Burr's company, volunteer regiment
of Litchfield, Kennebec, Maine. He spent the first six months
at a temporary fort on the Connecticut River. In June 1813, his
company joined the Maine Army at Burlington, Vermont. He was
transferred to Capt. Nathan Stanley's company, commanded by Col.
Denny McCobb, and served aboard a sloop-of-war for six weeks
on Lake Champlain. He then served on the Canadian lines until
discharged December 1, 1813. He was paid $86. 59 for his thirteen
months of duty.
On April, 21, 1822, he married Susannah Booker in Maine. She
died two years later on April 24, 1824. On March 26, 1826, he
married Patty P. Tracy in Durham, Androscoggin, Maine. She was
the daughter of Samuel Tracy and Elizabeth Getchell. The first
three children of John Wortley Manwill and Patty P. Tracy were
born in a place designated "Letter "B" , Oxford
County, Maine. Daniel Booker Manwill ,was born July 4, 1830,
John Ferrington Manwill was born December 2, 1832. The third
son was James Booker Manwill, born October 5, 1835. It is interesting
to note that both Daniel and James had Booker for a middle name,
the name of John Wortley Manwill's first wife.
It is said that in 1838, John Wortley Manwill heard the Mormon
missionaries in Maine and moved the family west to Ohio. By 1840
the family had definitely come in contact with Mormonism. A son
born March 6, 1840, was named Orson Moroni Manwill. He was born
at Spring Creek, Miami County, Ohio, a place 20-30 miles north
of Dayton, Ohio. On May 6, 1843, a daughter, Mary Elizabeth Manwill
was born at Houston, Shelby County, Ohio, a small town a few
miles to the north of where Orson Moroni Manwill was born.
Early Church records show that John Wortley Manwill was baptized
in June of 1845. That same year on December 19, John Wortley
Manwill and Patty P. Tracy received their patriarchal blessings
from John Smith in Nauvoo, Illinois.
In December of 1846,, a daughter, Edith Manwill, was born
in Van Buren County, Iowa, about 30-40 miles northwest of Nauvoo.
She died shortly after birth. Not long afterwards, Patty P. Tracy
also passed away in Van Buren County on January 20, 1847. A history
of Van Buren County cemeteries states that a group of Mormons
who fled Nauvoo after the persecution there, spent the winter,
1846-7, near the mouth of Reed Creek and buried a number of their
dead in that spot. It is probable that the Manwill family was
among that group. Patty P. Tracy was 39 years old at the time
of her death.
In 1851, John Wortley Manwill listed his residence as Atchison
County, Missouri (the far northwest corner of the state and directly
south of Winter Quarters), on War of 1812 pension records. Much
of this record and subsequent records were written in his own
hand and show that he had at least a moderate education.
In 1852, at age 61, John Wortley Manwill and his family crossed
the plains to Utah with the Capt. Jolley Company which had 159
men, 130 women, and 63 wagons. The Manwill family is listed on
Company records as being in the second ten, W. R. Terry, captain.
John Wortley Manwill is shown to have with him, four males, two
females, two wagons, eight oxen, two cows, two horses, and fourteen
hens. Of the four males and two females, John Wortley Manwill's
children would account for all but one of the females. Who the
other female might be can only be speculated. The Capt. Jolley
Company arrived in Salt Lake City on September 9, 1852.
John Wortley Manwill and family lived in the Salt Lake City
2nd Ward where he was ordained a high priest in March 1853. On
December 18, 1853, he married Losana Bentley, a widow from Pennsylvania,
in the Endowment House. She died September 25, 1870.
It was probably in 1854 that the Manwill family moved to Payson,
Utah in southern Utah County. Church records place the family
there as early as February 1855. Church records show them in
the Payson 2nd Ward in 1860. It was in Payson where John Wortley
Manwill spent the remainder of his days.
The 1860 U. S. Census lists John Wortley Manwill as a farmer.
His real estate was valued at $500 and his personal estate at
$700. Although not rich,. this made him a little better off than
most Payson residents. The 1870 U. S. Census lists his real estate
at $350 and personal estate at $300. A 13 year old girl named
Charity Kinder is listed as dwelling with them. The Census lists
her as "domestic help. "
On December 3, 1870, he married Ann Chalice Gerrett, his fourth
'Wife. She outlived him and died on September 12, 1887. Beginning
in February 1871, he received a pension of eight dollars a month
for his military service in the War of 1812. He died in Payson
on March 10, 1882, at the age of 90. He was buried in the Payson
Cemetery.
SOURCES
Vital Statistics of Litchfield, Maine This lists the birth
of John Wortley Manwill, his sisters, and also the second marriage
of Polly Wortley to Abner True.
War of 1812 Pension Records This record describes the military
service of John Wortley Manwill. Also, John Wortley Manwill lists
the dates of marriage and dates of death of his wives, and the
dates of birth of his children.
Church Records John Wortley Manwill's patriarchal blessing
lists his date of birth, place of birth, and names of parents.
This information was provided by himself at the time of the blessing.
Ordination and marriage records corroborate dates, names, and
places as provided by John Wortley Manwill in the War of 1812
pension records.
Payson Cemetery Records These provide dates of birth and death
for John Wortley Manwill, his last two wives, and several children.
They also list his parents and are in agreement with other records.
Perpetual Immigration Fund Records These records contain the
record of the Capt. Jolley company and list the number of people
and type of property of each family in the company.
U.S. Census Records, 1830, 1860, 1870 These provide information
on location, family, and value of property.
NOTES
1. In 1791, Litchfield was part of Lincoln County, Maine. A few
years later the county boundaries were changed and Litchfield
was in Kennebec County, Maine.
2. There has been some question as to John Wortley Manwill's
father and the origin of the Manwill line. There are several
undocumented and highly speculative reports that list his father'
s name as James, Nathaniel, or Samuel. John Wortley Manwill on
his patriarchal blessing lists his father's name as Samuel. It
is also listed as Samuel on other church records where the information
would have been supplied by John Wortley Manwill himself. It
is also listed as Samuel on John's tombstone. James and Nathaniel
Manwill lived in Maine but in a different town. It can only be
guessed if they were even related to Samuel Manwill. One report
lists Samuel Manwill as having been born in Bakerstown, Maine,
but is undocumented. However, in the 1870 U. S. Census, John
Wortley Manwill lists his father as having been born in England.
It should be noted that his step-father was from Maine but John
Wortley Manwill always listed his father as Samuel Manwill and
never as Abner True. Several reports list Anthony Manuel, a French-Canadian,
as the grand- father of John Wortley Manwill. Once again, no
documentation of this is given, and it would appear to contradict
the information provided by John Wortley Manwill himself. In
all these cases of contradictory information the data supplied
by John Wortley Manwill himself obviously carries more weight
than undocumented speculation passed on by researchers of later
generations.
3. It should be noted that there were two John Manwill's in
Oxford County, Maine during the time that John Wortley Manwill
lived there. The other lived in the town of Jay, Maine.
A BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE JOHN WORTLEY MANWILL FAMILY
AND ANCESTORS, COMPILED BY A GRAND-DAUGHTER, MRS. MELISSA MANWILL
LEWIS, PROVO, UTAH, 30 MARCH 1951.
Some 300 years ago, dating back seven generations, we find a
John Wortley born
1653 in Bedforshire, England. He married Martha Bailey, a daughter
of Robert and
Martha Clark Bailey to whom nine children were born at Bedfordshire,
England. We
will choose to follow Thomas, third son of John Wortley and Martha
Bailey Wortley. He
was born at Bedfordshire, England in 1691. Not being too congenial
with his
stepmother, and being of a venturesome disposition, he ran away
from home at the
restless age of 14 years, stowing away on a ship sailing to America
and landing safely at
Salem, Mass. in 1705. Seeking employment he moved about to Londonburry,
Worcester,
Weare, Mass. etc. Being industrious he acquired a home at Worcester
where he met and
married Mehitable Yarrow of North Yarmouth, Maine. They were
parents of 8 children.
He later married Mehitable Ordman. Thomas was a public spirited
citizen and builder of
Weare, Mass and lived to the fine age of 108 years. (He was a
N.H. signer of the
Declaration of Independence of 1776.)
We will now follow John Wortley, 2nd child of Thomas and Mehitable
Yarrow
Wortley, who was born Feb. 1740 at Litchfield, Maine. He served
as captain in 3
divisions of the Revolutionary Army of 1776. To John and Martha
Wortley, 12 children
were born. He died 7 June 1810 and Martha died 14 June 1817 at
Weare, Mass. Mary
(or Molly) Wortley was born 25 Aug. 1766 at North Yarmouth, Maine,
the 4th child of
John and Martha Wortley. She first (should be second) married
Abner True of Litchfield,
Maine. Molly had 2 daughters, Susannah and Martha True. After
Abner's passing, Mary
(Molly Wortley True married Samuel of Bakerstown, Maine in 1790.
(These two events
are just opposite from the way they actually happened). Change
of Manuel name came at
this time. Samuel Manuel was the son of Anthony Manuel, an Arcadian
and a
Frenchman. He had 2 brothers, Nathanial and James Manuel of Poland,
Maine. There
being five or six families by the name of Manuel or Manual, which
created much public
confusion. Samuel Manuel, who was known by various surnames,
decided to adopt the
name Manwill, which he did legally. Anthony Manuel, Samuel's
father, died in 1800 at
the age of 90 years. James and Nathanial kept the name Manuel,
and therefore lost their
identity with their brother Samuel Manwill and his descendants.
Thus Samuel Manwill
of North Yarmouth, Maine and Mary (Molly) True became the parents
of John Wortley
Manwill born 8 May 1791, Litchfield, Lincoln Co., Maine. The
name Wortley given
John was his mother's maiden name. John Wortley Manwill, later
of Poland, Maine, first
married Susan Booker of Lincoln, Co., Maine. She was born 17
Oct. 1808. No record of
any children is known. Susan died in 1824. After her demise,
John Wortley Manwill
met and married Martha (Patty) Tracy of Durham, Maine on the
26th of March 1826.
Martha (Patty) Tracy was the daughter of Samuel Tracy and Elizabeth
Getchell of
Brunswick, Maine. To John Wortley Manwill and Patty Tracy 5 children
were born:
1. Daniel Booker Manwill, born 22 Sept. 1830 at Letter "B"
(rural route) Oxford
Co., Maine. Died 28 Nov. 1866 at Payson, Utah.
2. John Ferrington Manwill, born 2 Dec. 1832, Letter "B",
Oxford, Maine.
3. James Booker Manwill, born 5 Oct. 1835, Letter "B",
Oxford Co., Maine.
4. Orson Moroni Manwill, born 6 Mar 1840 at Spring Creek, Ohio.
5. Mary Elizabeth Manwill, born 6 May 1844 at Houston, Shelby
Co. , Ohio.
Patty Tracy died 20 Jan. 1847 at Van Buren, Iowa following
a premature child-
birth. This was a severe blow to John Wortley Manwill and his
now five motherless
children.
We shall turn back in our history to the early life of John
Wortley Manwill and
Patty Tracy Manwill, who were prosperous and progressive citizens
of Durham, Maine.
During the War of 1812, John Wortley Manwill, patriot, enlisted
as a private in the U.S.
Army in defense of his country. At the end of the war he was
honorably discharged and
received timber grants in Maine for his military services by
the government. In the
Military records at Washington D. C. he is listed as private
John Wortley Manwill,
Litchfield, Maine; but nowhere in the records of Maine or the
L. D. S. Church History is
the name Manwill spelled with an "e". Those using an
"e" instead of an "i" in the
Manwill name are either misspelling or creating a name of their
own. John Wortley
Manwill and Patty Tracy Manwill acquired valuable timber lands
and mills in Maine.
They kept a country store on West Purgatory Creek for the convenience
of their timber
and mill crews and families. Being of a devout and strong character,
and learning of the
restored gospel of Jesus Christ through the Prophet Joseph Smith,
and brought to them by
the L. D. S. missionaries, which he accepted, he could not shake
off the desire to join the
saints in Nauvoo. Following this inspiration, he sold, at a great
sacrifice, all his worldly
possessions in Maine to his partner, Henry Jewell on the 15th
of Feb. 1840. Part of this
deal was transacted by Lloyds of Boston, Mass. After selling
out, John W. and his wife
Patty with their few earthly possessions and their little family,
headed their prairie
schooner westward to cast their lots with the most talked and
very unpopular Mormon
Church. Through all the early persecutions and hardships, neither
John W. nor his wife
Patty ever faltered. Several years of this strenuous life was
spent in Iowa. Following the
loss of dear Patty, Jan. 20, 1847, once again John W. had the
urge to join the many saints
making their way west to Utah. With his four sons and his daughter
only 7 years old he
joined up with captain Jolley's Company which reached Salt Lake,
Utah Sept. 1852,
making a temporary home for a few years in Salt Lake.
Soon after his arrival he married Losania Bentley, a widow
and a very fine
woman. She was born at Sugar Creek, Penn. 4 April 1813. Having
to part with dear
Losania in a few short years, he looked about and came across
dear Ann Garrett Challis
another widow who made him a very kind helpmate until his death
in March 10, 1882 at
Payson, Utah, 91 years of age, having been a most successful
farmer and businessman in
Utah for better than 25 years. Ann Challis Manwill died five
years later in 12 Sept. 1887
at Payson, Utah. His four sons and daughter Mary all married
well and were sealed in the
Salt Lake Endowment House. Their families are listed as follows:
(Having no children
by Susan Booker John W. gave the Booker name to two of his sons.
Patty Tracy was the
mother of his children.)
1. Daniel Booker Manwill, born 22 Sept. 1830 at Oxford Co.
, Maine. He
married Mary Amanda Shumway, Payson, Utah, who died in March
1866. Daniel was
killed Nov. 28, 1866 by a failing tree while logging in Payson
Canyon and was buried in
Payson 30 Nov. 1866. Their children were Ammi who was drowned
while fording Bear
River in Idaho, at about the age of 20 years. Also there was
a daughter Olivia, who
married Issac Hatch of Koosharem, Utah.
2. John Ferrington Manwill, born 2 Dec 1832, at Oxford Co.,
Maine. He married Emily
Sophia Brown in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 22, 1855. She was
born 16 April 1837 in
Davis Co., Mo., a daughter of Samuel Webster Brown and Lydia
Maria Lathrop Brown
who crossed the plains to Utah in Captain Meeks Company, Sept.
1852. Lydia Maria
Lathrop Brown died near the North Platte River, in the plains
Aug. 1852 of cholera,
enroute to Utah. John F. Manwill died at Lake Shore, Utah 26
Oct. 1922, at the age of 90
years. Emily Sophia Brown Manwill died April 3, 1903 at Payson,
Utah at the age of 68
years. To John and Emily were born 12 children, all at Payson:
Emily Elizabeth; Lydia
Maria; James Riley; John Monroe; Mary Ann; Virginia Losania;
Cynthia May; George
A.; David Samuel; Melissa; Lillie Prinsetta; Sarah Amanda. John
F. married a widow,
Rosina Sarah Savage at Salt Lake on Dec. 15, 1881. To this union
2 sons and three
daughters were born: Daisy; Myrtle; William R. ; Dolly; Nephi.
3. James Booker Manwill born 5 Oct. 1835 at Oxford Co., Maine.
He married
Sarah Amanda McClellan, Payson, Utah. James died 17 May 1900
at Payson, Ut.
To these parents seven children were born.
4. Orson Moroni Manwill, born 6 March 1840 at Spring Creek,
Ohio. He
married Alice Crandall of Salt Lake 16 Nov. 1863. He died 1925
at Koosharem, Utah.
To these parents 13 children were born.
5. Mary Elizabeth Manwill, born 6 May 1843 at Houston, Ohio.
She died at
Grays Lake, Idaho March 1900. Mary married Horatio Palmer Calkins
20 April
1859, at Payson, Utah. To this union 11 children were born -
7 in Payson, 4 in
Idaho.
To Samuel Tracy, born 30 June 1762 at Brunswick, Maine and
Elizabeth Getchell
Tracy born 13 Feb. 1764 at Brunswick, Maine - 13 children were
born as follows:
1. Abigail Tracy - 29 June 1784
2. Judith Tracy - 11 March 1786
3. Samuel Tracy - 17 March 1787
4. Dorthy (Dolly) Tracy - 23 Oct. 1789
5. Anna Tracy - 8 Oct. 1791
6. Jerremiah Tracy - 18 July 1793
7. Comfort Tracy - 1 April 1795
8. Wheeler Tracy - 5 May 1797
9. Hugh Tracy -16 June 1799
10. Abel Tracy - 21 May 1801
11. Moses Tracy - 20 July 1804
12. Martha (Patty) Tracy - 26 May 1807
13. Olive Tracy - 5 April 1810
Family Home - Brunswick, Maine
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