TS Mann Lumber

Generations of Mann descendants of different branches have dabbled in the lumber industry. The descendants of Thomas Mann continue to "hold the fort down" for the Mann family in Athol. Literally and figuratively!

www.mannlumber.com

Athol, Massachusetts

978-249-2206

Vera Mann Scott 100th

This Christmas, Dec 25, 2014 marks the 100th birthday of Vera Mann--the anchor of this blog. I nearly forgot. In all of my research related to the Mann family of Massachusetts, I thought for sure I'd find a Mayflower connection, but recently discovered the connection comes through my father's side. HA Either branch puts us in Plymouth Colony. :-)

Vera's Lineage: Richard Man, Thomas Man, Ensign Mann, Ensign II, Ensign III, William, Horace, James

Born in Athol, MA, Vera died 13 May 1999 in Gresham, Oregon.

Newfound Athol Branch

In reading more thoroughly the Mann Memorial today, I discovered there was another branch of Manns in Athol, but they were distantly related. To recap, the branches that have been the focus of this blog are descendants of Ensign Mann II (& Alice Whitney.) His lineage is: Richard, Thomas, Ensign Sr., Ensign II.

This new branch descends from Rev. Cyrus Mann, 1785-1859. His lineage is: Richard, Richard, Nathaniel, John, John. Reverend Cyrus had a brother Joel*, also a Reverend. They were born in Orford, NH and attended Dartmouth.

Cyrus had 3 children--Cyrus S., Ann Maria, and Adelia Porter. They were all born in Westminister, but the girls ended up living in Athol. I don't see any record of Cyrus living there. Ann Maria (1823-?) married Rev. John F. Norton who was "the successful and beloved pastor of the Congregational church at Athol, MA." They had a son, Lewis Mills Norton, born in Athol who married the daughter of a Reverend. He studied in Germany and taught at MIT.

Second daughter Adelia Porter Mann (1826-?) married in Athol John Q.A. Johnson of Charlestown. Their son, John Norton Johnson, was born in Boston and graduated from Harvard.

*Rev. Joel Mann compiled the book "Genealogy of the Mann Family." Unfortunately, his information about Richard Man of Plymouth Colony is filled with error. But, you can probably trust the info. about his branch.

Funny 1870 Newspaper Clip

I love old newspapers as they wrote about everything! This mentions the fat men of Athol, along with their weights. LOL! My ancestor is on the list--1 year before his death.

Mystery Photos

These two photos came from a Lamb/Mann relation. These ladies probably lived in Athol or Orange, MA. If anyone knows their identity, please contact me at newfiescott@gmail.com.



Lamb Family of Athol

ADDENDUM: Updated Info/findings

Lineage

1. Samuel Lamb: Birth 10 March 1721 in Framingham, MA Death 25 March 1793. Married Sarah Atwood.
2. Joshua Lamb: Birth abt 1748 Death 14 Nov 1830 in Phillipston, MA. Married Martha Kendall
3. James Lamb: Birth 6 Jan 1809 in Phillipston, Worcester, MA. Death 28 Mar 1871 in Athol, Worcester, Massachusetts. Married Sarah Hubbard

Children: Charles S. Lamb (1834-1921); Abby Maria Lamb (1838-1859); Sarah Elizabeth Lamb (1840-1900); Martha Elvira Lamb (1842-1890)

Charles S Lamb

Sarah E. Lamb

Martha E.Lamb

No photo found of Abby. As far as I can tell, there are no descendants of Charles and Abby. I descend from Martha.

---

A few months ago I got a "genealogist's high" when I made a profound discovery. It's a long story, but I found a Mann relative in Athol a couple of years ago who had a very strong resemblence (one photo in particular) to my grandmother. What baffled me is that they seemed too distantly related to share such similar features. This got me highly interested in DNA and solidified my passion for family research. Anyway, what I accidentally discovered was that although they shared the last name of Mann, they were more closely related by another family--the Lamb family of Athol! Ba-da-Bing! There you have it--2 bloodlines.*

Now I have a great interest in James & Elizabeth (Hubbard) Lamb and their descendents. James (1809-1871) and "Eliza" are buried in Highland Cemetery. I can find very little documentation on their son Charles S. Lamb who married Abbie Fay. He was born in 1834, but I have no death info. I would VERY much like to see photos of these people**, including their daughters Abby Maria Lamb who married John Howard Lee, and Martha Elvira Lamb who married Horace Mann. This is a photo of daughter Sarah Elizabeth Lamb and her husband Joseph B. Cardany. They lived in Athol and Orange, MA.

1870 Athol Properties



*I think this must be very common in earlier centuries when there wasn't as much choice in mates as we have today, and people didn't do a lot of moving. They settled in one area and stayed--generation after generation. I think there are a lot of branch crossovers in my Mann chart--currently at 15 pages of descendents.

** Email me at newfiescott@gmail.com

Source: Athol, Past and Present, Caswell, 1899





Famous Educator Horace Mann VS. Horace Mann of Athol/Petersham

I keep forgetting there is confusion in the identity of my 2nd great grandfather Horace Mann and the "great educator." First, shame on their parents for not giving them middle names! These two men came from Massachusetts, but were NOT related. My 2nd great grandfather, also an educator among other things, was young enough to be the famous one's son. In the 1960s, a school was built on the land my 2nd great grandfather donated to the church, but those poor people thought it was the famous Horace Mann--as was written in a church publication. I hate to burst bubbles. For the first time, I spoke to relatives today in California, and I believe they also were under the impression that they were related to Horace Mann, the famous educator. Sorry!



History of Athol, Massachusetts by William G. Lord (1953)

If anyone can get me a copy of this book, I will convert it to ebook format. It would be of great use to genealogists. It is my understanding my great Aunt Mabel A. (Mann) Hayden helped Mr. Lord write it.

You may contact me at newfiescott@gmail.com. Would love to see it!

Books of Research

History of Petersham
Sketches of Petersham natives and adopted citizens (1915)
Athol, Massachusetts, past and present (1899)
Mann Memorial, 1884

Websites
Athol Genealogy (in Worcester County)

The Start

A year ago I started researching my ancestry and have been loving every minute of it. I found out a little about my grandmother's family, but spent most of my time on my grandfather's Newfoundland roots. But last evening I started back researching my Massachusetts roots--specifically the Mann family. My grandmother was Vera Ida Mann and she was born in Athol, Mass. in 1914.

Since I left off last year, a lot of people have jumped on the research wagon and I was able to trace back to 1577 England! (I still have to verify the paper trail.) The Richard Man family arrived in Scituate, Plymouth, Mass. in 1636, and the settlement is still there, along with a museum! http://www.scituatehistoricalsociety.org/sites_mann.html

Before I go further on this blog, I must state that I have had a fascination with Massachussetts that started with the death of JFK Jr., and in 1999 my husband and I traveled there every fall for about five years. We love Boston, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. OH, HOW I LONG TO GO BACK!