My Heritage
My name is Michelle Fontaine and I am the...
- 8th great granddaughter of Richard Man of Plymouth Colony/Scituate.
- 2nd great grand niece of George Sumner Mann, author of Mann Memorial, 1884.
- 2nd great granddaughter of Horace Mann, 75 year resident of Athol, MA.
- 6th great granddaughter of Rev. Aaron Whitney of Petersham (see http://archive.org/details/addressdelivered00will)
My Research
When I started researching my family history a couple of years ago, I ran across an online photo of a relative of my grandmother (Vera Mann) and he was the spitting image of her. This is what really got me going. Why did this guy look so much like her? They seemed too distantly related. A year later I discovered they were related through two different Athol bloodlines. Recently, my husband, an avid tennis enthusiast and adopted, learned that his biological father was a professional tennis player. THIS is the kind of stuff that makes genealogy a blast!
Playing video games, soduku or reading fiction seems like such a waste of precious time. Studying history is great, but it's even better if it is YOUR history. Learning about where you came from gives you a lot of insight into who you are as a person--where you got your interests and your physical traits. It exercises your brain as you try and retain lots of names and dates. Mom says I'll "never get Alzheimers." Family research takes me on virtual journeys around the world as I study maps and town histories--without leaving my desk! The best reason for family research is the preservation of history and the memory of those long forgotten. This hasn't been done very well in the past, and it is a shame. My grandmother, who lost both of her parents by age 14, never discussed her family and I wonder if she knew how wonderful her grandfather was...or ANYTHING at all about the Mann family.
The Mann Family of Petersham
Both George S. and Horace Mann grew up in Petersham, MA.Their brother Wilson was a prominent citizen of Orange, MA. I had never heard of these men until I started my research in 2010. Sadly, I have never been to Athol...unless I was too young to remember. To date (2013) I have logged over 15 pages of Mann descendants--the youngest being born in May 2013.
Mann Memorial
This book contains the history of every Mann family in America, and it is the basis to my research. Thank God George Sumner Mann became a genealogy buff and that he took on such a huge project. Not everything is accurate, but I've found even legal documents aren't always correct, either. You can read the book online or download it.
Mann Memorial, 1884
Other Good Sources
More About Me
Originally from Asheville, NC, I have lived in Georgia since 1991. My husband Nelson and I don't have children, but manage to keep busy. I work from home as a graphic designer, but have many side hobbies (see my children's book.) Most of my free time is spent digging into the past through genealogy research.
Love your site. We are cousins through Richard Man(Mann),and so glad to find you. My name is Keith Mann Spencer
ReplyDeleteExcellent! Glad you are enjoying my blog!
DeleteHi Michelle, just a note that I lived in Petersham, Athol, Orange area most of my life an knew a Mann family in Athol. He was a Selectman and business owner. I believe he lives in Fla. now, but his son still lives there. My wife and I moved to Cumming Ga. four years age
ReplyDeleteHi! Are you the couple that I met who was looking at our home in Alpharetta 4+ years ago?! We live in Cumming now!
DeleteSadly, Sid Mann passed in 2019.
DeleteI too am a direct descendant of Richard Mann the First via my Grandfather Richard T Mann (on my mother's side). His father Morris Mann (1893-1967) was a genealogist and was able to find information on our ancestors, the (Man) Mann family. If possible, I would love to know more about your side of the Mann Family. I would also share the information my great Grandfather has gathered.
ReplyDeleteAs his great granddaughter, I'm filling in the blanks, adding missing information and correcting any errors (in terms of names and dates).
Julia Randall Dobson/Mann
Nice to meet you! Mann research has been so much fun. I'm only knowledgeable on my branch. There are probably thousands of branches descending from Richard Man of Plymouth. Does your branch descend from him?
DeleteSo nice to meet you, too!
DeleteI'm new to researching my lineage (learning as I go). Morris Mann did most of the brunt work, I get the easy part (plus, I have the internet).
I'm not sure how many greats there are between me and Richard Mann, the First. He's the father of Richard Mann the Second, that is where my side of the family descends from.
How may I send Morris Mann's charts (I have an entire folder dedicated to his work). If you're interested, that is.
I descend from Thomas, Richard's brother. Have you read the Mann Memorial book? It will give you more insight to your branch, but you have to be careful because I have found errors in these types of books. They didn't have google and social media back then. LOL! Here's the link to that book: https://archive.org/details/mannmemorialreco00mann
DeleteThank you so very much!
ReplyDeleteI guess this makes us cousins?
Very distant. One of thousands. ;-)
DeleteFortunately, there's a copy of the above mentioned book at my local library in Worcester, Ma. Thank you for the referral.
ReplyDeleteYou can just download it. Did you know we have a museum? I would love to visit it!
Delete:)
ReplyDeleteI am a direct descendent of Richard Mann. I was told Ensign Mann was a member of the Boston Tea party but later turned his loyalty to the British? Do you know if this account is true?
ReplyDeleteYou are correct. He was chapter president of the local Sons of Liberty who were behind the Boston tea party. Yes, he had to step down when he married the daughter of a staunch Torie/Loyalist. However, this was only a couple of months before the Boston Tea Party. It's hard to imagine he wasn't quietly coaching behind the scenes. :-)
DeleteMy previous comment is set to Anonymous, but this is the owner of the blog and I'm not logged in. ;-)
Delete