John Mansell (1828 - 1895)

Born 1828 in Hamilton, Marion, Alabama, United States

Husband of Elizabeth (Gilmore) Mansell — married 1846 (to about 1858) in Alabama

Descendants

Died 4 Jun 1895 at about age 67 in Abbeville, Lafayette, Mississippi, United States [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Jillaine Smith [send private message] and John Voltz [send private message]

Biography

John was born about 1828. He was the son of William Mancill and Morning White.^{[citation needed]}

By 1850, he'd married Elizabeth and they lived in District 14 of Marion, Alabama with two children, William E., 3 and Edy, 2.^[1]

Family lore indicates that he left Elizabeth and their children [census data suggests he left her by 1858] and married or otherwise partnered with Amanda J. Bennett by whom he had several children by 1870. They lived in Lafayette, Mississippi.^[2][3]

He served during the US Civil War for the confederacy, apparently under Capt, Goodwin Martin and Col. Smith.^[4]

He died 4 Jun 1895 according to his widow's pension application.^[4]

There is a widowed Amanda Mansel, b Apr 1840, in Lafayette, Mississippi, enumerated as mother in the home of W.G. Mansel that might be John's widow.^[5] What works against this is that this 1900 census indicates she had one child, one living; this does not match the 1870 and 1880 census records, however.

There is a memorial-only (no gravestone photo) for him at Find-a-Grave which claims he was buried at Old Covered Wagon Cemetery in Lafayette Springs, Lafayette, Mississippi. This memorial does not include the marriage to Amanda or his children with her.^[6]

A previous version of this profile claimed, without source, that John Mansell died in Rock Island, Illinois. That place name has been removed.

Census Records

1850 United States Census^[1]

Name: John Mansell

Age: 22

Birth Year: abt 1828

Birthplace: Alabama

Home in 1850: District 14, Marion, Alabama, USA

Gender: Male

Family Number: 106

Household Members:

Name Age

John Mansell 22

Elizabeth Mansell 24

William E Mansell 3

Edy C Mansell 2

We cannot yet find this family in 1860.

1870 US Census - Oxford, Lafayette, Mississippi. ^[2]

Mansel, John, 40, b Alabama

-, M.J. [Mandy], 33, b Mississippi

-, J.C., [male], 11, b Miss.

-, John, 9, b Miss.

-, Jasper, 3, b Miss.

-, Elizabeth, 2, b Miss.

1880 US Census - Beat 3, Lafayette Co., Mississippi^[3]

Mansell, John, 54, farmer, born Alabama of South Carolina-born parents

-, Manda, 38, b Mississippi

-, James, 21

-, John, 17

-, Elizabeth, 12

-, William, 10

-, Henry, 9

-, Col Lama, 3

Research Notes

In 1870, there is a John Mansel, b abt 1830 in Alabama, farming in Lafayette Co., Mississippi with (wife?) M.J. Mansell, b 1837 Mississippi; J.C. Mansell, b 1859 MS; John Mansell, b 1861 MS; Jasper Mansell, b 1862 MS; Elizabeth Mansell, b 1868 MS.^[7]

aka Col. Lee Mansell.^{[citation needed]}

A previous version of this profile cited Famous Kin for this claim, but the link goes to a page that says absolutely nothing about this alias.

The following was posted by Gloria Buckles Reid 22 Jun 2023:

I posted three census records for John Manscill, son of Wm. Manscill and Morning Dove White: 1850 with first wife Elizabeth Gilmore Manscill; 1870 Lafayette Co. MS census with another wife: Amanda "Manda" Barrett; and 1880 Lafayette Co. MS census still with Manda and children.

I cannot say with certainty that I have located John in 1860. On page 88, Union County, Georgia 1860 census is a John B. Mansell who could be our John. He is described as a 30-year-old blacksmith, born in South Carolina (does not fit). He has no wife or family listed. With these records, we can say that John did not die in 1870.

Also posted is an application for a pension by Manda Mansell in 1900 in Lafayette Co. MS. I would guess it is for a Confederate widow's pension, but could not verify that.

The following was posted by Gloria Buckles Reid 22 Jun 2023:

My husband was a grandson of Pernisnia Frances Manscill. She was the daughter of James Jordan Manscill who was John’s brother.

Of interest may be the fact that my husband’s 111 marker dna test at familytreedna does not show any Indian ancestry.

In regard to John Manscill, son of William Manscill and Morning Dove White, the traditional family stories that were accepted before the advent of the popularity of his descendant, Elvis Presley, are very interesting and even plausible. With the understanding that some of this is in the nature of hearsay, some of it can be sourced, I offer the following:

It has been said that John kept two households in Marion County, AL. One was with his wife, Elizabeth Gilmore. The other household was with her sister, Rebecca Gilmore, and they had children.

In 1880, Betsy, his mother, and Rebecca, his aunt, were living with A. White Manscill, his son, in Lee County, MS. I have not absolutely identified this Rebecca as Betsy's sister. It is a possibility that she could be Rebecca Franks, wife of Wm. Manscill, Jr. Need more research.

Eventually, John ran off with AMANDA J. "MANDY" BARRETT, who was only 23 years old. His and Elizabeth Gilmore's son, White, took responsibility for the well-being of the families he left behind.

John changed his name and began calling himself Colonel Lee Manscill. He and Mandy were parents of at least six children.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MH5Q-N49 : 12 April 2016), John Mansell, Marion county, Marion, Alabama, United States; citing family 106, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6SS8-CN?cc=1438024&wc=KGD9-RM9%3A518663301%2C518936801%2C519010703 : 13 June 2019), Mississippi > Lafayette > Township 09 > image 43 of 116; citing NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYBL-H34?cc=1417683&wc=XCBH-N38%3A1589407292%2C1589395264%2C1589394947%2C1589395498 : 24 December 2015), Mississippi > Lafayette > Beat 3 > ED 79 > image 14 of 62; citing NARA microfilm publication T9, (National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C., n.d.)
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "Mississippi, Confederate Veterans and Widows Pension Applications, 1900-1974," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GTV6-GRT?cc=1936413&wc=M61J-M29%3A235845801 : 21 May 2014), Mansell - Martiniere > image 5 of 925; Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Jackson.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6QYS-YW?cc=1325221&wc=9B73-NQY%3A1030553801%2C1031345401%2C1031968901 : 5 August 2014), Mississippi > Lafayette > ED 47 Beat 3 (part of) Abbeville town > image 9 of 37; citing NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
6. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/224991495/john-b-mansell: accessed 25 June 2023), memorial page for John B Mansell (1828–1880), Find a Grave Memorial ID 224991495, citing Old Covered Wagon Cemetery, Lafayette Springs, Lafayette County, Mississippi, USA; Maintained by Autbreeze (contributor 48058555).
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6SS8-CN?cc=1438024&wc=KGD9-RM9%3A518663301%2C518936801%2C519010703 : 13 June 2019), Mississippi > Lafayette > Township 09 > image 43 of 116; citing NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "Ancestral File," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:1:MZ6P-C3K : accessed 2016-10-08), entry for John MANSCILL.
• The Olney Connection, by Laverne Olney
• Dundy, Elaine, Elvis and Gladys, Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi (2004, originally 1985), 20-21.