William Jacob Maness (1782) Research Page

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Hawkins, Tennessee, United States
Surnames/tags: Manis Maness Manus

Contents 1 Scope of this Page 2 List of People in Hawkins County, Tennessee in 1830 by age 2.1 Newcomers to the 1840 Census 3 Probable Children of William Jacob Manis (abt.1782-aft.1842) and Lydia (Lawson) Manis (1784-1862) 4 Research Notes 5 List of People in Indiana 5.1 Randolph County 5.2 Hancock County 5.3 Madison County 5.4 Fayette County

Scope of this Page

This is REALLY a work in progress. We have a few mysteries to deal with here. One is that there are two William Manises born between 1781 and 1790 in Hawkins County in 1830. The William Jacob Manis (abt.1782-aft.1842), married to Lydia Lawson, who originally prompted this study is assumed to have died about 1842 by virtue of his will dated 1842, although there doesn't seem to be a probate record for him. One of his children, Dalzel Manes (1813-1896) is profiled in a county history in 1893, and indicates that he is child 5 of 11^[1]. There are many more than 11 children attributed to this couple on FamilySearch. However, there is a second William in 1830 listed as being between 40-49. One William has 11 people in his household, the other only 3. If we are to assume that William Jacob Manis (abt.1782-aft.1842) had the 11, that would mean that perhaps many of the children attributed to the first William, born prior to 1810, could be the children of the second William, and they had married and established households of their own. Dalzel was born about 1813, and the report about him in an Indiana County Histories paper lists him as child #5. That probably indicates that there were children generally born 1808, 1809, 1810, 1811 and then Dalzel 1813. Truly anyone born before 1805 is suspect as to whether that child would belong to William and Lydia.

List of People in Hawkins County, Tennessee in 1830 by age

In 1830 there are 129 Manis family members (including spouses) in Hawkins County Tennessee. This is a list of all heads of household, and at least one "parent" who seems to be living in the household.

First looking at the census records of 1830 (oh don't we wish the 1820 records were not lost), we have the following ages in Hawkins County, by birth ranges. The heads of household bolded have been accounted for in 1840.

• In their 70s - Born 1751-1760
  • a woman in the household of Elisha Manis - his mother? (total household size 11)
• In their 60s - Born 1761-1770
  • Anna Manis - not sure of her spouse, but she has two grown sons living with her. (total household size 3)
• In their 50s - Born 1771-1780
  • Bartley (Bartholomew?) Manis (total household size 8). He has a male and female of childbearing age, and children awfully young to be his. This might be a child and grandchilding living with him.
  • Peter Manis (total household size 8)
• In their 40s - Born 1781-1790
  • Daniel Manis (total household size 6)
  • Ephraim Manis (total household size 10) - an Ephraim appears in McMinn, TN in 1840. His family structure doesn't quite match this Ephraim, but I've not yet found another.
  • Jacob Manis (total household size 14) He has a male and female in the house in their 20s, and could possibly be children/grandchildren living with him.
  • William Manis (total household size 3)
  • William Manis (total household size 11 - has 9 children - we think he's William Jacob Manis (abt.1782-aft.1842).
  • Nancy Manis - with two females on one male all in their teens (4 people in the household)
• In their 30s - born 1791-1800
  • two adult men in the household of Anna above
  • Elisha Manis (he's referenced above for the woman in her 70s)
  • John Manis (total household of 11)
  • Jesse Manis (total household of 6)
• in their 20s - born 1801-1810
  • Bartley Manis (household of 5)
  • Christopher Manis (household of 5) - he is in Indiana in 1840.
  • George Manis (household of 8) - a George Manis is in Jay Indiana in 1840, but his household doesn't seem to match this.
  • Willie Manis (household of 5)
  • Riley Manis (household of 4)
  • Calloway Manis (household of 3) - in 1840 he is in Pulaski, MO
  • John Manis (household of 3)

Newcomers to the 1840 Census

In addition to those found in the 1840 Census who had been enumerated in 1830, there were 15 new families in the 1840 Census. Of those, three were women. Except for Seth Manis, who appears in Hawkins, TN in 1840 with his wife (both in their 70s), all new entries for the men are in their 20s or 30s. All below are in Hawkins, TN unless otherwise indicated.

• in their 20s - born 1811-1820
  • Clinton Manis. He witnessed William's will. It has been speculated both that he IS a child of William and Lydia, and also that he IS NOT due to witnessing the will. (Household of 4)
  • Campbell Manis (abt.1817-abt.1849). Campbell was named in his father's will. (Household of 4)
  • Stokely Manis. There are two females in their 20s in his household. So possible a sister or a sister-in-law living with him, as well as a wife. (Household of 8)
  • Catherine Manis. We will look for missing males above to attempt to place her family. (Household of 4)
  • Milly Manis. There are two females in their 20s in Milly's household, as well as young children. (Household of 5)
  • Elijah Manis. There are both Elijah and Elisha who go to Big River, Missouri and it seems to be a convoluted mess as the years roll on with possible mixing up of their names (Household of 5)
  • Dalzel Manes (1813-1896) has appeared in Henry, Indiana, which is consistent with the biography written about him in Indiana. (Household of 7)
  • Seth Manis in Pulaski, Missouri. (Household of 5)
  • JW Manis in Bracken, Kentucky. The John above is 10 years older, as is his wife. It's possible this is the same person, but unclear. (House of 5)
  • George S Manis in Jay, Indiana. This George doesn't seem to fit the family structure of the George found in 1830 at all, unless he left his children with one of the women. He had 6 children in 1830, and in 1840 his age is wrong, and it's a small, new family. I'm thinking the George from 1830 died and we'll need to look at the women heads of household to figure hi out. Others who end up in Jay Indiana are Chisholm Alsey Manis and Elisabeth Manis Hammons. Alsey should be in his 30s by the 1840 census, but he is not found as head of household.

• in their 30s - born 1801-1810
  • Seth Manis (Household of 6)
  • Ephraim Manis in McMinn County. There is some doubt as to whether this is the Ephraim above, but it is possible. (Household of 10)
  • Elizabeth Manis (household of 12. This is more than likely a multigenerational family, as there are females in the family in their teens, 20s and 30s. The males are all under 10 except one between 15-19 years of age.
  • Riley Manis. Of course, this is a different Riley than the one listed in 1830. There are now at least two adult Rileys in Hawkins, TN within 10 years in age of each other (Household of 6)
  • Matthew Manis. (Household of 4)

Probable Children of William Jacob Manis (abt.1782-aft.1842) and Lydia (Lawson) Manis (1784-1862)

Using the above information, and the analysis that follows, we will assume that no males born after 1826 (Carter and Joseph as listed as "two youngest sons") can be a child of this couple. Here are our possibilities, with the first three currently being in no particular order:

1. 1st born - John 1801-1810
2. 2nd born - Riley 1801-1810
3. 3rd born - Wiley Manes (abt.1804-abt.1870)
4. male born between 1801-1810 - this could be Clinton A (Manes) Manis (abt.1810-aft.1860) as there is no 1830 record for Clinton
5. Dalzel Manes (1813-1896) born 1813
6. female born between 1815-1820 Probably Susan who married Caleb Lawson. She is a widow in Hawkins, TN, and her family moves to Madison County IN where Dalzel is living.
7. Campbell Manis (abt.1817-abt.1849)
8. Carter Manis (1821-1899)
9. Joseph Manis (1825-1906)
10. 10th born is a female - one female born between 1826-1830. Ann Maness who married Preston Robinson is the likely one of these 10th/11th children. Lydia is living with Ann and Preston in both 1850 and 1860.
11. 11th born is a female - one female born between 1831-1835

In 1830 we have 7 males who could "young" enough to be a possible child of William and Lydia, having households of their own: Bartley, Calloway, Christopher, George, John, Riley and Wiley (Willie in the 1830/1840 censuses).

Bartley is possibly a "junior" as there is another Bartley/Bartholomew in the family. Thus we will not consider Bartley as William's son.

Dalzel definitely goes to Indiana in 1840 (he is surely the 15-19 year old male in the 1830 census), but started in Henry, and then moves to Madison County.

There seems to be a huge contingent of Maness in Indiana in the 1840s, and it first led me to believe that they should all be related closely (as in possibly siblings) to Dalzel. There are too many of them, and my theory has changed to indicate that there is a second part of the family that goes to Jay. In 1840, Christopher and George S have also gone to Indiana. Alsey also moves to Indiana, and is in Jay County in 1850. The George in Hawkins County in 1830 does NOT seem to be this same George S in Indiana. That would possibly rule out Christopher and George, as well as Alsey who is not named in any census prior to 1850, even though he has children who should have been with him in a census at a minimum in 1840. Probably living with another family member. I don't think any of these are in William and Lydia's family. We will need to look more closely at 1830 to see where these Jay Indiana folks have come from.

Calloway has gone to Missouri, as have a Seth and an older Elisha. In 1830, Elisha has a male in the family born between 1811-1815, and in 1840 this person is no longer in Elisha's household, and Seth appears, having been born between 1811-1820. I would then posit that this Seth is Elisha's son, and Calloway may also belong to that family.

By a bit of a process of elimination, we are left with Riley, John and Wiley as probable sons of William and Mary. The daughters will be even more difficult!

Research Notes

As of 26 Mar 2023 William Jacob Manis (abt.1782-aft.1842) has 24 children on FamilySearch. A biography written about his son Dalzel in 1893 lists Dalzel as being the 5th born of 11 siblings. He was born in 1813. One might assume that this means William and Lydia had ONLY 4 children born before 1813. This page will attempt to verify which of these children are unlikely to have belonged to William and wife Lydia.

These are the current 10 children listed here on Wikitree. Of these 10, 3 are unlikely, and 1 is probably mixed up with another (Nancy). That gives of 7 of 11 expected children.

1. Wiley Manes (~1804 - ~1870). He is consistently listed as being born in Tennessee.
2. Poindexter D (Manes) Maness (~1807 - ~1867) He is consistently listed as being born in Tennessee.
3. Clinton A (Manes) Manis (~1810 - >1860). The only source for him is as a witness to William's will. I think that would probably rule him out as a child, because generally heirs do not serve as witnesses to wills, although it's not prohibited per se.
4. Dalzel Manes (1813 - 1896). He is consistently listed as being born in Tennessee. He identifies himself as the fifth child of William and Lydia in the biography sourced below.
5. Pvt. CSA Simeon Manes (~1815 - ~1902). The only record for him is his enlistment in the Civil War in War Gap, Tennessee, which is in Hawkins County
6. Campbell Manis (~1817 - ~1849). He is identified in the will.
7. Nancy Mahala (Manis) McInvale (1820 - ~1900) There is a Nancy attributed to this family, but it is unlikely to be Nancy Mahala Manis who married Giles McInvale. She is consistently listed as being born in North Carolina, and William was most probably already in Tennessee by then. There is a Nancy Manis who marries William Fields in Hawkins County in 1827. In 1850, 1860 and 1870 respectively, she lists her birthplace as North Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama! In 1880 she is back to North Carolina. She would have been born about 1803 or 1804 (Find a Grave lists her as born 1 Nov 1804) and that would mean she would have been born before Wiley in North Carolina, since Wiley was born in Tennessee. This should probably be Nancy Jane Manis Fields
8. Pvt Carter Manis (1821 - 1899). He is mentioned in the will.
9. Joseph Manis (1825 - 1906).
10. Simeon Manes (~1830 - >1880). This is unlikely a child of William and Nancy, has his date of birth would make him the youngest and William's will names Carter and Joseph has his two youngest sons. This Maness is living with Joseph in 1850 in Indiana though, so definitely a close relative.

William's possible other children were:

1. Jackson Caudle (1802 - 1880)

On FamilySearch, there are these additional children:

• Margaret Maness - 1800–1840 • LHYL-LXP​​ Find A Grave says she was born in Hawkins TN. She married a Fields, as did Nancy Jane. I don't believe she is the child of our subject William.
• William B Manes Jr - 1800–Deceased • GQN6-WVZ​​ no sources
• Martha A. Manis - 1802–Deceased • M491-ZLV​​ no sources, but children in Hawkins. However, it doesn't look like we have room for children this old for William and Lydia
• Chisholm Alsey Maness - 1804–Deceased • KL7Y-1ZL​​ Alsey Manes (we're not sure where the Chisholm comes from) is stated to have been born in North Carolina in 1802. If he is the child of William and Lydia, he would need to be about the first of their children born. Other children Wiley was born in 1804 in Hawkins County Tennessee. It does not preclude him from being their son. We simply aren't sure when William and Lydia landed in Hawkins.
• Christopher Street "Kit" Maness - 1805–1899 • KGCV-DX6​​ This one is a tough one, and could be the combination of two different people. One is in Indiana with many of the other Hawkins crowd.
• Silas L Manes - 1810–Deceased • 9JVM-8MD​​ - born in Tennessee - and is in Indiana.
• Jacob Little Maness - 1813–1887 • KF3N-Y87​​ - born in North Carolina and ends up in Henderson Tennessee. Probably not this family.
• Susan Julia Manis - 1815–1902 • KLL5-YTJ​​ She marries Alem Lawson and then Hart - possibly a child of this William.
• Alcey Manis (female) - 1818–Deceased • LVDL-9G1​​ No sources
• Martha Louisa "Patsy" Manis - 1818–1854 • KLL5-B33​​ Another Martha?
• Mary Ann Maness - 1820–1849 • KZWN-LGW​​
• Latisha Maness - 1823–1908 • G8WN-W5B​​ No - born in North Carolina and ends up in Henderson, TN
• Zelphia Maness (or Frazier) - 1826–Deceased • KL7Y-6M8​​ There is a Zelphia Frazier in William's will, but we don't know about her. Was she a daughter? An illegitimate child?
• Anna Maness - 1830–1870 • KGCR-VC9 - she is very possibly one of the last two daughters.

List of People in Indiana

We will create a new page for Indiana, but this information is important to "keep".

It seems that some of William and Lydia's offspring went to Indiana. Dalzel is documented as being their child and in Indiana. Since there were two Williams in Hawkins County approximately the same age, some of his children probably also went to Indiana. There is a William who is living with a (presumed) child in 1860. He is probably the second William in the 1830 Hawkins County census.

Randolph County

• Mary Manis and John Baugh in 1850- she says her father was born in Virginia in the 1880 census. Some attribute her to William and Lydia, others to George and Malinda Lawson.
  • However, a William Maness is living with her in 1860. His name was transcribed as "Muncass", but it seems quite likely that it should be Maness, and he could be the father of a number of the people in Indiana. He is 80 years old, so born around 1780 and thus would be the second William Manis in the 1830/1840 censuses in Hawkins County, TN. No 1850 census has been found yet for him. He is definitely not William Manis (1782) married to Lydia, assumed to have died about 1842 due to his will or William Nathan Manis (1782) in McNairy County
• Cynthia Manis - she is attributed to Chisholm Alsey Maness, who is a no longer considered a candidate as a possible son to William and Lydia.
• Silas Manis (1811) - he has been attributed to William & Lydia. However, I suspect he is the son of the Manis linked to Mary above.

Hancock County

• Susan Maness Lawson (1815) - she has been attributed as a child of William and Lydia. This is possible as we have a female in the 1830 census who would match dates. She also has a son named Dalzel.

Madison County

• Susan Maness Lawson (1815 - see Hancock County) - she has been attributed as a child of William and Lydia.

Fayette County

Martha Louise Manis (1818) - married Wash Hart (Hartman?). If Susan Maness Lawson is a child of William and Lydia, there is no spot for this Martha Louise. However, George Washington Hart was married to two different Maness women, and I originally assumed they were sisters.