Michael McManus was born in Ottawa, Canada, on February 3, 1849. I believe he was the son of Michael and Julia (Heardon) McManus of County Cavan, Ireland, the third of their eight children. I have so solid proof connecting him to this family, but the circumstantial evidence is strong enough that I feel fairly confident it is the right one. His parents were married in Ireland. They emigrated to Ontario, Canada about 1845 after their first child was born. They lived in Canada until about 1853, when they moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Most of the family, except for Michael, lived the remainder of their lives there.

Michael was a blacksmith. He was married twice. His first wife was Elizabeth Mackin, the daughter of Bernard and Margaret Mackin, both of Ireland. The Mackin family lived outside of Kansas City, Kansas. Michael and Elizabeth had a son named Michael, born in March 1877. He died at the age of 4 months, his mother died about six weeks later. In the 1880 census Michael is living in Wyandotte with his Mackin in-laws. His second wife, Sarah Murray, is living with her sister's family on the same street. Sarah was the daughter of Michael and Ann (McBride) Murray, both of Ireland. She was born in Erie County, Ohio, when she was around 10 years old her family moved to Lenawee County, Michigan. Michael and Sarah were married in 1880. They had two daughters, Julia, who married James H. DeCoursey, and Mary, who married Clay Buchan. Both his daughters died at a fairly young age, Mary died at the age of 31 in 1920 and Julia three years later in 1923 at the age of 41. When Julia's husband James remarried in 1928 her mother Sarah went to live with her sister in Lenawee County, Michigan, where she had grown up.

Related Items:
Marriage records for Michael's first and second marriages.
Obituary for his daughter Mary J. (McManus) Buchan.
Death records for his daughters Mary and Julia.

The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Missouri)
Thursday, 21 January 1909, p. 11 and 13