Mann and Kise Notes and Letters Mann and Kise Notes and Letters
Now Sara - There was a Sarah Mann long before your time - Albert was your father. Amos was your Grandfather. John was your Great grandfather - He had a brother Fred and a sister Sarah Mann - who married a man by the name of Sehner - we called her Aunt Sally Sehner - I remember being at her funeral and here is more about Harry - His favorite pie was raisin and when we went for the meal after the funeral, there was a raisin pie among others - But first at the funeral, there were some flowers on the coffin and some big black ants on them - so when we were eating Mom said, "Harry are you ready for pie?" He said he didn't want any and no amount of coaxing would change his mind - On the way home Pop asked Harry why he wouldn't take a piece of his favorite pie - he said, "Didn't you see them big black ants on the table, I'll bet they were crawling over Aunt Sally before they got on the pies."
Harry started to college to be a preacher - he preached one Sunday in the church in the Boro and had finished his junior year, I think, at Dickinson College and never went back - He worked as a lifeguard in Atlantic City for 2 or 3 years - Al was a motorman in Atlantic City at the same time and one year Mary worked in the salad room at the Chalfonte Hotel - I think that I didn't work in Columbia that year, unless I worked in the unbrella factory, which I hated.
I worked in 2 cigar factories and in the lace mill - I was working in the cigar factory back of the Third Street Market House when I quit to go in training at L.G.H. That was 70 years ago last August 20th and the first place I went on duty was Women's Surgical Ward - Miss Krick was Senior Nurse on that ward - It was called 2nd Floor New wing, and the first thing I did was to help set up trays for the noon meal.
I know you aren't too interested in this kind of thing but thanks for letting me blow off a little steam.
It was so nice to have your card and thank you very much.
Love,
Aunt Lizzie
To start our - Pop was born at Oyster Point Sept. 15-1848 - Mom was born in the Boro Mar. 31-1851 - Pop's mother was born in England - Came to the U.S. when she was 4. Her sister, who was quite a bit older, was in the States working as a domestic and after her father died - her mother and Mam-Mam started for the states - the mother became ill and died and was buried at sea so Mam Mam came on alone - Her sister met her wherever the boat landed. How grandpap Mann met her, I don't know but they, I guess, lived in the Boro all their lives - There were 3 Mann sons Amos, George and John. I know John died out on the island, where he had gone to work on his 60th birthday - I guess he was buried in the Boro.
Grandmother Mann was buried in the Boro and where there is a row of little markers west of the church, the marker with C.M. on it is Clementine Mann - the Kise grandparents were buried south of the church where there is an extension of the building. They had 2 big tombstones Catherine Fry Kise and and John Kise - John was born in 1809 and Catherine in 1811 - I don't know why the markers were taken away, but, Margaret said they were gone.
I never learned about who Albert T. Kise's father was but he was a half brother to the other 3 Mann boys - we called him Uncle just the same as he was MamMam's son - we had to call her MamMam or she wouldn't pay any attention to us -
Grandmother Kise was married 3 times. The first time to Christ Shenk or Shank - she had a son and daughter to him - After he died she married Hydecker and had 2 sons to him, after his death she married Kise and 3 boys and 1 girl were born to him -
Uncle John & Amos Hydecker both fought in the Civil War and marched with Sherman to the sea - Uncle John had a bullet in his hand that had never been moved and we kids were thrilled when he left us touch it. The boys came home from the war O.K. and both were killed on the railroad -
Uncle Jake Kise tried to enlist but was turned down because he stuttered - Just after the Spanish American war your Daddy enlisted in the National Guard and Mom about cried her eyes out as she thought he might have to go to war.
World War One I was in as a nurse so we have served our time. Hope there aren't any more wars-
Grandmother Mann never knew when her birthday was how old she was. I was 6 years old when she died. I never knew Pop's father or Mom's parents - I think Harry remembered our Grandfather Kise -
Grandmother Mann didn't want me to have her name - she wanted them to call me Harriet Elizabeth but Mom said I was already named - and Grandmother was not pleased as she said I looked like old Sam Stotesburger - Mom didn't know anyone by that name - Grandmother's Mother's name was Catherine Harriet Griffiths but Kate was named for her - I'm glad I didn't get the Harriet part - I think I like Elizabeth better - but I'm glad I wasn't called Liz - I said I was rather proud of the Clementine as Winston Churchill's wife's name was that and he called her "My darling Clemmie". One of my great granddaughters has Elizabeth as part of her name - she is the 4th generation - me, Dorothy Elizabeth - Joan Elizabeth and Kathleen Elizabeth (Kathy) -
There is 4 generations of Allen too - Wm Allen Sr, William Allen Jr, Bradley Allen and Christopher Allen - In the Army we all called Wm Sr. Jim -
How did you like the snow? We had our second blizzard the other day and the snow plows have snow piled 4 to 5 feet deep along the curbs.
I am still going to the doctors about my legs - the left leg is about healed but I wonder if the right one will ever heal - The only place I have been going is to Church and the grocery store - but I haven't been to either since before Christmas - I have been to the doctor about 4 times but I don't call that being out as there isn't much pleasure in that -
Now for a little more about the Mann's - None of Pop's brothers ever married - and his Uncle Fred Mann and Aunt Mary lived in Mountville. You know when you go down Plane St. and go under the railroad bridge - well as you turn off of Plane St. there used to be a house (mansion) straight ahead - Uncle Fred's son John married a girl that lived there - her name was Lou Silverthorn - I always thought that was such a beautiful name - They had a son Freddie and I don't know if they had any other children - Uncle Fred was a short and real fat man and one time an article came out in the Mountville paper that Uncle Fred had a fall and some kids used him for a teeter totter - He had a special chair and at that time it had a fancy name - it was an arm chair but the seat was curved around the front - Mary and I could both sit in it when we would go over there - They didn't live right in town - They had a real big house -
The first I remember of Pop working was rafting - He would go up the river to some lumber camp and help to bring the rafts down the river - They would go to Port Deposit or Haver de Grace and then come up to the Boro on the train. Whenever a raft came down the river, the kids would come running to tell us - and if Pop was on it he would tell us what to tell Mom - Maybe he could come home that evening or they might have to wait until morning.
A troop train went through the Boro one time and everybody came out to see it - The soldiers could shake hands with the people standing on the bank - They gave us some Hardtack - and one soldier gave Mom one with a name and address on it and asked her to write to his folks - which she did - and when the train started to pull out he said, "Good by Mother", - and she cried - His folks wrote to thank her for writing to them as they hadn't heard from him for quite awhile - We kept that Hardtack for years -
I guess Dottie is right for she says I should never ask anyone if they remember anything, for when I remember I can write pages.
I guess I'd better quit - we'll soon need to get our noon meal ready - If I haven't answered everything ask me again -
I don't know where Pop's father is buried. He may have died while they lived at Oyster Point - I guess Pop's brothers were buried in the Boro - I don't even know where Mom's brother's graves are - Uncle Henny died after I was in Nebr.
Well this is it for this time. Hope you can read this - but you will have to excuse the mistakes and the spellng - but as I am 90 - I don't do as well as I once did.
Love to all
Aunt Lizzie
and Mary Ann
Mary M. Mann and George F. Brill were married in Wilmington, Del. Dec. 21st 1912 by the Rev. George L. Wolf D.D.
"Here's a Mann for you. This husky looking individual stayed with us for two years and in that time we know full well that he was in the institution. It was under his leadership that we fought and bled during our Freshman year, and learned what war was, i.e., that it was just what General Sherman called it. Football claimed Harry from the first, and it was due to his great line-smashing ability that Dickinson won many a game.
For the last two summers he has been valiantly rescuing maidens from the surf at Atlantic City, and when he did not turn up last fall, one half of the college was ready to bet the other half that some millionaire's daughter had at last brought him into the realms of the Benedicts. But latest reports have him still single. Mann was a good fellow, and we were sorry to lose him."
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This page was created May 22, 2002 and last updated June 11, 2002.