In 1877, William Cheney traded a cow for Jack Taylor’s homestead claim for 160 acres of government land in McPherson County, Kansas. That homestead claim gave William the right to occupy the property, and an additional five years to improve it.
By 1870, the Cheney family had established themselves in Christian County, Illinois. Over the previous decade, several of the children had married and started farms of their own, many within a few miles of the original homestead. The family was closely connected—parents, siblings, and in-laws living nearby and working the land.
Family Nibbles – Volume 11 is here! This book is about the lives of our Maninger ancestors from 1700 to 1920.
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We’ve come to the end of this series of stories. We’ve followed our Maninger family from 1700s Germany to 1920 Kansas.
In our previous story, Emily Maninger graduated and became a registered nurse in 1920.
Here’s an update on the rest of the family, and some sneak previews of what’s to come.
Continue readingEmily Maninger enrolled in Wichita Hospital Training School for Nurses in 1917. She hoped to go to the front to care for the troops in World War I.
Oil and war were interdependent. World War I was the first war to depend on submarines, tanks, airplanes and motorized transport. The American economy was also dependent on oil.
The Maningers got knee-deep in oil and war.
1916 had some significant school events. Mattie graduated in 8th grade. Other Maningers were off to college or vocational schools. Emily graduated from high school.
Mabel Jennings had a photography studio in Harper. She’s the photographer of many of the photos of people and places in Harper.
Continue readingBMD (Birth, Marriage, Death) records are the stock and trade of the genealogist. They’re important, but don’t provide much context about our ancestors’ lives. Like most of our stories, this one includes Maninger BMD info.
Sometimes we’re lucky to find collateral stories, vignettes into people’s everyday lives. These enrich our understanding, and help us get to know our ancestor. This story features the importance of music in Maninger family life.
The Maningers grew wheat and corn as a cash crop. But what and how did they feed the family? Billie, tell us about it.
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Family Nibbles 