Document A.90 · probate abstract · transcription: verbatim
NJ Archives Vol. XLI, book p. 247 — the abstract of the will of Joseph Manning of Westfield Twp., Essex Co., 13 March 1812, File 10740 G. It names all nine children of his marriage to Providence Cooper.
- repository
- Published archival abstract
- collection
- Documents Relating to the Colonial History of New Jersey, First Series, Vol. XLI — Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Vol. XII, 1810-1813.
- identifier
- Book p. 247 (= PDF p. 247); File 10740 G
- date
- 1812-03-13
What is transcribed: The complete Manning, Joseph entry — will and inventory.
People named
| As written | Role | Identified as | What this document says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manning, Joseph | testator | ||
| [Providence (Cooper) Manning] | referenced | Providence (Cooper) Manning 1748–1798 | |
| Mary | spouse | ||
| Hagar | enslaved | ||
| Rose | enslaved | ||
| James | child | James Manning 1769–1841 | |
| Anna Fulkerson | child | Anne Manning 1771–1860 | |
| Neaty | child | Agnes Manning 1773–1860 | |
| Daniel | child | Daniel Manning 1776–1859 | |
| Margaret Marsh | child | Margaret Manning 1779–1817 | |
| Stephen | child | Stephen Manning 1781–1820 | |
| William | child | William Manning 1783–1870 | |
| Ducretia | child | Lucretia Manning 1785–1875 | |
| Harriet | child | Harriet Manning 1791–1880 | |
| Harriet Vanarsdalen | grandchild | ||
| William F. Manning | executor | ||
| Freeman Cole | witness | ||
| Jacob F. Randolph | witness | ||
| Robert F. Randolph | witness | ||
| John Wilson | appraiser |
What this document records
Why a manning will is a cooper document
Joseph Manning was the husband of Providence (Cooper) Manning Providence (Cooper) Manning, Daniel Sr's daughter. She died about February 1798; he remarried a Mary and died in 1812. ⇒ his will enumerates the children of the Cooper marriage, and is the primary source that lifts the whole Manning branch off [L.4] alone.
It resolves four l4 surnames
THE WILL FIXES FOUR MARRIED SURNAMES THE HAND-DRAWN TREE HAD WRONG OR ILLEGIBLE. Anne → Fulkerson (L.4 read Ferguson) · Agnes, called "Neaty," → wife of Noah Pierce (L.4 read Noah Parle[?]) · Margaret → Marsh, and already a widow (L.4 read John Hearth[?]) · Lucretia, spelled "Ducretia" → widow of George Vanartsdalen. Two daughters are widows by 1812, which the tree does not show.
Two sons had gone to ohio
Sons Daniel and Stephen take "all lands in OHIO", plus the residue — so by 1812 two of Daniel Sr's grandsons were western landholders. A migration the Cooper side of the catalog has little of.
The second wife and two enslaved women
Wife Mary — the second wife, not the Cooper one — takes "negro woman Hagar and her daughter Rose", plus a riding chair and horse, two beds, a clock, a cupboard, livestock, the furniture she brought to the marriage, and a $50 annuity during widowhood, all in lieu of dower. Hagar and Rose are recorded because a will is where such names survive.
A granddaughter by name
Harriet Vanarsdalen, granddaughter, takes "best looking glass and cupboard" — a named grandchild of Providence Cooper, and the daughter of the widowed Ducretia.
Transcription and notes
Provenance, why a Manning will is a Cooper document, the four [L.4] surnames it corrects, the
Ohio lands, and the two enslaved women are all in the source: and coverage: headers and are
not repeated here.
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Verbatim (Calendar abstract):
1812, Mar. 13. Manning, Joseph, of Westfield Twsp., Essex Co.: will of. Wife, Mary, negro woman Hagar and her daughter Rose; also my riding chair and horse, 2 beds and bedding, clock, and cupboard, 2 cows, 6 sheep, 2 hogs, all household furniture she brought to me; also an annuity of $50 during widowhood, all in lieu of dower. Son, James, $100 on application. Daughter, Anna Fulkerson (wife of Dennis Fulkerson), $500, but if she should die without issue, residue to her sisters or their heirs. Daughter, Neaty (wife of Noah Pierce), $500. Daughter, Margaret Marsh (widow of Jno. Marsh), $500. Son, William, salt meadow on Raritan Meadows; also my two-horse wagon. Daughter, Ducretia (widow of George Vanartsdalen), $500. Daughter, Harriet (wife of Aron Orsburn), $500. Granddaughter, Harriet Vanarsdalen, best looking glass and cupboard. Sons, Daniel and Stephen, all lands in Ohio, also residue of real and personal estate. Executors—sons, Daniel and Stephen, and nephew, William F. Manning. Witnesses—Freeman Cole, Jacob F. Randolph, Robert F. Randolph. Proved Apr. 1, 1812. 1812, Mar. 31. Inventory, $1,552.61; made by Jacob F. Randolph, Freeman Cole, John Wilson. File 10740 G.
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** The 9 children of Joseph Manning × Providence Cooper — all named (= p.704–p.712), with L.4 surnames RESOLVED:**
| L.4 child | Will form | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| James (p.704) | "Son, James" | confirmed |
| Anne (p.705) | "Anna Fulkerson (wife of Dennis Fulkerson)" | L.4 "Ferguson" → Fulkerson |
| Agnes (p.706) | "Neaty (wife of Noah Pierce)" | L.4 "Noah Parle[?]" → Pierce; Agnes = "Neaty" |
| Daniel (p.707) | "Son, Daniel … all lands in Ohio" | + migrated to Ohio |
| Margaret (p.708) | "Margaret Marsh (widow of Jno. Marsh)" | L.4 "John Hearth[?]" → Marsh (widowed by 1812) |
| Stephen (p.709) | "Son, Stephen … all lands in Ohio" | + migrated to Ohio |
| William (p.710) | "Son, William" | confirmed |
| Lucretia (p.711) | "Ducretia (widow of George Vanartsdalen)" | confirms m.1 Van Arsdalen (widowed by 1812; granddaughter Harriet Vanarsdalen) |
| Harriet (p.712) | "Harriet (wife of Aron Orsburn)" | Aaron Osborne confirmed |
- ** New data:**
- Daniel + Stephen Manning emigrated to OHIO (held "all lands in Ohio") — a Manning branch to Ohio, paralleling the Gaston (Joseph/Gracey) and Haas (Jacob Shultz) Ohio migrations.
- Joseph's 2nd wife Mary (m. after Providence's ~1798 death).
- Nephew William F. Manning (executor) + the F. (Fitz-)Randolph witnesses — consistent with Joseph's mother Grace Fitz-Randolph (web lead) and the Piscataway Fitz-Randolph orbit.
- Several daughters widowed by 1812 (Margaret Marsh, Lucretia Van Arsdalen).
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Note: L.4 gives Lucretia three marriages (Van Arsdale / Castner / Squier Martin); the 1812 will calls her "widow of George Vanartsdalen" — i.e. Van Arsdalen was a husband (1st per L.4), and her later marriage(s) postdate the will (she'd remarry Castner / Squier Martin after 1812). Consistent.
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Same-page Mannings (kin-orbit, not Joseph's children): David Manning of Piscataway (will 1808; son Jeremiah; daughters Titus/Drake/2× F. Randolph) + Nathan Manning of Warren Twp., Somerset (int. 1811) — both in the Piscataway/Fitz-Randolph Manning network; possible kin of Joseph (his father was James Manning of that orbit). Not transcribed in full here.
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Cross-reference: p.573 Providence (Cooper) Manning · children p.704–p.712 · C.36 (Joseph × Providence marriage 1768) · L.4 Manning family-list