Born
April, 1834
Hesse Castle, Germany

Died
June 28, 1908
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Parents
Unknown

Siblings
Unknown

Spouse
Elizabeth Scheling
Married 1858 in St. John, Middlesex, England

Children
Elizabeth Manns
Josephine Manns
Catherine Manns
Adolph Manns Jr.
Bertha Manns
Amelia Manns
Rosa Mary Manns
One additional child, name unknown

Life Story

Adolph Manns was born in April 1834 in or near Kassel in the Hessen region of Germany. He married Elizabeth Scheling, younger sister of Josepha Scheling and aunt to Valentin Pappert, in Middlesex, England (now a part of London) in 1858. He and Elizabeth had a total of eight children over a span of 17 years, five of whom survived. The first five were born in England: Elizabeth, in July 1858, Josephine, in November 1859, Catherine in 1861, Adolph in September 1865 and Bertha in October 1868. Two more children were born after he and his family immigrated to Utica, New York in 1869: Amelia, born in February 1871 and Rosa Mary, born in February 1875. An eighth child was born either in England or New York as the 1900 Census indicates that Elizabeth had eight children with five still living.

Adolph worked as a tailor both in England and Utica but may have had difficulty supporting himself with his craft because the Utica city directory lists him as a tailor in 1870 and 1871 but also lists an Adolphus Manns under the "salon" heading from 1875 to 1879. Adolph became a grandfather in 1877 when his oldest daughter Elizabeth, who married Henry Sinclair from nearby Whitestown, New York, gave birth to Frank and then to a daughter, Lillie, around 1880. Before the 1880 census, Adolph and his family (minus Elizabeth) left Utica, and moved to South 8th Street in Philadelphia where he worked again as a tailor. A few years later he moved the family to 1329 Wharton Street where he lived until his death.

Adolph and his wife endured several tragedies while living in Philadelphia. In January of 1883, their son Adolph took an overdose of Laudanum--a highly addictive narcotic that was commonly prescribed to treat diarrhea, coughs and to relieve pain--and died. His death was ruled a suicide by the doctor signing his death certificate. In June of the same year, he and his wife committed their daughter Bertha to the State Hospital for the Mentally Insane in Norristown, Pennsylvania, where she lived until her death in June 1927. By 1900, their oldest daughter, Elizabeth and her daughter Lillie, had moved to Philadelphia and were living with them. It appears that both Elizabeth's husband and son died, and Elizabeth was listed with her maiden name and as "single," while Lillie was listed as "niece" rather than granddaughter.

Adolph's youngest daughter, Rosa, married in September 1895. He became a grandfather once again in 1898 with the birth of Rosa's son Edward and in 1907 with the birth of her son Howard. Adolph's wife of 50 years passed away in February 1907, a month after Howard's birth. Adolph lived 17 months longer, and died at age 74 on June 28, 1908 of stomach cancer. He is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Philadelphia along with his wife and two of his daughters.

Seeking Information

Exact date of birth, exact marriage date

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Updated 9/20/14