THE MANN FAMILY

 We do not know too much about our parents in their early years.  Mother went to school in a log building that stood along the roadside on Uncle Barney Steckmans property.  It was quite a crude structure.  The benches were made of half-round slab boards with wooden pegs for legs.  The whole inside structure was roughly finished.  Our sister Ida, went to school here one session for her first school days.  

Our mother has said when she was a young girl she could not tell her mother from her Aunt Honor Means, they being sisters, and having the last name the same. When father was quite young, his mother left him with her sister, Parthena Steckman, while she went with one of her brothers to Ashland, Ohio.  Later she was married to Tobias Crone.   Little was known of this family but they had heard through the Steckmans that their mother, Eva had left a son in Pennsylvania.  They were determined to find him so in August of 1923; James, Flora, Harry and Nettie came to Clearfield Pennsylvania and were delighted to find their half-brother Benjamin.   Thus began a relationship that has existed all these years and seems to get stronger as the years go by.  By that time our grandmother had passed away so none of us were ever able to meet her.

In the younger days and years of our father's life we can quote a few of this activities.   First of all he was taken to be raised by a Stuckey family who lived near Ida and Jim Leasure's farm, a few miles below Clearville.   Later the Stuckey family, moved to Morrisons Cove.  Father was then twelve years old. He told the story how he drove the cattle on this farm to a wooded section, where there was a cave and low place so that they would not be in view of the on-coming soldiers of the Civil War for fear they would destroy them.

Some years later this Stucky family moved out West to Missouri.  In times later, father made it known that he would like to go to school.   Mr. Stuckey said that he did not send his own children to school and was not sending anyone elses.

It was some time after this episode that father and another young man ran away from home and came back to Pennsylvania, Father coming to the home of Chris Garlick father of Frank Garlick.

We are not informed where Dad did go to school.   He taught school in the vicinity of the Rock Hill section a few terms and clerked in a store at Everett. Held many offices as School Director, Auditor and Assessor after his marriage. Father was twenty-four years old at the time of his marriage.             

THE BEGINNING OF THE MANN FAMILY

In the year of 1873 September 18, was the beginning of the Mann Family.

At that time Miss Lydia Means, a daughter of Rachael (Fletcher) and Bernard Means became the bride of Benjamin F. Mann, a native of Saluvia, Fulton County, Pennsylvania. The wedding took place at the brides' home, a log house with a large stone fireplace.  This building stood in the rear of the late John A. Means property.  The ceremony was performed by the Reverend G. C. Probst, a Lutheran minister.  The old Means homestead building stood for many years.  One day some of us older kids, George, Will, Elmer, Dave and cousin John, were playing around in this old building. All of a sudden John reached down to the floor and picked up an old fifty cent piece.  And was cousin John tickled??  Fifty cents in those days was a lot of pocket money for a boy to have.  Then we all went scuffing around looking for "free silver” but none to be found.  The building has long since been torn down.

The honey-moon of Mr. and Mrs. Mann was by a horse and buggy trip to the farm home of the brides' Uncle Rash and Aunt Honor Means.  The home today is known as Mike Means home.  Mike Means was a son of Horatio  "Rash" Means.  The newly weds went to housekeeping on a farm in Black Valley, six miles from Everett, a farm that lies between Uncle Barney Steckmans and adjacent to the Means homestead. They lived there for many years.  All fourteen children, nine boys and five girls, were born in this house.  It was a big joyous family with everyone helping.  For instance, doing the chores around the house in the evening, some of the boys would tend to the horses, others the cows, chickens, hogs, etc., each would have his own routine work to do.  

When it came to chopping wood to "keep the home fires burning" it was some task to keep a pile of wood for the cook stove and fireplace going.  Then in the home when mother would say," The water bucket is empty, who's going to the spring?"  One would say, "Let George go,” then George says, "I went the last time, —let Dave go." Anyway, the water bucket was brought filled with good limestone water from a spring that never went dry.  All will remember how well the milk, cream and butter kept in the crocks placed in the clear, cold, crystal water flowing thru the spring house.

How did the family spend the winter evenings?  It was largely this way: When the chores were all done - the evening meal over, dishes washed, the table was cleared for various games, dominos and checkers.  Maybe some cracking nuts (hickory and walnuts) or some maybe roasting chestnuts in the fireplace.  Maybe someone would be popping popcorn.  There were many ways in which the evenings were well spent.  Then there were sledding parties, taffy pulls, spelling bee and spelling matches between schools.  All these were most helpful and very enjoyable.

 SCHOOL DAYS— READING – 'RITING - 'RITHMETIC

The school days of the older brothers and sisters were spent at the Milk and Water Ridge School.  The walking distance to this school was by way of a crooked path over the ridge about a mile and half which was stoney.  Even by this distance to school many had a 100% in attendance for the year.  Later there was a change in the School Directorship and a new school building was erected in the valley just near the Black Valley Union Church.  This made it much more convenient for all those in the valley section to attend.

We remember our early school teachers' Mr. Kline, George and Jim Homler, Hiram Smith, Nancy Jay, Harry Miller, Ed Sponsler and Zora Fletcher.  Many of our school days on a Friday afternoon instead of having the regular classes, the time was spent in having recitations, debate or spelling matches.   One instance when we were having recitations and when it came time for Harvey to recite, he hesitated, and teacher Ed Spongler said, "Well Harvey, get up and say something.” Harvey hesitated again, and then finally rose to his feet and said, "SOMETHING."  Teacher Ed laughed heartily, and so did the school.  This was the shortest recitation ever made.  Our school days were the best days of our lives.

EARLY CHURCH LIFE

Our very first church-going was by horse and wagon to the Union Church at Clearville, Rev. Probst, minister.  That was before the Black Valley Union Church was built.  The church life of this large family was most commendable.  The home and school work supplementing the religious activities of each member.   We all went to church as soon as we were able to walk.  Yes, we were in church before we were able to walk, in our Mother’s arms. It was at church we received  our Catechetical training, Christmas entertainment recitations.  It was in church we learned to sing the gospel songs and hymns.  One of the old and familiar numbers a liking to all was:

When the special services were held in the church in the wintertime the whole family attended every evening.  Sometimes when the sledding was good, Doll and Rock, two faithful steeds with a strand of sleigh bells around them, were hitched to the sled in which the happy family rode to the services.   It was a joy to go to church in this manner.   One familiar incident occurred.  The family having attended the evening service returned home in the sled and one member of the family was missing.  A returned trip was made hurriedly to the church, but everybody had gone home.   A visit was made to the nearest neighbor—Jack Steckmans, and there we found the missing one—Sara, safe and sound.

The Sunday School and Church was one great joy.  Let us think back on some of our good leaders; Josiah G. Leasure; Hiram Smith, Superintendent and Teacher; Rachael (Steckman) Stayer; Amelia (Kennard) Garlick.  There were many others.

After many years of bodily toil on the farm, years when farming machinery was unlike the up-to-date machinery of today, consequently making work a task, the Mann’s worked the hard way, swinging the cradle to cut the grain, mowing scythe to cut the hay and using the cross-cut saw to cut the wood.  No motor or electric equipment was used.  Yes, it washard work.  Farm life was not so productive.

With the older boys securing employment elsewhere, and mother and dad nearing retirement age, it was decided to move from the farm and take up residence in Clearfield.  Which they did in the year 1900, making their first residence on Fourth Street and later moving to the corner of Fourth Street and Ogden Avenue. They maintained their home here the remaining part of their lives.  Both parents died in the year 1940, mother in the month of March, and father following on the month of June.   The parents enjoyed the rare privilege of 66 years of a happy married life. 

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