Did you know -- that somebody out there in cyberspace has identified Benjamin Franklin Mann's father as William Findley Mann? He was the son of David Mann, a prominent Bedford civil servant (prothonotory, State Senator, Auditor General, etc.). William Findley and Job Mann were first cousins, although Job was 25 years older than William. Even so, William Findley was 11 years older than B.F.'s mother, Eve Mellott. (My personal choice for the "culprit" would have been Joseph Mann, Job's nephew. He clerked for Job in his Bedford law firm, but "lit out for the territories" (i.e. Iowa) in 1849. When was B.F. born? 1849. Coincidence???? I think not. Who in their right mind goes to IOWA, of all places, unless they have a pretty good reason for getting far, far away???) ;-)

Did you know -- that all of the Mann family in Bedford/Fulton counties can be traced to three young brothers who emigrated from Wurttemberg, Germany? They were originally from Alsace.  The three brothers settled in Bedford county. Andrew (our ancestor) spelled his name "Mann"; Jacob spelled his "Mauney" (supposedly the original spelling), and Barnet/Bernard took "Mooney," although later descendants assumed the name "Mann." Jacob Mauney later moved to Kentucky. (I'm pretty confident in assuming that this family is our ancestral root -- no matter who B.F.'s father was, if he truly was a Mann he's got a 99% chance of being from this particular family.)

Did you know -- that Eve (not Eva) Mellott's ancestors have been traced back to the 1600's? Our ancestor, Gideon Marlot, was a French Huguenot from the Champagne region.  He married a Belgian woman in the Netherlands and they lived in Mannheim, Germany before emigrating to New Jersey.

Did you know -- that Eve's great-grandmother was said to have been a Delaware Indian?

Did you know -- that the Manns and the Mellotts settled in what is now Fulton County, not Black Valley? You know that gorgeous vista you see on the right when you're going up Town Hill towards Breezewood That's it. (I still can't figure out how Eve and William got together, since he lived in Bedford.)

Did you know -- that the Sligers were also from Bedford County, and that Odessa and most of her brothers and sisters were born there? They appear to have moved to Olean (by way of Ohio) around 1890.

Did you know -- that at least three of our ancestors served in the Revolutionary War, but I haven't been able to find any who served in the Civil War?