Ancestry of Edith/Eda Mankins Mills Williams

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It has been confusing to sort out all the available data on both Edith Mankins Mills and her husband Enos. It is my hope that these charts will make clear the identity of the Edith Mankins who married Enos Mills....... I am indebted to the sharp eyes of Sue Nandor for help in sorting out this discrepancy. Much of the vital information connecting Peter into his line was supplied by Ruby Sharp and Kaye Larrabee - contact them for further information on this family group. Information regarding the Fine line was contributed by Megan Zurawich.

For the ancestry of John Mankins back to Tubman Mankin, I am indebted to Michael J. Mankin and his wonderful work on the The Mankin Family which can be seen by clicking on the link. Thank you to Guy Judkins for providing the link to Michael! Michael's work will take you back as far as you want/need to go, most likely! I will overlap just a little and focus upon Peter Mankin/s Sr.'s line. Backup for these charts on Tubman Mankin, son of Steven and Mary Baker Mankin can be seen here on The Mankins Family website. 

The Family of Tubman Mankin and Jane Yopp

Family of John Mankin/s and MASA

(MASA was b. 1748, d. July 1844 and was said to have been a full blood Delaware Indian. She is reported to have died in Kentucky in 1844 in a note related to an article on the life of Peter Mankins in an article by descendant, Ouida Hunter Harkreader, in the Illiana Genealogist, Winter 1972)

Family of Peter Mankins Sr. and Rachel Bracken Lewis Mankins

[1] In this and the following chart, all four Fine spouses (Louallen, William B., Alfred W and Jonathan Albert) were sons of William Fine and Catherine Sively

Family of John Bracken Mankins and Mary "Polly" Sloan (marriage #1)

note: source for some of this information is Neal Ekengren - email him!

[1] John Brackin Mankins was both active and colorful. In 1850 he can be found in Mt. Shasta and Placerville, California mining for gold. James Pardue Mankins, grandson of James Henry Mankins, in an article on Families writes: "Family tradition says he made several fortunes in gold but squandered all by gambling in San Francisco." Another article in the History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California by Eugene L. Menefee and Fred A. Dodge states that John arrived in Visalia in late April 1854, wearing "smoked buskskin with fringes up the legs." More information on John is found in the footnotes regarding his children by Matilda Gibson, below.

[2] see notes on marriage #2  here - note that John R and Edith Mankins Mills Williams had one daughter by 1860: Narcissa Williams. By 1870, John R. Williams has moved once more to Greene County and shows up married to Elizabeth Hagewood Robertson/Roberson with children born beginning abt. 1863. This suggests that Edith Mankins Mills Williams died betw. 1860 and 1862....

[3] Emily Lynch Gibson was b. 3 February 1829, Morgan County, Illinois and d. 28 September 1910 Ukiah, Mendocino County, CA. 

[4] Is this the same man???

[5] notes on Mary Derinda Watson: born in 1848 Jackson, MO; daughter of Jacob and Phebe Baldwin Watson.

[6] In this and the previous chart, all four Fine spouses (Louallen, William B., Alfred W and Jonathan Albert) were sons of William Fine and Catherine Sively.

Family of John Bracken Mankins and Matilda Gibson (marriage #2)

[1] John Brackin Mankins was somewhat hard to follow - but he did leave tracks! Don't miss this article in the Nevada State Archives. In 1850, John shows up with wife #2 (see below) as follows:

1850 Madison Co, AR Census - Cedar Creek Township - Page 281a - Enumerated 1 Nov 1850 by Wm. Houser

#496 farmer ----
John MANKINS 46 m NC
Matilda 29 f VA
Peter 20 m IL Laborer
Walter 16 m IL Laborer
John 13 m AR
Samuel 12 m AR 
George 9 m AR
Macy J. 4 f AR
James 2 m AR
Abner 2/12 m AR

The same man, John B. Mankins is enumerated again 5 December 1850 in Cache Creek Township, Yolo county CA, p. 189 - 86/86 as John B Mankins 46 M Farmer North Carolina - he is living with the Wm. R. Lane family and a William Duncand. All are from Indiana or Arkansas.

On a visit to the California State Archives in Sacramento, I found a paper called Recollections of Early Days written by J.H. (James Henry) Mankins about 1909 in a collection of Pioneer Papers. In it he refers to a visit to a cabin in Hangtown, El Dorado County, CA in the year 1853 where in 1849 his father had mined. The cabin was a pile of ashes, but the family went on to other sites "from Shasta to as far south a Holcomb Valley, San Bernadino County, never remaining long in any one place, ever in search of rechre diggings." He speaks of time spent looking for riches in Tuolomne County at Shaws Flat.

Then, an article in the Reno Gazette Journal, 29 Oct-5 Nov 1999 places John B. Mankins as the owner of Eagle Station, which later became Carson City NV from 1857-1858. Another article in History of the State of Nevada, p. 532 identifies John as "a widower with four children, one a daughter named Mace, about 12 years old." The other children are not identified, but one can assume they were the younger children, George, James and Abner. I have yet to learn when Matilda died, but it would probably have been before 1857, based on the article. Amara (Macy), lives with Walter in 1860. James may live with the Roop family in Monterey (see #3 below). I do not find Abner, who may have died young.

John B. Mankins, after quite a bit of "negotiating" sold the valley 12 August 1858 for $1000; $500 in coin and the rest in mustangs - likely half a dozen. A look at the land records tells a different story; the selling price was actually $1000 with a $300 down payment, balance due in 30 days. There is no mention of mustangs... however, this does not  preclude that in 30 days, mustangs were what John B. Mankins took, especially given the paper writtten by James regarding a horse ranch in San Joaquin County in 1866. For our purposes, this information merely places John before the 1860 census in Nevada where the Federal Census was not taken. In 1860, John's older children, Peter, Walter and John are found in California living in Calaveras, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. Samuel was married by 1865, but I have yet to find him in 1860. By 5 August 1870, John Brackin Mankins is found with 4th wife, Jane (age 21), living in Precinct 3, Collin Co., TX and working as a Farm Laborer, without any children.

The paper, mentioned above and written by J.H. Mankins goes on to say that his father, John Brackin Mankins owned a "fine mountain ranch" and was, with his brother, "engaged in raising fine horses" in Rattlesnake (now called Auckland) in the San Joaquin Valley, Tulare County, about 1866. He speaks of wild mustangs, elk, coyotes and antelopes in abundance, all running freely. He describes his father, "Dad was a rather commanding figure. Vary large, long black hair and beard, wearing a high stove pipe hat, astride a large dapple gray steed, six shooter on either side of the saddle pummel, a Sharp's rifle across his lap; he always took the lead." He also mentions that the composition of the family included "... eight of us, two boys just emerging into manhood, three small boys, one small girl, an Indian lad, and Dad, all dressed in buckskin." He describes his father further in an article in the History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California, by Eugene L. Menefee and Fred A. Dodge - Historic Record Company - Los Angeles, California, 1913: "That broad-shouldered man, weighing above two hundred and twenty pounds is 'dad.' He is always in the lead and is dressed throughout in smoked buckskin with fringes up the legs, and a hunting shirt, also fringed roundabout. Add to the costume a very high plug hat, imagine him then with a mop of raven black hair falling over his shoulders, with coal black, piercing eyes, seated on a large dapple gray horse. A hunting knife is at his girdle, a six-shooter on either side of the saddlehorn and he carries a 'sharp-shooter' rifle in front. Such was J. B. Mankins, forty-niner and pioneer of pioneers." Considering that John is the grandson of a full blood Delaware Indian, this description seems apt!

[2] George W. Mankins shows up in the 1900 Census in Tres Pinos Township, San Benito County, California with Elizabeth, his wife, b. February 1846 Missouri.George He married (1) Armenta C. Watson was born 1854 in California, and d. in San Benito Co., California (2) Elizabeth Whitton was born 24 February 1846 in Howard Co., Missouri and died 30 April 1926 in Hollister, San Benito Co., California. She was the daughter of Jesse Warren Whitton and Angelina Ann Swope. Here is an 1893 article about his life.

[3] In 1870, there is a Macy Max, living back in Washington Co., Arkansas with a husband "N.F." and two girls, Narcissa (16) and Mary (3), plus one little boy, "M" (1) - no proof this is Amara/Macy but they live next door to a McClelland family, known to be associated with the Mankins.

[4] In 1860, a James Mankins, age 12 shows up in San Juan Township, Monterey County, California enumerated with the John Roop family. Roop's wife is Elizabeth A. - no relationship is established between these people, but Roop is from Missouri. James may have worked as a hired hand and is listed as attending school. Although he married in the census year, in 1870, a James Mankins, age 23, is enumerated in Venice Township, Tulare County living alone. He is a farm laborer and was born in Arkansas. His wife, Mary was born 01 December 1854 in Missouri, USA; died 16 May 1943 in Tulare, California. In 1880, James age 29 b. Kansas (??) is enumerated in Kaweah Mineral King, Tulare County, California with Mary, age 24 b. Kansas and three children: Ella, age 9 b. CA; Adaline, age 6 b. CA; and Arthur, age 5 b. CA. I cannot find a 1900 record but the 1910 and 1920 censuses for Arthur W. Mankins show that this is the same man as the 5 year old listed in 1880. He and his wife, Emma have one son name Martin W, age 2 in 1910 and a son, Elwin (7) and a daughter, Alice (5) in 1920. Arthur's father is shown to have been born in Arkansas, his mother in Kansas. They run a farm in Visalia. In 1930, Martin has married Ruth and they live in Exeter, Tulare County with two daughters; Barbara (2) and Evelyn (5/12).