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Family tradition has it that the Manchesters came to America from Manchester, Englad. One cousin, Claude Manchester, says he was told by a Manchester relative from California who has done research on his line, that two brothers were knighted by the Queen of England and took the name Manchester from their birthplace. These brothers were ship owners who decided to sail together to America. On their trip their ships became seperated and they never regained contact with one another. One brother settled in the northeastern states while the other settled in the south. We are thought to br desendents of the southern brother.
One of our first known ancestor was George A. Manchester. On the 1850 federal census George Manchester, age 27, and his wife of less than one year, Rebecca, age 19, were living on a farm in Canadian Township, Mississippi County, AR. Canadian Township was between Blytheville and Luxora. Shortly afterward they moved south of Osceola to the vicinity of Carson Lake and Nodena.
The next time the family is found is on the 1870 federal census. During that 20 years at least seven childern were born to George and Rebecca.
In the 1950's Anna Yarbrough Bess, returned to the farm in Mississippi County, AR and found the family graveyard to be cultivated fram land now and found some of the tomdstones being used as steps at a house on the property. Several of our ancestors were buried in this cemetery.
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