History of John Mangum & Rebecca Canida Knowles Mangum

History of John Mangum & Rebecca Canida Knowles Mangum, Willie's 2nd great grandparents:

Graves along the trail.

Name: Rebecca Canida Knowles Mangum

Date & place of birth: ?

Date & place of death: 23 Feb 1847 Winter Quarters

Married: Jesse Knowles & John Mangum

History written by Carol Adele Hale Anema

History submitted by  "   "       "       "

Date submitted: 8 Sep 1976

Far South Company, Weber County, Ogden, Utah

Camp: Patchwork

Includes the history of John Mangum, an American Revolutionary War Soldier.

History of John Mangum:

In our family tradition runs, that one fine day in an Irish seaport village a young Mangum playing accidentally smashed a window in the church, and was so frightened that he ran and concealed himself on a vessel which was anchored at the wharf.  He remain concealed until the ship was far out in the ocean. This must have been way back in the 17^th century, and a vessel made port in what is now the Carolinas. There is a small post office down there called Mangum and also a string of such offices scattered along the trails followed by the boys descendants across the Carolina’s, Tennessee, Mississippi, Indiana, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Texas.

This in all probability is a correct account of how the family arrived in America, and if our original progenitor arrived in this country as indicated, his name would not have been recorded on the ships listings.

John Mangum was born January 19, 1763 in Mecklenburg County, Virginia.  His parents apparently moved to Lunenburg County soon after he was born.  He was the fourth child in a family of six.  He had one brother, William, and two sisters, Lucy and Sarah who were older and two brothers, William Lewis who were younger.  (Note: you a question the fact that the first and fifth children were both named William.  It was a practice, especially in England, that when a child died, the which child of that same sex, would receive the dead child’s name.)

As john grew older, he was apparently active in the Baptist church, as he and his Brother Lewis are both listed as members.

Jones father’s name was also john and was born about 1736 in Albernarle Parish, Survey county, Virginia.  His mother’s name was Mary.  Her maiden name is unknown.  His grandfather William Mangum was also born in Albernarle.  His grandmother was Mary Person Mangum.  His great grandfather was John Mangum and his great grandmother was Francis Bennett Mangum, daughter of the governor Richard Bennett of Virginia.

John served as a coldier for the colonies during the revolutionary war.  He apparently joined at the age of 15.  He served six tours of duty from 1779 to August of 1782.  John was in the sage of Augusta about 1781 and was in the battle of Edge Hill, where he received a wound on his head from William Cunningham, a Tory, and was taken prisoner.  His length of captivity was not stated.  Two interesting and exciting stories of his experiences during the war have been handed down through the family.

John Mangum enlisted in Marion’s brigade at the age of 16 and served four years to the end of the war.

Story # 1: Brigadier general Francis Marion organized his brigade of frontiersman who furnish their own fast horses, arms and food, and who could be armed and in the saddle in a matter of minutes upon call.  They would destroy the British Supply trains, cut off any small detachments, rushing to their main camps at night for a raid and be gone before the British could get organized, and be in another country before dawn.

When the British would chase them with a large force, they would hide in the swamps and mountains or scatter to their own homes until the danger was passed and then be as it again.  They were the best marksmen, riders and woodsman on the frontier.

Marian was called the Swamp Fox.  At one time he was surprised while he and his men were all taking a bath in the river.  They all ran for their guns and didn’t have time to get their clothes.  He sent a flag of truce to demand their clothes or he would kill 10 of their best men.  Colonel Sir Banstre Tarleton sent the clothes.  The British courier, who brought the clothes, was invited to eat with Marion and his men.  Upon his return to his own lines, he told Tarleton that anyone who could eat sweet potatoes like Marion’s men did would never surrender and at Marion has said, “Tell the Colonel Sir Banstre Tarleton, that I will only kill eight of his men now.” Of course, he didn’t.

Story # 2: John Mangum fought at the battle of Cow Pens.  This was a place in a meadow where the settlers grazed their milk cows, and each farmer had a cow pen and for his cattle.  The cow pens furnished some protection as a breast work against the British army.

Marion’s Brigade was joined with those of Brigadier General Daniel Morgan and Colonel Light House Henry Lee, with Morgan in command.  He placed the new recruits on the front line with instructions to run if it got too hot for them and regroup behind the old veterans.

When Tarleton attached with the British regulars, the frontline gave away and they ran right into the best marksmen in the world who didn’t run, and his army was cut to pieces, surrounded and captured.  John Mangum was wounded in this battle.

Marian’s brigade in the main was a light brigade which operated on the theory that “He who fought and runs away, lives to fight another day.”

John had another brush with death.  While he was in the service, he was fermented to go home on a furlough.  When returning back to the service, the crew was captured and taken prisoner by the British and were kept for several days.  They then took their prisoners out to a lot and laid their heads on it and chained them to it.  The commanding officer drew his sword and raked two or three of them across the head and told the captain to turn them loose.  The commanding officer took his sword and split the rest of the prisoners heads open and left them.  John Mangum was one of the boys who was spared.  After several days he had the chance to talk to the commanding officer and ask him why his life was spared.  The officer swore and told him that he knew his brother William, who was a Tory, and that he thought he would make a good Tory too.

In later life, he appeared in court to claim his veteran’s pension and gave the following statements regarding his places of residence.

(I was born in Mecklenburg county, Virginia on the 19^th of January 1793 informed by my mother when I was 11 years old.  I had it in a book from the time I entered the service. (this same book was in my mother’s, Delta Ivie Mangum Hale’ possession at the time she combined and published this book.) John could not write.  At the end of his declaration for pension it only had his mark.  He was 69 at this time or more.

In 1805 he moved from Newberry District, South Carolina to Warren County (afterwards Clinton county), Ohio.  In 1811 he moved to Giles county, Tennessee.  In 1815 he moved to Saint Clair county, Alabama.

Shortly after the revolutionary war, John Mangum married Mary Murdock.  Date of marriage unknown.  They had three children all born in South Carolina.  Mary died.

She then married Gemima Goggins.  Date of marriage unknown.  John’s brother William was married to Gemima’s sister, Anna.  These two couples were apparently quite close as John was the administrator of William’s estate following William’s death. As part of William’s settlement, his wife Anna sold John 82 acres for $7.75 on January 19’ 1838 in Newberry, South Carolina.

John and Jemima had two children.  The oldest Cyrus was born January 5, 1805 at Newberry. He went by the nickname of Russ.  After he was grown and married a move to Texas where he left a large posterity.  The other child, Mary was born May 17, 1804.

John second wife Gemima died and he was a widow were again with five children.  Following her death he moved to Warren County, Ohio.  Later changed to Clinton County.  It is here he meets his third wife, Rebecca Knowles.  They were married January 19, 1809.  They were the parents of eight children baking John the father of 13 children altogether.

Although only a part of the record John’s land holdings and transactions are available, it is evident that he had possession of a great deal of land during his lifetime.

John’s third wife, Rebecca Canida had one son from her first marriage to Jesse Knowles.  Little is known of the life of Rebecca until John’s death in 1843.  This was March 3, 1843.  He was 80 years old which was considered beyond the average life expectancy of his day.  He is buried in Fulton, Idawanba county, Mississippi.

In the fall of 1844, a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints, James Ritchey, was in Fulton, Mississippi.  Some of Rebecca’s children heard his teachings and were favorable impressed.  Three of the family, Gemima, John, and James Mitchell, became members.  A year later, Rebecca and the rest of her children, except Jane, became members.

The strong desire of the early members of the Mormon church to gather at the center of Zion was felt in Mississippi.  Rebecca and all her children, except Jane, moved to Nauvoo, Illinois. They apparently traveled by land during the winter of 1845 – 1846. 

Upon her arrival to Nauvoo, her youngest daughter, Lucinda married a missionary James Ritchey, who had brought the gospel to her family.

The Illinois mobs were at this time forcing the Latter-day saints from their homes in Nauvoo.  Soon after the marriage, probably in January or February of 1846, Rebecca accompanied her daughter and new son in law along with other relatives as they left Nauvoo.

The extreme cold of the winter was hard on the travelers, as their only shelter was their wagon and what wagon covers or tents they were able to carry with them.  Rebecca was fortunate that her son in law had a team and wagon.  Those less fortunate were forced to travel on foot, carrying on their backs their only earthly possessions.

That spring and summer were spent at the second camping area of the Mormons, Camp Pisgah.  Here they build a log cabin to provide some shelter from the elements.  This was beyond the frontier of that day.  Yet close enough to the frontier settlements that they could return to obtain provisions.  Rebecca son in law made such a trip to the settlements of Missouri to obtain food for the next winter.

Lake in a season of 1846, they moved farther west two Council Bluffs, Iowa where they again build a cabin and prepared to spend the winter.  The traveling and exposure proved too much for Rebecca and she died on February 23, 1847 at the age of 60.  Her grave is in the Winter Quarters Cemetery.