Joseph P. Manning
Encyclopedia
Joseph Philip Manning was a pioneer who crossed the Oregon Trail
in 1848. He homesteaded north of the Columbia River
where he served as a member of the Washington Territory
legislature, Lewis County
sheriff and assessor, and postmaster of the town of Winlock
.
driving a team of oxen. He met Caroline Aubert and her sister who were traveling in the same wagon train
. The Aubert family had come to Illinois
from Switzerland
. Their father had gone west and joined his countryman, John Sutter
,in California
prior to the discovery of gold. The teenage sisters had been orphaned and had joined the wagon train in the employ of a sympathetic family. Several years after arriving in Oregon, the two were married and moved to the thinly-populated Washington Territory
north of the Columbia River
.
.He was appointed and served for many years as postmaster for the town of Winlock.
, son of James Urquhart
whose post office in Napavine was the mail distribution point for the other post offices in the area. When Washington became a state in 1889 and Olympia
became the state capital, the Mannings moved north and lived the rest of their lives in the new capital city.
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
in 1848. He homesteaded north of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
where he served as a member of the Washington Territory
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
legislature, Lewis County
Lewis County, Washington
Lewis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of 2010, the population was 75,455. The county seat is at Chehalis, and its largest city is Centralia....
sheriff and assessor, and postmaster of the town of Winlock
Winlock, Washington
Winlock is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,339 at the 2010 census. It named after territorial army general, Winlock M. Miller, who briefly resided there. Winlock is mostly famous for having the World's Largest , reflecting its former status as a major...
.
Pioneer
As a young man—barely twenty years of age—he crossed to the Oregon TerritoryOregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
driving a team of oxen. He met Caroline Aubert and her sister who were traveling in the same wagon train
Wagon train
A wagon train is a group of wagons traveling together. In the American West, individuals traveling across the plains in covered wagons banded together for mutual assistance, as is reflected in numerous films and television programs about the region, such as Audie Murphy's Tumbleweed and Ward Bond...
. The Aubert family had come to Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
from Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. Their father had gone west and joined his countryman, John Sutter
John Sutter
Johann Augus Sutter was a Swiss pioneer of California known for his association with the California Gold Rush by the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall and the mill making team at Sutter's Mill, and for establishing Sutter's Fort in the area that would eventually become Sacramento, the...
,in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
prior to the discovery of gold. The teenage sisters had been orphaned and had joined the wagon train in the employ of a sympathetic family. Several years after arriving in Oregon, the two were married and moved to the thinly-populated Washington Territory
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
north of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
.
Public Servant
The young couple settled near the Jackson Prairie Courthouse on the Cowlitz River and began a frontier life that not only included clearing and planting fields and raising stock, but participating the public life of the Territory. Joseph served in the Washington Territorial legislature. He was elected both sheriff and assessor of Lewis CountyLewis County, Washington
Lewis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of 2010, the population was 75,455. The county seat is at Chehalis, and its largest city is Centralia....
.He was appointed and served for many years as postmaster for the town of Winlock.
Family
Most of the seven Manning children married offspring of other early pioneer families and continued living in the area between the Columbia and the Puget Sound. Their daughter Anna married William Muir UrquhartWilliam Muir Urquhart
William Muir Urquhart was an American entrepreneur, businessman and public servant. For many years he was Treasurer of Lewis County, Washington. He also served as mayor, councilman, and postmaster of Chehalis, Washington where he lived and worked for over fifty years...
, son of James Urquhart
James Urquhart
James Urquhart served three terms in the Washington Territory legislature. He was also elected to three terms as a county commissioner in Lewis County, Washington. He was a delegate to the Washington State Constitutional Convention. In 1873 he laid out the town of Napavine where he was Postmaster...
whose post office in Napavine was the mail distribution point for the other post offices in the area. When Washington became a state in 1889 and Olympia
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
became the state capital, the Mannings moved north and lived the rest of their lives in the new capital city.