by AUDREY CREEL / December 30, 2020
©Audrey Creel, 2020 (All rights reserved.)

James Maney was born in approximately 1843 in Tennessee.[i] James Madison Maney was enslaved by Dr. James Maney during the Civil War.[ii] At the outset of the Civil War, James was enslaved on the Maney’s plantation in Mississippi. He later was moved to Macon, Georgia where he worked at Dixie Works, a blacksmith shop that operated via slave labor.[iii] By 1863, James Maney was sent into the battlefield with Dr. James’ grandson, James Keeble, as a body servant.[iv] After Keeble surrendered at Greensboro, James Maney returned to Murfreesboro by train.[v]

In 1870, James had moved back to Murfreesboro and lived with Margarett, Mary, and Albert Maney.[vi] According to Albert Maney’s will, James was Albert’s younger brother.[vii] It is unknown how James knew the other members of the Maney family living in his household. James found work as a farm laborer, though it is unknown for whom he was employed.[viii]

On July 25, 1893, James Maney married Anna Lytle in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.[ix] Following their marriage, James and Anna purchased a home in Murfreesboro, Tennessee next to his brother’s home.[x] James and Anna had two children in 1896 and 1899: Cenia and Lewis Maney.[xi] Anna also had two children prior to her marriage to James who lived in their household: James and William Lytle.[xii] James found employment as a miller for the local grist mill while Anna worked as a laundress.[xiii] By 1910, James and Anna had two more daughters, Rebecca and Elizabeth.[xiv] It is unknown what happened to Anna Lytle Maney after the birth of her third daughter.

On February 15, 1906, James Maney remarried to Anna Davis in Rutherford County, Tennessee.[xv] In 1910, James worked as a laborer for a lumberyard while Anna David Maney worked as a laundress for a private family.[xvi]

James remarried a final time on June 21, 1919 to Eliza Davis in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.[xvii] After their marriage, Eliza moved into James’ home in Murfreesboro.[xviii] James was employed as a night watchman for a saw mill by 1920.[xix] James Maney died on April 24, 1932 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.[xx] James was buried at Evergreen Cemetery following his death.[xxi]

---

Children of James and Anna (Lytle) Maney

Cenia Maney

Cenia Maney was the oldest daughter of James and Anna (Lytle) Maney.[xxii] Cenia lived in James’ household through 1910 and remained unemployed.[xxiii] On June 20, 1941, Cenia Catherine Maney married James Wright in Ohio.[xxiv] By December 9, 1941, Catherine filed for divorce, citing cruelty as the cause for divorce.[xxv] The case was decided in Catherine’s favor on February 26, 1942 in Michigan.[xxvi] Catherine Wright remarried to Jack Johnson on July 13, 1949 in Detroit, Michigan.[xxvii] Catherine Johnson died on July 25, 1974 in Detroit, Michigan.[xxviii]

---

Lewis Maney

Lewis Maney was the second child of James and Anna (Lytle) Maney.[xxix] Lewis likely died between 1900 and 1910. Lewis does not appear in census records after 1900. There are no further known records for Lewis Maney.

---

Rebecca Maney

Rebecca Maney was the daughter of James and Anna (Lytle) Maney.[xxx] Rebecca lived with her father and step-mother in Murfreesboro, Tennessee in 1910 and was unemployed.[xxxi] There are no further known records for Rebecca Maney.

---

Elizabeth Maney

Elizabeth Maney was the youngest daughter of James and Anna (Lytle) Maney.[xxxii] It is unknown what happened to Elizabeth between 1910 and 1930. By 1930, Elizabeth Maney was a boarder in Nashville, Tennessee and had been divorced.[xxxiii] It is unknown who Elizabeth had previously married. Elizabeth was employed as a welfare worker for a charity center in Nashville.[xxxiv] Elizabeth died on November 11, 1981 in Chicago, Illinois.[xxxv] There are no other known records for Elizabeth Maney.

Return to The Untold Stories Project Page

---

References

[i] United States Census, “Maney, James,” 1900 United States Census, 1900, accessed December 30, 2020 from familysearch.org database, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DCB3-LYJ?i=33&cc=1325221.

[ii] James Maney, Unit Historian Records, 1863, accessed December 30, 2020 from fold3.com database, https://www.fold3.com/page/1201/confederate-african-americanscivil-war/stories.

[iii] James Maney, Unit Historian Records.

[iv] James Maney, Unit Historian Records.

[v] James Maney, Unit Historian Records.

[vi] United States Census, “Maney, James,” 1870 United States Census, 1870, accessed December 30, 2020 from familysearch.org database, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DH8Q-SD9?i=7&cc=1438024&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMD89-7XT.

[vii] Will, “Albert Maney, Colored,” Murfreesboro, TN: 1914, accessed December 30, 2020 from ancestry.com database, https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9176/images/007624830_00085?treeid=&personid=&rc=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=iaY1180&_phstart=successSource&pId=4484755.

[viii] United States Census, “Maney, James,” 1870 United States Census.

[ix] Marriage Record, “James Maney to Annie P. Lytle,” Murfreesboro, TN: July 25, 1893, accessed December 30, 2020 from familysearch.org database, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-893F-M32G?i=415&cc=1619127&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AQKHS-6XQZ.

[x] United States Census, “Maney, James,” 1900 United States Census.

[xi] United States Census, “Maney, James,” 1900 United States Census.

[xii] United States Census, “Maney, James,” 1900 United States Census.

[xiii] United States Census, “Maney, James,” 1900 United States Census.

[xiv] United States Census, “Maney, Jim,” 1910 United States Census, 1910, accessed December 30, 2020 from ancestry.com database, https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7884/images/4449874_00879?treeid=&personid=&rc=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=iaY1181&_phstart=successSource&pId=27433911.

[xv] Marriage Record, “James Maney to Anna Davis,” Rutherford County, TN: February 15, 1906, accessed December 30, 2020 from familysearch.org database, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93F-M3NB?i=626&cc=1619127&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AQKHS-658H.

[xvi] United States Census, “Maney, Jim,” 1910 United States Census.

[xvii] Marriage Record, James Maney to Eliza Brown, Murfreesboro, TN: June 21, 1919, accessed December 30, 2020 from familysearch.org database, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9VH-TZ3L?i=368&cc=1619127.

[xviii] United States Census, “Maney, James,” 1920 United States Census, 1920, accessed December 30, 2020 from ancestry.com database, https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6061/images/4392010_00269?treeid=&personid=&rc=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=iaY1183&_phstart=successSource&pId=36074696.

[xix] United States Census, “Maney, James,” 1920 United States Census.

[xx] Death Record, “James Madison Maney,” Murfreesboro, TN: April 24, 1932, accessed December 30, 2020 from familysearch.org database, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-XCW4-NHQ?i=878&cc=1417505&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3ANS3V-TPF.

[xxi] Death Record, “James Madison Maney.”

[xxii] United States Census, “Maney, Cenia,” 1900 United States Census, 1900, accessed December 30, 2020 from familysearch.org database, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DCB3-LYJ?i=33&cc=1325221&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMSZ9-3Z9.

[xxiii] United States Census, “Maney, Senna,” 1910 United States Census, 1910, accessed December 30, 2020 from ancestry.com database, https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7884/images/4449874_00879?treeid=&personid=&rc=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=iaY1190&_phstart=successSource&pId=145540228.

[xxiv] Divorce Records, Divorce Record 321550, April 1, 1942, accessed August 15, 2019, from ancestry.com database, https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/9092/41327_338695-00727?pid=6253641&backurl=https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3Dtry%26db%3DMI-Divorces%26h%3D6253641&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.53196136.1917741169.1565720416-2119793560.1565720416&_gac=1.182835668.1565891817.Cj0KCQjwhdTqBRDNARIsABsOl98GAD6mD7jRmUtMTRKj9FYz6FQ41_2yabvDAUutVdjllKzylk4qJVcaApLsEALw_wcB.

[xxv] Divorce Records, “Divorce Record 321550.”

[xxvi] Divorce Records, “Divorce Record 321550.”

[xxvii] Marriage Record, Jack Johnson to Catherine Wright, Detroit, MI: July 13, 1949, accessed December 30, 2020 from familysearch.org database, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9392-BV99-44?i=67&cc=1614804.

[xxviii] Death Certificate, Michigan Death Index 1971-1996, Michigan State Records, accessed August 15, 2019, from ancestry.com database, https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=try&db=mivitals&h=1156305.

[xxix] United States Census, “Maney, Lewis,” 1900 United States Census, 1900, accessed December 30, 2020 from familysearch.org database, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DCB3-LYJ?i=33&cc=1325221&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMSZ9-3Z9.

[xxx] United States Census, “Maney, Rebecca,” 1910 United States Census, 1910, accessed December 30, 2020 from ancestry.com database, https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7884/images/4449874_00880?treeid=&personid=&rc=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=iaY1194&_phstart=successSource&pId=145540229.

[xxxi] United States Census, “Maney, Rebecca,” 1910 United States Census.

[xxxii] United States Census, “Maney, Elizabeth,” 1910 United States Census, 1910, accessed December 30, 2020 from ancestry.com database, https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7884/images/4449874_00880?treeid=&personid=&rc=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=iaY1194&_phstart=successSource&pId=145540229.

[xxxiii] United States Census, “Maney, Elizabeth,” 1930 United States Census, 1930, accessed December 30, 2020 from ancestry.com database, https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6224/images/4548153_00496?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.85129689.1917741169.1565720416-2119793560.1565720416&pId=68138364.

[xxxiv] United States Census, “Maney, Elizabeth,” 1930 United States Census.

[xxxv] Death Record, “Elizabeth Maney,” Chicago, IL: November 11, 1981, accessed December 30, 2020 from familysearch.org database, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2MJ-5DW4