Kindred Footprints: Edward J. Manley (1886-1939)

When I was a child I remember asking my father if he had any relatives other than his two sisters and he replied that he had a couple of cousins in Toronto. So my next question was ''how are they your cousins'' and he would answer that they were from his Uncle Ed. Being a child and having no idea who Uncle Ed was, I just left it at that. I didn't realize then that Uncle Ed was dead. Over the years I heard the names Tom and Peggy mentioned as cousins but I don't recall ever meeting them. Years later I found a funeral card tucked away in my mother's prayer book that had the name Mary Theresa Manley on it and I always wondered who that was. This funeral card was from St. Patrick's church in Merritton so I didn't make the connection with the mysterious Uncle Ed in Toronto.

As it turns out Uncle Ed was my grandfather's brother and Mary Theresa was his wife. Edward Joseph Manley was the 1st child of my great grandparents, John Manley and Maggie Flynn. He was born on the 6th of April, 1886 in Thorold, Ontario and grew up in the small village of Merritton where he attended the local Catholic school. It was there that he met Mary Theresa McGarry who was to become his future bride.

Mary Theresa and Edward at Merritton Separate School

Circa 1895

Ed and Mary Theresa were married at St. Patrick's church in Merritton on the 10th of January, 1911. The witnesses were Thomas Manley and Margaret McGarry. Father J. Carberry officiated at the ceremony. Mary Theresa McGarry was born on the 8th of September, 1886 in Merritton and was the daughter of James McGarry and Ann Hurson.

Ed followed in his father's business and worked in the canal construction and dredging business with his father while he and Mary Theresa began to raise a family. They had 2 sons, Thomas Patrick and James Edward and a daughter Margaret Anne who was known as ''Peggy". Ah, these are the cousins I heard tell of. I guess I didn't hear James mentioned because he passed away when still a young man. Sometime around 1933 Ed and Mary Theresa moved their family to Toronto, where Ed became the President of The Toronto Drydock Co. and the General Manager of the C.S. Boone Dredging and Construction Co. Both were companies that his father, John Manley had been involved with. They lived at 40 St. Clair Ave. West. which was a ''prime'' address but the home that was located there has since been replaced with an office tower. The photo to the left is Edward, Mary Theresa and their son Thomas, circa 1913.

Uncle Ed passed away at his home in Toronto on the 26th of May, 1939 at the young age of 53. Mary Theresa remained a resident of Toronto and passed away on Oct 18th, 1963 in Alliance, Ohio while visiting at the home of her daughter Peggy. The funeral's for both Ed and Mary Theresa were held at St. Patrick's church in Merritton and they are buried together at Lakeview Cemetery in Thorold, Ontario.

Obituary, The Toronto Star, May 27, 1939;

BUILDING EXECUTIVE EDWARD MANLEY DIES

Edward Joseph Manley, president of the Toronto Drydock Co., and general manager of the C.S. Boone Dredging and Construction Co., died Friday at St. Clair Ave. W. He was in his 53rd year. Born at Thorold, Ont., he had resided in Merritton for some years before coming to Toronto six years ago. He was a fourth degree Knight of Columbus and a member of the Holy Name Society. He attended the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. He is survived by his widow, Mary McGarry Manley; three children, Tom, James and Peggy Anne, and a brother, Rev. Thomas J. Manley of St. Brigid's church.

Obituary, The Toronto Star, October 21, 1963;

MANLEY, Mary Theresa -

At Alliance, Ohio on Friday, Oct. 18, 1963, Mary Theresa McGarry, beloved wife of the late Edward Joseph Manley, dear mother of Thomas Patrick, Mrs. J.D. Dolan (Peggy) and the late James Edward Manley, and sister of Jane McGarry. Friends may call at the F. Rosar Funeral Residence, 467 Sherbourne St. until 8 am Tuesday. Requiem mass in St. Patrick's Church, St. Catharines, Ont at 11 am. Interment Thorold, Ont.

Children of Edward Manley and Mary Theresa McGarry:

Thomas Patrick (1912-1992)

James Edward (1914-1947)

Margaret Anne aka Peggy (1916-1998)

Parents of Edward Manley:

John J. Manley (1854-1933)

Margaret Flynn (1857-1894)

Parents of Mary Theresa McGarry:

James McGarry (1850-1914)

Ann Hurson (1855-1911)