Throughout the years I have successfully traced my direct Manley lineage to the early colonies, with the first Manley arriving sometime in the early 1600s. My 8X great grandfather, William Manley, Sr. (1643-1717) is credited as the second settler of Easton, Massachusetts, Clement Briggs was named as the first. Although I can account for him once he lands on what will become American shores a century and a half later, to date I have scant information on how and why he came to the Weymouth Colony, then eventually migrating to Easton, Massachusetts.

I have an unverified document that William arrived on a ship from London with a bevy of other young unmarried men, however, at this point documentation prior to his arrival has been elusive.

Life in the colonies was difficult, including clashes with the Native Americans. It is noted that my 8X great grandfather, William Manley served in King Phillips War on the side of the colonies.

While I don’t yet have the full picture of what part of England this line of Manley’s was originally from, what I can say for certain is that William’s lineage extends from the colonies to other small towns and villages in Massachusetts before two brothers down the line in 1815, Adin and Howard Manley, head west to northwest New York, becoming part of the early settlers of Kendall, New York. Two generations later, Frank Manley, my 2X great grandfather, after the death of his father, James Manley in Hamlin, New York will trek even further to Lenawee County, Michigan.

Reviewing a map of Easton, Massachusetts from 1750, we find William Manley’s grandson, Thomas Manley II (1703-1778) with considerable land holdings in Easton. His land is located in the upper middle quadrant of the map, while many Manley siblings (and cousins) occupy the far eastern section of the map.

From this map we also note names such as Hayward, Keith, and Phillips who will intermarry with great frequency with the Manley’s.