"A Young Girl Meets Her Grandmother" by Shirley Ann (Manning) Webb (grand-daughter of Delila (Asbury) Manning), April 9, 2002:
------------------------------------
In the early 1930s a young girl and her father boarded a CNW & OMAHA passenger train in the village of Baldwin, Wisconsin to travel approximately 100 miles east to the small community of Warrens, Wisconsin to visit her paternal grandmother. The young girl was (is) Shirley Ann Manning Webb and her father was Marvin Alexander Manning. They were going to visit Marvin's mother, Delila Ellen (Asbury) Manning, and it was the first time she had met her.
Marvin worked on the railroad and therefore was entitled to a family pass so travel by train was the economical way of going any distance. But there was a problem -- the passenger train did not stop at the small village of Warrens so the two of them got off the train at Black River Falls and waited for a freight train which would be stopping at Warrens. Seated in the caboose of the freight train the railroad men visited with Marvin and gave treats to his daughter and the 20 miles passed rather quickly for a freight train.
Arriving in Warrens it was but a short walk to the small house which was the home of Grandma Manning. As they walked up to the front door a small woman appeared at the door to welcome them and the young girl noticed immediately how black her hair was. Her grandmother back in Baldwin had almost white hair and it was strange that two women about the same age could have such different color hair. Another thing the girl noticed was the way her right shoulder was bent in an pulled forward. It must have been very painful to be so deformed.
As they entered the house the girl's attention was drawn to a large piece of cloth that was attached to frames forming a square in the middle of the largest room. She recognized it as a quilting frame because her maternal grandmother often had quilts up on frames like that in her dining room. Grandmother Manning noticed the girl's attention to the quilt and explained to the that this was the way she earned money for groceries, fuel, etc. She explained that when her husband died there had been no money left for her to live on and so she had to make her living by quilting quilts that ladies in town, mostly in Tomah, would piece together in beautiful designs and then they would bring the tops to her to be finished. She had been doing this for a number of years and explained that that was why her back and shoulder were so deformed. She would sit by the quilt for hours at a time, days on end, reaching over on the quilt as far as she could reach before rolling the frames so she could reach more of the quilt. She told the young girl that she charged by the spool of thread that she used. The more fancy the quilt the more thread was used. She also showed off several tops that were stored in her dresser drawer waiting to be done so she would not be going our of business for awhile. And she made a pledge to the girl that she would piece and quilt a quilt for her.
The rest of the house was very small, a tiny kitchen and two small bedrooms were the extent of the house and the toilet was an outdoor "biffy." After Marvin and Grandma Manning visited for a long time about relatives that lived around the Warrens area they retired for the night as they had to get up early to catch the freight train that would take them back to Black River Falls and to the passenger train which would take them back to Baldwin. It had been an interesting trip and she had been happy to get to know her Grandma and to find her to be a loving and caring individual.
Over the next few years more trips would be made to Warrens, some by a Nash car which her folks owned then they drive around visiting the aunts and uncles who lived in the area. Unfortunately the girl was too young to remember their names and their relationship to her. The quilt Grandma has promised the girl came and it was a beautiful Flower Garden, pieced entirely by hand and then quilted in those tiny stitches around each little piece of the pattern as she had been doing for all those years and for which she was so well known when it came to mastering the quilting art.
On January 28, 1937, Marvin received word that his mother had passed way and a final trip was made to Warrens for her funeral. She had been a wonderful lady and had a hard life but she had made the best of her abilities. The quilt has been passed down and hopefully will be kept in the family for many years in memory of her.
==================
Obituary obtained from Shirley Manning Webb, Delila's grand-daughter:
------------------------------------
Mrs. S.W. Manning Dies on Thursday
Delila Ellen Asbury was born June 3, 1864 at Victory, and passed away at her home at Warrens on Thursday, January 28, 1937. On October 29, 1889 she was married to Sidney W. Manning at Rugby, North Dakota, coming back to Wisconsin a year later they resumed their residence near Victory until 1902 when they moved to a farm near Warrens. From there they moved into the village of Warrens in 1912 where they have lived continuously since that time. Mr. Manning died several years ago.
There are three children, all of whom survive them, Marvin A. Manning of Baldwin, Mrs. James Elliot of Warrens, and Malcolm A. Manning of Munsing, Michigan.
She is survived also by three sisters, Mrs. James Chambers of Tomah, Mrs. Rilla Pittenger of Washington, D.C., Mrs. Frank Clark of La Moille, Minnesota; and four brothers, E. A. Asbury, Warrens, Gilbert Asbury, Brewster, Wash., Irving Asbury, Warrens, Reuben Asbury, Viroqua. There are also six grandchildren.
Funeral services for Mrs. Manning were held from the Warrens Baptist church on Sunday afternoon, Rev. J. W. Taylor officiating. Interment was in the Warrens cemetery.
==================
------------------------------------
In the early 1930s a young girl and her father boarded a CNW & OMAHA passenger train in the village of Baldwin, Wisconsin to travel approximately 100 miles east to the small community of Warrens, Wisconsin to visit her paternal grandmother. The young girl was (is) Shirley Ann Manning Webb and her father was Marvin Alexander Manning. They were going to visit Marvin's mother, Delila Ellen (Asbury) Manning, and it was the first time she had met her.
Marvin worked on the railroad and therefore was entitled to a family pass so travel by train was the economical way of going any distance. But there was a problem -- the passenger train did not stop at the small village of Warrens so the two of them got off the train at Black River Falls and waited for a freight train which would be stopping at Warrens. Seated in the caboose of the freight train the railroad men visited with Marvin and gave treats to his daughter and the 20 miles passed rather quickly for a freight train.
Arriving in Warrens it was but a short walk to the small house which was the home of Grandma Manning. As they walked up to the front door a small woman appeared at the door to welcome them and the young girl noticed immediately how black her hair was. Her grandmother back in Baldwin had almost white hair and it was strange that two women about the same age could have such different color hair. Another thing the girl noticed was the way her right shoulder was bent in an pulled forward. It must have been very painful to be so deformed.
As they entered the house the girl's attention was drawn to a large piece of cloth that was attached to frames forming a square in the middle of the largest room. She recognized it as a quilting frame because her maternal grandmother often had quilts up on frames like that in her dining room. Grandmother Manning noticed the girl's attention to the quilt and explained to the that this was the way she earned money for groceries, fuel, etc. She explained that when her husband died there had been no money left for her to live on and so she had to make her living by quilting quilts that ladies in town, mostly in Tomah, would piece together in beautiful designs and then they would bring the tops to her to be finished. She had been doing this for a number of years and explained that that was why her back and shoulder were so deformed. She would sit by the quilt for hours at a time, days on end, reaching over on the quilt as far as she could reach before rolling the frames so she could reach more of the quilt. She told the young girl that she charged by the spool of thread that she used. The more fancy the quilt the more thread was used. She also showed off several tops that were stored in her dresser drawer waiting to be done so she would not be going our of business for awhile. And she made a pledge to the girl that she would piece and quilt a quilt for her.
The rest of the house was very small, a tiny kitchen and two small bedrooms were the extent of the house and the toilet was an outdoor "biffy." After Marvin and Grandma Manning visited for a long time about relatives that lived around the Warrens area they retired for the night as they had to get up early to catch the freight train that would take them back to Black River Falls and to the passenger train which would take them back to Baldwin. It had been an interesting trip and she had been happy to get to know her Grandma and to find her to be a loving and caring individual.
Over the next few years more trips would be made to Warrens, some by a Nash car which her folks owned then they drive around visiting the aunts and uncles who lived in the area. Unfortunately the girl was too young to remember their names and their relationship to her. The quilt Grandma has promised the girl came and it was a beautiful Flower Garden, pieced entirely by hand and then quilted in those tiny stitches around each little piece of the pattern as she had been doing for all those years and for which she was so well known when it came to mastering the quilting art.
On January 28, 1937, Marvin received word that his mother had passed way and a final trip was made to Warrens for her funeral. She had been a wonderful lady and had a hard life but she had made the best of her abilities. The quilt has been passed down and hopefully will be kept in the family for many years in memory of her.
==================
Obituary obtained from Shirley Manning Webb, Delila's grand-daughter:
------------------------------------
Mrs. S.W. Manning Dies on Thursday
Delila Ellen Asbury was born June 3, 1864 at Victory, and passed away at her home at Warrens on Thursday, January 28, 1937. On October 29, 1889 she was married to Sidney W. Manning at Rugby, North Dakota, coming back to Wisconsin a year later they resumed their residence near Victory until 1902 when they moved to a farm near Warrens. From there they moved into the village of Warrens in 1912 where they have lived continuously since that time. Mr. Manning died several years ago.
There are three children, all of whom survive them, Marvin A. Manning of Baldwin, Mrs. James Elliot of Warrens, and Malcolm A. Manning of Munsing, Michigan.
She is survived also by three sisters, Mrs. James Chambers of Tomah, Mrs. Rilla Pittenger of Washington, D.C., Mrs. Frank Clark of La Moille, Minnesota; and four brothers, E. A. Asbury, Warrens, Gilbert Asbury, Brewster, Wash., Irving Asbury, Warrens, Reuben Asbury, Viroqua. There are also six grandchildren.
Funeral services for Mrs. Manning were held from the Warrens Baptist church on Sunday afternoon, Rev. J. W. Taylor officiating. Interment was in the Warrens cemetery.
==================
"A Young Girl Meets Her Grandmother" by Shirley Ann (Manning) Webb (grand-daughter of Delila (Asbury) Manning), April 9, 2002:
------------------------------------
In the early 1930s a young girl and her father boarded a CNW & OMAHA passenger train in the village of Baldwin, Wisconsin to travel approximately 100 miles east to the small community of Warrens, Wisconsin to visit her paternal grandmother. The young girl was (is) Shirley Ann Manning Webb and her father was Marvin Alexander Manning. They were going to visit Marvin's mother, Delila Ellen (Asbury) Manning, and it was the first time she had met her.
Marvin worked on the railroad and therefore was entitled to a family pass so travel by train was the economical way of going any distance. But there was a problem -- the passenger train did not stop at the small village of Warrens so the two of them got off the train at Black River Falls and waited for a freight train which would be stopping at Warrens. Seated in the caboose of the freight train the railroad men visited with Marvin and gave treats to his daughter and the 20 miles passed rather quickly for a freight train.
Arriving in Warrens it was but a short walk to the small house which was the home of Grandma Manning. As they walked up to the front door a small woman appeared at the door to welcome them and the young girl noticed immediately how black her hair was. Her grandmother back in Baldwin had almost white hair and it was strange that two women about the same age could have such different color hair. Another thing the girl noticed was the way her right shoulder was bent in an pulled forward. It must have been very painful to be so deformed.
As they entered the house the girl's attention was drawn to a large piece of cloth that was attached to frames forming a square in the middle of the largest room. She recognized it as a quilting frame because her maternal grandmother often had quilts up on frames like that in her dining room. Grandmother Manning noticed the girl's attention to the quilt and explained to the that this was the way she earned money for groceries, fuel, etc. She explained that when her husband died there had been no money left for her to live on and so she had to make her living by quilting quilts that ladies in town, mostly in Tomah, would piece together in beautiful designs and then they would bring the tops to her to be finished. She had been doing this for a number of years and explained that that was why her back and shoulder were so deformed. She would sit by the quilt for hours at a time, days on end, reaching over on the quilt as far as she could reach before rolling the frames so she could reach more of the quilt. She told the young girl that she charged by the spool of thread that she used. The more fancy the quilt the more thread was used. She also showed off several tops that were stored in her dresser drawer waiting to be done so she would not be going our of business for awhile. And she made a pledge to the girl that she would piece and quilt a quilt for her.
The rest of the house was very small, a tiny kitchen and two small bedrooms were the extent of the house and the toilet was an outdoor "biffy." After Marvin and Grandma Manning visited for a long time about relatives that lived around the Warrens area they retired for the night as they had to get up early to catch the freight train that would take them back to Black River Falls and to the passenger train which would take them back to Baldwin. It had been an interesting trip and she had been happy to get to know her Grandma and to find her to be a loving and caring individual.
Over the next few years more trips would be made to Warrens, some by a Nash car which her folks owned then they drive around visiting the aunts and uncles who lived in the area. Unfortunately the girl was too young to remember their names and their relationship to her. The quilt Grandma has promised the girl came and it was a beautiful Flower Garden, pieced entirely by hand and then quilted in those tiny stitches around each little piece of the pattern as she had been doing for all those years and for which she was so well known when it came to mastering the quilting art.
On January 28, 1937, Marvin received word that his mother had passed way and a final trip was made to Warrens for her funeral. She had been a wonderful lady and had a hard life but she had made the best of her abilities. The quilt has been passed down and hopefully will be kept in the family for many years in memory of her.
==================
Obituary obtained from Shirley Manning Webb, Delila's grand-daughter:
------------------------------------
Mrs. S.W. Manning Dies on Thursday
Delila Ellen Asbury was born June 3, 1864 at Victory, and passed away at her home at Warrens on Thursday, January 28, 1937. On October 29, 1889 she was married to Sidney W. Manning at Rugby, North Dakota, coming back to Wisconsin a year later they resumed their residence near Victory until 1902 when they moved to a farm near Warrens. From there they moved into the village of Warrens in 1912 where they have lived continuously since that time. Mr. Manning died several years ago.
There are three children, all of whom survive them, Marvin A. Manning of Baldwin, Mrs. James Elliot of Warrens, and Malcolm A. Manning of Munsing, Michigan.
She is survived also by three sisters, Mrs. James Chambers of Tomah, Mrs. Rilla Pittenger of Washington, D.C., Mrs. Frank Clark of La Moille, Minnesota; and four brothers, E. A. Asbury, Warrens, Gilbert Asbury, Brewster, Wash., Irving Asbury, Warrens, Reuben Asbury, Viroqua. There are also six grandchildren.
Funeral services for Mrs. Manning were held from the Warrens Baptist church on Sunday afternoon, Rev. J. W. Taylor officiating. Interment was in the Warrens cemetery.
==================
------------------------------------
In the early 1930s a young girl and her father boarded a CNW & OMAHA passenger train in the village of Baldwin, Wisconsin to travel approximately 100 miles east to the small community of Warrens, Wisconsin to visit her paternal grandmother. The young girl was (is) Shirley Ann Manning Webb and her father was Marvin Alexander Manning. They were going to visit Marvin's mother, Delila Ellen (Asbury) Manning, and it was the first time she had met her.
Marvin worked on the railroad and therefore was entitled to a family pass so travel by train was the economical way of going any distance. But there was a problem -- the passenger train did not stop at the small village of Warrens so the two of them got off the train at Black River Falls and waited for a freight train which would be stopping at Warrens. Seated in the caboose of the freight train the railroad men visited with Marvin and gave treats to his daughter and the 20 miles passed rather quickly for a freight train.
Arriving in Warrens it was but a short walk to the small house which was the home of Grandma Manning. As they walked up to the front door a small woman appeared at the door to welcome them and the young girl noticed immediately how black her hair was. Her grandmother back in Baldwin had almost white hair and it was strange that two women about the same age could have such different color hair. Another thing the girl noticed was the way her right shoulder was bent in an pulled forward. It must have been very painful to be so deformed.
As they entered the house the girl's attention was drawn to a large piece of cloth that was attached to frames forming a square in the middle of the largest room. She recognized it as a quilting frame because her maternal grandmother often had quilts up on frames like that in her dining room. Grandmother Manning noticed the girl's attention to the quilt and explained to the that this was the way she earned money for groceries, fuel, etc. She explained that when her husband died there had been no money left for her to live on and so she had to make her living by quilting quilts that ladies in town, mostly in Tomah, would piece together in beautiful designs and then they would bring the tops to her to be finished. She had been doing this for a number of years and explained that that was why her back and shoulder were so deformed. She would sit by the quilt for hours at a time, days on end, reaching over on the quilt as far as she could reach before rolling the frames so she could reach more of the quilt. She told the young girl that she charged by the spool of thread that she used. The more fancy the quilt the more thread was used. She also showed off several tops that were stored in her dresser drawer waiting to be done so she would not be going our of business for awhile. And she made a pledge to the girl that she would piece and quilt a quilt for her.
The rest of the house was very small, a tiny kitchen and two small bedrooms were the extent of the house and the toilet was an outdoor "biffy." After Marvin and Grandma Manning visited for a long time about relatives that lived around the Warrens area they retired for the night as they had to get up early to catch the freight train that would take them back to Black River Falls and to the passenger train which would take them back to Baldwin. It had been an interesting trip and she had been happy to get to know her Grandma and to find her to be a loving and caring individual.
Over the next few years more trips would be made to Warrens, some by a Nash car which her folks owned then they drive around visiting the aunts and uncles who lived in the area. Unfortunately the girl was too young to remember their names and their relationship to her. The quilt Grandma has promised the girl came and it was a beautiful Flower Garden, pieced entirely by hand and then quilted in those tiny stitches around each little piece of the pattern as she had been doing for all those years and for which she was so well known when it came to mastering the quilting art.
On January 28, 1937, Marvin received word that his mother had passed way and a final trip was made to Warrens for her funeral. She had been a wonderful lady and had a hard life but she had made the best of her abilities. The quilt has been passed down and hopefully will be kept in the family for many years in memory of her.
==================
Obituary obtained from Shirley Manning Webb, Delila's grand-daughter:
------------------------------------
Mrs. S.W. Manning Dies on Thursday
Delila Ellen Asbury was born June 3, 1864 at Victory, and passed away at her home at Warrens on Thursday, January 28, 1937. On October 29, 1889 she was married to Sidney W. Manning at Rugby, North Dakota, coming back to Wisconsin a year later they resumed their residence near Victory until 1902 when they moved to a farm near Warrens. From there they moved into the village of Warrens in 1912 where they have lived continuously since that time. Mr. Manning died several years ago.
There are three children, all of whom survive them, Marvin A. Manning of Baldwin, Mrs. James Elliot of Warrens, and Malcolm A. Manning of Munsing, Michigan.
She is survived also by three sisters, Mrs. James Chambers of Tomah, Mrs. Rilla Pittenger of Washington, D.C., Mrs. Frank Clark of La Moille, Minnesota; and four brothers, E. A. Asbury, Warrens, Gilbert Asbury, Brewster, Wash., Irving Asbury, Warrens, Reuben Asbury, Viroqua. There are also six grandchildren.
Funeral services for Mrs. Manning were held from the Warrens Baptist church on Sunday afternoon, Rev. J. W. Taylor officiating. Interment was in the Warrens cemetery.
==================
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