Cheryl Manning’s dad was Benjamin Mann Sessoms Sr. (Mann was his mom’s maiden name.) He was the youngest of 10 children all born and raised in Rocky Mount, NC. About 20-25 years ago, Cheryl spent many hours at the microfilm machines in Roanoke’s Main Library looking for her dad’s family census data, but with little success. She knew her mom’s family, but knew very little about her dad’s family history.
While being shut-in much of 2020 due to Covid restrictions, Cheryl decided to continue her research using Ancestry.com and without submitting any DNA evidence, she was able to find family members on her dad’s side still living in or near Rocky Mount, NC.
Cheryl’s grandmother was Elnora Mann Sessoms who was born, raised, married and in 1930, died in Whitakers, NC, a small community adjacent to Rocky Mount. Cheryl’s dad was 10 years old when his mom died so he didn’t remember much about her. However, Ancestry.com provided answers to many unanswered questions about the Mann family.
Earlier this year Cheryl made contact and in mid-July, Cheryl and her son Jason traveled to the Rocky Mount community to meet second cousins, Eric, William and Keith Mann. These brothers still live on or near the 100-year-old family farm. Their grandfather and Cheryl’s grandmother were sister and brother.
The trip was not only fun, memorable and heartwarming, it was also historical. Cheryl and Jason visited Mann’s Chapel AME Church, built in the late 1800’s by the Mann family and on Mann property in Whitakers. This church still stands, has an active congregation, and is where Cheryl’s grandparents married in 1899.
These cousins were all so very excited to meet each other and will forever remain connected. “Family, like branches on a tree, may all grow in different directions, but their roots will forever remain as one.”
