John Anderson "Johnny" Mann was the 2nd child born to Lindsay & Rebecca Mann.  He was born in southeastern Chatham County, NC in Cape Fear Township and near the village of Corinth.  He was named after his grandfathers: John Mann and Anderson Holt. When he was very young Johnny lived with his paternal grandparents, John & Candace Upchurch Mann, as well as his parents and brother Lemuel.  Once he was old enough, Johnny began helping his father on the family farm and did so at least through 1900, working approximately nine months of each year on the farm.  Two to three months in each of those years were spent in school including the year 1900, when at age 19 he attended school for 2 months. In late 1896 or early 1897 he moved with his family to the Cokesbury section of Harnett County, NC. In 1902 Johnny went to work as a Flagman for the Seaboard Railroad Company in Wake County. In the Spring of 1903 he became very ill and was out of work for several weeks.  According to what I learned in the early 1980s from his sister Beulah Mann McLean, Johnny returned to work before he had regained all his strength and against the wishes of some of his family.  Within a few days of returning, he was accidentally killed near Raleigh one early July night around 2:15 a.m. when he evidently fell asleep by the tracks waiting for a tardy northbound passenger train.  A friendly and very likeable young man according to his sisters Beulah and Mary Joyce, his death was particularly upsetting to his father, sister Berta, brother Raymond, and closest childhood playmate and brother, Lemuel.  At the time of his death, Beulah said Johnny was engaged to be married, but Beulah also said neither she, nor anyone else living, could remember his fiancé's name.

No known photographs exist of Johnny and other than bearing a close resemblance to his younger brother Clarence according to Beulah, Buck and Mary Joyce, the only clue regarding his appearance is the sketch you see at the top of this page.  When this was drawn and by whom is unknown.  Johnny is buried in Cokesbury Methodist Church Cemetery in Harnett County, NC.  He was originally buried near Merry Oaks in Chatham County at Christian Chapel Christian Church Cemetery along with his mother Rebecca and sister Florence.  All three were reinterred in Cokesbury about 1926.

Clayton P. Mann