MANES:  Family tradition has it that the original family name was MacManus and the  family was Irish.  Red hair, blue eyes, twins and a definite nose are prevalent in  the Manes(s) family.  Having had DNA testing done, it appears as if our Manes family  descends from William Manes, born in 1738, although at this time a direct connection  has not been made.

James Maness and Nancy Newell Hopkins were married in Franklin County, Missouri in 1846.  They had three children:  Amanda, John Riley (my gr-grandfather) and George W.  James and Nancy do not appear in the 1850 census and by 1860 Nancy had married Charles E. Godat and had several more children.  It is assumed that James Maness died or perhaps he went to the gold fields in California.

John Riley Maness, a chicken farmer, married Sarah Ingram sometime around 1876. In 1888, John, Sarah and children (Bertha Alzona, Thomas Oliver, Helen Esther and Allen Augustus) traveled to and settled in Butte County, California.  Sarah died shortly thereafter.  A number of John's descendants remained in Butte County throughout their lives.  Many are buried in the Gridley-Biggs Cemetery in Gridley, California.

NOBLE:  Alexander Noble and Dorcas Devous were married in Butler County, Ohio.  We do  not know who either of their parents were.  Enoch Noble, Alexander's son, married  Minta Martin.  According to Minta's granddaughter (who lived with Enoch and Minta for  a time), Minta inherited a farm from her father as did all of her sibblings.  She was  not happy with the crops her farm grew, so she issued an edict to her family that  they would move to either Texas or Canada so they could grow wheat or corn.  The  family all fell into step and did as she had demanded.  They renounced their American  citizenship and went to Saskatchewan, Canada to homestead in about 1909.  When my  grandparents, Murray Noble and Nancy Eyman, first arraived they lived in a sod house  as Biggar had no trees for lumber.  When they were able, the men traveled further  west to bring back lumber to build houses and barns.  Murray and family returned to  Oregon in 1923-1924.  Murray later became a naturalized citizen as did all of his  children.

BRIANS:  Williams Brians was from Virginia, went to Kentucky and then to Missouri and  settled on Miami Creek, west of Butler, Missouri, in 1839, but soon after that bought  on Boone's Fork.  He died in 1848, but Prudence Brians, his wife, lived until 1879  and died in California at the age of 95 years.  Williama nd Prudence were the parents  of:  William, Charlotte, Emily and Adam Brians/Bryant.

Charlotte Brians, daughter of William and Prudence was born in 1824 and married  Oliver H.P. Miller in 1841.  They lived in Charlotte Township, Bates County, for a  short time; then bought a claim in New Home; afterwards sold that and bought in New  Home in 1845.  Mr. Miller wanted to keep out of the Civil War, but had to take one  side or the other so he and his oldest son Henry joined the Confederate Army in  1861.  Henry was killed at the battle of Lone Jack 8 Aug 1862.  Oliver Miller was  taken prisoner in Arkansas and died at the federal prinson at Springfield 30 April  1863.  Charlotte and her five remaining children found it harder to make another home  after the war than to make the first in pioneer times as their home and fences were  burned and their stock all taken during the war; however, they rebuilt and prospered.

Adam Brians, son of William Brians and Prudence, and brother of Charlotte Brians,  married in Bates County, Missouri, to Mary Elizabeth Hopper and they had three  children,Prudy (Elizabeth) Jane, Sarah Frances and John Harvey.  Adam left Missouri  and went to California by wagon train in 1853 leaving his wife and children behind.   In December 1858, Adam married Lucy Finley indicating on his marriage license that he  was a "widower," and he was not.  Adam and Lucy were the parents of William Thornton,  John Jefferson, Anna Elizabeth, Franklin, Obediah Hoag, Charles Aaron, Henry A.,  Elizabeth, Sarah Ellen and Emily June Brians.