Oliver Manwaring

  Noted events in his life were:

• Family History: From The History of New London, Connecticut by Beers, Pages 208-209. Genealogical research in England has revealed much data concerning this family, same being in print. However, it is the purpose of this article to treat briefly only of the lineage and career of the late Dr. Manwaring. The Roman characters in the following indicate each generation treated and its remoteness from the first American ancestor, Oliver Manwaring, from whom Dr. Manwaring was a descendant in the sixth generation, his lineage being through Richard, Christopher, Robert and Christopher (2).

(I) Oliver Manwaring appears of record at New London, Conn, in 1664. The name appears, in the unsettled orthography of that day, sometimes in its correct form, again as Mannering, Manring, Manwerying. Legal instruments signed by himself have his seal and initials, O. M. But little is known of Oliver Manwaring, however. He married into one of the very well-to-do families of that period, his wife being Hannah, daughter of Richard Raymond, a freeman of Salem, Mass, 1634, where the daughter, Hannah, was baptized in 1643.

Richard Raymond was a man of affluence, and first settled in Connecticut at Norwalk, later locating at Saybrook. On Nov. 3, 1664, Joshua Raymond, the' son of Richard, purchased, in behalf of Oliver Manwaring, the house, house lot and other land in New London belonging to Mr. William Thompson, missionary to the Indians near New London. Mr. Thompson had gone to Virginia and the sale was made by his wife, whom he had duly authorized to dispose of the property. Oliver Manwaring, it seems, at once took charge of the premises. His portion of the purchase comprised the original grant made by the town in 1650 to George Chappell, who built the house thereon, fenced the land, and sold it to Mr. Thompson in 1658. It is not known whether Oliver Manwaring had been a resident of New London, or had just joined the settlement when this purchase was made ; however, he thereafter made his home there. His land thus acquired consisted of a house lot of seven acres, another lot of four acres, and a six-acre swamp lot. These lots, being nearly contiguous, comprised practically all the land on Manwaring Hill , now one of the most delightful residence localities in the city.

Some of this land thus purchased by Oliver Manwaring, in addition to the beautiful elevation where the residence of the late Dr. Manwaring stands, has never been alienated, and is now owned by the Doctor's only son, Wolcott Barber M anwaring. A brook-ran through the house lot of Oliver Manwaring into that of William Chapman, then crossing the highway flowed through the land of Robert Hempstead into the cove. A lane by the side of it is now the lower end of Hempstead street.

On June 5, 1706, Oliver Manwaring divided his real estate between his two sons, by deeds of entailment to the eldest son for three generations, which was all that the laws of the Colony allowed. Thus to the son Richard and his posterity he entailed the house lot of eleven acres, the Denison house lot of ten acres, which he had purchased, and the halfacre house lot near the landing place of Bream Cove.

Oliver married Hannah Raymond, daughter of Richard Raymond and Unknown. (Hannah Raymond was christened in 1643 in Salem, Massachusetts and died on 18 Dec 1717 in New London, Connecticut.)