Charity Hare Haywood was born 1799 in Raleigh, Wake County, NC, the 2nd of 3 known surviving children (2 girls/1 boy) born to William Henry Haywood II and his wife, Ann Sheppard. Her father was a prominent attorney, banker, planter, and clerk of the United States District Court.

She was the paternal granddaughter of Col. William Henry Haywood, I. and Charity Hare of Edgecombe County; and gr-grandchild of family patriarch John Haywood of Barbados and his wife, Mary "Lucy" Lovette. On her mother's side, she was the maternal granddaughter of Col. Benjamin Sheppard and Elizabeth Ruffin of Dobbs, and later Greene Co, She was the sister of William Henry Haywood, Jr., U.S. senator; and sister-in-law of Edward B. Dudley, governor of North Carolina, (1836-1840), who married her sister Eliza.

Charity was 18 when she married 22-year old Charles Manly, a Raleigh attorney and son of Capt. (John) Basil Manly and Elizabeth Maultsby of Chatham Co, NC. Charles Manly later served as Governor of North Carolina (1849-1851).

Charity and Charles Manly lived in Raleigh, where his legal career was centered; but they also spent time at the family plantation named "Ingleside", located northeast of Raleigh.

The couple would share a long and happy life together, eventually having twelve children, 6 boys and 6 girl: Ann Eliza Manly (1818), CSA Col. John Haywood Manly (1820-1874), Dr. Langdon Cheeves Manly (1822), Charles Manly Jr (1824), William Henry Manly (1826-1848), Cora Manly (1829-1876), Edward Manly (1830-1830), Julia Manly (1832-1900), Helen Manly (1835-1921), Sophia Louisa Manly (1837), CSA Maj. Basil Charles Manly (1839-1882), and Ida Haywood Manly (1844-1908).

After his term of Governorship ended, the Manlys retired to his plantation "Ingleside", comprising 1,060 acres east of Raleigh. In April 1865, troops under command of Gen. William T. Sherman, pillaged The Manly home and storehouses.

All of their surviving sons would serve proudly in the CSA and survived to return to Raleigh. Her daughters suffered loss during the war. Cora, known as "Sis Co" or "C," married George Badger Singeltary, a young lawyer from Greenville who became a Confederate Colonel and was killed in 1862. Julia married James McDowell, owner of Quaker Meadows Plantation near Morganton, who also served as a Confederate Colonel and was killed in the war. Helen married John Gray Blount Grimes, a planter from Pitt County, who served as a Confederate Captain and was imprisoned during the war.

Charity was widowed in 1871 when her husband of 54 years died at the family mansion after a long illness, one that had left him blind. He was 76 years old. Charity survived another 9 years, passing in 1880 at age 81. Two of her children, William & Edward Manly, are buried at City Cemetery. Son, Basil Charles Manly is buried in Oakwood Cemetery. Daughter Julia Manly McDowell is buried at Grace Episcopal in Morganton, Burke Co.