William Manry was born December 17, 1820 in Darlington Co, South Carolina the 3rd child to Henry Manry of Albemarle Parrish, Virginia and Jane Simmons of North Carolina.
In 1838 at the age of 18, he helped move a friend with a team of oxen to Southwest Georgia and Early County. There he stayed at met and married Ann Collier in 1840. William and Ann had 8 children:
James Henry b. 1841: James fought in the Civil War and after being at Antietam/Sharpsburg, injured at Chancellorsville and being captured at Gettysburg, he was imprisoned at Ft Delaware for 4 months then transferred to Pt Lookout Maryland for 16 months. He was on parole for 40 days and on his way back to his company at Appomattox the war ended and he returned home.
Benjamin F. b. 1844 d. 9/14/1862 Battle of South Mountain
John B. b.1845 d. 9/14/1862 Battle of South Mountain
Irvin Bird b.1848 d. 1919
William Jr b. 1852 d. 1918
Joseph T. b. 1854 d. 1888
Simeon W. b. 1856 d. 1915
Mary Ann Penelope b. 1859 d. 1896 in childbirth

Ann Collier Manry died August 23, 1869
On January 22, 1870 William married Martha Ann Keel Culbreth who had moved to Georgia with her 3 children to the family of her late husband, Malcom Robert Culbreth, who was killed at the Battle of Franklin in Tennessee on Nov 30, 1864.
Two of Martha and Malcom's children grew up to marry two of William and Ann's children, Susan Francis Culbreth married Simeon W. Manry and William A. Culbreth married Mary Ann Penelope Manry.
William Sr and Martha Ann Keel had 4 children:
Esta b. 1870 d.1959
Benjamin Franklin b.1873 d.1966
Belle (Lucy) b.1875 d. 1926
Chaudoin b.1879 d. 1952 A dentist in Atlanta

William died on June 17, 1886 in Calhoun County,Georgia . He fell in a doorway passing from one room to another a few weeks before he died and injured his leg so badly that he was never able to leave his bed. He was 65 years old.

From the Cuthbert Enterprise and Appeal June 24, 1886:
"He was a man of great energy, and seemed to glory in making money to give to the advancement of religion and to help the poor and distressed, never turning away the poor empty. He was honest and punctual in all transactions of life, thus making him one of the most pleasant men to deal with we ever knew. In his death our community loses one of its best and most highly esteemed citizens, and New Bethel Baptist Church one of its most devoted and benevolent members"