REV. JOHN NEWTON MANNING.

EV. JOHN NEWTON MANNING was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, in 1833, and died in the city of Norfolk, Virginia, February 14, 1880, in the prime of life. He was born of humble but honorable parentage, and spent his youth on the farm. He was converted at an early age, and after an investigation and study of the doctrines and government of various denominations, he decided to unite with the Christian Church though at that time he was not personally acquainted [316] with a member of this, the Church of his choice. He started from his home on foot in search of the denomination which was nearest to his ideal church. He visited the Christian church at Antioch in the Virginia Valley Conference, and was cordially received by the brethren. He united with this church and remained a worthy member of the same to the day of his death.

      Rev. John N. Manning was first married to Miss Mary Hightower of Halifax county, Virginia, by Rev. Solomon Apple. Of these parents were born one son and two daughters. After the death of his first wife, he was married a second time to Miss Sarah Staples of Portsmouth, Virginia.

      At an early age he manifested great fondness for books. A prominent and wealthy member of Antioch church observing that he possessed a mind of high order and knowing that he was poor, generously offered to educate him. With profound gratitude he declined the offer, as his independent spirit would not allow him to accept it, though at the same time he determined to educate himself. At his own home, by hard study, he had acquired considerable information, and soon began to teach, which enabled him to earn sufficient money to take him through college. He entered Washington College (now Washington and Lee University), at Lexington, Virginia, and distinguished himself as a flue student, graduating in several departments. From college he returned to his native county and took charge of Timber Ridge Academy. He removed to North Carolina in and was licensed soon thereafter by the North Carolina and Virginia Christian Conference. In 1859, at the Conference at Union chapel, Alamance county, North Carolina, he was ordained an Elder in the Christian Church. From 1857 to 1859 he was principal of Blue Wing Academy, and preached at Union, and Pleasant Grove churches in Halifax county, Virginia, and at [317] Midway and Mt. Auburn churches in Warren county, North Carolina. These churches formed what was then known as "Dan River circuit." This grouping of the churches which had been practised was later, at his suggestion, called the pastorate system.

      In 1860, at the Conference at Pleasant Hill in Chatham county, North Carolina, Rev. J. N. Manning delivered the annual address, a copy of which was requested for publication with the minutes. He served on the committee on Temperance and Periodicals as chairman of each, and was appointed one of the fraternal messengers to the Eastern Virginia Conference which met at Cypress chapel in Nansemond county, Virginia. He was also appointed on a committee to recommend a course of study for young men preparing for the Christian ministry, and on the Conference Executive committee for the year. He was likewise agent for the Graham Institute, Graham, North Carolina. At the Conference at Damascus in Orange county, in 1862, he was chairman of the committee on Home Missions, and was reappointed on the Executive committee. He was on the committee to examine candidates for licensure and ordination, and was also appointed one of the members of the ordaining presbytery at this Conference.

      At the Conference held at Antioch in Chatham county, North Carolina, in 1864, Elder Manning was chairman of the committee to which was referred the item in the annual address on a church periodical, which committee recommended "an editorial council of three to provide for the continued publication of the Christian Sun." Here he was chosen vice-president of the Home Missionary Society for the next year. At this time he was serving Shiloh, Mt. Pisgah, and Reece's chapel as pastor, and was continued on the Conference Executive committee.

      In 1865, the Conference met at Oak Level in Franklin [318] county, North Carolina, and Elder Manning served on the following committees: on Memoirs, Education, and Executive, and on Ministerial Supply. In response to a petition from the churches and ministers in the Deep River Valley, he offered a resolution that "the ministers and churches mentioned in the petition be requested to continue their fellowship with this body until a better understanding of the matter can be had." A letter addressed to these churches in explanation of the action of the Conference was ordered to be prepared, which duty was performed by Rev. J. N. Manning. He offered the following: "Resolved, That in the opinion of this Conference the Southern Christian Convention ought to meet as early as practicable, and that we suggest Wednesday before the first Sabbath in May next as a suitable time: Resolved further, That the secretary of this Conference be directed to communicate with all the Conferences in the Southern States and acquaint them with the desire of this body. "The Conference named Mt. Auburn, in Warren county, as the place for the meeting of the Convention, and elected delegates among whom was Rev. J. N. Manning. He was likewise chosen a fraternal messenger to the Eastern Virginia Christian Conference which met at Holy Neck in Nansemond county, Virginia, and by appointment of its committee on religious exercises, he preached an "excellent discourse" from Matt. 5:8, on Thursday at 2 o'clock P. M., and also on Sunday. He also served on the ordaining presbytery of this Conference.

      At the Southern Christian Convention held at Mt. Auburn in 1866, Rev. J. N. Manning offered a set of preambles and resolutions to the effect that this Convention reduce "the general distinguishing feature of the Christian Church to a written form, embodying a declaration of its principles, form of ecclesiastical government, and mode of worship, with the usual forms by which the [319] ordinances of the Church are celebrated." When this had been agreed to, he presented the manuscript prepared by him setting forth "The Principles and Government of the Christian Church, together with a Directory for Religious Worship." This paper as to the government of the Church presented in an elaborated form the work of the Southern Christian Convention, held at Union chapel in Alamance county, North Carolina, in 1856. "The original founders of the Christian denomination were seceders from the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the reason of our separation was the form of government adopted by the Methodists in America, and not on account of any difference in doctrinal views." The Principles are scriptural statements of these original, fundamental doctrines to which the Church has ever held, and the Directory a brief expression of the practices of the Church. At this Convention he was made chairman of the committee on Publications, whose duties were to arrange for the publication of the Christian Sun, and to have published the Declaration of Principles and Form of Government of the Christian Church. At the extraordinary session of the Convention at Mt. Auburn, in 1867, he served on a special committee on Finance to devise a plan for raising the necessary funds to revive the suspended enterprises of the Church, and to publish a hymn-book. He was also appointed on the committee on Schools and Colleges.

      In 1866, the North Carolina and Virginia Conference met at O'Kelly's chapel in Chatham county, North Carolina, and the committee on ministerial supply reported Rev. J. N. Manning to have pastoral charge of Shiloh, Mt. Pisgah, Reece's chapel and Pleasant Grove, Virginia. He acted also on the committee on temperance, and was appointed a fraternal messenger to the Eastern Virginia Conference. At the Conference at Union chapel in Alamance county, in 1867, Elder Manning, besides [321] serving as standing secretary which position he had filled several years, acted as chairman of the committees on Education and Temperance, and was chosen fraternal messenger to the Eastern Virginia and Central Valley Virginia Conferences. At Salem chapel in Forsyth county, in 1868, he was chairman of the Temperance and Educational committees, and served as a member of the ordaining presbytery of this Conference. He was appointed by the Conference to deliver the annual address at the next meeting of the Conference, at Wake chapel in Wake county, in 1869, and a fraternal messenger to the North Carolina Conference of the Methodist Protestant Church. At Wake chapel he was elected a delegate to the General (Southern) Christian Convention, and appointed one of the commissioners to confer with the "Christian Union" brethren of the Western States, if such a conference should be desirable. During the past year Elder Manning had taken work in the Eastern Virginia Conference. In 1870, the General Christian Convention met at Suffolk, Virginia. Rev. J. N. Manning was chairman of the committee on Publications and of that on Schools and Colleges. The latter recommended the establishment of Normal and Theological schools in the several Conferences.

      At the Conference at Union chapel in Halifax county, Virginia, in 1870, after performing his duties as chairman of the committees on Church Records, Education, and Periodicals, Rev. J. N. Manning offered his resignation as standing secretary, and withdrew from the North Carolina and Virginia Conference to unite with the Eastern Virginia Conference, with which he united in 1870, at Spring Hill church in Sussex county, Virginia. At this time Rev. J. N. Manning was appointed General Soliciting Agent for the proposed school to be established at Suffolk, Virginia. He was also appointed [321] on the Educational committee. Then he was serving Providence chapel in Norfolk county, and Jerusalem (now Berkley church). On August 15, 1871, Berea in Norfolk county decided to unite with the Eastern Virginia Conference, with Rev. J. N. Manning as pastor. The church was erected at a cost of $2,200 under the auspices of the Methodist Protestants. This church was admitted to membership in the Conference at Berkley, Virginia, in 1871, and Elder Manning in addition to being pastor of this church was pastor of Jerusalem (Berkley), Liberty, and Providence. In 1872, at the Conference at Hebron church, Isle of Wight county, he preached the annual sermon from Luke 10:42. For the past two years he had served on the Home Mission committee; and Sharon church in Camden county, North Carolina, organized by him was received at this Conference. He solicited subscriptions to the amount of $4,000, and preached in the city of Norfolk, but success did not crown his efforts. In 1878, the Conference met at Cypress chapel: Elder Manning was chairman of the committee on Sunday schools; he advocated the preparation of an elementary treatise on systematic theology. He was elected a delegate to the General (Southern) Christian Convention from the Eastern Virginia Conference. The Convention met at New Providence, near Graham, North Carolina, and he served on the committee on rules of order and that of Schools and Colleges as chairman of each. He was also appointed on a special committee on Christian union, which committee reported a circular address containing a "Manifesto" and a "Basis of Union," which were adopted.

      In 1874, the Eastern Virginia Conference met at Holy Neck, and Rev. J. N. Manning was elected president. In 1875, he served on the committee on education at the Conference at Berea, Nansemond county, Virginia. In 1877, he preached before the Conference at Mt, Carmel, [322] in Isle of Wight county, from John 17: 25. The same year he had delivered the introductory address before the Sunday School Convention of the Eastern Virginia Conference at Union, in Southampton county, on "The Claims of the Sunday School upon the Church and the World."

      The General Christian Convention met at Lebanon in Caswell county, North Carolina, in 1978, and to the address of welcome Rev. J. N. Manning of the Eastern Virginia Conference responded on behalf of the Convention. At this Convention he was appointed on the committee to revise the Declaration of Principles and Form of Government, and report at the extraordinary session to be held in Suffolk, Virginia. This Convention met July, 1879, and after considerable deliberating, the committee on revision reported that no change "appears to be of sufficient importance to justify a revision of the work."

      In 1878, the Eastern Virginia Conference met at Barrett's, in Southampton county, Virginia. Rev. J. N. Manning was elected president; he served on the Executive committee and as chairman of the committee on religious literature. At the Conference at Windsor in Isle of Wight county, he was chairman of the Executive committee and was appointed to serve on the committee on Education for the following year.

      He possessed an active mind full of suggestions and expedients. He did not reflect on the past, but turned his attention to future planning. He was of a delicate nature but hopeful spirit. At least two years before he died, his health began to decline, but so faithful was he to duty he kept up till within a few months of the time of his death. His body was buried in Suffolk, Virginia. [323]

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