I have written only stories that included small tidbits about my Mom, and so a more lengthy one is greatly overdue. Mary Manning was born in Manchester, New Hampshire
1938 photograph of Mary Manning for high school graduation
into a mostly-Irish family. She adopted the middle name of Theresa later on, at her confirmation ceremony, selecting the name of her oldest sister who had recently died. She always had several Catholic statues on her bureau, one always that of Saint Teresa Teresa of Ávila.
She grew up in South East Manchester, at a time when the former mostly Irish neighborhood was quickly becoming populated with those of Canadian origins. Her mother spoke French, and her grandmother had been born in Stanstead PQ. When Mary was young, Shasta Street, where they lived, ran from Hall Street all the way down to Elm Street, and was sparsely populated. A great “sand bank” was across the street where she and her siblings often played. Continue reading
