Fonds 1998.035 - Mary Manning fonds

Mary Switzer Manning (1919-1998), local historian, was born in Esquesing Township, Halton County. Her ancestors on both sides were early Irish pioneers including the Switzer, Grundy, Rutledge, Arnott, Mason and Thompson families. Mary grew up in Streetsville, Peel County, worked for the Streetsville Library and opened an antique store with her husband Hugh Manning ca. 1960. In the mid 1960s Mary began researching local history and over the next thirty years authored a number of works including: A history of the Streetsville Public Library; a chapter on Streetsville for A History of Peel County; A History of Streetsville, and several other publications. Her keen interest in Streetsville and her genealogical research skills led her to explore the genealogy of Streetsville's founder Timothy Street and she authored Street - the man, the family and the village, in 1983 (rev. 1996). Mary Manning was much in demand as a lecturer, and received many local and civic honours, including a Paul Harris Fellowship from the Streetsville Rotary Club. She was a founding member of the Streetsville Historical Society and served as their archivist until her death in 1998.