Families and Houses of  Mannboro: A Genealogical Look Into the Families of Amelia County and Surrounding Areas by James Michael Paschall Coleman [29 Apr 2023]

James Coleman will be presenting a fascinating genealogical presentation about the Mannboro area of Amelia County. He will be showcasing information and showing pictures from his book, Robert Coleman of Charles City Shire.

Since the soul of architecture is closely integrated with the souls of the inhabitants who interact within the space they occupy, pictures of Amelia County homes, past and present, are to be presented during this presentation.  Many of these photographs were taken by Judge Valentine W. Southall, and can be found in Collection of Photos of Amelia County Homes, at the Amelia County Historical Society.

Following the presentation, there will be an informal discussion on genealogical research with emphasis on Amelia County. The discussion will be moderated by the author and will draw upon his twenty years of research for the book.

The Coleman brothers’ American odyssey began in 1637 with the arrival of Robert Coleman from England.  Robert was named as one of forty headrights of Colonel William Farrar II.  These indentured servants would develop Farrar’s Island of present-day Chesterfield County.  After completing his servitude Robert would move to an area of Charles City Shire which became Amelia County.

“Family genealogical histories can range from fanciful collections of myth and supposition to detailed works of historic research.  James M. Coleman’s book is clearly in the latter category” was written by Robert P. Winthrop, a partner at Winthrop, Jenkins, and Associates, a Virginia based architecture firm specializing in historic renovation.  Historic buildings have been Mr. Winthrop’s focus in numerous writings and lectures.

Growing up in Richmond, Coleman has strong family ties to Virginia.

Coleman became interested in researching his family and its ties to Amelia County, Virginia, through his father. The elder Coleman worked for his great-uncle, Lee Paschall, who founded Wise Construction Company of Richmond, and would share stories about Virginia and North Carolina with his son.

The author earned an undergraduate degree in engineering operations from North Carolina State University in Raleigh and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and began his research on the Coleman family in the year 2000.  He utilized the libraries at UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State, the Library of Virginia in Richmond, the Richmond Public Library and The National Archives in Washington, D.C.

Coleman also gathered more than 400 photographs of Coleman family members, homes, businesses and other structures connected with the family. Some photographs going as far back as 1865 were found by members of the family, while others were taken by Coleman, other family members, and Judge Southall.