Ralph Sandiford Man

Ralph Sandiford Man was born November 21, 1825 in Charleston, South Carolina to English immigrants John and Catherine Norton Man. The son of a brick maker, Man spent his youth as an apprentice carpenter. He left Charleston at age 22 to move west. He traveled to Georgia, and Louisiana, finally arriving in Harrison County, Texas around 1850. There he met his future business partner, Julian Feild, as well as his future wife Julia Alice Boisseau and her family. , Man and Feild moved to Fort Worth around 1854. They, along with David Mauch, built a water powered mill around 1856, the first mill in Fort Worth, near the Clear and West Forks of the Trinity River. The water mill ground corn and wheat, but eventually a drought caused the business to close. , Man and Feild then moved to the Walnut Creek community, now known as Mansfield, where they found the ruins of a horse-powered mill owned by Charley Turner. The mill and its house were the only structures in the town at that time. In 1859, they built a new 3-story brick, wheat and corn mill powered by a small spring nearby. The mill opened in 1860 and is believed to be the first steam-powered mill in North Texas. , After finding financial success, Man married Julia Alice Boisseau on December 30, 1863. She was the younger sister of Henrietta Boisseau Feild, wife of Julian Feild. Julia passed away in August 1868 at the age of 25. In 1870, Man married Sarah Jane Stephens, who died ten years later. Man had two children with Julia and four with Sarah., While Julian Feild eventually left Mansfield, Man lived the rest of his life in the community that was named for him. His membership in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church inspired him to give the church three acres of his land for use as a cemetery. He lived his life as a quiet, well-respected community member and business owner. Ralph Man died November 18, 1906. He is buried in the Cumberland Presbyterian section of the Mansfield cemetery. , Captions , Lower Left: Man and Feild Mill; , Julian Feild; , Cumberland Presbyterian Church , Upper Right: Ralph S. Man