Joseph R. Manning was born and educated in New Haven, Connecticut. He held a position on the city council in New Haven, and was appointed health commissioner. Manning moved to Seattle in 1905, first working in the county auditor's office, and as superintendent of the King County Building at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, before establishing an undertaking business in around 1911.
From around 1911-1914, Manning ran a business with Thomas F. Byrne, as shown on this card. Called Manning & Byrne Undertakers, the business was located at 914 Howell Street; the card here advertises the availability of a "lady attendant." After 1914, Byrne appears to have left the partnership and Joseph Manning ran an undertaking business on his own until around 1921. Mentions of his business disappear from the Seattle Times for several years, reappearing in 1935 as "Joseph R. Manning & Sons" undertakers until 1950.
This card was found inside a small notebook titled "Minute Book of the Trustees for the Home for Orphans and Friendless" (see item 1974.5903.59), a predecessor to the Seattle Children's Home.
Caption information source: Seattle Times, December 4, 1912, p.9
ID Number: 1974.5903.59a
Date: Circa 1912
Physical Description: 1 business card ; 2.5 x 4.25 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
Credit: MOHAI, Lawrence Denny Lindsley Photographs, 1974.5903.59a
