Name/Title
Wedding Invitation of Richard I. Manning III to Lelia Bernard Meredith (1881)Entry/Object ID
1972.290.3Scope and Content
Invitation to the wedding of Richard Manning and Lelia Meredith in Richmond, Virginia. The paper invitation is in a wooden frame with a gold interior border.Context
Leila Bernard Meredith (1861–1947) married Richard Irvine Manning III (1859–1931) on February 10th, 1881 in Richmond, Virginia. This invitation to their wedding lists Richard Manning as the second rather than the third, likely because his grandfather, Richard Irvine Manning I (1789–1836), had been deceased for 45 years at that point.
Richard Manning came from a prominent South Carolina family with several members active in local and state politics: his grandfather, Richard Irvine Manning I (1789–1836), was South Carolina's 50th governor, and his uncle, John Lawrence Manning (1816–1889), was the 65th. Manning himself served as the state’s 92nd governor—after working as a state representative for four years and a state senator for seven—and worked alongside Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) during World War I.
Leila’s father, John Alexander Meredith (1814–1882), was also in politics, serving as the first Circuit Court judge of Richmond and a member of the Virginia State Senate. He also played a significant role during the Civil War when the city was burned.
Together, Leila and Richard had at least 13 children, though only ten survived to adulthood. Seven of their sons were alive at the start of World War I, all of whom served; one was killed in action. At the time of her death, Leila was survived by six children, 26 grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren.Dimensions
Width
5-3/4 inLength
7-3/4 in