Wiley P. Mangham was the founding publisher and editor for the Richland Beacon News, and was the first parish recorder for Richland Parish at the time of its founding in 1868. At the close of the Civil War, he came to Northeast Louisiana and in 1869, founded the Richland Beacon, the first weekly newspaper in the parish.[1]
Early life
Wiley Mangham was the youngest of 10 children born to Thomas R. Mangham and Matilda Dandridge Grant Mangham. Thomas was the first clerk of Stewart County, Georgia, at the time of its creation. He later moved to Russell County Alabama, where he found great success as a planter and land speculator. His home and property however was destroyed by Native Americans who lived near the father Mangham's new home. Thomas died in 1861. Wiley P. Mangham was educated in the Baptist High School in Jacksonville, Alabama. The Mangham family were strict Baptists in their religious beliefs.[1]
Wiley Mangham enlisted with the Confederacy once the Civil War was underway, and was promoted to the level of drill instructor with the 25th Alabama Infantry, until he was urged to resign due to poor health.[1]
Marriage and moving
At the close of the war, Mangham married Caroline Frances Emaline "Fannie" Lynn and in 1866, he would come to Louisiana to visit his brother, Henry G. Mangham, who had settled near Nelson Bend, in Richland Parish.[2]
Family and Children
Wiley Person Mangham (1838-1896)
Fannie and Wiley P. Mangham would have a total of 10 children, but their family would lose the first five children to early deaths.
Jennie L. Mangham (1866-1867) Died of illness.
Mary A. Mangham (1869-1876) Died of illness.
Jesse H. Mangham (1871–1871) Died of illness.
Fannie C. Mangham (1875-1876) Died of illness.
Wiley S. Mangham (1876-1876) Died of illness.
Eunice T. Mangham (1877-1967)
Nettie I. Mangham (1879-?)
Robert W. Mangham (1879-1965)
Horrace A. Mangham (1882-1961)
Hervey E. Mangham (1889-1908) Died of injury while playing baseball for the LSU Tigers Baseball team.
Professional career
Washington Hand Press
While visiting in Northeast Louisiana in 1868, he paid a visit to Monroe, where he was offered a job in the newspaper office. That same year, the new parish of Richland was created by the Louisiana State Legislature, and Mangham sensed an opportunity for potentially good business ventures. At this time, the town of Rayville was little more than a small courthouse. Mangham purchased land adjacent to the courthouse, and ordered a Washington Hand Press. On January 14, 1869, the first edition of the Richland Beacon News went up for sale. An annual subscription could be purchased for $3.00, but Mangham kindly requested that payment be made up front.[1][2]
Mangham eventually acquired additional land throughout the parish over the next several years, and eventually he would sell a portion of his land to the railroad company which would enable a new town to be formed, 12 miles south of Rayville. The founders of that town honored Wiley P. Mangham by naming the new town after him, and this town is still known today as Mangham, Louisiana. The streets in Mangham were named after Wiley P.'s children.[2]
Philosophical and/or political views
Mangham was a staunch Democrat,[3] and served as the chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee for Richland Parish at times, and remained very active politically in opposition to the reconstruction politics that followed the close of the Civil War. Mangham penned numerous editorials over the course of his being the publisher and editor of the Richland Beacon. Mangham and his wife were both active members of the Baptist church, and he and his wife Fannie helped start the First Baptist Church of Rayville, where the original members met at their home before a church building was constructed. Mangham also was a member of the Masonic fraternity and the Knights of Pythias.[1]
Death and legacy
Welcome sign to town of Mangham, La
In 1896, Wiley P. Mangham went on an excursion to Colorado, organized by the Louisiana Press Association. While traveling, he developed pneumonia, and died soon after returning home. He was 58 years of age. Only four of his ten children were living at the time of his death.[3]The Richland Beacon News printed the following description of Wiley P. Mangham in remembering his contributions to the newspaper industry in Louisiana.
"Mr. Mangham was an able and influential journalist, and was recognized as prominent is his profession at the recent press convention, having been long known throughout the State as a man of sterling integrity and a true and loyal Democrat."[4]
Tensas Parish is a parish located in the northeastern section of the State of Louisiana; its eastern border is the Mississippi River. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,252. It is the least populated parish in Louisiana. The parish seat is St. Joseph. The name Tensas is derived from the historic indigenous Taensa people. The parish was founded in 1843 following Indian Removal.
Richland Parish is a parish located in the North Louisiana Delta Country in the U.S. state of Louisiana, known for its fertile, flat farmland, cane brakes, and open spaces. The name Richland was chosen due to the rich production from farming. The parish seat and largest community is Rayville.
Mangham is a village in Richland Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population was 672 at the 2010 census. Mangham was established in 1890. It is named for Wiley P. Mangham, the publisher of the Richland Beacon-News, a weekly newspaper in Rayville, the seat of Richland Parish.
Rayville is a town in and the parish seat of Richland Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population, which is 69 percent African American, was 4,234 at the 2000 census, but it had declined by nearly 13 percent in 2010 to 3,695.
U.S. Route 425 (US 425) is a north–south United States highway that travels in the U.S. states of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas. It was first commissioned in 1989.
Harry Wayne Addison was a Southern author and humorist whose works painted vivid portraits of his experiences growing up as a poor boy in Depression-era rural Louisiana. While he never received much recognition on a national level, Addison enjoyed modest success, not only from his writings, but also his frequent public speaking appearances throughout Louisiana and much of the South. He was a favorite orator at college and high school graduations, as well as meetings of regional civic organizations. A veteran of World War II, Addison received the Bronze Star for bravery in combat while serving on Iwo Jima. He moved to Rayville, La in 1945, where he resided until 1957. He was a longtime resident of Monroe, La. His works include Write That Down For Me Daddy (1974) ISBN 0-88289-116-2, RFD #3 (1977) ISBN 1-56554-114-6, and Mama Was a Con Man, Papa Was a Christian (1989) ISBN 1-56554-547-8.
Start is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Richland Parish, Louisiana, United States. In 2010, it was named as a census-designated place with a population of 905. On September 8, 2018, Start held a community wide celebration in recognition of its centennial year as the named place of Start.
James Wade Bolton was a prominent banker, civic leader, and school board president in Alexandria, the parish seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city in Central Louisiana. Bolton High School in Alexandria is named in his honor.
Charles R. Chaney, known as Bubba Chaney, is a former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 19, which includes his home city of Rayville in Richland Parish in northeastern Louisiana.
John Sella Martin was a noted abolitionist in Boston, Massachusetts and a pastor, who had escaped from slavery in Alabama. He was a leading African-American preacher and activist for equality before the American Civil War, traveling to England to lecture against slavery. When he returned, he preached in Presbyterian churches in Washington, DC.
John Welch Jones, (1826–1916) was a medical doctor, Civil War cavalry officer, superintendent of the Insane Asylum of Louisiana, and planter. Jones led the reform of the care of mentally ill people in late nineteenth century Louisiana.
Charles Allen Marvin, known as Corky Marvin, was an American district attorney and a state circuit court judge in North Louisiana from 1971 until his retirement in 1999.
Ralph Lee Abraham Jr. is an American politician, medical doctor, and former veterinarian who served as the U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 5th congressional district from 2015 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he is a native and resident of Alto, Louisiana.
Jeremiah S. Bacon, known as J. S. Bacon, was a Democrat from rural Heflin, Louisiana, who represented Webster Parish in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1926 to 1932.
William Wesley Hicks was a Democrat from Shongaloo, Louisiana, who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives for Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana from 1900 to 1904, during the administration of Governor William Wright Heard.
Moses J. Liddell was born in Louisiana and appointed Justice of the Territorial Montana Supreme Court, by President Grover Cleveland, serving from 1888 to 1889.
Benny Gay Christian was from 1964 to 1974 a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for Richland Parish in the northeastern portion of his state. A resident of Rayville, he also represented Caldwell and Madison parishes during portions of his tenure. In his last two years, he served alongside fellow Democrat Lantz Womack, a banker from Winnsboro in Franklin Parish, Louisiana.
Robert Max Ross was a Republican activist and a candidate for numerous statewide and local offices who resided in Mangham in northeastern Louisiana. He was among the earliest advocates for the Republican political movement at a time when no GOP candidate had been elected statewide in more than a century. He ran as one of two candidates in the Republican primaries for governor in 1972 and Louisiana's 5th congressional district seat in 1974. After Louisiana adopted the jungle primary system, Ross qualified again for governor in 1983 and also the United States Senate in 1984. He additionally ran for the Louisiana State Senate as well as mayor of Mangham during other election years.
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