As told by Wayne G. Manser

The beginning…..Chapter 1 (Trefry)

 To tell my story I will go back through the years to early England to when there was a young English lad working on the family farm.

 John Trefry helped his family to farm in his local area, which was owned by the Lord in the nearby castle. John’s family didn’t own the farm, but worked it and supplied produce for the castle. John would watch the Knights come and go by the farm. He also watched them train when he could avoid any chores. One day he was accepted to work in the castle, where he became a squire for one on the knights. John also learned the way of the Knights. John’s fighting abilities were noticed by the castle Knights. He soon travelled everywhere with the knights, sharing in their battles.

 He befriended the Black Prince, who received this name because of the black suit of armour he always wore. The Black Prince was putting a small army together to sneak into France and help his father, the King. The plan was to sneak into France at and avoid being detected so they could attack the unsuspecting French as they were fighting his father, The King.

 The plan was to land at night, travel through the countryside avoiding any towns or villages. They almost made it to their destination before they were detected by a French sentry. The sentry sent word to the nearest military camp telling of what he had discovered. The military camp, which contained more troops than the small English army had, decided they would attack the English themselves and not wait for more reinforcements.

 The French were no match for the English Long Bow, as the archers did a lot of damage. The Knights then attacked followed by the foot solders. John Trefry during the battle seen his chance and fought his way to the heart of the battle and captured the French flag. When the battle was over, he presented this flag to the Black Prince, who awarded John a battlefield Knight Banneret.

When they returned to England, the Black Prince who was praised by his father, decided to give lands and title to his new Knight and friend, John Trefry.

 John Trefry settled on his new lands in the Fowey area. The Black Prince was known to have visited John Trefry in Place, in the seaport of Fowey, on many occasions. There is a “Manor of Trefry” in the Parish of Lanhydrock, Cornwall, England.

Chapter 2

        My story continues years later with another Trefry which happens in 1457, when King John of France sent a squadron of ships to burn down and ravage the town Fowey, in revenge for many victories obtained over the French by "the gallant men of Fowey" as of they were called. The plan was to make an example the French power by destroying Fowey.

        The French sailed silently past the forts and came secretly and landed in the dead of night. They attacked and burned the little town, while the inhabitants fled in terror to the hills for safety from the enemies. The French continued afterwards attacked Place, which was at that time fortified; and the owner, Thomas Trefry, was absent, away in court. They were not prepared for what followed.

        Thomas Trefry’s wife, Dame Elizabeth Trefry, was determined they would not surrender. She rallied the citizens around her in the mansion of Place. With the servants and towns people who sought safety there, she fought the French until all ammunition was gone. That didn’t Dame Elizabeth Trefry, who then led her people to the top of the house where they stripped off the lead which covered the roof and melted it in cauldrons. They then poured the liquid lead on the heads of the Frenchmen below. This proved successful as the Frenchmen quickly gave up the attack and fled. The story of Elizabeth Trefry and her fight with the French spread making her very popular.

        Note: A statue of Elizabeth Treffry, was discovered some years later when restoring the castle Place, and is now can be seen over a granite gateway under the Great Tower, with a record of her heroism.   

Chapter 3

 Thomas Trefry, prominent in Cornwall and in London, was hired by the crown to devise and build the St. Mawes Castle to protect the entrance to Falmouth Harbour. The castle was built and defended the harbour for many years. This St. Mawes castle was still used for coastal defence in World War I. In 1920 it was declared an historic building.

 Thomas sat in Parliament for Cornwall. However, being opposed to Queen Mary's marriage to King Philip of Spain, he had to flee the country, remaining a political refugee until Queen Mary was forced from her throne in 1558. Thomas lost many of his extensive estates during this time.

Chapter 4

 The Trefry generations are growing and are branching out, heading to other countries. John Trefry of Devon, Plymouth, England, was the first Trefry's to head for Canada.

John and Hannah's first son, Robert John Trefry, moved to Columbia, South America about 1830. He married a Spanish woman and settled there. His descendants are mostly Spanish speaking and farmers.

 John and Hannah Trefry, with five sons and four daughters set sail from Falmouth, Cornwall, on 4-April-1834 on a timber ship bound for Quebec, Canada. Five weeks later, after avoiding icebergs, they arrived in Canada. They headed for Kingston, Ontario, then on to Toronto and still on to Hamilton. Settling in Norwich, Oxford County, Ontario. John wasted no time establishing a productive farm. His descendants can still be found in Ontario, Canada.

The beginning…..Chapter 5 (Manzer)

        The other families in my story are now starting to appear, all making their way to North America.

         The Manzer’s come into the story. In Switzerland, a village called “MAN”, where a citizen of MAN was called a “Manzer”. This village is now a part of the town of Appenzell and this area has been at times located in the shifting boundaries of the area of the German speaking peoples of Europe. It is believed that the early Manzer’s left this area for Holland and/or England when Queen Ann offered sanctuary from the religious persecutions { Lutherians and Quakers} and wars that were going on in the area in the early 16 century.
        On May 2, 1635 James Manzer, born 1608, sailed to the Barbados from England on the ship "Alexander". He is the first known ancestor in the Manzer line.

        In 1760 when Britain raised the taxes in Jamaica and Barbados, the Manzers sailed to Long Island, N.Y. to a place that they called "Jamaica". In 1778 the Manzer property was located near what is now the Long Island end of Brooklyn Bridge, New York.

        The cook family starts here, but I have no information until the appearance of Francis Cook. Francis first appeared in Holland as a man from England. Here me met and married Ester. They later returned to England due to religious persecution.

        Francis and his 13 year son sign onto the Mayflower to travel from England to the Plymouth colony, North America. Esther and their daughter remained behind, to later join them after the colony was settled.

 The Atkinson family lived in England, but I have no information except that Robert Atkinson signed on to a Man-Of-War as a carpenter and sailed to North America. His story will be in “Part 2 The Americas” in the story of Robert’s Decision.