Sarah Mann

A studio portrait of Sarah Anne Mann (nee Browne) wearing a full length gown.

Historical note:

Sarah Anne Browne was born on 24 May 1854 in Bowmanville, Ontario. She was married to George Gwynne Mann on 1 April 1874. Mann moved west in 1878 as a Government farm instructor, first at Fort Pitt and then Onion Lake North-West Territories. Sarah and their three children, Blanche, Charlotte and George Junior joined him there in 1883. The evening of 2 April 1885 after the so-called Frog Lake massacre the Mann family was helped to escape to Fort Pitt by the family of treaty Chief Seekascootch (Cutarm). Two weeks later they were taken prisoner and held for two months by Plains Cree warriors under the leadership of Wandering Spirit. In the winter of 1885 Mann was promoted to Indian agent and the family remained in Onion Lake until 1900 when George was transferred to Saddle Lake, NWT. In 1905 he was transferred to Hobbema, Alberta until the couple died there, Sarah in 1915 and George in 1916. They are buried together in the Wetaskiwin cemetery.