When the 52 Ancestors challenge suggested focusing on the siblings of our ancestors, I didn’t have to look far. My 4th great-grandfather, William Nathan Maness, was one of about a dozen siblings—a typical number for the time, though the exact count is up for debate. We don’t have complete census records to lay it all out nicely, and land records don’t exactly draw family trees in the margins. But one group of siblings stands out so boldly that they’ve become legendary: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego Maness.

Yes. Really.

Based on consistent census birth years, family tradition holds that these three were triplets. And what better trio to memorialize than the Old Testament fire-walkers themselves?

William’s Namesakes

William Nathan clearly thought the Shadrach-Meshach-Abednego naming theme deserved a revival, because he named three of his own sons after his brothers. Not all in a row, mind you. His second son was named Meshach, but he waited until sons seven and eight to bring in Shadrach and Abednego.

And just to make the timeline extra interesting: his son Abednego Maness was born on 10 May 1823. Less than a month later, his uncle Abednego made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Murder on Mechanic’s Hill

Here’s what ran in the Star and North Carolina State Gazette on July 4, 1823:

“Murder — On the 6th ult. [June 6, 1823], about sunset, as Mr. James Lake[y] was returning home near Mechanic’s Hill, Moore County, in a one-horse wagon, he was shot dead with a rifle, by some person concealed in the woods. He was found the next morning, by his brother, in an erect position, with the whip and reins in his hands; and the horse, being very gentle, was grazing on the side of the road. Suspicion falling upon a man by the name of Abednego Manes, as the perpetrator of this foul and cowardly deed, he was arrested and committed to prison for trial.”

Family tradition—never one to mince words—says Abednego Maness warned James Lakey after Lakey “cheated” his wife, Sukie Maness, not once but twice. After the second offense, Abednego carried out his promise to kill him.

Abednego was found guilty and sentenced to 12 months in jail, released on 17 May 1826. Family history says that he was told he had to leave the county in exchange for his freedom, but the court records simply say that he was set free after paying his prison fees. Then, like many who sought a new life (and perhaps fewer legal entanglements), he headed west.

From Fire to Frontier

By 1830, Abednego and his brother William Nathan had moved to Madison County, Tennessee. They even appear on the same page of the census, neighbors in a newly forming community. It’s not hard to imagine the two of them—brothers, survivors, perhaps fugitives from more than one kind of past—staking claims and raising families in the wilds of West Tennessee.

Of the three triplets, only Shadrach had multiple namesakes (that I’ve found to date).  There have been at least 6 Shadrachs in the Maness family.  The only Meshach and Abednego namesakes I’ve come across are my ancestor’s sons.  Well wait – there was also a William Abednego Maness. But by far, Shadrach was the lasting name that has been passed down a few times.

And Leading the Way… Daniel

While Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego get all the name recognition, it turns out their older brother was named Daniel. Yes—that Daniel. As in “Daniel in the lion’s den.”

So clearly, their parents had a deep reverence for the Book of Daniel, and it’s hard to ignore the theme: courage in the face of trial.

And based on Abednego’s legal troubles and eventual flight west, you could argue these men lived up to the stories behind their names—though not always in the way the Sunday school teacher intended!