Conrad Dell Mang

CONRAD DELL MANG
(1920 – February 10, 1999)

Receiving information from his wife Nelle, that Conged Mang had passed away, was very difficult for me because among early correspondents in my genealogical work, Conrad Mang  stood out as singularly energetic, generous and insightful. His research was meticulous.  His wife Nelle was descended from David Bland (1843-1927) a son of John Bland (1811-1886) and Mary Foreman (1816-1904) of St. Martin’s parish Louisiana and Orange County Texas. John Bland was a son of Peyton Bland (1780-1815) and Elizabeth Smith (1794-1856),  whose line trails back to the Blands in the Loudon County Virginia/Edgefield County South Carolina stem family. Conrad married into the Bland family but took up the cause of its history. He taught me so much of what I know about this family and with Eva Dowdy, the late Juanita Peveto Alexander, Eloise  Stoudenmier and Helen Bourque (see below)  should be counted among its best historians. Conrad also traveled to England in 1984 and came back with a rich lode of information, including the detail that enabled me to conclude without ambiguity that James Bland born in Cumberland County Englanmd in 1661 and died in Stafford County Virginia, were the same man.  Conrad and Nelle joined with the late Marian Daniels to donate a copy of A Vision of Unity to the Clayton Library in Houston Texas, and Conrad and Nelle donated a copy of A vision of Unity to the Museum and Library of Maryland History in Baltimore.
Conrad was born on March 29, 1920 in Lockhart Texas. In March 1942, when it came time to sign up with Uncle Sam, Conrad, because of his love of boats and aversion to killing, served in the U.S. Coast Guard. The previous Fall, he’d met a beautiful and charming young woman named Nelle and they were married on August 7, 1943. They had two children.
After his Cost Guard stint, Conrad earned his Bachelor’s degree in Education at University of Houston. He worked as an elementary school teacher and principal and was a Professor of Education and Departmental Chair at Lamar University in Beaumont. Conrad retired in 1982 and pursued many hobbies, joining his love of travel and genealogical research among many others. Conrad, my friend, you will be missed.  Find a grave