Uncovering the History of Cleveland’s Manx Settlers

It’s amazing how one gravestone can send you down a rabbit hole into an overlooked part of local history. This one starts with a burial plot in Highland Park Cemetery that holds the graves of members of Mona’s Relief Society. Who were they? What did the organization stand for? As it turns out, Mona’s Relief Society left quite a positive mark on the city, one that’s been long forgotten by those who aren’t from the Isle of Man.

The Isle of Man

The Isle of Man is an island located off the coasts of England and Ireland, nestled between the two in the Irish Sea. It’s considered a British Crown Dependency. Although the Isle of Man is a self-governing country, it relies on Great Britain for things like defense and citizenship. Those who live there have British passports and are residents of Great Britain, even though they have their own language, Manx.

Although the Isle of Man has a traditional agricultural economy, the country is also known for its tourism, thanks to the 250-plus historical structures and beautiful coastal scenery. In addition, the tax setup incentivizes people who want to set up shell corporations, making online gambling and online casinos a part of their economy.

With that said, the Isle of Man has a lengthy history that goes back to around 8,000 BC and includes settlements from the Vikings and Romans. It also has a rich heritage that the residents share, even if they move across the Atlantic Ocean.

Manx Settlers in Cleveland, Ohio

Starting in the 1820s, a small number of people immigrated from the Isle of Man to the United States. Some of them, like the Corlett family, wound up in the Cleveland area. The first person of Manx descent born in Cuyahoga County was William Corlett.

His family, like the others who came over from the island, mostly settled in the Warrensville (now University Heights) area. His plot of land, on the upper left corner of the map, is located at the corner of what is now Warrensville Center Road and Cedar Road. A bank and a Macy’s now occupy the corner.

Mona’s Relief Society

As additional people immigrated to Cleveland from the Isle of Man, William Corlett and four other men: John Corlett, James Christian, William Brew, and William Cubbon started a society to help aid the newcomers, as well as other Manx settlers. They started Mona’s Relief Society in 1851, using a version of the older names for the island, the Old Irish “Mano.” The group was the first of its kind in the United States, set up specifically for the Manx people.

The society began as a fraternal organization, with the men in charge providing support to people who recently moved from the Isle of Man to the Cleveland area. They expanded a few years later with the creation of Mona’s Mutual Benefit Society, which provided a kind of insurance that members could buy that gave them monetary support should they get sick, as well as death benefits. The death benefits included a burial plot. There are two large plots owned by the society: one in Woodland Cemetery and one in Highland Park.

The plots in Woodland Cemetery are scattered a bit, but the ones in Highland Park are all in one place with a marker listing everyone buried there. The gravestone features a symbol that’s unique to the Isle of Man. Called the triskelion, it consists of three legs attached at the thigh arranged in a circle. It appears on the country’s flag and official currency.

The Later Years

As time went by, Mona’s Aid Society began to include women, creating an auxiliary for them in 1899. The group also hosted a number of gatherings, including an annual picnic, and later, in 1927, “the First Great Manx Homecoming,” which was a group trip where those of Manx descent in the Cleveland area spent time visiting the Isle of Man.

Eventually, the name changed to the Cleveland Manx Society. They helped raise money for the families of victims of the Collinwood School Fire and the sinking of the Ellan Vannin ship, both in the early 1900s. By the 1970s, the group had 133 members, but dwindled over time. The North American Manx Association is currently trying to reform the group. In the meantime, all that remains are some cemetery plots and records of the society.