Mahala was the daughter of Charles and Rachel Hayden Paine of Deerfield, Massachusetts. Her father had once been enslaved and her mother was described as being a "mulatto". Mahala married Prince Manuel on June 30, 1813. Between 1814 and 1828, the couple had seven children, two of whom died before reaching the age of four. The 1820 federal census lists the Manuels as living in Deerfield with a son and daughter, each under the age of 14, and a male over the age of 45. This might have been Mahala's father, who would have been a widower by then. In the deaths section for "Negroes" in Deerfield vital records is listed an unnamed wife of Prince who died on June 9, 1833, at the age of 40. This is probably Mahala.
Sources Consulted
A History of Deerfield, Massachusetts, Vol. II, George Sheldon, 1895-96, p. 258 in genealogy section
Deerfield, Massachusetts vital records
| Entry | Source | Vol Name | Date | entry id |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Pain, Mahala, d. Charles and Rachel, Apr. 14, 1793. Negro | Deerfield Vital Records to 1850 | Births | 1793 Apr 14 | 1466 |
| • Imanuel [also Emanuel], Prince and Mahala Paine, June 30, 1813 | Deerfield Vital Records to 1850 | Marriages | 1813 Jun 30 | 1483 |