In-Character
Full Name: Linford Christopher Manwaring
Nicknames: Ford, if you please
Birthdate: September 23rd, 1855
Current Age: 34
Occupation: Businessman
Reputation: 9 - his maternal family is Native American
Residence: New York, USA - summer stay at the Sandition
Hogwarts House: Ilvermorny Alumnus, Pukwudgie
Wand: 11” balsam fir, abraxan tail hair Given his Native heritage and education at Ilvermorny, Ford is capable of magic with and without a wand. He prefers not to use if he doesn’t have to.
Blood Status: Pureblood
Social Class: Upper
Family:Eloise Manwaring née Pendergast | [1862] wife, socialite
---Philip Manwaring | [1882] son
---Lester Manwaring | [1885] son
---Olivia Manwaring | [1888] daughter
Langford Manwaring | [1834] father
Terés “Theresa” Manwaring née Silversmith | [1841] mother
Beaufort Manwaring | [1857] brother and family
Roderick Manwaring | [1861] brother
Lillyanna Sedgewick née Manwaring | [1865] sister and family
By marriage, Ford is related to the Pendergasts and everything that entails.
Appearance: Ford favors his mother than his father in looks. Due to his mixed heritage, Ford has tanned skin and dark brown eyes. His hair is a rich black that he keeps short. His sturdy jawline is usually hosting a little bit of stubble, simply for a lack of care on his own part, plus he thinks it makes him look older. Standing tall like his mother’s family, Ford reached a full height of 5’11” and is lean in build, bordering on lanky. He’s fairly strong though as he enjoys sports like riding and boxing for recreation. Ford smiles easily and a laugh lights up his whole face.He is left-handed and dresses according to his station, though he does like brighter colors when appropriate and can be spotted sporting Native American jewelry when acceptable.
History: The product of an unusual marriage, Ford’s mother, Theresa is a native of the Iroquois Mohawk tribe and Langford, a transplant from Britain early in his childhood. Langford was groomed to be the one to take over the family business and thus Linford was as well, being the eldest boy in the family. The British Manwarings were an old pureblood family deeply entrenched in the shipping industry with dabblings in lumber and branched out into several other forms of trade upon their arrival in the States early in the 1800s. Langford’s marriage to Terés was a strategic business move that blossomed into genuine affection. The Hudson river and its offshoots were critical to trade in the Northeast and the marriage secured free travel from New York to Lake Champlain.**
Cue the birth of Linford on a breezy Indian summer day in 1855, the first child and heir of the union. Thrilled by the birth, Theresa doesn’t even balk at her husband’s chosen name for the babe. In hindsight, it’s set the tone and it gets worse as it goes along. He’s joined by two brothers and finally a sister over the next decade.
Nearly a year after his eleventh birthday, Ford is off to Ilvermorny in the hills of the Berkshires. His mother has been quietly teaching him wandless magic as is customary of those who wield magic in her tribe- of which those in her family always have. However, Ford is eager to get his wand. His entry to the Gordian Knot sees the Pukwudgie statue choosing him to join the house. Next he is selected by his wand and the connection is immediate.
Ford spends his years at school simultaneously flirting and scooting his way around the hardest of academics. He takes classes that interest him and does fairly well in them, but his future is chosen for him and upon graduation in 1874, as expected, Ford is indoctrinated into the family business. He takes to it quickly. His genial and talkative nature, plus a decent head for numbers makes him quite easy to work with and hard to say no to. He’s practical, pragmatic and gives those around him the easy of making a good decision. Of course as an honest businessman, his reputation is that of one you want to work with.
The summer of 1880 is Lilly’s debut and it is spent in England with his father’s family. A respite to make both familial and business connections. It works out well for both Ford and Lilly- a match is procured for both, though Ford was not anticipating it. He’s told his new bride is to be a Miss Eloise Pendergast. He has mixed feelings as he isn’t so sure that Miss Pendergast is thrilled with the set up, but in the little time he does get to spend with her, Ford finds her charming and just as outgoing as he is, so finds them fairly well-suited. They marry in May 1881 and spend some time traveling the continent before heading back to New York to settle down.
Things are reasonably comfortable- at least on Ford’s side. He grows quite fond of Eloise, though is not entirely certain she returns his affections as strongly. Still, the pair welcome several children over the next few years and there are so many weddings and babies Ford can hardly keep track. Thankfully Eloise has stepped into the life of a society wife and mother with ease, managing both their household and social obligations like the professional she is.
The wedding of his sister-in-law in 1886 brings minor disaster and Ford is more than willing to take Rosalind in for a fresh change in New York. The following summer the festivities are marred by the loss of Eloise’s mother. He can tell it takes an immeasurable toll on his wife and he swiftly removes her from the cemetery following the funeral. Olivia is born the following fall and Eloise puts her efforts into their children and her sister’s social events. Ford tries to keep the marriage steady and the romance alive, but honestly cannot tell how well he’s doing. Eloise is often hard to read and he fears her growing distant, but doesn’t know what else to do, so he buries himself into his work and when the invitation to England comes for June of 1890 for a parade of weddings, Ford hopes a little time with her family will cheers his wife up. Hopefully.
Personality: dutiful; dependable; fun-loving; goofy; business-minded; family-oriented; traditional in most respects; respectful; sometimes naive
Out of Character
Name: Bee
Age: 33
Contact: @Elsie
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![[Image: TrSGeWR.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/TrSGeWR.jpg)