James "Forbes" Minard
(1853- ? )
James Forbes Minard was born in August 1853 in Knox
County, OH, the son of Solomon and
Rebecca (Metzler) Minard Sr. He was a pioneer settler of Iowa and Missouri.
Forbes appears to have been named for a family friend or relative, James Forbes.
In about 1876,
Forbes married Mary
Rebecca "Becky" Litzenberg (1851-1917), the daughter of James
Litzenberg of Ohio.
Becky was an Iowa native, and the marriage may have taken place in Iowa.
The photographic portrait of the Minards, seen at right, was taken in an unknown town, but located in Boyd's Studio at 411 Walnut Street, part of the Eagle Gallery.
They had two sons, William "Jay" Minard and Franklin S. Minard, both born in Iowa circa 1879-1880.
The
brothers are seen at left in a portrait taken at Chatteron Studio in
Villisca, IA. Jay is at left, and Frank at right. This photograph, plus the
portrait of Forbes and Becky, today are in the collection
of one of his distant nieces.
By the time the federal census was taken in 1880, the Minards had left Iowa and migrated to Missouri, residing in the county of Nodaway.
Forbes is listed on the 1880 census as a "farmer."
Both of the censuses for 1900 and 1910 also show the Minards living in Nodaway County.
Becky passed away at the age of 59 on Jan. 21, 1917 at St. Joseph's Hospital in St. Joseph, Buchanan County, MO. The cause of her death was cancer of the lower right leg. She was laid to rest in Parnell.
The 1920 census shows Forbes as a widower at age 65. He resided that year along the state highway in Parnell, Independence Twp., Nodaway County, where he was a farmer.
Forbes' fate after that is not known.
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Automobiles lining Parnell streets, circa 1914 |
Son William "Jay" Minard (1879- ? ) married Edith Ferris (1890- ? ), a native of Kansas. He was 11 years older than she. They lived in Kansas City, MO circa 1914, when their daughter Vera Eldora Minard was born. By 1917, the family was in Parnell, where Jay was a farmer. Sadly, daughter Vera died of indigestion and encephalitis as she neared her third birthday on May 13, 1917. the little girl was laid to rest in the Orsburg Cemetery. Jay and Edith went on to have at least eight more children -- Desdah Gertrude Minard, Donald J. Minard, Lola Maxine Minard and Leslie Minard, all born in Missouri; and Delbert Minard, Mildred Minard, Calvin C. Minard and Frank Minard, all born in Kansas. The 1920 census shows the Minards in Parnell, with the 41-year-old Jay laboring for the city as a drayman. In about 1925, the Minards migrated westward and settled in Emporia, Lyon County, KS. Their home was on Congress Street. The 1930 census shows William working as a meat cutter in a retail meat shop, with Edith as a pastry maker working from their home.
Copyright © 2003-2005, 2008 Mark A. Miner