Royal
Dee Minard
(1870-1936)
Royal
Dee Minard was born on June 6, 1870 in
Cedar County, IA, the son of Nathan W. and
Sarah Jane (Woodruff) Minard. He and his parents were pioneer settlers of
Missouri and Kansas.
As a seven-year-old, Royal and his parents and siblings left Iowa and moved to Monmouth Township, Shawnee County, KS.
Royal married Mary Jane Blansett sometime before 1892. (She was age 16 at marriage and had been raised by a family named Beeler.) Their children, born between the years 1892 and 1918, were Royal "Roy" Minard, Vera Minard, Hazel LaGretta Smith, Ethel Holcomb, Wilbur Minard, Doris Plymale, Niona Minard, Elizabeth Helen Santa Maria and Mary Minard.
In 1900, they moved to Topeka, KS, where they remained for about two decades. The 1912 Topeka City Directory show that Royal was living at 2108 Van Buren, while his father was residing just down the street, at 2101 Poplar. Royal's brother Edward also is listed in the directory, at 396 Poplar. The entry for Royal shows that he was working as a contractor, while son Roy was a pressfeeder at Crane & Co.
Some of Royal and Mary Jane's children: back row, l-r: Royal Jr.,
Vera, Hazel. Front, l-r: Willard, Helen and Mary Jean
By 1919, the Minards had relocated to Sunnyside, Yakima County, WA. Royal's occupation was carpenter. By 1930, when the federal census was taken, they were living in Calabasses Twp., Los Angeles County, CA, where he was a caretaker of a private estate.
Mary Jane was said to have been strong-willed and opinionated. She often clashed with her father in law over what others considered trivial matters. On the other hand, Royal was said to be more good-natured and easy-going.
Mary Jane also is remembered as a loving and concerned mother, perhaps making up for the fact that she had no mother of her own. Genealogy, and looking after her family, were important to her, especially in her later years.
Royal passed away on April 19, 1936 in Girard, CA. He was laid to rest in Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, CA.
After his death, Mary Jane with a daughter resided in California. She survived him by a quarter of a century, and died in 1961.
Royal is honored on the Migrations
Project website, which details his pattern of pioneer movements over the
years. His name also appears on an intricate old family
tree drawn by 'C. Furnas' of Topeka, KS.
Daughter
Hazel Smith is seen at left.
Hazel's son, Dale Gordon Smith, seen at right, served in the US Armed Forces during the Korean War.
For more information on this branch of our family, contact great-granddaughter Victoria Clingman.
Copyright © 2001-2003, 2005 Mark A. Miner