Solomon
Minard Jr.
(1842-1878?)
Solomon Minard Jr. was born in 1842 in Harrison County, OH, the son of Solomon and Rachel (Little) Minard Sr. He was a pioneer settler of Illinois and Missouri.
As a young man, Solomon may have moved with his parents to Knox County, OH. By age 16, a few months after his father's death, he had migrated westward to Illinois, initially settling in Henry County, where his elder brother Wesley also resided that year. That same year, 1858, the Probate Court of Solomon's home county, Knox County, Ohio, appointed another brother, Thomas, as his legal guardian.
On Sept. 26, 1863, in Henry County, Solomon married Sarah E. Bone (1847- ? ), a Pennsylvania native thought to have been the daughter of German immigrants John and Ann Bone. The Minards had at least five children -- Luther Minard, Jesse Minard, Ellie May Minard, Frank Minard and Asa Minard.
Solomon and Sarah remained in Illinois for the birth of son Luther in 1865.
Within three years, they moved further west to Missouri, planting themselves in the town of Mirabile, Caldwell County. There, their remaining four children were born. Solomon's brother Nathan W. Minard also resided in Caldwell County circa 1872, evidence that the two families might have been especially close and may have moved in tandem.
Sadly, Solomon is thought to have died sometime between 1878 (when their youngest child was born) and 1880 (when Sarah appeared on the federal census as a widow). The exact date and cause of his passing are mysteries, but are being researched.
In the 1880 census, Sarah was age 34, and in their household were their three youngest children. Living as close neighbors were the couple thought to be her parents, the Bones'.
Nothing further of their lives is known.
For Little family information, contact researcher Sue Sohn.
Copyright © 2002, 2005 Mark A. Miner