Daniel
Miner Sr.
(1776?-1854)
Daniel
Miner Sr. was born in about
1776, the son of Western Pennsylvania pioneers
Jacob and Maria (Nein) Minerd Sr. He and
his brother Frederick both were pioneer settlers of Ohio.
The photos of Daniel and his 2nd wife, Margaret Fluckey, seen here, are the only known
images of their generation of the family.
At last count, Daniel and his wives together produced 17 children, 74 grandchildren and at least 106 great-grandchildren, virtually all born before the year 1900. These numbers surely will grow as additional research is done.
While
living in Western Pennsylvania, Daniel married Mary (?) (1779-1813) and began raising a
large family. Her maiden name is unknown.
It is possible that Daniel served in the Ohio militia during the War of 1812. At one time, a War of 1812 marker was placed at his grave, though both the war and grave markers have since disappeared. Research into this question shows that a "Daniel Minard" served for one month and 13 days as a private with Darrow's Odd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 4th Division, of the Ohio Militia. Specific dates of the service were between Aug. 22, 1812 and Oct. 3, 1812, at which point the soldier was discharged. Whether or not the soldier is our Daniel is not yet proven, but likely.
In 1812, Daniel and Frederick left Pennsylvania and jointly bought land in Sego, Perry County, OH. (The deed, granted by the federal government, and made out in both of their names, bears the signature of President James Madison.) They also bought two separate farms, one for each brother. Daniel would sell his farm within a few years, but Frederick lived on his for the rest of his long life.
Tragically, Mary died a year after they settled in Ohio -- on Nov. 7, 1813, at the age of 34 -- perhaps in childbirth. She is buried at the Hopewell Church Cemetery near Sego. Her grave -- the oldest known in our clan -- is shown at right and is in the same plot as her brother in law Frederick and his family. The epitaph reads:
Weep
not my dearest friends,
Nor shed your tears in vain;
My face you see no more,
Till call'd to rise again.
After Mary's death, Daniel was left with six children -- Rebecca Danison, Jacob Miner, Sarah Ferguson, Solomon Miner, Francis Miner and Daniel Minor Jr. There's a possibility that Daniel and Mary had a daughter Mary, who married James Burgoin, but the connection is not yet proven.
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| Above, Mary's grave marker (foreground, right) in the same row as her brother in law, Frederick Miner Sr. (upper left corner, stacked horizontally) |
On Oct. 12, 1814, in Muskingum County, OH, Daniel married Margaret "Peggy" Fluckey (1793-1865), the daughter of George and Margaret (Stotz) Fluckey. The wedding was performed by Elder James Quin, and is recorded today in marriage lists of the county.
They had 10 children of their own -- Mary Sellers, Sarah Miner, George S. Miner, Mahala White, Elizabeth 'Libby' Wilson Armstrong, Margaret Sloan-Maxwell, Henry Clay Minor, Eli B. Miner and Lydia Ann Brown.
In about 1812 or 1813, Daniel and Peggy were members of "The Hopewell Class," which "was organized to meet at Abram Hamisfar's (now Rusk's), of which Robert Chalfant was leader," said the History of Fairfield & Perry Counties. Daniel's children Jacob, Rebecca and Francis were also members of this class.
After
20 years of marriage, in 1835, Daniel and Peggy moved to near Cardington, Morrow
County, OH, where
her parents lived, and where later she
would inherit farmland. The Miners resided there the rest of
their lives. The rare old postcard photograph of Cardington, seen at left,
shows the intersection of Main and Marion Streets. (Note the horses and buggies
lined up along the curb.)
Over the years, Daniel borrowed sums of money from brother in law
Adam Fluckey and sister in law Elizabeth (Fluckey) Taylor. Papers show he
could not write his own name, because when he signed documents, he did so with an "X."
Daniel was ill during most of 1854. Records show that from April to September that year, he was continually purchasing medicine and "syrup iodide." His sufferings ended when he passed away on Oct. 8, 1854. His coffin cost $11.50 to build and deliver, and the hearse service charged $2 for "two trips." For the funeral, his wife purchased a bonnet, 1 1/2 yards of black ribbon, 1 1/4 yards of black crape, a black shawl, three pair of red gloves and a yard of "Book Muslin" from a local store.
Daniel was buried at the Bethel Church Cemetery, and an upright grave stone was erected over his grave, reading:
DANIEL MINER
DIED
October 8, 1854
Aged 77 years, 8 mos. & 25 days.
After Daniel's death, Peggy was entitled to keep the following items from their household:
one cooking stove & cooking utensils; one large spinning wheel, one small spinning wheel; 1 family Bible and other books; 1 cow & 12 sheep; wool or soals on hand... 2 beds bedsteads & bedding; all clothing belonging to the widow & wearing apparel of the Deceased; 1 table, six chairs, six knives & forks; six plates, six teacups & saucers; one sugar dish, one cream cup, one tea pot & twelve spoons....
She also was allowed to keep 400 lbs fork, 1 cow, 28 bushels corn, corn fodder, 1 bureau, 1 clock, 1 pair and irons, 2 old chairs, 2 barrels, 1 chest and 1 fanning mill.
Peggy lived
for another 11 years, and died on Feb. 22, 1865. She was buried beside
her husband at
the Bethel Cemetery near Cardington, and has a separate marker. Several
adult grandchildren visiting from Kansas paid their respects at the graves in 1930. However, by the 1970s,
Daniel's grave marker was crumbling. Today it is gone, and its whereabouts are
unknown, while Peggy's is still intact.
All told, Daniel had 17 children and at least 40 grandchildren. Their late great-granddaughter, Blanche (Clark) Tarter, worked for years to establish a base of knowledge of this branch, and she co-published a book in 1971. In 1996, Blanche's son graciously donated a copy of her book and her extensive collection of papers to the Minerd-Miner-Minor Archives.
Readers interested in the genealogy of the Fluckey family should contact Suzanne Schroeder Enlow, a descendant of Margaret (Fluckey) Miner's brother, Adam Fluckey.
In 2005, a 740-page book, George Fluckey the Hessian Soldier, was published by authors Lois Catlett and Sharon (Catlett) Kossieck. It contains extensive excerpts of Minerd.com biographies of Daniel and Peggy Miner and their descendants. Minerd.com is credited as the source throughout the volume, and a copy was graciously donated by the authors to the Minerd-Miner-Minor Archives.
Copyright © 2000-2007 Mark A. Miner