John
Ross Miner
(1858-1935)
John
Ross Miner was born on New Year's Eve 1858 near Humbert, Somerset County, PA, the son of Henry
A. and Matilda (Rose) Miner. As a young boy, he moved with his parents to
the booming coal and coke center of Connellsville, Fayette County, PA.
On July 24, 1881, John married Mary Melissa Moody (1862-1922) at the Dravo Coke Works, in the presence of his brother Silas Miner and also Cal Harcum. The ceremony was performed by M.G. Marple, minister. Mary was the daughter of James J. and Nancy (Ritenour) Moody Sr. -- James was politically active and was elected constable of Lower Tyrone Twp. in Fayette County in 1881.
John worked as a coke drawer and coal mine laborer for 45 years. His primary place of employment was in Connellsville at the Davidson Coke Works of the H.C. Frick Coke Co., which was a subsidiary of United States Steel Corporation.
The Miners had 14 children -- but tragically, all but four died before the age of 18. Their family Bible contains the handwritten listings of all the children's deaths, one after another:
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Nora Estella - died in 1882 at age 3 years
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Viola Miner - died in 1883 at age 1 year, 2 months
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John William Miner died in 1886
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James Henry Miner - died in 1892 at age 8 years, 7 days
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Emma May Miner - died in 1892 at age 1 year, 4 months
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Grant Sylvester Miner - died in 1895 at age 8 months
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Emanuel Theodore Miner - died in 1897
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Tomey Miner - died in 1899 at age 9 months
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Eldora 'Elizabeth' Miner - killed in 1907 at age 18 years, 8 months
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Ethel May Miner died in 1910 at age 8 years, 2 days
The children all were buried at the Mennonite Cemetery near Pennsville, but in a twist of
fate none of the graves is marked. Perhaps
the most shocking and tragic deaths was Elizabeth's, on Sept. 25, 1907. An 18-year-old,
she was accidentally struck by a moving railroad car at the Davidson Coke Works where
she was visiting her father at his place of employment. A rare old postcard view
of the Davidson Works is seen at right.
The four children to survive this cruel shadow of death were Mary Lavida Miner, Elmer Ellsworth Miner, Nancy Stillwagon Kuhns and Charles Dewey "Red" Minor.
John and Red are seen in the photo
at left with Red's baby girl, Delores.
John and Mary lived for many years at Dawson and at No. 32 Davidson Hill in Connellsville.
Scandal would have rocked the family in 1912, when John's son Elmer had an affair with, and eloped with, John's sister in law, Fannie (Dublin) Miner (Enoch Miner's wife). Elmer's whereabouts were unknown circa 1935.
In 1929-1930, John was elected treasurer of the large McDowell-Miner Reunions held at Hillcrest Park in Connellsville. In 1920, he is believed to have attended the Minerd-Miner Reunion at Ohiopyle, Fayette County, and in 1927 he spoke at the clan's gathering in nearby Confluence, Somerset County.
Mary suffered from epileptic seizures. She was found dead in bed at age 60 on Aug. 19, 1922. The cause of death was believed to have been a stroke. She was laid to rest in the Mennonite Cemetery in Connellsville Twp.
John outlived Mary by 13 years, and retired from
the Frick Company. He began receiving a pension, one of the earliest family
members to have this type of company benefit.
At age 64, on March 28, 1923, John married Mary Ellen Ringer (1892-1970). She was just 31 years old, and the daughter of William and Caroline (Frickey) Ringer.
They had one daughter, Mabel Kennick.
Sadly, daughter Mary died at age 36, apparently unmarried, on June 9, 1931. The cause of Mary's passing is unknown, and a search of the Connellsville Daily Courier failed to locate a newspaper obituary.
On
Sept. 21, 1935, John died at home at age 76. Though devastated by the deaths
of so many children, at his own passing he was survived by four children and 10
grandchildren. The funeral was conducted by John's distant cousin, Rev.
David E. Minerd. The Daily Courier reported that a "quartet
composed of Mrs. Walter Smith, Mrs. William E. Bisel, Edward Hiltabidel and
Homer Davis, sang. Miss Lulu Bailey was accompanist." Pallbearers were his
nephews Clyde Miner (son of Grant),
Frank Miner (son of Silas), Noah Miner (son
of Enoch) and William Miner (son of William)
and George and William Richter (sons of Mary
Anna Richter).
John was buried with his first wife and children in the Mennonite Cemetery at Pennsville. Their graves today are not marked.
After some years as a widow, Ellen married her second husband, Richard Kern. He brought five children to the marriage. Richard passed away in 1963. She resided with daughter Mabel and died on Sept. 6, 1970.
Son Elmer
Miner eventually married Fannie (Dublin)
Miner. They moved to Pittsburgh. She passed away in 1923, and was buried by her
husband in Connellsville's Hill Grove Cemetery. Her grave marker is seen
here. After her untimely death, he later changed
his last name to "Moody." He was married several other times,
including once to "Josephine." He was a "displaced person"
for many years, and rode the rails from city to city. A niece recalled that
Elmer was nicknamed "The Preacher" and was religious "at
times," keeping a Bible in which he wrote notations. He died circa 1952 in
a rooming house in Sewickley, near Pittsburgh. His burial place is unknown.
Daughter Nancy (1887- ? ) first married Oliver R. Stillwagon in 1903. After less than two years of marriage, Oliver deserted Nancy in August 1904, and "has not given her one cent since [then] and never did support her, it is alleged," said the Daily Courier. She moved back in with her father, but as he had "seven children to look after, [he] does not feel that he is able to support his married daughter." Oliver was jailed for non-support in August 1905. Later, Nancy married (?) Kuhns and in 1935 resided in Loveland, OH.
Son Charles Dewey "Red" Minor (1899-1968) married a cousin, Frances Rose (1901-1986), daughter of John and Carrie (Eicher) Rose. They had six children. Red registered for the World War I military draft in 1918, and stated his occupation as a laborer for the Soisson Fire Brick Company, spelling his own name "Minerd." He "was a retired employee of the Edgar Thomson Works of U.S. Steel Corp at Braddock," said the Daily Courier, "and was a former coal miner. He was a member of the United Steelworkers of America."
Daughter
Mabel (1926-1981) is seen here. At the age of four, her hand accidentally
beca e caught in a grain cutter, and she underwent surgery to remove the middle
finger on her left hand. She married George Kennick Jr.
(1907-1988). They resided in Dunbar (Juniata), Fayette County, where George was
a carpenter with H.R. Mangus and Sons, and an employee of West Penn Railways.
They were members of the St. Stephen's Byzantine Catholic Church in Leisenring.
Mabel passed away at age 55 on July 9, 1981. George died on May 7, 1988.
Grandson
Raymond A. Minor (1919-1971), seen at right, was a sailor on the USS St. Louis,
and later survived the
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. For a photo of Raymond in
uniform, taken in Hawaii, view our "Photo
of the Month" for June 2001. He married Virginia Lee Brooks (1905-1985)
and had several children. Sadly, their son Wes was killed in an automobile
accident in 1961. Raymond never got over the shock of the Pearl Harbor tragedy,
and died in 1971 while visiting at the home of his mother.
Grandson in law Gifford Hatter was wounded in action in Korea.
Granddaughter Carrie Elizabeth Minor married Donald C. Prinkey (1911-1985). Donald was a retired employee of U.S. Steel Edgar Thompson Works," said the Daily Courier. "He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Army."
Copyright © 2000, 2004-2007 Mark A. Miner