Nathaniel
Miner
(1819-1908)
Nathaniel 'Nathan' Miner was born on Dec. 15, 1819 in Perry County, OH, near Zanesville, the son of Frederick and Elizabeth (Sechman) Miner Sr. He was a pioneer settler of Iowa.
According to the Fort
Madison Weekly, Nathan "came to Iowa in the year 1844, coming down the
Ohio river and up the Mississippi as far as Keokuk on a flatboat, then traveled
from Keokuk to Burlington with oxen." A rare old postcard image of Fort
Madison is seen here -- probably taken a half-century after Nathan
arrived. Note the river at far left, the railroad engine belching smoke on
tracks adjacent to the river, and then, across Front Street, the town buildings
at far right.
Shortly after arriving, he met Susan Abbott (1827-1901), whom he married on Sept. 20, 1846, in the Abbott home in Burlington, Des Moines County, IA.
Susan was born on Oct. 18, 1827, in Muskingum County, OH, the daughter of Hayes Abbott. Said her obituary in the Fort Madison Weekly Democrat, "She moved to Iowa with her parents in 1842, settling near Burlington." She was said to be "a loving wife and mother and kind neighbor…."
The Miners' 10 children were Laura Jane Troxel, Clara Tucker, Elizabeth Davis, John Miner, Lorenzo Miner, Minerva Canaday, Charles Miner, Sarah 'Birdie' Pickard, Treva 'Florence' Cline and William Miner.
Nathan was close with his nephew, Henry
Bush, son of Nathan's sister Elizabeth
(Miner) Bush. In the winter of
1877-1878, Henry came from Winfield, KS to work on Nathan's farm, before moving
on to Greenfield, IN. In 1908,
Henry and his wife traveled from Missouri to Iowa to attend Nathan's funeral.
In 1881, Nathan and Susan moved to a farm near West Point, Pleasant Ridge Twp., Lee County, IA, "where he lived till all his children, with the exception of one, were married and had homes of their own…. In the spring of 1898, he and his good wife and son moved to Fort Madison and retired from active life." They lived at 1528 Fifth Street in Fort Madison, for the rest of their years.
Susan died on Feb. 26, 1901 at Fort Madison.
Nathan
outlived her by six years. He passed away on April 17, 1908, at the age of 89. He
and Susan are buried at the Atlee Cemetery (formerly known as Elmwood Cemetery)
in Fort Madison.
Nathan's obituary said "He will be remembered by many of the old citizens of Des Moines and Lee county, as he was regarded by all as being one of the most highly respected and honorable citizens."
Pallbearers at Nathan's funeral were all grandsons -- Charles C. Tucker, John Tucker, Nate Tucker, Millard Troxel, Sherman Miner and Ralph Stoner. The funeral was conducted by Rev. B.L. Kline of the local Christian Church.
Son in law George Tucker is profiled in the book, Biographical Review of Lee County, Iowa.
The town of Fort Madison grew and prospered during the 20th century. It reached national fame in 2000 when profiled as "thriving" in the July 10 issue of Time Magazine. Fort Madison was praised for its ability to "keep a sense of place" and "hold on to something special" despite the national trend for towns to be "ringed by cake-box superstores with aircraft-carrier parking lots and terrific discounts on six-packs of socks."
Copyright © 2000, 2002, 2007 Mark A. Miner