Bio-Minerd, AliceEllisDoughty

Alice (Minerd) Ellis Doughty
(1871-1961)

The Uniontown Genius of Liberty (Nov. 29, 1888) reported that 17-year-old Alice had "left ... for Braddock to meet her lover ... to be joined in holy wedlock." A month later, on Dec. 29, 1888, at Braddock, Allegheny County, PA, near Pittsburgh, Alice married 18-year-old Eugene Ellis Sr. (1869- ? ), a native of Washington County, PA. Justice of the peace John Glunt performed the ceremony.

Perhaps because Alice was so young, her father had to sign his approval that he had "been informed and consented to the intended marriage." He signed his mark with an "X."

Their children were James Alexander "Pug" Ellis, Bertha Stewartson, Eugene Ellis Jr., Olive Quairiere, Phyllis Irene Cherry and a not-yet-identified child who died prior to 1900.

Eugene worked as a day laborer, likely at the Braddock Works of United States Steel. In 1900, when the federal census was taken, they resided at Braddock, on Mills Street. Eugene's fate is unknown, and the marriage ended by 1912.

In about 1912, Alice married her second spouse, James Doughty (1881- ? ), who was seven years younger than she. They lived at Continental No. 2 coal mine. In 1920, he worked as an engineer in a local by-products plant, and they resided in her parents' home. The Doughtys had one daughter, Phyllis (Gable) Cherry.

During World War I, when son Pug was serving overseas, Alice resided at Lemont Furnace.

The federal census of 1930 shows Alice heading a household in Dunbar that also included her 41-year-old son Pug Ellis, 17-year-old daughter Phyllis Gable, nephew Charles Minerd (age 23) and cousin John Warman (age 5). That year, she was employed as the janitor at the Dunbar Methodist-Protestant Church.

In 1937, Alice was presented with her first great-grandchild -- the granddaughter of her son Eugene.

Sadly, Alice endured the death of daughter Phyllis Irene Cherry in 1953. The cause is not known.

Alice passed away on Feb. 18 1961, at the age of 90. She is buried beside Phyllis at Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Dunbar. At the time of her death, she was survived by 15 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren.

Son James Alexander "Pug" Ellis (1889-1960) was born on Feb. 25, 1889, at Braddock, near Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA. He never married.

During World War I, he served as a corporal in the U.S. Army as a member of Co. B, 60th Infantry. He trained at Camp Lee and was shipped overseas on Aug. 1, 1918. He apparently was wounded with poison gas, and a cousin later recalled that Pug "wasn't very quick." After the Armistice was signed, Pug remained with the occupation forces in France and was there as of June 1, 1919. He is pictured and briefly profiled in the book, Uniontown's Part in the World War (seen here).

After the war, Pug apparently was coal mine laborer for the H.C. Frick Coke Co., working at the company's facilities at Lemont Furnace near Uniontown. Seen here is a rare old postcard image of the Lemont No. 1 mine and coke works, as well as the "Pennsylvania Lines" railroad cars.

He was a member of the Dunbar American Legion Post and the Walter E. Brown Post 21 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of Connellsville. In 1930, he lived with his widowed mother, younger sister Phyllis and cousins Charles Minerd and John Warman in Dunbar.

Pug died at the age of 71 on May 3, 1960, at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Butler, Butler County, PA. His remains were brought back to Dunbar for burial. An obituary was published in the Connellsville Daily Courier.

Daughter Bertha M. Ellis (1891- ? ) was born in about 1891 in Braddock, Allegheny County. On Sept. 5, 1913, in Cuyahoga County, OH, she wed Homer M. Stewartson (1888- ? ), son of Harry and Haddie (Sypkeers) Stewartson of Knoxville, near Pittsburgh. At the time of marriage, Homer was employed as a "tester" and lived at 7719 Redell Avenue, while Bertha lived at 1116 Bolivar Road. Justice of the peace William Brown performeld the ceremony.

Son Eugene B. Ellis Jr. (1893- ? ) was born in about 1893 in Bessemer, Allegheny County, PA. At the age of 26, on Oct. 31, 1919, he wed 23-year-old Eva L. Butler (1896- ? ) in Erie, Erie County, PA. She was the daughter of Sylvester and Rowina (Kendall) Butler of North East, Erie County. At the time of marriage, Eugene was employed in Akron, OH at a rubber works, and Eva performed factory work.

Circa 1936, he lived in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, OH. The Connellsville Daily Courier noted on July 6, 1936, that "Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Ellis of Cleveland are visiting at the home of Mr. Ellis' mother, Mrs. Alice Dowdy."

In 1960, at the death of Eugene's brother James, Eugene was living in Akron. He and his mother and sister Olive published a card of thanks in the Connellsville Daily Courier. The item read: "We take this means of expressing our sincere thanks and appreciation to our many friends and neighbors for their acts of kindness and sympathy extended us during our recent bereavement, the death of our son and brother, Eugene A. Ellis."

On Feb. 25, 1915, in Dunbar, 17-year-old daughter Olive Ellis (1898- ? ) married 21-year-old Herman Quairiere Sr., who was a native of Belgium, and the son of Jacob and Mary Darterelle. Olive's distant cousin, Rev. David E. Minerd, performed the wedding ceremony. Herman also served in World War I. He was a resident of Dunbar for 30 years, and was a glass cutter for the Pennsylvania Wire Glass Company and for the final seven years of his career was employed by the West Penn Power Company.

The Quaireres had at seven children -- Alex Quairiere, Herman Quairiere Jr., Raymond Quairere, Alice Louise Kerfoot, Althea Quairere, Elaine Quairere and Robert Quairere. Several of them served their nation during World War II, including Herman and Raymond in England.

Herman Quaieriere Sr. passed away at age 50 on D-Day -- June 6, 1944. The obituary in the Connellsville Daily Courier said that among his survivors were his parents and two sisters in Belgium. Herman Jr. spent a term with a Civilian Conservation Camp team in 1936, and returned home once his duty was completed.

The Quairieres' daughter-in-law, Dolores (May) Quairiere, was a registered nurse at Connellsville (PA) Hospital.

Daughter Elaine Quairiere married (?) Pecil. She is pictured in the 2009 book Dunbar: Images of America, edited by the Dunbar Historical Society. In the photograph, vintage 1946, she stands with high school friends Josephine Caruso and Doris Spangler.

Great-grandson John Herman Quairiere (1940-1985) was an electrician and belonged to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).

Daughter Phyllis Irene Gable (1912-1953) was born on Oct. 2, 1912, at Continental No. 2, Fayette County, PA, the daughter of James and Alice (Minerd) Doughty. She grew up with her parents in the Dunbar dwelling of her grandparents, James Valentine and Nancy Minerd.

In 1930, when she was age 17, Phyllis resided in the Dunbar household of her widowed mother, along with older brother James "Alexander" Ellis, and cousins Charles Minerd and John Warman. That year, she carried the surname of "Gable" even though she was marked as "single."

She married Louis E. Cherry. They had five children -- Mary Lou Cherry, Thomas Cherry, Louis Cherry, Lawrence Cherry and James Cherry.

Sadly, Phyllis died at the age of 40 on Feb. 7, 1953, leaving her husband with five young children. She was laid to rest in the Mt. Auburn Cemetery.

Image of Herman Quairiere Sr. obituary courtesy of the Dunbar (PA) Historical Society.