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Arthur Ralph "Buck" Minerd
(1896-1952)

Arthur Ralph "Buck" Minerd was born on March 23, 1896 at Atlas near Uniontown, Fayette County, PA, the son of Charles B. and Ada (Tressler) Minerd.

Apparently Arthur injured his hand as a teenager, requiring medical care. In a January 1912 letter by his sister Bertha Pringle, she wrote: "Arthur's hand is a doing fine. The Dr. dresses it every other day."

Arthur was married to Elizabeth Posten ( ? - ? ), the daughter of Hannah Posten. The wedding took place in 1920 in or near Fairmont, Marion County, WV, when he was age 24.

The marriage did not last. Circa 1937-1938, at the death of her mother, Elizabeth made her home in Detroit.

Later, Arthur married Audrey Dolores Barnhart.

All told, Arthur is known to have had these children -- Andrew Hershel Minerd, Thomas "Hershel" Minerd, Betty Minerd, James Minerd, Eugene Minerd, Mark Minerd, Max Minerd and Arthur Ralph Minerd Jr.

Sadly, son Max died at age eight of heart trouble. Son Andrew also is believed to have passed away at a young age.

From 1916 to 1919, Arthur lived at a number of coal mining towns in and around Uniontown, an indication of how scarce jobs were at that time. His residences included Searights, Hopwood, Mount Sterling, Plummer, Vances Mill, High House, Revere, Puritan, Masontown and Martin, all in Fayette County.

Arthur registered for the World War I military draft in 1918, and stated his occupation as a a coal hauler for the Taylor Coal & Coke Company of Searight, Fayette County. On the registration card, perhaps referring to his childhood injury, he wrote that the first finger on his right hand was deformed.

During the 1950s, Arthur and family lived at Rocks Works near Masontown, Fayette County.

Tragedy struck on May 27, 1952, when Arthur and his nephew William Minerd, age 20, were killed in an automobile accident. (William was the son of Harry and Mary [Blair] Minerd.) The men were on their way to work on the Robert Donley farm near Greensboro. The Uniontown Morning Herald said that in a thick fog, their car "crashed headon into a heavy coal truck on Route 88 at the outskirts of Greensboro... The impact was so great that the Minerd car was demolished."

The vehicle, a 1948 Oldsmobile, is seen at left.

Son Thomas "Hershel" Minerd (1920-1963) was a construction worker and lived in Chicago and Detroit, before returning to Uniontown. Tragedy struck the family again on March 8, 1963, when he died of heart disease.

Former granddaughter-in-law Rhonda Minerd was a notary public in the community of Lemont Furnace near Uniontown.