Bessie
(Minerd) Lemon
(1888-1966)
Bessie
Ray (Minerd) Lemon was born at Dunbar, Fayette County, PA, the
daughter of Rev.
David E. and Catherine (Williams) Minerd. She was an active public official
of Youngwood, Westmoreland County, PA.
In 1906, at the age of 18, Bess married 31-year-old Edward J. Lemon (1875-1937).
They had one son, Harold Boydell 'Skip' Lemon.
At some point, the Lemons moved to Youngwood. Edward was a longtime employee of the Pennsylvania Railroad and a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, an early union-type organization.
(Other cousins who were employed at Youngwood by the Pennsy were George B. Miner and Warren W. Miner.)
The Pennsylvania Railroad Yards at Youngwood
In 1937, Edward passed away suddenly at the age of 62. A newspaper in Uniontown, PA reported that he died when he "was stricken ... after he had finished his run to Altoona and had eaten dinner." At the time, he had worked for the Pennsy for 38 years. He was laid to rest at Hill Grove Cemetery in Connellsville, Fayette County.
Active in the community, Bess lived in Youngwood for 50 years. She was a postmistress of Youngwood for more than a decade, from 1942 to 1953. She also was an investigator for the Westmoreland County Institution District, and a member of the Civil Defense Class during World War II. She is pictured twice in the book, Our Town in Picture and Story: Youngwood, Pennsylvania 1899-1974.
Bess
was a member of the First Evangelical United Brethren Church of Youngwood, its Royal Circle Class and
Woman's Society of Christian Service. She also belonged to the Dames of Malta, the Ladies Auxiliary
to the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Ladies Auxiliary to the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers.
After nearly three decades as a widow, Bess passed away on Jan. 31, 1966, at the age of 77. She is buried with her husband at Hill Grove Cemetery, Connellsville.
Son Boydell is pictured in Our Town in Picture and Story and Way Back When: Youngwood, The Railroad Town, as a member of the Youngwood High School football team.
Copyright © 2000-2002, 2005 Mark A. Miner