Ewing
David Minerd
(1890-1936)
Ewing
David Minerd was born in 1890 in Dunbar, Fayette County, PA, the son of Rev.
David E. and Catherine (Williams) Minerd. Active
in the Dunbar community, he was a longtime postmaster as well as treasurer of
the school board.
He never married.
Ewing followed the trade of his father and grandfather as a blacksmith. He also worked as a deliveryman for S.R. Hews & Co.
When World War I broke out, Ewing enlisted in the Army. He was assigned to
overseas duty with the Supply Company, 319th Infantry of the 80th (Blue Ridge)
Division, and saw action in the Meuse-Argonne offensive. He sent home many
postcards to his father, siblings, nieces and nephews, such as the one seen
here.
After the war, Ewing returned to Dunbar, where he continued his work as a blacksmith, and was a member of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics.
In about 1920, he was named to the Dunbar school board, as treasurer, replacing Peter Johnson. He remained on the board in this capacity for 16 years, until his sudden death in 1936. During this time, cousin Bert Minerd was constable of Dunbar, from about 1922 to 1925. (The exact identity of this "Bert Minerd" is unknown, but he likely was either John Albert Minerd or Albert L. Minerd, both of whom lived in Dunbar and went by "Bert.")
Ewing was not the only local resident vying to be appointed as postmaster. According to a recent column on Dunbar in the Connellsville Daily Courier (Nov. 19, 2003), "Thomas Morrison applied for the position of Dunbar Postmaster ... but lost out to Ewing Mined who was awarded the job because he was a World War I veteran."
Sadly, on Sept. 16, 1936, Ewing died in bed of a heart attack. He was just 46 years of age. He was buried at Hill Grove Cemetery in Connellsville, PA, next to his mother. His father later would join them there in eternal rest, in 1943.
Ewing is pictured in the book, Uniontown's Part in the World War. He also is mentioned in the book, Dunbar: The Furnace Town 1883-1983.
On
June 19, 2002, Ewing was featured in an article about Dunbar in the Connellsville
Daily Courier. The story later was republished in the book, There's No Place
Like Dunbar! 2002-2004 - Historical Vignettes and Personal Reflections from The
Daily Courier's Dunbar Column, authored by Donna R. Myers and Bonnie L.
Zurick of the Dunbar (PA) Historical Society. A thumbnail image of the book is seen
at right.
Copyright © 2000, 2003 Mark A. Miner