Gertrude
(Minerd) Ullery
(1877-1960)
Gertrude Sophia (Minerd) Ullery was born
on Oct. 9, 1877 in Bullskin Twp., Fayette County, PA, the daughter of Calvin
and Mary (Means) Minerd Sr. She and her brother Larmer
were twins.
In 1897, Gertrude married Edward Jacob Ullery (1875-1960), son of George W. and Jane Ullery of Wooddale, PA. Their 7 children were Mary Garrison, Lloyd Ullery, Harry Ullery, Earl L. Ullery, Roy Ullery and Wilbert Minerd Ullery, and one who died young.
At the birth of one son, said the Connellsville Courier, Edward "is wearing a great big smile these days. The cause was the arrival of a little son…"
The Ullerys resided at Pennsville, near Connellsville, PA, where Edward was a laborer. In 1898, the Courier said he "has accepted a partnership with his father … in a dairy business." But a few years later, in October 1906, the Courier stated that he "has resumed blacksmithing again at the J.J. Richey shop."
Gertrude and her mother and brothers must
have been close, as the newspapers of the time report many weekend visits
between them. She also was close with her cousin, Tamzon
(Inks) Grimm.
Son Lloyd is seen here in a photo with his sister, Mary (Ullery) Garrison. He married Elsie Exline, and they resided in Wooddale. He was a draftsman at the Scottdale Works of the American Sheet and Tin Plate Company. He contracted a case of polio and was unable to walk, so to continue his skill at making prints and drawings he was transported to work by wheelchair. Their daughter Evelyn, a twin, was struck and killed by a moving automobile near Pennsville circa 1930.
Gertrude is said to have been very neat and tidy, and to have been a fastidious housekeeper. When her farmer-brothers would come to visit, she would make an extra effort to clean up after they left.
In the summer of 1919, Gertrude held a party at her home in Pennsville. Said the Daily Courier, "Games and music were indulged in and lunch was served at a late hour." Attendees included Mrs. George Detwiler, Mr. and Mrs. Horner, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Brant, Mr. and Mrs. Grant Orbin and daughter Ethel, Mr. and Mrs. George Ullery, Mrs. Ruth Edwards, Mrs. Clark Edwards, Miss Lydia Keck, Mr. and Mrs. F.S. Roadway, Mrs. Eliza Miller, Mrs. O.P. Lenhart and daughter Frances, Miss Josephine Minerd, Miss Mary Minerd, Calvin Minerd and George Winebrenner.
Wilbert Minerd Ullery, who met an untimely death
Son Wilbert married Mildred Meader. He also worked at the American Sheet and Tin Plate Company, also known as Marion Machine, located under the Scottdale-Everson Bridge. Heartache rocked the family around Thanksgiving 1931 when Wilbert, a 21-year-old and new father, became deathly ill after drinking unpasteurized milk from the Minerd farm. Three weeks later on Dec. 18, 1931, he passed away, at Memorial Hospital in Scottdale. The unexpected death left his wife to raise their young daughter.
Mildred later married Hugh R. Echard, and they had children of their own, and enjoyed 57 years of marriage.
A bird's-eye view of industrial Scottdale
In
1947, the Ullerys celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They enjoyed a
gathering at the home of their daughter, Mary Garrison, at Norvelt, Westmoreland
County. Seen here, a color-tinted photo shows Edward and Gertrude with
their special five-tier cake.
Sadly, Edward and Gertrude died just a few
days apart in 1960. The details are not known, but they are buried at the Mt.
Olive Cemetery in Bullskin.
Son Earl worked for many years as a millwright at the Ford Motor Company in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, OH.
Copyright © 2001-2003 Mark A. Miner