Henry
C. Minerd
(1838-1921)
Henry C. Minerd was born on Sept. 17,
1838 in Fayette County, PA, the son of Jacob
and Ruth (Adams) Minerd. We do not
know if this family is related to ours, but it is known that Henry's father was
a "Dutchman" (Pennsylvania German) and that he was from the precise area of the
Fayette/Somerset County, PA, border region where our Minerds were pioneers in
the 1790s. We also know that Henry's mother was
a Native American and that Henry and his siblings thus were considered of mixed
race (or "mulatto" in the language of the mid-1800s).
As a boy, Henry moved with his parents to West Virginia, settling in the 1850s in Evansville, Preston County. They may also have resided in Ohio in the late 1850s as recalled by family friend William Norris.
Henry as a young man worked as a farmer. He stood 5 feet 7 inches tall, with grey eyes, dark hair and a dark complexion. Henry was considered "sound and able bodied" before the Civil War. He and Aaron Male worked together "in the harvest field cutting grass and other employment and ... he did as much work as any other able bodied man."
On Dec. 3, 1864, 23-year-old Henry married his first wife, 15-year-old Mariah Pritchard (1849-1873). The ceremony was held at G.A. Compton’s residence. Mariah was born in Taylor County, and resided in Barbour County, WV, the daughter of Warner and Ruth (Dalton) Pritchard. According to research published by Bernard V. Mayhle of Spokane, WA, Mariah’s father had died before she was born, “when his horse and wagon ran away and was wrecked while returning from Maryland.”
Henry and Mariah had two children – Ruth Ann Mayle and Elwood Minerd (born 1871). They also raised a nephew, Charles W. Minerd (born 1862), the son of Henry's sister Sarah.
During the waning days of the Civil War, on Feb. 14, 1865, Henry went to Grafton, Taylor County, WV, to enlist in the 17th West Virginia Infantry. His brothers John and William also served with the same regiment, commanded by Capt. Samuel Holt. Henry was in Company E.
According to Samuel T. Wiley’s 1883 book, History of Monongalia County, West Virginia, Company E of the 17th WV spent most of its time at Bulltown, Braxton County, WV, “where its members engaged in scouting and skirmishing until April 1865, when they were ordered to Clarksburg, and later to Wheeling....”
While on duty in Wheeling Island, Henry came down with a case of the mumps, caused by “exposure” to bad weather. "While drilling at Wheeling ... and in the line of duty he became overheated," a friend later wrote. "The result was he contracted the mumps, kidney disease and general disability, that he lay in camp sick with the ... diseases for six weeks and he would not consent to be removed to the hospital. He was treated in camp for said diseases."
Henry's brother John "lent him my blanket to sleep upon the night he was overheated drilling. The blanket the next morning which he slept upon during the night was frozen to the ground."
After his discharge from the Army, on June 14, 1865, Henry returned home to Preston County. That year, he and Mariah migrated into Ohio, settling in Washington County. They remained until 1867, when they returned to Taylor County, WV.
Rare old image of Cutler, Ohio, where Henry's first wife died
Sometime in the late 1860s, the family moved back to Ohio, to
the
village of Cutler, Washington County. The town was known as a stop on the
Underground Railroad and would have been a safe haven in general for families of
color. Cutler today is one of 400 known Underground
Railroad sites in Ohio and
is commemorated with a round
historical
marker (seen here in 2005).
The Minerds must have shuttled back and forth to Philippi, because daughter Ruth Ann was born in Philippi in May 1869. As well, the 1870 census shows the Minerds residing in Philippi. That year, 60-year-old farmer, Maryland native Nelson Newman, lived under their roof. His connection is unknown.
Sadly, on June 29, 1870 (or 1873), Mariah died in Cutler, Washington County, OH. She was only age 24. The cause of death, and her burial site, are unknown. Nephew Charles W. Minerd was present in their home when Mariah died. A search of Washington County death records in 2005 failed to locate an official record of her passing.
On June 13, 1874, Henry married his second wife, Sarah "Catherine" Croston (1849-1926). He was age 34 at the time, and she was 25. The ceremony was held at Philippi, Barbour County, WV, and performed by Joshua S. Croder. Catherine was the daughter of Travis and Mary "Polly" (Turner or Isner) Croston.
Henry and Catherine had five children born between 1873 and 1885 – Ida B. Minerd, Delbert B. Minerd, Icephine "Icy" Kennedy, Osa Bell "Ocy" Kennedy and Virginia B. "Jennie" Collins Hill.
When the federal census of 1880 was taken, Henry and Catherine were residing in Taylor County, where he worked as a farmer. His children from both marriages were residing in the household that year.
The Minerds resided over the years at Evansville, Preston County, and at Simpson, Taylor County (circa 1880-1889). Henry worked as a laborer. He and his brother John also chopped timber together. Among John's employers were John Wyckoff and James B. Fleming. In 1903, they relocated to Meriden, a coal mining community near Philippi, Barbour County.
Maryland Coal Co.'s Wendel mine (left) and town (right) near Simpson, WV
Henry suffered from his wartime disabilities for the rest of his life. He was treated by family doctors for extreme pain in his back and testicles. Wrote Dr. J.A. Findlay, "At times he is not able to stand erect. Cannot walk, but is confined to his bed for days at a time. His trouble has grown worse from year to year."
In the 1880s, Henry filed to receive a pension from the federal government as compensation for his wartime illnesses. Some of his affidavits and other paperwork were witnessed by W.T. Croston, E.E. Adams and Reason Norris.
Seen at left is a rare old photographic
postcard showing a birdseye view of Philippi. Click here to see an enlarged
view, which was our "Photo
of the Month" in March 2005.
Catherine in 1894 purchased a 19-acre tract of land in Knottsville, Taylor County, from Nancy E. Williams. They later sold this acreage to Maggie Adams in 1901.
The federal census of 1900 shows the family in Knottsville. That year, their 22-year-old son Delbert resided in their home and worked as a farm laborer, and daughters Icy, Oca and Jennie also were at home.
When the federal census was taken in 1910,
Henry and Catherine lived in the Philippi District with son Delbert, who worked
as a general farm laborer. Ten years later, when the 1920 census was enumerated,
the three still lived together in the north district of Philippi. Delbert was
listed as age 47 and unmarried.
Henry died on Sept. 1, 1921 at Meridan. He was buried at Chestnut Ridge. His grave marker stands today (seen here, marked by arrow), between the Chestnut Ridge Peoples Chapel (on the left, out of view) and the St. Peter's A.M.E. Church (fully in view at right), later pastored by a grandson and a great grandson. Henry's daughter Ruth Ann Mayle and her husband and several of her sons also are interred at the cemetery.
After Henry's death, Catherine filed an application to receive her husband's Civil War pension. Her papers were witnessed by Alston Mayle and James N. Norris. Others who came forward in support of Catherine’s petition were Rezin Norris of Moatsville, WV; Charles Minerd of Philippi; and Aaron Male of Meriden.
Sadly, Catherine passed away at age 81 on April 10, 1926, after suffering a stroke, with pneumonia as a contributing cause. She was buried beside her husband in the Chestnut Ridge Cemetery, though the gravestone never was modified to reflect her date of death.
Fates of the Children of Henry's First Marriage
Daughter Ruth Ann (1869-1969)
may have been named for an aunt, Ruth
Ann (Minerd) Kennedy. Ruth Ann married William
Stephen "W.S." Mayle (1867-1929) on June 22, 1887, at the residence of Rev. Lemuel Ryan.
He was the son of John and Elizabeth (Norris) Mayle. She was age 18 at the time
of marriage,
and he was 20. They are believed to have had 11
children – among them John Edward Mayle (1891-1968); Ethel Male (1893- ? ); Henry
C. Mayle (1897-1939); Icie Clara Norris,
Okey Mayle Sr., Rockford E. "John" Mayle ( ? -1957); Emard Mayle
(1905-1923),
Ernest Mayle (1906- ? ); Andrew Mayle (1908- ? ); and Enoch Mayle (1899-1929). Circa
1903 and 1929, the Mayles resided near Philippi, residents of "the
so-called Bloody Creek section of Chestnut Ridge," said the Philippi
Republican newspaper. The census of 1920 shows the Mayles residing in the
Philippi district of Barbour County, where William and son Henry were coal
miners. That year, among their neighbors was Ruth Ann's cousin Harrison Kennedy
and his wife Elsina. Tragically, two of the Mayles' sons died of tuberculosis or
related meningitis within eight months of each other in the early 1920s --
14-year-old Andrew on May 21, 1922, and Emard in 1923. Heartache struck the family
twice again in early 1929, when son Enoch died of tuberculosis, and then, a little more
than two months later, William died at
home of heart disease at the age of 61 on
May 6, 1929. William's obituary in the Republican noted that his
demise was "following a long illness but only a day or two of recent
confinement" and that he was survived by Ruth Ann and only three children,
which may not be accurate. "Burial was made Wednesday morning on Chestnut Ridge."
Ruth Ann survived her husband by a remarkable 40 years, and outlived nine of
her children, and remained in
the Philippi area. She died on July 17, 1969, "in an Elkins nursing home
where she had been a patient for some four months," said the Barbour
Democrat. Her death occurred just two months after celebrating her
100th birthday. She was laid to rest beside her husband and sons Emard and Enoch
at Chestnut Ridge, with her funeral arrangements handled by the John M. Stemple
Service, and the funeral service conducted by the Rev. Franklin Peoples. A
simple metal plaque marks her grave today.
Graves of Ruth Ann (1969) and William S. Mayle (1929)
at Chestnut Ridge, separated by four decades of time
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Son Enoch Mayle (1900-1929)
was six feet tall and slender, with black hair and eyes. At the age of 18,
in 1918, he was employed as a coal miner for the Franklin Coal Company in
Meriden. That year, he registered for the military draft during World War I.
The draft board officer listed him as "Negro" and added,
"Claims to be white but generally called colored." Enoch married Dosha L. Newman (1908- ? ), the daughter of Delbert and Ada
(Croston) Newman, on March 25, 1925. He was age 25, and she 16, at the time of
marriage. The Mayles had one daughter,
Opel Deola Johnson, and resided in Philippi. Heartache struck the young family
when Enoch died just a few weeks shy of his 29th birthday, on
Feb. 3, 1929, after suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis. His burial site was initially
stated to be in Belington, Barbour County, but in fact he rests for eternity at
Chestnut Ridge, with his grave marked by an upright, hand-carved marker still
barely legible when photographed in May 2007. Dosha later married (?) Kennedy.
At the age of 18, daughter Opel Deola Mayle (1927- ? ) married 22-year-old Shirley
Johnson (1923- ? ), the son of Willis and Polly Johnson, on May 31, 1945. Research by the late Glenn W. Barnett has been
helpful in researching this line of the family. -
Son John Edward Mayle (1891-1968) was a coal miner, following a long-term area of employment in the family at large. He married Flossie M. (?), and they resided in Webster, Taylor County. The Mayles had no children. John died at age 76 on April 6, 1968, and was laid to rest in the West Hill Cemetery. His funeral service was preached by Rev. Winfield Mayle and Rev. Murray Mayle. Flossie's fate is unknown, but will be reported here when learned.
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Son Henry C. Mayle (1897- ? ) was tall and of medium build, with brown eyes and brown hair. He registered for the military draft during World War I, and gave his employment in 1918 as the Lee Sandridge Coal Company of Meriden.
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Son
Emard Mayle (1905-1923) was a coal miner. Sadly, he passed away of
tuberculosis at the age 18 on
Jan. 27, 1923. Emard's grave (seen at right) was marked with an upright,
hand-lettered stone (as photographed in 2007). His brother Enoch, who would
follow him to the grave six years later, would be buried next to him, with a
similarly shaped and hand-lettered stone marking the final resting place. -
Daughter Icie Clara Mayle (1912-1955) married Isaac Norris (1893 - ? ) on June 6, 1932. He was age 39 at the time, and she was age 21. Isaac was the son of Chug and Polly Norris of Meriden. The Norrises resided in Philippi. They apparently had no children. Icie suffered from Hodgkins Disease, and died at the age of 43 at the Union Protestant Hospital in Clarksburg, Harrison County, on Oct. 21, 1955. Her remains were returned to Philippi for burial in the Norris Cemetery, with the funeral service conducted by Rev. M. Harris at the Chestnut Ridge Methodist Church. Icie's obituary was published in the Philippi Republican newspaper.
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Son Rev. Okey Mayle, Sr. (1903-1994) was a well known preacher who "was an early leader in the drive to recognize the native heritage on Chestnut Ridge," said a feature article, "We, the People of Chestnut Ridge," published in the Fall 1999 edition of Goldenseal magazine. On Feb. 5, 1933, Okey married Rosalee Margaret Adams (1915- ? ), the daughter of E.E. and Lora Adams. Okey was age 30, and Rosalee 18, at the time of their wedding. They had seven children -- Rev. Menelus Mayle, Elzie Auentin Mayle, Tressie Walton, Olivia Spiva, Barbara Newman, Geraldine Mayle and Okey Mayle Jr. Circa 1968, they resided in Detroit, MI, but later returned to their home region. According to a local newspaper, Okey "was a retired carpenter and painter
and was, at the
time of his death, minister of St. Peter's A.M.E. Church at Chestnut Ridge. He
was a member of the Barbour County Senior Citizens and the Allegheny Nation,
Native American Association." He died at the age of 91 on April 1,
1994, and was laid to rest in the Chestnut Ridge Cemetery near his ancestors.
His son Menelus took over as pastor of his father's church, "known
today as Okey's Gospel Church," said the Goldenseal article. "Okey
was a wise and gentle man, and a true community leader." He also was
profiled in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in "Ridge Folks: Heirs to Uncertain
Identity" authored by Barry Paris, and published on Dec. 31, 1984.
Okey Sr. is pictured extensively in the book, Our Kind of People: Identity,
Community and Religion on Chestnut Ridge, authored by Thomas McElwain
and published in 1981.
Son Elwood Minerd (1871- ? ) is shown as a nine-year-old boy in the 1880 census, living with his father and step mother in Taylor County. After that, his story fades from view.
Daughter Ida B. Minerd (1875- ? ) is shown as a five-year-old girl on the 1880 census. Her fate is unknown.
Fates of the Children of Henry's Second Marriage
Son Delbert Minard (1878-1969) never
married. He was stout, with black hair and blue eyes. A longtime farmer in the
Meriden and Chestnut Ridge section of Philippi, Delbert faced a lifetime of the
hardship of prejudice due to his mixed race heritage. When at age 40 he signed
his World War I registration card, he was marked as a "Negro" and the
registration officer wrote: "Claims to be white but generally called
colored." Delbert passed away at his home on April 17, 1969, at the age
of 91, and was laid to eternal rest in the Welch
Cemetery near Philippi. Funeral services were led by Rev. Isaac Kennedy, and
his obituary was published in the Barbour Democrat newspaper. Delbert's grave marker is seen
at left, marked with flowers.
Daughter Isaphine "Icie" Minard (1880-1962) married her first cousin Josiah Kennedy Jr. (1878-1934) on March 28, 1903 in Barbour County. On their marriage license, both are listed as "color’d." They had no children. When the federal census was taken in 1910, the Kennedys resided in Barbour County, where Josiah labored in a local coal mine. Living in their home that year were nephew Howard L. Kennedy, brother Benjamin Harrison Kennedy and boarder John Thompson. In 1917, they resided in a rural section of Grafton, where they were farmers. That year, at the age of 42, Josiah registered for the military draft. On the card, he marked his race as "white" but the draft board officer wrote, "Considered colored by people - as he attended colored school." He was unable to write his own name, and signed documents with an "X." When the census was made in 1920, Josiah's 68-year-old widowed father made his home under their roof. The Kennedys are believed to have purchased a tract of land from Josiah's widowed father circa 1923. In 1930, the census shows the Kennedys in Knottsville, with Icy's unmarried brother Delbert Minard, a farmer, residing in their household. Circa 1934, the Kennedys made their home near Stone House, near Grafton. Josiah died at age 55 on July 8, 1934, caused by nephritis and bronchial asthma, known as "dropsy" at that time. He was buried in the Pritchard Cemetery following a funeral at the Cecil Wesleyan Church led by Rev. Fred Decost. Josiah's grave is not marked. In his obituary, the Grafton Sentinel said that Josiah: "was born and raised in the community where he lived all of his life. Mr. Kennedy was a Christian man and led an exemplary life. He was a good neighbor and a considerate husband and father. He was a member for many years ... of the Cecil Wesleyan church, and was faithful in attendance when circumstances permitted." Icie outlived her husband by almost three decades. She passed away in 1962, with burial at Pritchard.
Pritchard Wesleyan Methodist Church and adjacent cemetery near Clemtown, WV
Daughter Osa Bell "Ocie" Minard (1882-1972) married William Boyer Kennedy (1878-1976) on July 28, 1903. He was age 24, and she 21. The informant for their marriage license was Melchur Male of Barbour County. Rev. Israel Moats, who performed many marriages in the family, conducted the ceremony at the groom's residence. It is not known if William was closely connected with Osa's aunt, Ruth Ann (Minard) Kennedy. The Kennedys lived at Moatsville, and had eight children -- Virginia "Jennie" Newman, Delbert Kennedy, Raymond Kennedy, Luther Kennedy, Gaston Kennedy, Herbert Hoover Kennedy, Ralph Kennedy and Isaac Kennedy. When the 1910 census was taken, Boyer and Osie lived near Philippi, where he worked as a general farmer. The 1920 census shows the family, now with four children, near Meriden in Philippi. In the 1930 census, Boyer is shown as a farmer, with seven young sons in the home. Ocie died in 1972, at the age of 90. William outlived her by four years. He passed away in 1976, at age 98, with burial at Welch Cemetery.
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Daughter
Virginia "Jennie" Kennedy (1912-1991) married George Allen Newman
( ? -1979). They resided at Enon Valley, Beaver County, PA, and had eight
children -- Harvey Newman, Frank Newman, Robert Newman, Justine Croston,
Peggy Jo Dalton, Patricia Croston, Buster Newman and Cecil Newman. George
passed away on July 5, 1979. Jennie outlived him by 12 years, and died at
the age of 78 on Sept. 26, 1991, at the Medical Center of Beaver. At the
time of her death, she and George had 16 grandchildren and 18
great-grandchildren. -
Son Herbert Hoover Kennedy (1928-1999) married Shelda Jane Kennedy ( ? - ? ). They resided on Frost Run Road near Philippi. He "was retired from the Maintenance Department of Alderson-Broaddus College and was a former employee of the National Iron & Metal in Canton," said a local newspaper. "He conscientiously attended a number of area churches but considered his home church to the the Pentecostal Church of Ford Run. He was known by his many friends for his open and friendly manner." The Kennedys had one foster daughter, Shannon Bryant. Herbert died at the age of 71 on Dec. 14, 1999, with burial at the Welch Cemetery following a funeral service conducted by Rev. Winfield Mayle.
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Son
Raymond Kennedy (1913-1950) married
31-year-old Ollie Croston on June 10, 1933. Ollie had been married once before,
and was the daughter of Hans Croston. Ray was a
coal miner in Moatsville, near Philippi. Raymond died of unknown, mysterious
causes at the age of 36 on May 2, 1950, and was buried near his parents in the Welch
Cemetery. Luther Kennedy was the informant on
Raymond's death certificate. -
Son Luther Kennedy (1916- ? ) fades from view after 1920.
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Son Delbert Kennedy (1920- ? ) is lost to history.
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Son Isaac Kennedy (1919- ? ) is not known.
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Son Gaston Kennedy (1923- ? ) has been obscured by the mists of time.
Daughter Jennie Minard (1885- ? ) married James Collins (1880- ? ), a native of Barbour County. She was age 16, and he 22, at the time. The ceremony was performed by Rev. A. Law Ireland at the Methodist Episcopal Church parsonage in Philippi on Dec. 15, 1902. By 1910, when the federal census was taken, she was marked as "married" but living without James next to her parents. She worked that year as a wash woman, and her cousin Jake Miner, son of John Minerd, boarded in her home. She is thought to have married again on April 4, 1915, to Henry Hill (1897- ? ), a native of Harrison County, WV.
We are grateful to Bernard V. Mayhle of Spokane, WA, who has published his research of the Male-Mayle-Mayhle family and also has personally shared his information for our archives, as a foundation for the extensive research effort that has followed.
Click here to view a chart listing the several score of known marriages between the Minerd-Minard-Miner and Mayle-Male families before World War II.
Be sure to visit Henry's page on the TribalPages.com website compiled by Barb Nelson with significant excerpts from our research and website.
Copyright © 2004-2008 Mark A. Miner