John
Minerd
(1852-1919)
John Minerd was born on May 16, 1852 in Scio, Harrison County, OH, the son of Daniel and Rebecca (Knouff) Minard.
John married Thursa "Thursy" McDivitt (1852- ? ), the daughter of Lyle and Susan (Rutler) McDivitt. They had at least one son, Harry Calvin Minard.
John suffered from manic depression, and
his family's lives were forever clouded by the impact of the illness.
In 1879, John purchased 20 acres from the farm of his father, in return for IOUs of cash, lumber and the construction of buildings on the property. However, he never was able to repay the loan.
The federal census of 1880 shows John, Thursa and son Harry residing near Scio, with John working as a farmer and Thursa "keeping house."
In October 1885, John was declared “an insane person” by the county court, and was sent to live in the Asylum for the Insane at Columbus, OH. John's brother Morrison was named legal guardian of John's son.
Two years later, in 1887, with the loan still outstanding, Thursy sued so she would not be saddled with the debt. In the ensuing litigation, the tract was sold to John's brother Ervin.
By 1906 John had declined so much that he was considered an “imbecile.”
John died of “pulmonary tuberculosis” in 1919 at the Massillon (OH) State Hospital, seen here. His remains were returned to Scio for burial at Grandview Cemetery.
Thursy is briefly mentioned in Beers' Commemorative Biographical Record of Harrison, Ohio. She left Scio, and moved to Pittsburgh, PA where she was residing in 1891. Her fate is unknown.
Son Harry Calvin Minard (1875-1953) never married. He inherited a substantial estate from his late uncle Amos in about 1915. Later, Harry purchased the old family farm, residing there circa 1934. He retired and moved into the nearby town of Cadiz, at 339 West Spring Street. Harry died at age 78, on Feb. 7, 1953, of a coronary occlusion and hardening of the arteries. He is buried in Grandview Cemetery in Scio.
Copyright © 2001, 2005 Mark A. Miner