Jonathan
Smalley Minerd
(1849-1852)
Jonathan Smalley Minerd was born
on March 31, 1849 in
Farmington, Fayette County, PA, the son of Samuel
and Rebecca (Smalley) Minerd.
Jonathan died in the Farmington area on April 2, 1852, at the tender age of 3 years, 2 days. He was buried in a small cemetery in Farmington, and in a sense was "left behind" when his parents migrated to Kansas some 34 years later, in 1886.
While Jonathan died very young, he has made his own special mark on our family's heritage. His well-preserved monument at Maust Cemetery near Farmington, seen here, is the oldest known Minerd-Miner-Minor family grave marker in Western Pennsylvania. The previously oldest grave was that of his grandfather, Henry Minerd, dated 1856, at the Hopwood Cemetery just outside of nearby Uniontown.
Jonathan's
grave was "re-discovered" in
the summer of 2000, in a most remarkable way. One of our cousins living in Farmington was browsing the Minerd.Com
website, and she recalled seeing the family name on an old grave marker in a cemetery on a friend's property.
Further investigation confirmed the boy's identity. Seen at right, in the center background, the grave sits among several markers of the "Maust" family.
The marker is off its base, so the precise location of the grave is lost. A small footstone initialed "J.S.M." rests nearby.
Ironically, Jonathan rests for eternity amid a shady grove of tall pines, seen below, near a child's modern sliding board and play area. He sleeps on private property off Route 381 South, a short distance away from the Wharton Township Park.
In 2002, Jonathan's great-great grand-niece, Kansas native Melinda (Swope) Brooksher, attended our 2002 national Minerd-Miner-Minor Reunion. In doing so, she was the first member of her branch in 116 years to return to Uniontown and Fayette County. On this historic visit, she also placed a flower on Jonathan's grave. She also brought a small vial of earth from his grave back home to Kansas and lovingly spread it on the grave of his mother, who had outlived him by some 56 years.
Copyright © 2000-2001, 2003 Mark A. Miner