Bio-Minerd, JosephineHall

Josephine (Minerd) Hall was born on Nov. 9, 1854 at Hexebarger, near Kingwood, Somerset County, PA, the daughter of Charles and Adaline (Harbaugh) Minerd. She had dark hair and brown eyes.

At about age 13, Josie and her parents moved to a farm at nearby Nicolay, near Mill Run, Fayette County, PA.

When she was age 16, Josie was a servant in the household of Andrew "Jackson" and Mary Luckey of Dunbar Twp., Fayette County. The Luckeys' son Joseph later became Josie's brother in law.

On Christmas Day 1881, Josie married widower Winfield S. Hall (1848-1927), the son of Joseph and Elizabeth (?) Hall. Winfield's first wife Mary had died earlier that year.

Josie thus became a stepmother to Winfield's three young children from his previous marriage: Alice Collins, Lawrence A. Hall and Mary Jane Kemp.

The Halls lived on a farm they owned at Nicolay, in the Maple Summit region of Fayette County. In 1900, teenage nephew Ernest E. Minerd resided in their home and worked on their farm. As a young man in his early 20s, Winfield had been a laborer on the railroad, likely at nearby Ohiopyle, Fayette County. Later in life, he primarily made his living as a farmer.

On June 20, 1901, at age 46, Josie died at home of consumption, an outdated term for tuberculosis. She is buried in an unmarked grave at the Maple Summit Church of God, near the final resting place of her parents. The Connellsville Courier reported that the funeral was conducted by Rev. H.J. Means and Rev. J.C. Cunningham.

Winfield outlived Josie by more than a half-century, and resided near Mill Run. By 1910, when the federal census was taken, he was co-habitating with 50-year-old Sally Nickelson and her 20-year-old son Lloyd Nickelson.

The Angel of Death visited the family again in 1908, when Winfield's daughter Alice Collins died of tuberculosis. At age 30, she left behind four young children. Winfield was mentioned in the obituary published in the Uniontown Daily News Standard.

In 1921, Winfield sued Wilbur S. and Mary E. Buzard in a dispute over land. The judge ruled against the Buzards, and they signed an agreement to pay Winfield $100 over the span of a year.

Winfield passed away in 1927 and is buried with his first wife Mary at the Kingwood IOOF Cemetery.

Stepson Lawrence A. Hall (1873-1955) married Mary Cramer (1874-1967) in about 1896. He was president of the school board of directors for the Mt. Union Public School in Upper Turkeyfoot Township circa 1914-1915. (Today, he is honored for this service in a display at the historic Mt. Union Church near Casselman.) The Connellsville Daily Courier reported that he was a longtime farmer and a member of the Christian Church of Somerset in addition to a local grange. In August 1924, the Halls attended the Minerd-Miner reunion at Lincoln's grove, near the Western Maryland Railroad Station in Confluence. Their names were mentioned in an article about the reunion in the Meyersdale Republican newspaper. Lawrence also helped organize the Minerd-Miner Reunion of 1928 at Confluence, Somerset County, an event that a newspaper said "was well attended and all report a very enjoyable time." The photo seen at right shows the park in Confluence where the reunion was held. They had three children -- Forrest L. Hall, Rosalyn W. Hall and Miriam K. Kincaid. Lawrence passed away at the age of 83 on March 31, 1955. Mary outlived him by 12 years, and died in 1967. They are buried beside Lawrence's parents in Kingwood.

Stepdaughter Mary Jane ( ? - ? ) married Ross Kemp ( ? - ? ). They resided at Bidwell, Fayette County. The Kemps had eight children -- Lawrence W. Kemp, Ira Kemp, Clyde Kemp, Arthur Kemp, Lehman Kemp, Helen Bower, Ann McClintock and Gertrude Shipley. Mary Jane suffered from tuberculosis, and died at home in Bidwell. Ross later moved to Confluence, and married his second wife, Bertha Burnsworth. Son Lawrence (1901-1966) was a veteran of World War II and married Eunice (Smith) Stewart. Son Ira Kemp (1899-1981) was a foreman for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and married Arvada Flickinger.

The Collinses' obituaries, 36 years apart

Stepdaughter Alice (1879-1908) married Amos H. Collins (1873-1944). They resided in the Ohiopyle area. Sadly, Alice died at the age of 30 of tuberculosis (then known as "consumption") on May 31, 1908. She left behind four children, but the precise identities have not yet been determined. The newspaper obituary said she was "a sister-in-law of Frank M. Hagans of Uniontown." Amos outlived her by 36 years, and apparently remarried. All told, he had five children -- Stanton M. Collins, Melvin Collins, Ruth Getchell, Lee S. Collins and Harry G. Collins. Circa 1906, Amos served on the town council of Ohiopyle. He moved to Uniontown, Fayette County, in about 1914. He obtained employment with W.J. Rainey, Inc., a leading coke producer of the era, and remained there for a quarter of a century. Amos was a member of the Masons, Knights Templar, Odd Fellows. He and his second wife lived at 35 Derrick Avenue in Uniontown. Amos died at home at the age of 71 on Dec. 2, 1944. The funeral was conducted at the Methodist Church in Ohiopyle, by Rev. J.W. Shell. He and his first wife, Alice, rest for eternity at Sugar Grove Cemetery near Ohiopyle.

Step-grandson Forrest L. Hall (1897-1997) was a well known school teacher and country store owner in Kingwood. He married Olive F. Dumbauld (1900-1991), the daughter of George and Ellen (Faidley) Dumbauld. They had one son, Paul B. Hall. Olive was a "lifelong member of the Kingwood Church of God, where she taught Bible School," said the Somerset Daily American. "Her favorite love was being a wife, homemaker and mother. She also taught one year in the public school system. She worked many years in the family country store in Kingwood." Olive passed away on June 21, 1991, at the age of 90. Forrest died in 1997 at the age of 100.

Forrest Hall greets neighbor Minnie (Miner) Gary, introducing her to long-lost Miner cousins in August 1978, one of whom is the founder of this website

One hot summer afternoon in 1978, Forrest was relaxing at home when a family of Miner knocked at his door, asking for information about family history. He unselfishly took them to see several old nearby cemeteries -- the old Christian Church of Turkeyfoot burying ground; and the Younkin Cemetery at Paddytown, where members of the Minerd-Miner family are buried. He also took the Miners to meet a neighbor, Minnie (Miner) Gary, who invited the group into her home to talk for a spell. This remarkable show of interest and hospitality was a strong influence on one of the visitors, 17-year-old Mark Miner, who later founded this website. In 1992, Forrest graciously allowed Mark to visit again, and to spend several hours tape-recording his conversation of memories.

Circa 1920, step-granddaughter Rosalyn W. Hall, age 20, was a teacher in the public schools of Upper Turkeyfoot Twp., Somerset County.

Note -- Winfield Hall's half-nephew, Lloyd Jackson Hall, married Ollie Harbaugh and was a leader of the Harbaugh Reunions for many years.