Rebecca
'Jennie' (Minerd)
Conley-Woodmency
(1852-1937)
Rebecca
Jane 'Jennie' (Minerd) Conley-Woodmency was born on March 22,
1852 at
Hexebarger, near Kingwood, Somerset County, PA, the daughter of
Charles and Adaline (Harbaugh) Minerd. She was married twice, and was one of
our first known cousins
to reside in Chicago. The man seen here was her 2nd husband.
Jennie had dark hair and grey eyes. At about age 14, she and her
parents moved to a farm at nearby Nicolay, near Mill Run, Fayette County,
PA.
On Oct. 25, 1874, when she was 22, Jennie married John Conley, a cooper (barrel-maker). They had no children.
The Conleys lived at Springdale, near Pittsburgh, PA, and later moved to Chicago, Cook County, IL, when he was transferred.
The
photo seen here, of a couple standing on porch steps, is thought to show
John and Jennie. It's not known if this photo was taken in Pittsburgh or
Chicago. The date of this photo also is unknown.
Sadly, John passed away at a relatively young age. Unfortunately, nothing is known about the date or cause, nor where he is buried.
Later, at a date not yet learned, Jennie married John Woodmency (1859-1929), the son of David and Casinda (Morrison) Woodmancy, and apparently an old friend of hers' from Fayette County. They eventually moved to Iowa, settling in Grundy Center, Grundy County.
In
1923, either Jennie or John is believed to have taken the farming photo seen
here. In the caption on the back are these words: "Archie & Paul
moving upland hay." The photo was developed and printed at a studio in
Hamburg, IA, and was found in the collection of Jennie's brother Lawson
Minerd. The identities of Archie and Paul are unknown.
On Jan. 2, 1929, John died at age 70 at Grundy Center. The news was telegraphed immediately to Jennie's sister, Sadie Luckey, in Dawson, Fayette County, PA. The telegram did not give particulars, though it was known that he had been in poor health. The Connellsville Daily Courier eulogized that "He was born and reared at Sugar Loaf, near Ohiopyle.... At the age of 21, he went West and located in Iowa where he was engaged in buying and selling stock."
Jennie
and John had one foster
child, Margaret Butelle.
Jennie occasionally returned home for visits. The photo seen at left was taken circa 1895 in the Minerd home at Nicolay, just a few years before her parents died. She also is seen in family reunion photos in the late 1920s taken at Confluence, Somerset County, PA.
On Aug. 16, 1937, Jennie died and was buried at Grundy Center.
Copyright © 2000, 2002-2003 Mark A. Miner