Samuel
Minerd II
(1897-1959)
Samuel Minerd II was born on May 8, 1897 in Pittsburg, Crawford County, KS, the son of Levi "Springer" and Mary Marie (Wolfe) Minerd.
Samuel was raised in and around Pittsburg. As a young adult, he moved with his parents to Croweburg, KS, where his father worked in the coal mining industry.
During World War I, at age 21 in 1917, Samuel registered for the military draft. At that time, he was employed by the Sheridan Coal Company of North Croweburg. The registar listed Samuel's eye color as brown and his hair color as brown.
Samuel married Della Holcomb (1906-1985). They had one daughter, Mary Highsmith.
Sam
and his brother Frank inherited a
large farm from their parents at Crowberg, a tiny coal mining community near
Pittsburg. Sam and Della lived on this farm, which consisted of several tracts
in Section 33, Township 28, Range 25. Their house was within a half-mile of a
coal mine of the Crowe Coal Company. An aerial photo of the land, taken in 1984,
is seen here. Crowberg is at the lower right hand corner, and the Crowe
mine is out of view at the upper right hand corner.
During World War I, Samuel lived in Croweburg, Crawford County, and registered for the military draft. On his registration card, he marked the color of his eyes and hair as brown, and his employer as Sheridan Coal Company of Croweburg. He also named his father's birthplace as "Uniontown, Pennsylvania."
Samuel passed away at the age of 62 in April 1959. He is buried at Girard, Crawford County.
Della outlived him by more than half a century. In June 1964, she and the Highsmiths, and her brother in law Frank, sold the Crowberg farm to Joe and Elizabeth Burnick for a token dollar. At the time, all that was left on the land were fences and a cellar, but no buildings. The new owners then undertook a cleanup effort, removing foundations and trees.
Della passed away in March 1985.
Daughter Mary Minerd (1924-1993) married Ira Highsmith (1918-1972). They lived at Girard and had two sons -- Michael Highsmith and Randall Highsmith.
Copyright © 2000-2003, 2008 Mark A. Miner