Sylvester
Lynn Minerd
(1897-1943)
Sylvester Lynn Minerd was born in 1897 in Pittsburg, Crawford County, KS, the son of Azaniah "Melvin" and Harriet (Baldwin) Minerd. He was the second in a long line of law enforcement officers in his branch of the family.
During World War I, he served as a sergeant in a Pittsburg company of the Kansas State Guard.
Sylvester married Calla Claire Carter (1897-1921), a native of Pittsburg, on Feb. 20, 1919. The ceremony was performed by William G. Clinton, a clergyman in Carthage, Jasper County, MO.
The Minerds had two children -- Harriet Ellen Koneke and Donald Ethen Minerd.
Tragedy struck when Calla died in 1921, of the effects of childbirth. Young son Donald was taken by raise by an aunt, Margaret Hester (Minerd) Jackson.
Sylvester went to Bloomington, IN, where he served as a police officer. He died in 1943 and is buried in Bloomington.
Son Donald, a Pittsburg city policeman and a Kansas State Trooper, penned wonderful memoirs of the family -- Minerd Family and I Mind the Time. During World War II, Donald served as a sergeant in the 40th Engineer Combat Regiment, and received a commendation for helping to rescue airmen from a burning, crashed bomber:
…When an American B-25 type aircraft crashed and burst into flames … near Sterraclavle, Sicily, Donald E. Minerd … with an officer and two other enlisted men rushed to the aid of the plane's crew. At the risk of his life from exploding ammunition and burning gasoline, he assisted in carrying three members of the crew to safety. His heroic action reflects the highest credit upon himself and the military service.
A story in the Dec. 18, 1997 issue of the Ark Valley News, features great-grandson Tracey Repp, a former detective with the Wichita Police Department, who was a fifth-generation law enforcement officer and later became the 1st in his family to become a special FBI agent:
…Repp comes from a long line of law enforcement officers. His uncle, Mike Minerd, was a member of the Wichita Police Department, and Repp's grandfather, Don Minerd, was a member of the Kansas Highway Patrol for 23 years. Repp's great-grandfather, Sylvester Minerd, was a police officer in Bloomington, Ind., and Repp's great-great-great grandfather, Melvin Minerd, was a police officer in Pittsburg, Kan.
Copyright © 2000, 2008 Mark A. Miner