William "Gaddis" Minerd
(1857-1870)
William
"Gaddis" Minerd
was born in Farmington, Fayette County, PA, the son of Samuel
and Rebecca (Smalley) Minerd.
Gaddis was named for William Gaddis, "a well known wagon maker of the town [who] carried on that business for many years," said the 1913 book, History of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, authored by James Hadden. The elder Gaddis may have been a good friend, or customer, of our Gaddis's parents.
Little is known of Gaddis's short life, leading up to his death as a young teenager. Sadly the July 7, 1870 Uniontown Genius of Liberty reported that:
Gaddis Minard, son of Samuel Minard, of Wharton township, died on Tuesday, …of inflammation of the bowels. He was about 13 years of age, and was a bright and interesting boy.
His death occurred on Nov.
28, 1870. Gaddis was buried at what
is now the Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church at Farmington, seen above.
Gaddis' grave marker no longer exists, but it is known to have been standing as recently as 1984. That year, cemetery burials were catalogued by local historian Sonia Cesarino, and his name appears on the list.
Copyright © 2000, 2007 Mark A. Miner