William
Minerd
(1819- ? )
William Minerd was born in 1819 in either Dunbar or Hopwood, Fayette County, PA, the son of Henry and Hester (Sisler) Minerd.
Little is known about William's life. He married Elizabeth Rankin (1826- ? ), whose father (but not mother) was born outside of the United States.
The Minerds initially lived on a farm at Farmington, Fayette County.
Their children were James Valentine Minerd, Caroline Halfpenny, Maria Minerd, Hester Wortman, Harriet Louise Lowe, Mary "Belle" Dean and Emma J. Geiger. Daughters Belle and Emma were twins.
It's thought William and his brother John were close. William hosted John's wedding to Elizabeth Livingston in his home in Connellsville, Fayette County in December 1852.
In 1860, William and Elizabeth are listed in the census of Dunbar Twp., Fayette County, a community between Connellsville and Uniontown.
Evidence hints that William may have passed away during the decade between 1860 and 1870, but this is conjecture based on census records, and not proven as fact.
Uniontown as seen from the east in the early 1840s
By 1870, when the census was again taken, Elizabeth was listed as the head of the household. The residence was Dunbar Twp., with the post office of Connellsville. The census does not list William, or say whether he was dead, or living outside of the home. Also in the household that year were 24-year-old son James, who was working as a coal miner; 14-year-old daughter Hester; 10-year-old daughter Harriet; six-year-old daughter Mary B., and six-year-old daughter Emma. Boarding in the home was 23-year-old Calvin Martin, who worked at the Dunbar Furnace.
The Minerds' fates otherwise are lost to history.
Copyright © 2000, 2002, 2005-2006 Mark A. Miner.
Sketch of Uniontown published in 1843 in Historical
Collections of the State
of Pennsylvania by Sherman Day.