BraddocksGraveFortNecessity

The French & Indian War began in 1754 at Jumonville near Uniontown, Fayette County, PA, the region of Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania that later became the epicenter of our Minerd- Minard- Miner- Minor family.

While our pioneer ancestors had not yet arrived in the area by that time, some of our cousins have played key roles in the preservation of important French & Indian War sites that today are part of the Fort Necessity National Battlefield.

One of the key landmarks of the war is the "Braddock's Grave" monument marking the resting place of the ill-fated British Army officer, Maj. Gen. Edward Braddock. He was mortally wounded in battle in 1755 at what is now Braddock, near Pittsburgh, while leading an expedition toward Fort Duquesne. Young Lt. Col. George Washington served in Braddock's command, and presided over the burial.

Cousin William Alexander Gaither (husband of Hannah Maria Minerd) was hired by the property owners to serve as caretaker of the grave site in the 1870s, a role which he continued for many years.

As well, cousin William Arthur Stone served on the executive committee in Uniontown to raise funds to erect the monument in 1913, and his name is on a prominent plaque today on one of the sides of the obelisk.

This page contains some rare old images of the war areas from our archives. Rights to reproduce these images for follow-on publication can be obtained by contacting the webmaster. Click to learn more about our family's connections with these historic sites.

Above: Washington and his companion Christopher Gist cross the icy Allegheny River near present-day Pittsburgh, nearly drowning just a few days after Christmas 1753, on their return from a failed diplomatic mission to Fort LeBoeuf. Originally published in History of the United States, by Harry Bartlett (1854).

Above left: British assassination of French forces in 1754, under the command of 22-year-old Maj. Gen. George Washington, killing Ensign Jumonville, known as the original "shot heard 'round the world." Above right: Washington in battle at Braddock, near modern day Pittsburgh, when his army was routed, and his commanding officer, Gen. Edward Braddock, was mortally wounded. Both illustrations from the 1860 book, The Illustrated Life of Washington, by the Hon. J.T. Headley.

Above: "Braddock's March," drawn by A.B. Frost and engraved by H.B. Hall, Jr., as published in William Cullen Bryant's United States History, 1881.

Above: "The Fall of Braddock," painted by C. Schuessele, engraved by J.B. Allen, and published circa 1859 by Virtue, Emmins & Co., New York for inclusion in the book, Battles of America By Sea and Land, authored by Robert Tomes.

Above: "Defeat of Braddock," as published in Ballou's Pictorial on July 7, 1855, on the 100th anniversary of the battle.

Above: "Defeat of General Braddock in the Indian Ambush," painted by "C.B.," as published in Cassell's History of England, Vol. IV, 1888.

Above: The dying Braddock retreats to the mountains above Uniontown in 1755, where he dies July 13, and is buried. Steel engraved print published by Johnson & Miles, New York, based on the original painting by Alonzo Chappel, and reproduced in the book, Our Country. A Household History for All Readers, by Benson J. Lossing, LL.D. (New York: Henry J. Johnson, 1879).

Above: "Burial of General Braddock," painted by J. Mc. Nevin, engraved by J. Rogers, and published by Virtue, Emmins & Co., New York (ca. 1858), in the book, Washington and the American Republic, by Benson Lossing.

Above: "Burial of Braddock" sketch from the book, Lossing's Primary History of the United States (New York: Sheldon & Company).

Above: "The Burial of Braddock" painted by Howard Pyle, as published in Harper's New Weekly Magazine, 1896, and depicting George Washington, "Gage" and "Gates"

Above: Dunbar's Knob at Jumonville, PA, near where Maj. Gen. George Washington ambushed French forces in 1754, thus setting off the French and Indian War. (No. 41, Braddock Road Series by John Kennedy Lacock, Amity, PA. Published by E.K. Weller, Washington, PA.)

Above: Grave of French Ensign Coulon de Villiers, sieur de Jumonville, whose ambush-death by Washington's troops in 1754 incited the war. (Postmarked 1906, #A 51859, The Rotograph Co., New York City).

Above, left: Plaque marks the grave of French Ensign Coulon de Villiers, sieur de Jumonville. Right: Washington's Spring water collection basin, site of an encampment by Washington's troops.

Above: The original road east of Braddock's grave, where Braddock marched men and guns in an ill-fated attempt to capture Fort Duquesne, and where Braddock ultimately was buried after his mortal wound in battle. (No. 36, Braddock Road Series.)

Above left: Once discovered, Braddock's grave was marked by a board nailed to a tree, from Harper's New Monthly Magazine, 1857. Above right: contemporary sketch of the gravesite beside the National Road, from the Historical Collections of the State of Pennsylvania, by Sherman Day, 1843.

Above: Braddock's grave one mile east of Chalk Hill beside the National Pike. (No. 34, Braddock Road Series.)

Above left: Braddock's Grave prior to erection of the granite monument. (Kwin & Co., Chicago, Publisher.) Center: New granite monument in blue and black tinting, published as part of the Old Trails Series by Thos. J. Jacobs Jr. Right: Newly installed monument. (I. Robbins & Son, Pittsburgh, Publisher.)

Above left: Braddock's grave monument with steps from the National Pike. (I. Robbins & Son, Pittsburgh, Publisher.) Above right: photograph of the obelisk.

Above: popular postcard views of the gravesite.

Above: Braddock's Road plaque, erected 1931 by the Sons of the American Revolution, Fort Necessity Chapter.

Above: Site of Fort Necessity at Great Meadows, before the fort was rebuilt.

Above left: an early square reconstruction Fort Necessity, site of Washington's first real battle and surrender in 1754. Above right: Log cabin, used as a first aid station during the battle, sited in the middle of the fort. (Minsky Bros. & Co., Pittsburgh, Publisher.)

Above: Two views of what was the Fort Necessity Museum, in a house built in about 1816 for use as a stage coach tavern. For three decades, George Washington owned this property, called "Great Meadows," from 1769 to 1799. (Both views published by Minsky Bros. & Co., Pittsburgh.)