CoalCokeSteelM

Coal, Coke and Steel
Honoring More than 400 Cousin Laborers Who
Shaped America's Coal, Coke and Steel Industries

Martin, Elmas (1880-1936) Husband of Lucy Bedillion. Worked at Molybdenum Corp. in Washington, PA, from 1927-1936.

Male, Burley (1903-1930) Son of Charles Luther and Emily Jane (Minerd) Male. Coal miner in and around Philippi, Barbour County, WV. Struck and killed by a train on Sept. 21, 1930.

Male, Elijah (1913-1949) Married Beatrice Miner. Circa 1949, was a coal miner in and around Philippi, Barbour County, WV.

Mayle, Emard (1905-1923) Son of William Stephen and Ruth Ann (Minard) Mayle. Coal miner in and around Philippi, Barbour County, WV, who died of tuberculosis at age 18 on Jan. 27, 1923.

Male, Hiram "Poke" or "H.P." (1847- ? ) Married Margaret Minerd. Coal miner of near Philippi, Barbour County, WV circa 1920.

Mayle, Jacob (1878-1961) Married Emma Rowe. Coal miner in and around Clarksburg, Harrison County, WV. A typical mine in Clarksburg is seen at right.

Mayle, John Edward (1865-1927) Married Martha E. Male. Coal miner in and around Philippi, Barbour County, WV circa 1920.

Male, Lewis (1847- ? ) Married Margaret Minerd. Coal miner of near Philippi, Barbour County, WV circa 1920.

Male, Scott (1892-1956) Married Bertha (?) Coal miner in and around Philippi, Barbour County, WV. Died of emphysema and bronchitis, perhaps brought on by his years of work.

Mayle, Warner (1874-1950) Son of Richard Z. and Mary (Minerd) Mayle. Teamster and coal miner in and around Long Run, Doddridge County, WV.

Mattax, Arthur R. (1912-1968) Son of George and Nancy (Birch) Mattax. Structural iron worker for Townsend and Bottun Co. of Stratton, OH in the 1960s.

Mattax, George Oliver (1909-1949) Son of George and Nancy (Birch) Mattax. Structural steel worker for Pennsylvania Engineering Company in the 1940s.

McCormick, George Walter (1877-1947) Husband of Anna Belle Miner. Yard boss for H.C. Frick Coke Co.'s Oliphant Mine circa 1910. A typical oven and laborer of that era are seen here -- note the intricate brick and stone work comprising the structure.

McGirk, Leonidas Soland (1876-1955) Husband of Emma Linda Brown. Miner in California, Alaska and Siberia, Russia. An undated manuscript by his daughter, Alba McGirk Peck, entitled "History of Lydia Miner," reports that:

For many years Lon McGirk was engaged in mining activities. The most recent, prior to his death, were in Death Valley, California. In other years he mined in Sonora and Baja, California, in the Mother Lode country of Calif., in Alaska and in Northern Siberia. In the later part of 1918 he set out on an expedition to Northern Siberia aboard Robert Louis Stevenson's ship The Casco. Shipwrecked on the coast of Siberia, his party lived with the Eskimos two weeks before being rescued by the U.S. Revenue Cutter Bear. Later Lon McGirk obtained another ship and returned to Siberia.

McKinney, Howard ( ? - ? ) Son of Alberta (Birch) McKinney. Electric furnace laborer at Jessop Steel Company, Washington, PA, for more than 35 years, starting circa 1955.

McKnight, Alford S. (1953-1909) Son of William and Mahala (Minerd) McKnight. Miner at Menallen Twp., Fayette County, PA, in 1900.

McKnight, Charles Howard (1890-1967) Son of Henry and Martha (Nutt) McKnight. The Report of the Department of Mines of Pennsylvania states that on Nov. 22, 1916, he was injured in an accident at the Mt. Hope Mine in Fayette County, PA: "Three ribs broken and injured internally. He was jerked off the front end of a trip and fell through a trestle."

McKnight, Charles H. (1885- ? ) – Son of Ostman and Sadie McKnight. Was a stable boy at Dawson, PA, in 1900.

McKnight, Clarence Jay (1896-1959) - son of Charles and Keziah (Stimmell) McKnight. Machinist at a coal mine near Dawson, PA in 1920.

McKnight, Daniel Leroy (1894-1966) Son of Charles and Keziah (Stimmel) McKnight. Coal miner at Tower Hill, PA.

McKnight, Earl Trout (1899-1971) Son of James O. and Minnie (Minerd) McKnight. Coal miner near Waynesburg, PA.

McKnight, Frank Trevor (1895-1970) Son of Henry and Martha (Nutt) McKnight. Retired coal miner.

McKnight, Henry “Foxy” (1829-1915) Husband of Barbara Minerd. Coal miner in the 1860s. Son in law, John H. Strauch, wrote: "I have worked with him in the mines from the winter of 1873 at intervals to the Spring of 1884..." Grandson in law William H. Cottom wrote that "since 1865 [he] worked at the Fayette Coke works off an on for over five years and I was clerk and time keeper..."

McKnight, Henry (1848-1926) Son of William and Mahala (Minerd) McKnight. Miner of Menallen Twp., Fayette County, PA, in 1870.

McKnight, James Henry (1884-1963) Son of Henry and Martha (Nutt) McKnight. Working with father-in-law Davis Victor in 1909, was injured at the Cyrilla No. 2 Mine in Fayette County, PA. The 1909 publication, Report of the Department of Mines of Pennsylvania, reports that their "Face and hands [were] burned by the ignition of coal dust from a blast of dynamite blowing through a rib between two entries."

McKnight, James Oliver (1863- ? ) Husband of Minnie Minerd. Coal miner near Uniontown, PA circa 1900.

McKnight, John W. (1862- ? ) Son of William and Mahala (Minerd) McKnight. In 1910, was a coal miner living in Menallen Twp., Fayette County, PA.

McKnight, Josiah (1860- ? ) Son of William and Mahala (Minerd) McKnight. In 1910, worked as a roadman in a coal mine in Mt. Pleasant Twp., Washington County, PA.

McKnight, Robert (1890- ? ) Son of James O. and Minnie (Minerd) McKnight. Coal mine laborer near Uniontown, PA circa 1910. Said to have been killed in gold mines out west.

McKnight, Thomas ( ? - ? ) Family of Charles and Keziah (Stimmell) McKnight. Labored at a coal mine of the H.C. Frick Coke Co. before World War II i Fayette County, PA.

McKnight, William (1822-1903) Husband of Mahala Ann Minerd. Coal miner near New Salem, PA, for 49 years, beginning at age 17. Earliest known coal miner in the clan, circa 1839.

Means, Joseph T. (1874-1950) Husband of Bertha A. Freed. Miner at Bullskin Twp., Fayette County, PA circa 1903.

Miller, Arthur Denver ( ? -2003) Son of Sidney and Vina (Darby) Miller. Worked at J&L Steel Corp.'s Shannopin Mine at Bobtown, PA in 1947-1948.

Miller, Charles L. (1906-1971) Husband of Margaret Welsh. Miner for White Bridge Coal Company near Connellsville, PA.

A miner breaks up big lumps of coal by hand -- from a publicity photograph issued by Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation

Miller, Sidney (1900-1998) Husband of Vina A. Darby. Coal miner in Fayette and Greene Co., PA, from the 1920s to 1962. Retired from Shannopin Mine of Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation in Bobtown, PA. UMWA, Local 6159.

Mills, Arthur (1892-1913) Son of Joseph H. and Flora (Minerd) Mills Sr. Worked at Atlas Coal's Helen Works for six years.

Mills, James R. "Bob" (1923-1999) Son of Joseph H. and Marie (Gray) Mills Jr. Retired in 1981 from Pittsburgh Steel.

Mills, Joseph H. Jr. (1896-1938) Son of Joseph H. and Flora (Minerd) Mills Sr. Coal miner at Republic, PA.

Millward, Harry Oscar (1882-1951) Husband of Pearl A. Minerd. Member, Coal Mining Institute of America. In 1908, was a "fire boss" at a coal mine and resided at Brier Hill, Fayette County. He went on to become superintendent of the Filbert Mine of the H.C. Frick Coke Co. Also resided in the patch town of Leckrone, Fayette County. Later, he became the company's chief mine inspector, serving in this position for 29 years. He was a member of a number of lodges as well as the Coal Mining Institute of America. He retired at age 59, in about 1945.

Millward, David B. ( ? -1982) Son of Harry Oscar and Pearl A. (Minerd) Millward. State mine inspector at Phillipsburg, PA, circa 1951. His obituary in the Uniontown Herald-Standard said that he was:

...a life member of the Coal Mining Inspectors Institute of America, he was also a member of the National Mine Rescue Association, a past president of the Moshannon Coal Mining Institute, of the Mine North Central Safety Association and of the Mine Inspectors Advisory Association.

Minerd, Albert (1884-1946) Son of James and Emma (Meyers) Minerd Jr. Mine laborer at Unity Twp., Westmoreland Co., PA in 1900 and at Vanderbilt, PA in 1910.

Miner, Albert T. "Speed" (1919-1996) Son of Albert Clyde and Myrtle (Martin) Miner. Worked at U.S. Steel's Duquesne Works and Clairton Works for 30 years.

Minerd, Alfred Mason, Sr. (1886-1976?) Son of Charles A. and Sarah (Kincell) Minerd. Coal miner near Connellsville, PA circa 1910.

Minerd, Andrew (1824-1905) Son of Henry and Hester (Sisler) Minerd. After the Civil War ended, moved his family to Broadford, Fayette County, home of newly built coke ovens of coal and coke magnate Henry Clay Frick. Labored at the Broadford ovens as a blacksmith. Later, he operated his own blacksmith shop at Dunbar, Fayette County, sharing the work with son Huston D. Minerd.

Minerd, Andrew (1857-1919) Son of John V.S. and Elizabeth (Livingston) Minerd. Coal miner at Dunbar, McKeesport, Uniontown and Allison, PA. The Aug. 16, 1919 Uniontown Daily News Standard reports that:

Andrew Minard, aged 51, a veteran miner of the coke region was crushed between a rib and the side of his car in the Allison mines yesterday afternoon while en route to the pit at the close of his working day. Minard was instantly killed. The car jumped the track, it is said.

Minerd, Arthur Ralph "Buck" Sr. (1896-1952) From 1916 to 1919, lived at a number of coal mining towns in and around Uniontown, Fayette County, PA, an indication of how scarce jobs were at that time. His residences included Searights, Hopwood, Mount Sterling, Plummer, Vances Mill, High House, Revere, Puritan, Masontown and Martin, all in Fayette County. In an August 1912 letter, sister Bertha Pringle wrote: "Papa and Arthur is a still a diggin coal."

Minerd, Bartholomew A. "Beth" (1881-1962) Son of James Valentine and Nancy (Warman) Minerd. Cutter at coal mines at Dunbar, Fayette Co., and in Hempfield Twp., Westmoreland Co., PA, circa 1906-10, prior to becoming justice of the peace of Little Brownfield, PA.

Miner, Bruce, Jr. (1926-1976) Son of Bruce and Anna (Christian) Miner. Worked in Maintenance Dept. of J&L Steel Corp.'s Pittsburgh Plant circa 1976.

Miner, Charles A. (1881-1957) Son of Martin and Amanda (Williams) Miner. Coal miner near Normalville, PA circa 1920.

Minerd Coal Company of Connellsville

Our clan produced at least one coal company bearing the name of our family. The Connellsville telephone book of 1927 shows that the Minerd Coal Co. existed at that time, and that it was located at 928 Morrell Avenue, with its phone number being 1563-R. At this time we do not know who owned this company, nor its fate.

Minerd, Charles A. (1857-1938) Son of Isaac and Catherine (Smiley) Minerd. Miner at Connellsville, PA in 1910. In 1913, after 35 years of experience mining near Herd's Hill, he and Wash Herd became partners in Herd & Minerd, to open a coal mine at a 325-acre site known as the Guiler lease, near Wheeler, PA. They soon disagreed over wages and management issues, and later that year sued to dissolve the partnership and sell the assets. L.S. Mellinger was named receiver of the property. Circa 1924-1926, may have been an owner or investor in the firm of "Minerd & Talbott Coal Co." which operated the Horner Mine in Lewis County, WV. The mine produced 1,320 tons of coal in the first year, 5,736 tons in year two and 1,479 in the third year before ceasing operations.

Minerd, Charles B. (1861-1952) Son of John V.S. and Elizabeth (Livingston) Minerd. Coal mine laborer for decades -- from the 1870s to the 1900s, including in Fairchance, Fayette County; Hawkeye, Westmoreland County (1887); Atlas Coke Works and Searights (1912). Eventually settled at Masontown, Fayette County. In an August 1912 letter, daughter Bertha Pringle wrote: "Papa and Arthur is a still a diggin coal."

Minor, Charles Dewey "Red" (1900-1968) Son of John Ross and Mary (Moody) Miner. Blast furnace laborer for 17 years at U.S. Steel's Edgar Thomson Works (1948-1965). USWA. Seen at left, laborers pour a mold at U.S. Steel's predecessor, Carnegie Steel Co.

Minard, Charles Henry (1879-1938) Son of William H. and Ollie (Stull) Minerd. Miner for the H.C. Frick Coke Co. near Coolspring, PA, circa 1921.

Minerd, Charles Irvin "Bud" (d. 1988) Son of Charles Thomas and Perie (Monteith) Minerd. Worked at a steel mill at Braddock, PA.

Minerd, Charles Marion (1862-1947) Son of Eli and Mary Ann (Baer) Minerd. Miner near Bridgeport, PA and laborer at coke ovens at Standard, PA.

Standard Works circa 1924, during Charles Marion Minerd's era

Minerd, Charles "Milton" (1867-1943?) Son of William and Sara Elizabeth (Whoolery) Minerd. Coal miner near Uniontown, PA circa 1900-1910.

Minerd, Charles Thomas (1889-1953) Son of Thomas and Catherine (Ramsey) Minerd. Laborer at Dilliner Mine near Uniontown, PA. UMWA Local 8649.

Minor, Clifford (1880-1967) Married Mary Fuhrer. Coal miner in and around Columbiana County, OH.

Miner, Clyde E. (1898-1976) Son of William Henry "Squire" and Sara Jane (Basinger) Miner. Miner at the Bridgeport Mine of H.C. Frick Coke Co.

Minerd, Clyde B. (1890-1971) Son of James L. and Catherine (Whalen) Minerd. Retired as mine foreman of Colonial #3 Mine of U.S. Steel Corp. Active in early union organizing efforts in Grindstone and Republic near Uniontown, PA.

Miner, Clyde W. (1901-1908). Son of George B. and Mary (McCluckie) Miner. Retired pipefitter with Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp., Monessen Plant. The plant is seen at right.

Minor, Daniel L. (1835-1909) Husband of Frances Vreeland. Civil War veteran. Coal miner at Shawnee, Perry County, OH from 1868 to retirement.

Minerd, David (1915- ? ) Son of James W. and Minerva (Bodkin) Minerd. Laborer at U.S. Steel's Leisenring #1 Mine circa 1937.

Minerd, Dean L., Sr. (1912-1973) Son of Wade L. and Sarah Elizabeth (Farr) Minerd. Coal miner at Clarksville, PA circa 1934.

Miner, Donald William - Son of Odger and Monalea (Ullom) Miner. Worked briefly at Jones & Laughlin's Aliquippa Works after returning from the military in the 1960s.

Minor, Edward (1885-1950) Son of John and Emma (Howell) Minor. Coal miner in or near Tuscarawas, Tuscarawas County, OH circa 1915.

Miner, Edward (1904-1961) Son of William Henry "Squire" and Sara Jane (Basinger) Miner. Coal miner employed by "Catty" Evans of Connellsville, PA.

Miner, Edward John (1910-1986) Son of Harry Orlan and Armena (Cain) Miner. Laborer at Jessop Steel in Washington, PA, from 1939 to 1976.

Minerd, Eli (1831-1911) Son of Jacob and Catherine (Younkin) Minerd Jr. Left the family farm at Kingwood, PA and moved to Bridgeport, near Mount Pleasant, PA where he mined coal and worked at the coke ovens from 1864 to retirement.

Miner, Elmer - Son of Victor Clyde and Delphia (Platter) Miner. Worked in coal mines prior to moving to Illinois.

Minor, Emory Franklin (1884- ? ) Son of Silas and Rachel (Pritchard) Miner. Coal miner in Connellsville, PA, in 1900.

Miner, Enoch Sr. (1848-1926) Son of Henry A. and Matilda (Rose) Miner. Miner and coke drawer for the H.C. Frick Coke Co. at Broadford, PA circa 1880-1900s. Also lived and/or worked at Swaugertown, Continental No. 1 and Dunlap in Fayette County. Seen at left are the buildings and coal tipple at Continental No. 1 near Uniontown, owned by the H.C. Frick Coke Co.

Miner, Eric Wayne - Son of Odger Wayne and Constance (Jagerski) Miner. Sales representative for Beaver Steel, and previously employed by Vincent Metal Goods, Integris Metals and Ryerson in Pittsburgh, PA (2000 to present).

Minerd, Ernest (1891-1910) Son of William H. and Missouri (Shelkey) Minerd. Laborer at Tower Hill No. 1 Mine, Tower Hill Connellsville Coke Co. The Aug. 1, 1910 Uniontown Daily News Standard reported that:

Ernest Minerd, aged 19, fell into the coal crushed at Tower Hill, No. 1, and was instantly killed, Saturday. The body was not found until a charge of coal fell taking the mangled form with it, into the lorry below. It is supposed the man fell into the crusher while oiling it. When Mike Blackshic went to discharge the contents of a waiting bin into his lorry the lever worked harder than usual, and after several attempts to release the contents of the bin, he was horrified to see the body of a man fall into the lorry. The body was almost unrecognizable but a friend after a close scrutiny identified the remains as those of the young man.

Minerd, Ernest Earl (1886-1961) Married Edith Erwin. Labored at a relative's coal mine as a teenager in or around Mill Run, Fayette County, PA, before becoming a railroader.

Minerd, Francis L. - Married Selma (?). Longtime expert in the steel industry in Southern California, specializing in wire processing and machinery, and working today as a consultant.

Minerd, Frank (1887-1965) Son of Charles B. and Ada (Tressler) Minerd. Coal miner at Meadowbrook and other mines near Uniontown, PA. Frank was a coal miner and followed the mines during a time that work was scarce and there was much labor unrest. In an August 1912 letter from his sister Bertha Pringle, she wrote: "Frank I hope you will get a job you like... you be sure and let us know where you move to. Come out when ever you can." In the 1920s he lived at Tent City near Uniontown, where thugs were said to "throw sticks of dynamite to stir things up" and police regularly patrolled to keep the peace. Frank once had his photo taken among a group of co-workers at the Meadowbrook Mine, seen at left. Frank stands in the back row, at center, with a small "X" penciled above his head.

Minerd, Frank J. (1885-1939) Son of James Calvin and Suvina (Yauger) Minerd Sr. Mechanic at Leisenring No. 1 (Davidson Mine) until it closed in 1923. Worked at Pittsburgh Coal where he lost his right arm in 1929. Seen at right, Frank (third from left) poses with co-workers at the Davidson Mine. This image was published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 1999, and on the cover of our reunion booklet, Coal, Coke & Steel, the same year.

Minerd, George Henry (1845-1933) Son of Henry and Hester (Sisler) Minerd. May have worked at Tyrone Mine in 1870, when he dislocated his wrist shifting cars.

Minard, George Howard (1877-1955) Son of William H. and Ollie (Stull) Minerd. Coal miner for U.S. Steel Corp. Lemont Local, UMWA.

Minard, Grover James (1889-1977) Married Virdie Newman and Vernis Jane Mayle. Disabled veteran of World War I and a coal miner who worked for Republic Steel in Canton, OH, and at the West Virginia Industrial School for Boys (seen at left) located at Pruntytown, near Grafton, Taylor County, WV.

Minerd, Harry (1885-1939) Son of James Valentine and Nancy (Warman) Minerd. "Machine man" at Dunbar Furnace, Dunbar, PA, circa 1906-10.

Minerd, Harry C. (1907-1988) Son of James Calvin and Suvina (Yauger) Minerd Sr. Retired coal miner near Uniontown, PA.

Minerd, Harry Oliver Sr. (1893-1938) Son of Charles Marion and Sabina (Pierce) Minerd. Laborer at coke ovens at Buckeye near Mt. Pleasant, PA and at Pittsburgh Coal's at Banning Works. May have played baseball at age 17 for the Buckeye Athletic Club of the Northern Frick League. Box scores from the Connellsville Daily Courier in 1910 show that "H. Minerd" was one of the players, and that one of his brothers was on the team.

Minerd, Harry W. "Pomp" (1916-1978) Son of Harry and Flora (Cole) Minerd. Said to have been a coal miner.

Miner, Henry (1853-1942) Son of Daniel and Susan (Stettman) Minerd. 35-year miner and coke oven laborer for H.C. Frick in Connellsville, PA. The book The Lewis Family of Oliphant Furnace, Pennsylvania by Thomas L. and Jack Walter Lewis reports that:

Great-grandfather [Henry Miner] started at about the age of 12, working in the iron works near Connellsville. Later on he worked in the coal and coke fields of Southwestern Pennsylvania for Andrew Carnegie's Carnegie Steel Corp., later to become U.S. Steel Corp. He retired from U.S. Steel with 35 years of service. I believe this was around 1930-35. Upon retirement, U.S. Steel presented him with a pocket watch with a fob attached. On the end of the fob was a bronze medallion. On the front of the medallion was an engraving of corporate president E.H. Gary. On the back side was an engraving of coal and steel workers. Also engraved on the back side was Henry Miner and thirty-five years service. F1or years they won prizes for their gardens and flowers, awarded by the Frick company.

Miner, Henry A. (1827-1912) - son of John and Sarah (Ansell) Minerd. Civil War veteran. Circa 1874, relocated to near Dawson, Fayette County, PA to use his skill as a stone mason to build the stone structures for beehive ovens to support the needs of the newly expanding coke industry.

Maryland Coal Co.'s Wendel mine (left) and town (right) near Simpson, WV

Minerd, Henry C. (1838-1921) Married Mariah Pritchard and Sarah Catherine Croston. In the 1880s, lived in Simpson, Taylor County, WV, and in 1903 at Meriden, coal mining communities near Philippi, Barbour County, WV.

Minerd, Henry Daniel (1900-1959) Son of James Calvin and Suvina (Yauger) Minerd Sr. Laborer at W.J. Rainey's Revere Mine in 1921 and at the Feathers Mine in 1931.

Minor, Henry Raymond "Curnel" (1902-1978) Son of Enoch and Matilda (Lyons) Miner Sr. Coal miner as a boy at Broadford, PA, before moving to Pittsburgh as a house painter.

Laborers in Pittsburgh's dirty, smoky steel mills, sketched and published in 1880 in Harper's Monthly Magazine

Minard, Howard (1852-1904) Son of Daniel and Susan (Stettman) Minerd. Coal miner in Connellsville, PA in 1880. Sometime in the 1880s, moved to Braddock, the booming industrial heart of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, where he worked as a laborer, possibly at Andrew Carnegie's famed Edgar Thomson Works. In late November 1904, labored at a stone quarry near Hunker, Westmoreland County, PA, where, on Nov. 28, 1904, was killed by a moving railroad locomotive. "Being cold," said the Connellsville Daily Courier:

... he started across the track to a brick yard to get warm. Just as he reached the track local freight came rapidly around the curve. Minerd was paralyzed with fear. He stood stalk still on the track until the engine struck him.

Miner, Howard Campbell (1872-1943) Married Mary Elizabeth Seibert. Employed by the H.C. Frick Coke Company from 1900 to 1910, earning $4 per day. He also worked as a "machinist helper" and "pipe fitter" for the United States Cast Iron Pipe and Foundry Company in Scottdale for 12 years, from 1918 until the plant closed in 1930. In 1933, during the grip of the Great Depression, he earned a total income of $508.

Howard C. Miner's employer for 12 years, the U.S. Cast Iron Pipe and Foundry in Scottdale, billed as "the largest pipe mill in the world"

Minerd, Huston D. (1862-1938) Son of Andrew and Sarah (Devan) Minerd. Blacksmith at the New Atlas Coke Works circa 1890s.

Minerd, Isaac (1826-1880) Son of Henry and Hester (Sisler) Minerd. Miner at the Mahoning Mine at Dunbar, PA circa 1879.

Minerd, Isaac F. (1847-1923) Son of James and Sarah (Walters) Minerd Sr. Civil War veteran. Coal miner at Dunbar, PA circa 1865-1880.

Minerd, Jacob Sr. (1814- ? ) Married Ruth Adams. Circa 1860, leased and resided on the William Walters farm one mile from Evansville, Preston County, WV, where he farmed and dug coal.

Minerd, Jacob III (1819-1907). Son of Jacob and Catherine (Younkin) Minerd Jr. On his farm near Normalville, PA, had a working coal mine mentioned in the 1882 History of Fayette County by Franklin Ellis:

Coal was first used in the township for blacksmithing purposes about 1835, being taken from a bank on the clay pike, east of [Normalville], in such small quantities that it was carried away in a bag. Soon its value for fuel was found out, and mining at that place and other points was begun, and has been continued to the present. In 1881 the following mines were in working condition: Jacob Minor's east of the village of Springfield, the place where coal was first mined; ... John Shultz's and James Gallentine's, on Stony Run;... [and] Jackson Rose's, on Indian Creek;...

Minerd, James Sr. (1815-1877) Son of Henry and Hester (Sisler) Minerd. One of the earliest iron laborers in the clan, he lived at Wharton Furnace, PA in 1840. With his sons, said to have driven six-mule teams and hauled iron to Brownsville, PA. Restored ruins of the furnace are seen at right.

Minerd, James Jr. (1840-1909) Son of James and Sarah (Walters) Minerd Sr. Mine laborer at Dunbar, PA in 1880 and at Unity Twp., Westmoreland Co., PA in 1900.

Minerd, James Allen ( ? -2006) Son of Charles "Ralph" and Violet (Summy) Minerd. Worked at U.S. Steel's Fairless Works.

Minerd, James Calvin Sr. (1863-1932) Son of James and Candace (Rush) Minerd Jr. Stable boss at Searight Mine, Fayette County, PA.

Minerd, James Calvin Jr. (1890-1959) Son of James C. and Suvina (Yauger) Minerd Jr. Jim worked as a carpenter at several H.C. Frick Coke Co. mines in the Uniontown area -- Buffington, Cardale, York Run, Star Junction (1920s) and perhaps others. A rare old postcard photograph is seen at left of the tipple of the Frick mine at York Run.

Minerd, James L. (1859-1938) Son of John V.S. and Elizabeth (Livingston) Minerd. Worked in a coal mine in Upper Tyrone Twp., Fayette Co., PA, circa 1880 and at Republic, PA, circa 1920.

Minerd, James William (1878-1953) Son of James Valentine and Nancy (Warman) Minerd. Laborer at a furnace near Dunbar, PA circa 1910 and at Leisenring #1 Mine circa 1937.

Minerd, James "William" (1880-1966) Son of William and Sara Elizabeth (Whoolery) Minerd. Coal miner near Brownfield, PA circa 1900-1910 before moving to Warren, Trumbull County, OH, circa 1927. Labored for Republic Steel Corporation in Youngstown, retiring in 1953.

Republic Steel's Youngstown plant in Ohio

Minerd, John (1843-1900) Married Martha Ann Male. Circa 1860, resided with his parents on a farm leased from William Walters about one mile from Evansville, Preston County, WV, where he and his father "followed farming and digging coal."

Minor, John (1853-1930) Married Emma Howell. Coal miner in and around Washingtonville, Columbiana County, OH. In about 1886, moved to Sherrodsville, Orange Twp., Carroll County, OH. The town at that time was a major center of coal mining activity, "prospering with hope," according to The Sherrodsville Standard, a town history prepared by students at the Sherrodsville Elementary School.

Minor, John A. (1899-1976) Married Vada Bradley. Retired from coal mining near New Philadelphia, OH in 1965, and was a member of the United Mine Workers Local 283.

Minerd, John Albert "Bert" (1881-1944) Son of James Valentine and Nancy (Warman) Minerd. Boilerman at Keister, PA. Killed when his car was hit by a coal truck and buried under tons of coal.

Miner, John Andrew (1878-1955) Son of Ephraim and Rosetta (Harbaugh) Minerd. Coal miner at Indian Head, PA. Once caught in a mine cave-in with his son Victor but survived.

Minor, John Charles "Jack" (1889-1946) Married Nellie Ramella. Born with only one full arm. Coal miner of Tuscarawas, Tuscarawas County, OH, working as a coal mine foreman for the Midvale Coal Co., and he belonged to the United Mine Workers of America. At age 56, on March 22, 1946, tragically was killed when "crushed by a fall of rock while working in the mine," said the Daily Reporter. He and other men "were sounding the roof of the mine for loose rock" when he was caught in a sudden rock fall. "He was crushed from the shoulders down and had to be liberated from nearly two tons of rock by fellow workmen who were in a nearby room." His mangled remains were laid to rest in the Lutheran Church cemetery in Tuscarawas.

Minerd, John Henry (1851-1935). Son of Samuel and Rebecca (Smalley) Minerd. Coal miner in Pittsburg, KS from 1880s to 1900s. A 1965 manuscript by Donald Ethan Minerd said John "...was severely injured in a fall from a chat-wagon, in the lead and zink mines, in the Asbury, Mo., area. He was never able to work from that time, and till the time of his death."

Minerd, John L. (1893-1921) Son of James and Emma J. (Meyers) Minerd Jr. Coal mine laborer at Vanderbilt, PA circa 1910. Said to have been severely injured when hit by a large chain in the mine.

Miner, John Ross (1858-1935) Son of Henry A. and Matilda (Rose) Miner. Coal miner and coke drawer for the H.C. Frick Coke Co.'s Davidson Works at Broadford, PA for 40 years. (The Davidson Works is seen at right.) Treasurer of the 1930 Miner-McDowell Reunion at Hillcrest Park.

Minerd, John Vernon Smith (1830-1907) Son of Henry and Hester (Sisler) Minerd. Civil War veteran. Coal miner in Upper Tyrone Twp., Fayette Co., PA, circa 1880, and mining boss at Lawrence Co., OH and near Connellsville, PA. In about 1855, John worked "in the 'coaling,' burning wood into 'charcoal' for 'Furnace' purposes," the earliest documented specific coal mining activity in the family. Before the Civil War, he and a nephew "worked together at a Furnace for quite a while."

Minard, Joseph David Sr. (1894-1970) Married Ruth Irene Klingensmith. As a young man residing near Hunker, Westmoreland County, PA, worked as a coal cutter. Seen at left.

Minerd, Levi Springer (1853-1920) Son of Samuel and Rebecca (Smalley) Minerd. Coal inspector at Crawford Co., KS. A 1965 manuscript by Donald E. Minerd said: "He was the inventor of a gate, to be used in the mines, that would open and close, as the loaded coal cars was pulled into and out of the slope mines, with mule teams."

Miner, Marion "Frank" (1900-1986) Married Lona Croston and Jessie L. Mayle. Circa 1920, was a coal mine laborer in and around Philippi, Barbour County, WV.

The Mahoning Mine, circa 1890

Minerd, Marshall (1851?-1886) Son of Andrew and Sarah (Devan) Minerd. Worked at the Mahoning Mine near Dunbar, PA. The Nov. 25, 1886 Connellsville Keystone Courier reported that "As Marshall Minerd was descending the Mahoning mine, Tuesday morning, on the front of a coal car, his head was caught between the car and the side of the pit, killing him instantly. He was a married man, aged about 35."

Minerd, Melvin Azaniah (1855-1921) Son of Samuel and Rebecca (Smalley) Minerd. Coal dealer in Pittsburg, KS.

Miner, Odger "Wayne" - Son of Odger and Monalea (Ullom) Miner. Worked at the Aliquippa mill of Jones & Laughlin Steel during college summers of 1948-50 before becoming a civil engineer and managing the design of Pittsburgh's Crosstown Blvd. (I-579), parts of the Ohio River Blvd. and other major highways.

Minerd, Oliver Clyde (1881-1971) Son of Isaac F. and Frances Caroline (Jordan) Minerd. Cold roller at a tin plate mill in Connellsville, PA, in 1900. Worked at Jones & Laughlin Steel in Aliquippa, PA in the 1910s.

Minerd, Percy Donald (1896-1988) Son of William H. and Missouri (Shelkey) Minerd. Retired coal miner near Uniontown, PA.

Minor, Porter Owen (1892-1951) Son of Elias and Elizabeth (King) Minor. Worked for the PA Dept. of Mines in the 1910s.

Minerd, Ralph Charles (1894-1983) Son of Charles Marion and Sabina (Pierce) Minerd. Tipple man at coal mines at Buckeye (1914), Garfield (1919), Belltown (1927), Bolivar, Banning and Bobtown in Western Pennsylvania. They also lived at Jennerstown (1923, where he was a policeman), Jenners Cross Roads, Mt. Pleasant and Norvelt, PA. At Belltown, Ralph played baseball for the company team, and was scouted by the Pittsburgh Pirates. In the photo seen here, Ralph (seated, center) with fellow players on a coal mine baseball team, likely at Belltown.

Minerd, Ralph Lorenzo (1917-1996) Son of Wade and Sarah Elizabeth (Farr) Minerd. Coal loader for Republic Steel Co. at Clarksville, PA circa 1941. Shoveled coal, blasted it from mine, loaded it into cars and pushed loaded cars along tracks to a haulage road where they were picked up by locomotive. Also did other unskilled labor jobs around mine.

Miner, Raymond (1891-1972) Son of William Henry "Squire" and Sara Jane (Basinger) Miner. Coal miner.

Minor, Raymond A. (1919-1971) Son of Charles Dewey and Frances (Rose) Minor. Worked at U.S. Steel's Edgar Thomson Works.

Minerd, Richard Allen - Son of Victor Everett and Helen M. (Basili) Minerd. Coal miner at Nemacolin Mines circa 1982.

Minerd, Robert Walker (1862-1915) Son of Samuel and Rebecca (Smalley) Minerd. Coal miner in Pittsburg, KS circa 1880s-1900s.

Minerd, Ross (1902-1956) Married Ida Mae Keefer. Laborer and driver in local coal mines, and a member of the United Mine Workers of America, Local 6303, Bessemer, PA. Lived in Masontown, Fayette County, and later in Revere, a coal mine "patch town," where they resided in House #18. Injured at the Province Mine near Grays Landing, south of Masontown, in a fall of slate circa 1942, from which he never fully recovered.

Minerd, Samuel (1820-1900) Son of Henry and Hester (Sisler) Minerd. Was a "teemer" circa 1860 likely hauling iron smelt at the Wharton Iron Furnace near Chalk Hill, PA. After also serving as proprietor of the Fayette Springs Resort near Uniontown, moved to Pittsburg, KS in 1886. A rare old postcard view seen at right shows a coal stripping pit in Pittsburg, with which Samuel would have been familiar. The 1965 manuscript, Family of Samuel and Rebecca Minerd by Donald Ethan Minerd, said that:

The Trip [to Kansas] was made by boat and covered wagon, and they came, not with the desire of many that made the move west (not to break the sod of the prairies) but to tear from the very bowels of the earth, leaving great piles of useless rock and dirt, as they toiled and sweat, to remove the black precious substance, COAL. The sons of Samuel and Rebecca, engaged in the mining of coal, in drift, slope, strip, and deep shaft mining. The better known of the deep mines being camp 17, and camp 10. For a time part of the family lived in Minden Mines, Mo. but later returned to Pittsburg, and the Minerd Boys, Springer, John, Melvin, and Walker, removed the first coal by using a slope mine, in what is now Lincoln Park, in Pittsburg, Kansas.

Minerd, Seth A. (1879-1949) Son of William H. and Missouri (Shelkey) Minerd. Blacksmith at McKeesport, PA, circa 1905. Retired in 1947 from Huey Coal Company near Uniontown, PA. UMWA, Collier Local.

Miner, Silas (1852-1927) Son of Henry A. and Matilda (Rose) Miner. Believed to have worked as a laborer at the Leisenring No. 1 coke ovens near Uniontown circa 1895. The ovens were owned by the H.C. Frick Coke Co., which later was merged into United States Steel Corporation. Miner at Connellsville, PA circa 1900. Leisenring No. 1 is seen at left -- note the ovens, railcars and laborers posing for the image.

Minerd, Stewart (1848- ? ) Son of Daniel and Susan/Drusilla (Stettman) Minerd. Coal miner in Connellsville, PA in 1880.

Minerd, Stephen T. (1870-1951) Married Lucy Hill. Coal miner in and around Athens, Athens County and Marietta, Washington County, Ohio. Lived in Lathrope, Athens County in 1912. Circa 1939, the family resided in Sharpsburg, Bern Township, Athens County.

Typical coal mining operations in Athens County, ca. 1910

Minerd, Thomas (1870-1933) Son of William and Sara Elizabeth (Whoolery) Minerd. Coal miner near Uniontown, PA circa 1910.

Minerd, Thomas (1925-1985) Son of Wade Lorenzo and Sarah Elizabeth (Farr) Minerd. Retired from Republic Steel Corporation, Youngstown, OH.

Minerd, Thomas Michael (1897-1992) Son of Thomas Watt and Sarah (Dowling) Minerd. Miner for 51 years. Worked at Helen (until it closed), Keister (until it closed), Dearth (until it closed), Vesta, Sauerkraut and Robena Mines, retiring at age 66. From Helen, the Minerds moved "over the hill" to the patch town of Keisterville, later shortened to Keister. Thomas played baseball for the teams of coal mining companies in the Uniontown area. In 1915, for example he was a catcher for the Keister club. He is seen here, in the uniform of an unidentified team -- the letters on the shirt appear to read "AC CO." The tipple of the Vesta mine is seen at right. His daughter Theresa (Minerd) Charnovich recalls that:

He fibbed about his age to work in Helen. The required age was 16 but he went in with his father when he was 15. I anxiously waited for my Dad to come home everyday. He always brought me a half of a sandwich. It tasted so good to me...

Minerd, Thomas Watt (1849-1944) Son of Isaac and Catherine (Smiley) Minerd. Coal hauler at Dunbar and miner at Helen, PA. In a story thought to be about him, the Dec. 5, 1878 Uniontown Genius of Liberty reported that:

FATAL EXPLOSION.--The accident that occured on last Thursday, Nov. 28th, 1878, at about half past one o'clock, P.M., at the mouth of the coal mine of Reid Brothers near Dunbar in this County, was the most disastrous one that has ever happened in Fayette County, causing the death of six persons and seriously wounding ten others. ...Wounded--...Thomas Minard, hurt about the hips, and scalded on the left side of the face... Franks, Keffer and Minard were not employees of these works. They were out hunting, and stopped to have a few minutes' conversation with the employees when the fatal explosion took place.

Minard, Tillison Forest (1893-1973) Married Mary Elizabeth Mayle. Coal miner "scraper" in and around Philippi, Barbour County, WV, circa 1910.

Miner, Victor Clyde (1904-1997) Son of John Andrew and Susan (Pletcher) Miner. Coal miner near Indian Head, PA before becoming a farmer in Grantsville, MD. Once caught in a mine cave-in with his father but both survived.

Minerd, Victor Everett (1919-1972) Son of Frank and Margaret M. (Kilgore) Minerd. Laborer at Meadowbrook Mine circa 1937 and welder at Homestead Works, U.S. Steel Corp. Died at work of a stroke. Member, UMWA.

Minerd, Wade Lorenzo (1897-1966) Son of Thomas and Catherine (Ramsey) Minerd. Coal miner near Clarksville, Greene County, PA.

Leisenring No. 3 Mine's tunnelway, 525 feet below ground

Miner, Wesley (1902-1976) Son of William Henry "Squire" and Sara Jane (Basinger) Miner. Coal miner all his life. He worked at mines in WV and then at U.S. Steel's Phillips, Leisenring #1, #2 and #3 Mines in PA, retiring in 1966.

Minerd, Wilbert Regis "Patsy" (1896-1974) Son of James L. and Catherine (Whalen) Minerd. Employed by Republic Steel Corp. and later was a state mine inspector.

Fan house and coal tipple (far right) at Republic, PA

Minerd, William (1840-1919) Son of James and Sarah (Walters) Minerd Sr. Coal miner near Uniontown, PA circa 1860-1900. Though he lived until 1919, the Aug. 23, 1913 Connellsville Daily Courier reported that:

P.H. Cross went in search of his father-in-law William Minerd Thursday, who left his home in Uniontown Monday in the midst of the storm that prevailed and has not been heard of since. Mr. Minerd but recently moved from [Smithfield] where he had lived for a number of years to the home of his daughter in Uniontown from where he disappeared. He was nearly 80 years old and of late was afflicted at times by an aberration of mind. It is feared by his family that while in one of these lapses he wandered around and possibly fell in a coal hole of which there are many in the vicinity of the home of his daughter, and perished.

Minerd, William (1891-1918) Son of James Calvin and Suvina (Yauger) Minerd Sr. Laborer at Keister Mine in the 1910s.

Miner, Willie (1897-1973) Married Mary Emeline Croston. Circa 1920, was a coal miner in and around Philippi, Barbour County, WV.

Miner, William G. (1864-1932) Son of Henry A. and Matilda (Rose) Miner. Coal miner at Connellsville and Allison, PA, circa 1880s to 1920s. Program Committee member of the 1930 Miner-McDowell Reunion at Hillcrest Park in Connellsville. Killed in Morgantown, WV, when run over by a streetcar.

Minerd, William H. (1850-1884) Son of Isaac and Catherine (Smiley) Minerd. Laborer at the Youngstown (PA) Works of the Youngstown Coke Co. In 1884, he was among 14 miners trapped and killed by an explosion. In 1885, Minerd's widow Ollie (Stull) Minerd, on behalf of her three young children, sued the employer, and received $537.50 in damages. His aged grave marker is seen at right. The accident was reported in the Oct. 31, 1884 edition of the Connellsville Keystone Courier:

The following is a correct list of the killed: ...William Minerd, hauler, aged 26; smothered; leaves a wife and four children... Cunningham and Minerd had joined their fortunes and died clasped in each other's embrace... The theory of the experts is that the hauler, Minerd, failed to keep the door closed that shut off the sixth flat, where the gas was known to exist, and that it got on the seventh flat, and was there ignited by his naked light...

Minerd, William H. (1855-1934) Son of John V.S. and Elizabeth (Livingston) Minerd. Miner in 1880 near Uniontown, PA, and watchman at the Mitchell Works in 1910.

Minerd, Rev. William Mullen (1885-1948) Son of Charles Marion and Sabina (Pierce) Minerd. Tipple man at a mine at Bridgeport, PA, circa 1910. Afterward, became a minister for 35 years, 12 of which were in the Somerset Circuit of the Evangelical United Brethren Church. Is seen here, second from left in the back row, posing with his baseball teammates of the H.C. Frick Coke Co. Brinkerton Works Club, of near Mt. Pleasant, circa 1910.

Murray, Marcellus (1873-1920) Married Bertha (Clark) Wilson and Cleveland (Adams) Stillwagon. In 1917, the 44-year-old was employed as a laborer for the U.S. Cast Iron Pipe and Foundry Company in Scottdale, Westmoreland County.

Murray, Norman (1919-1984) Married Mildred McNatt. Resided in Brier Hill, Fayette County, PA. Employed by Jones & Laughlin Steel, and a member of UMWA District 4.

Murry, Lloyd (1883- ? ) Husband of Maud McKnight. Driver at a coal mine near Uniontown, PA circa 1910.