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David "Nesbit" (or "Neb") Miner was born on Nov. 25, 1838 at Unity, Columbiana County, OH, the son of Burget and Sarah Ann (Hays) Miner. A veteran of the Civil War, he and his wife were pioneer settlers of Nebraska.

Nesbit stood 5 feet, 6 inches tall, with blue eyes and light hair, and weighed 130 lbs. In the years before the war, he lived in Van Wert, Van Wert County, OH and worked as a carpenter.

As the Civil War was being waged, when he was 22 years of age, Nesbit joined the Union Army on Sept. 8, 1861, as a member of Company K of the 15th Ohio Infantry. [While Henry Clay Minor, a distant cousin, also served in the same regiment, Henry had mustered out and joined another regiment at the end of August 1861, less than 10 days before Nesbit enlisted.]

In November and December of that year, Nesbit was detached from the regiment and served as a steward in the Army hospital at Camp Nevin, KY. 

Nesbit later rejoined his regiment. In early 1862, the regiment was stationed near Camp Wood in Kentucky, along the Green River. Presumably they helped guard the construction site of a new railroad bridge spanning the river, which was completed on Jan. 8, 1862. "The whistle of the first engine which crossed it was greeted by cheers from all parts of the camp and we thought we would now make another forward movement," wrote Nesbit's fellow soldier Andrew J. Gleason in his diary. "Some of the companies went out to discharge their guns. 'Neb.' Miner was on guard at the spring and arrested a member of the thirdy-second Indiana for violation of some rule. The man caused some amusement by his protests but 'Neb.' held him at the point of his bayonet until a corporal came and took him to the colonel's quarters." [This account was published in 1916 in The Fifteenth Ohio and Its Campaigns, War of 1861-5, authored by Capt. Alexis Cope.]

Nesbit eventually was promoted to corporal. The regiment saw action at the battles of Chickamauga, Pickett’s Mills, Stones River and Resaca. At Stones River, fought on New Year's Eve 1862, the 15th Ohio was positioned in the extreme lower left corner of the battlefield, as the Union Army's right hand wing, along with the 49th Ohio, 32nd Indiana and 1st Ohio, under the command of Brig. Gen. August Willich and Major Gen. Alexander McCook. The 15th Ohio quickly was routed and forced from the field, under attack from Georgia, Tennesee and North Carolina regiments, and retreated to the west.

Among Nesbit's distant cousins also seeing action at Stones River were Oliver Browning of the 51st Ohio Infantry and Thomas M. Miner of the 90th Ohio Infantry, both of whom were captured there as prisoners of war.

In July 1864, he served with General William Tecumseh Sherman’s troops, in the Atlanta region. In the words of his regiment’s surgeon, William M. Clark, David took part in a quick time march with the regiment from Vining Station, GA and:

… in the line of his duty at or near Chatahoochee River in the state of Georgia [David] did on or about the 10th day of July 1864 become disabled in the following manner--: After making a forced march of 20 to 25 miles through a rough country on an excessively hot day the regiment was exposed to a drenching rain, causing considerable sickness in the regiment….

Nesbit himself recalled that Sherman had:

…forced a crossing about 20 or 21 miles above where we was stationed and … we was ordered to reinforce at Double Quick time which order came about 12:00 noon. We made the march by 5 or 6 o’clock the same evening and was still in line, the men almost [illegible] & some left on the road. At this moment their came a hevy thunder storm drenching us to the skin. Without blankets or tents we dryed ourselves … slightly. As best we could, gathered brush for a bed & went to sleep. Some time in the night I got up to urinate but found the passage stoped. I forced myself for a time before I had an evacuation after which I shook as though I had an ague and at day light I found myself in the same situation and found I passed most all blood.

Above: battle action at Stones River. Below: site along Franklin Rd. where Nesbit's regiment fought on New Year's Eve 1862, now retail businesses and strip malls.

Recalled regiment Captain Julius A. Gleason, Nesbit suffered "an attack of hemorrhage and inflammation of kidneys and bladder. Although he remained with the regt. and performed duty a part of the time until sent to Hospital at Victoria Texas (during the march to San Antonio Tex.) I do not think he was able bodied from July 10, 1864 until discharged."

He was treated in the hospital at Victoria, TX in July and August 1864. He was discharged at San Antonio, TX on Nov. 21, 1865, and mustered out of his regiment on Christmas Day at Camp Chase in Columbus, OH. In all, he had served for four years, three months and 14 days.

On Sept. 21, 1868, at Van Wert, Nesbit married 17-year-old Caroline Amelia Crumrine (Sept. 12, 1851-1911), daughter of Peter and E.J. (Swartzell) Crumrine of Carrolton, OH. The ceremony was performed by Rev. Mounts. Nesbit was nearly two decades older than his wife.

They went on to have six children – Emma J. McMullen, Charles Thomas J. Miner, Milton Miner, Cora N. Cummings Dotson, Laura E. "Lottie" Farrell and Edward Arthur Miner. Sadly, Milton died in infancy in October 1873 in Nebraska, with his name and death date inscribed in ink in the family Bible.

In 1866, the Miners bought a lot in the town of Van Wert. Then, in 1869, they purchased town lot 7 in the nearby village of Willshire, OH.

As he aged, Nesbit continued to suffer from his wartime illnesses. In his own words:

The disease was acute for 4 or 5 years after my discharge & one time Dr. McGovern gave me up and said he could do nothing for me. After such time the disease became chronic. The pain is not so severe unless I take cold and when I take cold it always goes back to the old complaint. At the present time I never go to bed without getting up 5 or 6 times a night [to urinate].

In June 1871, Nesbit and Carrie and their five-month old daughter Emma left Ohio and moved to Columbus, Platte County, NE.  Said the Columbus Journal, "Mr. Miner was a resident of this city for a good many years..." He obtained contracts for such work as constructing new schoolhouses and frontages for Fitzpatrick's Book Store and Brainard's Drug Store. In 1884, he helped erect a building for Charles Brindley in the northern part of town, at the corner of 16th and M Streets. The Columbus Telegram considered him "one of the pioneer carpenters and builders of Columbus."

He became engrained in the Columbus community and in 1878 served as secretary of the Pioneer Hook and Ladder Company as well as executive committee member of its annual fundraising ball, held at the Opera House. The Columbus Journal in June 1884 reported that he had erected a "neat" picket fence around his town lot.

Nesbit was active with the local veterans organization and in August 1881 made news in the gossip columns of the Columbus Journal, which said that "with his bugle playing the old calls reminded those who heard him of the days of long ago, and camp life in the south."

By 1886, the Miners had migrated to Kent, Loup County, NE. Stories in the Journal noted that he returned to Columbus at times and stayed for several days at a time. In 1889, they were on a farm six miles from Burwell, Garfield County, NE. Nesbit worked during these years as a carpenter and contractor, but was so weak that he said he often hired other men to do the laboring, among them Charles Fuller in Garfield County.

While in Nebraska, as compensation for his wartime illness, Nesbit successfully petitioned the federal government for a pension. As of 1909, he was receiving $15 a month.

When a special census was made of Civil War veterans in 1890, Nesbit was listed as living in Burwell. He disclosed to the census-taker that he was a pensioner and that he suffered from "inflammation of urinary organs."

Caroline made news in the gossip columns of the Columbus Journal in late August 1892 when she and her son Charles, in company with J.R. Meager and family and S.L. McCoy and family traveled to the town of Grand Island.

By March 1891, the Miners were back in Columbus.

He ran for the elected position of city clerk on the Republican ticket. In a story about his candidacy, the Journal reported that "He is active, prompot, attentive to business, and will make a good clerk. He is a man of family, and has a lively interest in the welfare of the city. He was a faithful soldier of the republic during the war of the rebellion, and understands the full force and meaning of the word 'cuty,' when applied to serving the public. A vote for Miner will be well placed." He indeed was elected and served under Mayor John G. Pollock.

In 1893, Nesbit felt short-changed in payments made by the local Congregational Church for work he had performed. He filed suit in county court, and won the case, but was awarded only $28.15 instead of the $100-plus he was seeking.

Caroline traveled to Chicago in November 1893 to attend the World's Fair. While there, noted the Courier, she visited a brother "whom she had not seen for twelve years." In March 1894, the Miners received word from their old home region of Van Wert that his mother had died at the age of 77.

Despite the many years they had been married, the Miners' union was troubled. In July 1895, the Courier printed the news that Sheriff Kavanaugh had taken Caroline to the Nebraska State Hospital for the Insane at Norfolk.  She spent nine weeks at the asylum and returned home in early September of that same year.

Nesbit received a shock at Christmas 1897 when he learned of the death of his brother T. "Jefferson" Miner. The news was published in the Courier. But the report was erroneous, however, as the brother lived for another five years until December 1902.

Nesbit in about 1898 was named to a committee to erect a Civil War monument in the middle of Frankfort Square in town. His skills in construction would have been valuable to the committee, whose other members were J.H. Galley, H.T. Sperry, J.R. Meagher, E.O. Rector, R.L. Rossiter and Ed. W. Clark. The group obtained two old cannons from California. A 65-ton barre granite stone measuring 30 feet high was installed as the base, and on top was placed a bronze eagle with a wingspan of six feet. The names of 132 men were inscribed on the granite base. The monument is seen here in an old postcard view circa 1907, and Nesbit's name carved on its base is still seen today.

Nesbit received word in January 1899 that his aged father was very ill back in Van Wert. He left Columbus to travel to be at his father's side. Fortunately, the father recovered and lived for another decade. Upon returning to Columbus, Nesbit told a Courier writer that "even old-time Ohioans cannot appreciate the wonderful difference there is between the roads of Nebraska and those of the Buckeye state. There,-- Mud, mud, mud, without limit, and no small depth either. The good people of Ohio are all right, but more of them ought to see Nebraska."

In 1900, when the federal census was taken, married daughter Cora resided in their home, with her two young children, Ownie Cummings and James A. Cummings. However, on Dec. 20, 1901, just five days before Christmas, Caroline and Nesbit separated, after 35 years of marriage. She left home and never returned, except "after many months absence, ... for a short time, ... only as a visitor to the rest of the family..." During that visit, she "refused to have anything to do with" her husband.

Caroline traveled back to Van Wert in April 1903 to visit her relatives, and spent two months there. While in Van Wert, she attended the funeral of her niece Carrie Allen. She also wrote home to say that her father in law, "Grandpa Miner," age 92, was "very low at this writing." She brought back her niece's seven-year-old daughter Eulalia Kisner, and stopped in Council Bluffs to collect her grandson Albert Cummings and bring him back to Columbus as well.

Nesbit filed for divorce in the Platte County District Court on Feb. 16, 1904. Caroline was absent and refused to defend herself, and the divorce was granted by the judge the following month, on March 23, 1904.

Following the divorce, Nesbit apparently moved to Council Bluffs, IA, presumably into the home of one of his married daughters -- Mrs. Harvey Farrell or Mrs. Melvin Dotson. A rare old postcard photograph of Council Bluffs' Broadway Street is seen here.

After several years there, he was admitted in 1906 to the National Military Home in Kansas City, MO. Later, he moved in with his son Charles at 415 Vine Street in Kansas City.

In the summer of 1907, the family apparently reunited for a large family meal in Omaha, where Caroline was living. Reported the Columbus Journal:

Mrs. Emma McMullen and daughter Della went to Omaha Thursday morning to visit the former's mother Mrs. D.N. Miner, and while there was present at a family reunion. After an absence of four years D.R. [sic] Miner, wife and five children gathered arouind the board and enjoyed the feast as in days gone by. Those present were Maud, Mrs. T.J. Miner of Kansas City MO., Mr. and Mrs. Dotson, and Edward Miner of Omaha, Mrs. Farrel of Council Bluffs Iowa and Mrs. Emma McMullen of Columbus. Mr. and Mrs. D.N. Miner will be remembered as having lived in this city several years ago.

 

One day in late May 1909, Nesbit was reading his newspaper and started to recite out loud the names of deceased Civil War soldiers buried in Kansas City cemeteries. He commented to his son "that he would soon be one of them," said the Columbus Telegram. "Feeling indisposed he was unable to attend the Memorial day exercises the following day and passed away very suddenly that afternoon."

Nesbit's demise occurred on May 30 or 31, 1909 -- "Decoration Day" -- exactly two months after the death of his elderly father. Said the Journal, "Mr. Miner had been in poor health all winter, due to old age, and while he seemed to get better with the approaching warm weather, he did not regain strength. Old soldiers acted as pall bearers at his funeral, and members of the army of the Philippines." Nesbit's remains were laid to rest in Elmwood Cemetery in Kansas City.

News of his death also was printed in his old Ohio hometown newspaper, the Van Wert Twice-A-Week Bulletin: 

D. Nesbit Miner, well known to the older inhabitants, as the son of the late Burget Miner, died in Kansas City.... Mr. Miner had been living in Nebraska for several years. Recently he moved to Kansas City.

Caroline lived for another two years in the home of her son Charles in Kansas City, with an illness rendering her an invalid during that time. She suffered a hemorrhage and passed away on Nov. 13, 1911 in Kansas City. She was laid to rest in Elmwood Cemetery, a short distance from Nesbit's burial site, but her grave was not marked. Son Charles signed her officials Missouri certificate of death.

In the photo seen here, great-great grandson Gary McMullen stands on the approximate site of her grave, with Nesbit's standard-issue military marker and flag in the foreground.

~ Daughter Emma J. (Miner) McMullen Porter ~

Daughter Emma Ione Miner (1869- ? ) was born on Dec. 4, 1869 in or near Wilshire, Van Wert County, OH, sometime after her parents left Unity, Columbiana County, OH. As a toddler she migrated with her parents to Nebraska, where they first made a home in Columbus, Platte County.

Emma is known to have stayed with her parents for eight weeks in July and August 1891, returning to her home in Ord after that time. Her mother than came for a visit just before Christmas that year, and upon returning home, told a Columbus Journal correspondent that "with the crops raised the past season people there are in much better circumstances than the year before."

When she was 20 years of age, in about 1890, Emma was wedded to 27-year-old Frederick Daniel McMullen (March 1863-1932). He is believed to have been the son of Robert and Margaret Elizabeth (Harkness) McMullen.

They had eight known offspring, Louis Wilson "Lou" McMullen, Paul McMullen, Carrie M. Hopper, Arthur Robert "Art"McMullen, Karl Newton McMullen, Adell Lenora "Della" MacCarthy, Dorothy Leola McMullen and David Aubury McMullen.

Fred earned a living over the years as a plasterer, which likely meant frequent moves to project sites. In 1891, they made their residence in Ord, Loup County, NE. By 1900, when the federal census was enumerated, they were in Osceola,Clarke Coiunty, IA. The McMullens moved again within a few years and in 1907 dwelled in Columbus. They entertained a visit from their niece and nephew, Roma and Albert Dotson, in July 1909, as reported in the gossip columns of the Columbus Telegram.

The Grim Reaper of Death cut away two of the children during the mid-1900s. Son Paul died at birth in Columbus on April 14, 1905. Then two days before Christmas 1906, eight-month-old daughter Dorothy died of pneumonia. Noted the Columbus Journal, "The funeral was held from the residence at Seventh and Olive, on December 24, and conducted by Rev. Hayes of the Presbyterian church."

In 1910, census records show the family on 12th Street in Columbus, and in 1911, when named in the Columbus Telegram obituary of her mother, Emma lived in Council Bluffs.

Sadly, Fred passed away during the decade between 1910-1920. The widowed Emma went to live with her son Arthur and his wife Ruby in Council Bluffs. They are shown there in the U.S. Census of 1920.

Emma eventually relocated to Southern California, where she lived in Los Angeles in the 1940s. She married for a second time to (?) Porter ( ? - ? ).

She endured the death of her son Louis during the Christmas season in 1944. She succumbed in Los Angeles at the age of 77 on Jan. 29, 1947.

Son Louis Wilson "Lou" McMullen (1890-1944) was born in September 1890 in Columbus and was raised in Osceola and Columbus. As a young man, he learned the trade of carpentry and likely worked with his father in the business. In May 1915, in nuptials held in Papillion, Sarpy County, NE, he was united in wedlock with Marion Hazel Stubbs (1894-1969), with Rev. Thompson officiating. She was the daughter of Henry Edward and Blanche Eva (Brown) Stubbs of Columbus and Cheyenne, WY. The marriage was reported in the Council Bluffs newspaper and the Telegram, which noted that "The marriage was a complete surprise to friends and relatives, who were not notified until after the ceremony. Mr. McMullen is employed by the Union Pacific and has many friends who are extending their congratulations. The bride has been staying here with her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. D.O. Brown, 349 Benton street, who were greatly surprised at the news of the marriage." The couple bore three children -- Mary Ann McMullen, Richard McMullen and Robert McMullen. Louis was employed for 31 years as a railroad engineer. They made their home in Columbus until about 1937, when they moved to Council Bluffs and lived at 3448 Avenue B. Sadly, while at work in Grand Island, NE, he suffered a heart attack and died. Funeral services were held in a Council Bluffs chapel, and an obituary was printed in the Telegram. Burial was in Cedar Lawn Cemetery in Council Bluffs. Marion wedded for a second time to widower Dorsey Liman Greiner (1887-1963) in 1954. After 15 years of marriage, Marion died in Council Bluffs at the age of 74 on Sept. 9, 1969.

• Grandson Robert Wilson McMullen (1916-1997) was born in 1916. In 1939, when he was 23 years old, he wedded Emily Bray (Jan. 14, 1920-2008), a native of Broadwater, Morrill County, NE. Their offspring were Sibyl Ann Michener Harper, Robert Wilson "Rob" McMullen Jr. and Roger McMullen. They lived in Council Bluffs in 1944. They relocated in 1948 to Kennewick, Benton County, WA. Robert died in Richland, Benton County on Sept. 17, 1997. Emily survived her spouse by 11 years. She succumbed at the age of 88 on March 22, 2008. they rest in Desert Lawn Memorial Park in Kennewick.

Great-granddaughter Sibyl Ann McMullen (1939-2012) was born on Dec. 10, 1939 in Council Bluffs. She grew up in Kennewick, Benton County, WA, where she received a degree from Columbia Basin College in 1960. While in college, she met Roy Michener (Jan. 9, 1937-1982). They married in 1960. The Micheners dwelled in Prosser, WA and produced two children, William "Bill" Michener and James "Jim" Michener. At one time, she served as administrative assistant for local attorney Dwight Halstead. Sadly, Roy died in Prosser at the age of 45 September 1982. She remained a widow only for about a year, and in 1983 married her second husband, Thomas Irvin "Tom" Harper (May 19, 1929-2007). He was the son of Edward A. and Laura M. (Scott) Harper of Faith, SD. He brought four children to this marriage -- Cathy Moe, Terry Harper, Joseph Harper and Douglas Harper. Tom was a veteran of ther U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force. Later, he was a field engineer for Burroughs Corporation and an electrician installer for Boeing. Sibyl and Tom both worked at the Hanford Nuclear Project in Richland, she as an administrative assistant and he as an instrument technician. They made their home in Richland until retirement in 1989. They traveled extensively and in 1991 established a home in Cosmopolis, WA. Tom enjoyed hiking, wood refinishing and traveling in his spare time. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus in Richland and was named a life member after 25 years of faithful membership. He also joined the Grays Harbor Banjo Band. Sadly, Tom died in Cosmopolis on July 25, 2007 after nearly a quarter century of marriage. She relocated back to Prosser where she spent her final year. She was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Prosser, was a musician with the Happy Time Band and spent time enjoying embroidery, sewing, wood finishing and playing dominoes. Sibyl died on April 30, 2012, with a death notice printed in the Tri-City Herald.

Great-grandson Robert Wilson "Rob" McMullen Jr. (1940-2007) was born on Nov. 30, 1940 in Council Bluffs. He married Jennie ( ? - ? ). Their children wee Troy McMullen, Robert McMullen, Denise McMullen, Shawn McMullen, Heath McMullen, Laura McMullen, Linda McMullen, Lee McMullen, Rance McMullen and Kelly McMullen. For many years, they owned Mobile RV Service in St. George, UT and maintained a home in Dammeron Valley, UT. At the age of 66, he died in St. George, Washington County, UT on Feb. 27, 2007. Burial was in Veyo Cemetery.

Great-grandson Roger B. McMullen (1941-2005) was born on Oct. 15, 1941 in Council Bluffs. He and his parents and siblings migrated to Kennewick, WA in 1948. He passed away in Golden Valley, AZ on Sept. 7, 2005.

• Grandson Richard Jack McMullen (1920-1987) was born on Oct. 31, 1920 in Council Bluffs, where he grew to manhood. In 1941, at the age of 21, he married Aurora Mae Hoyt (May 16, 1921-1967), daughter of Joseph Earl and Mary Elizabeth (Donegan) Hoyt. During World War II, he served as a private first class in the U.S. Army in 1944 and was stationed at Fort Knox, KY. Sadly, Aurora died on Jan. 14, 1967 at the age of 45. Richard lived for another two decades after his bride's passing. He succumbed in Council Bluffs on Christmas Day 1987 at the age of 68. Burial was in Cedar Lawn Cemetery in Council Bluffs.

• Granddaughter Marianne Eleanor McMullen (1928-2003) was born on Feb. 7, 1928 in Council Bluffs. She lived at home with her parents in Council Bluffs in 1944. In 1945, she married Robert E. Streepy (June 7, 1926-1990). They produced these known offspring, Michael E. Streepy, Richard Streepy, Patrick Streepy, Susan Claar and Margaret "Peggy" Borman. The couple divorced. In 1972, she wed again to Floyd W. McLean (1924- ? ). Marianne died in Council Bluffs at the age of 75 on Oct. 7, 2003. Former husband Robert died on Aug. 15, 1990.

Great-grandson Michael E. Streepy married Jody Forrester, daughter of Donald and Roseann Forrester. The family lived in Omaha, and their children included Zachary Streepy. The couple divorced, with Michael marrying Geney Lyons ( ? - ? ), daughter of Gene and LaRae Lyons, and remaining in Sioux City, but with Jody relocating to Phoenix, AZ. Son Zachary (1974-2003) was All-Star Football Team selection as a kicker from Iowa in 1992. He earned a degree in interdisciplinary studies in criminal justice and communication, and in August 2000 became a member of the Sioux City Police Department. On Sept. 1, 2001, he was joined in wedlock with Cindy Hansen ( ? - ? ), daughter of Lou and Jan Hansen, with the nuptials held in Calvary Lutheran Church in Sioux City. They bore a daughter, Lauren Hansen Streepy. But a long family life was not meant to be. Zachary contracted the deadly melanoma form of cancer and died at home on March 14, 2003.

Great-grandson Richard Streepy married Patricia.

Great-grandson Patrick Streepy

Great-granddaughter Susan Streepy married Daryl Claar.

Great-granddaughter Margaret "Peggy" Streepy wedded Brad Borman.

Daughter Carrie M. McMullen (1892-1973) was born on Sept. 10, 1892 in Columbus. When she was 12 years old, in August 1904, she spent a week's vacation in Fullerton, NE, visiting the with the families of Peter and C.L. Wenburg. She wedded Calvin Hopper ( ? - ? ). They dwelled in Nebraska and produced one known daughter, Dorothy Kudlacek Fritz. The Hoppers' marriage fell apart and they divorced, with Carrie and Dorothy moving by 1920 into the home of Carrie's brother Arthur in Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, IA. The 1940 federal census shows her residing alone on Avenue C in Council Bluffs and supporting herself as an office manager with a handbill-advertising distribution firm. By 1944, she had relocated to Vancouver, WA, and in 1946, despite the fact she was living so far away, the Council Bluffs City Council increased the assessment of her property at 3508 Western Avenue. She eventually sold the tract. Carrie passed into eternity at the age of 81, three days after Christmas 1973, in Aberdeen, Grays Harbor, WA. Her remains rest in Evergreen Memorial Gardens in Vancouver, Clark County.

• Granddaughter Dorothy Hopper (1911-1988) was born on March 24, 1911 in Columbus. She was but a young girl when her parents divorced. She married Sidney Oldrick Kudlacek (April 10, 1911-1973). The couple appears to have migrated to Washington State, making their home in Longview, Cowlitz County. At some point they divorced. In about 1948, she tied the knot again with Ervin Fritz ( ? - ? ). Former husband Sidney died in Longview at age 62 on Nov. 26, 1973. Dorothy lived in Aberdeen, WA in 1973. She passed away at the age of 76 in January 1988. Her remains are at rest in Evergreen Memorial Gardens in Vancouver. Inscribed on her bronze grave marker tablet is the phrase "Beloved Mother and Grandmother."

Son Arthur Robert "Art" McMullen (1895-1947) was born on Jan. 24, 1895 in Council Bluffs or Columbus. (Sources differ.) During World War I, he served with the U.S. Naval Reserve. He was united in matrimony with Ruby Rita Roberts (1900-1955). They were the parents of a son, Louis Robert McMullen. In 1920, they made a home in Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, IA, where he worked as a railroad brakeman. That year, Arthur's widowed mother and divorced sister Carrie and her daughter Dorothy lived under their roof. At some point Arthur moved to northern California, making a home in Oakland. They migrated again to Los Angeles County. Arthur died at the age of 52 in Riverside, Los Angeles County on May 30, 1947. Ruby endured life as a widow before marrying again to Francks Nicholas "Frank" Toscano (1904-1979). She died on July 13, 1995, with burial in Los Banos Cemetery in Merced County, CA.

• Grandson Louis Robert "Mac" McMullen (1920-1944) was born on Feb. 27, 1920 in Council Bluffs. He and his parents moved to California when he was young and resided there in Los Banos. Louis married Laura Lucile Walker (June 29, 1922-1977). He joined the U.S. Navy during World War II and was assigned as a torpedoman's mate in the submarine USS Growler. Tragically, while on duty in the South China Sea on Nov. 8, 1944, the Growler was attacked and destroyed, with the loss of all 90 hands. His widow married again to Vincent Edward Celano (Jan. 13, 1914-2004). She died in Los Banos, Merced County, Ca on Oct. 5, 1977 at the age of 55. Her remains are in repose in Los Banos Cemetery. See his profile on the website OnEternalPatrol.com, operated by the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park in Hawaii.

Son Karl Newton McMullen Sr. (1897-1980) was born on Jan. 23, 1897 in Council Bluffs or Columbus. He served in the U.S. Army in both World War I and World War II and was stationed overseas. He married Marie Alice Elizabeth (Oct. 19, 1896-1975). They bore four sons -- Karl Newton McMullen Jr., Ray A. McMullen, Ralph K. McMullen and Roy A. McMullen. Heartache enveloped the family in 1925 at the death of their six-year-old son Karl. Their address was 2530 75th Street in Omaha. He was a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2503 in Benson, NE. Sadly, Marie died in Omaha at the age of 78 on April 18, 1975. His final years were spent in Wisconsin. He died at the age of 83 on May 18, 1980. Burial was in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Omaha, NE. An obituary appeared in the Omaha World-Herald.

• Grandson Ray A. McMullen lived in Haysville, KS in 1975

• Grandson Ralph K. McMullen dwelled in Omaha.

• Grandson Roy Allen McMullen (1926-2007) was born on Jan. 21, 1926 in Columbus. At the age of 23, in September 1949, he was wedded to Joan (Delaine) Hudson ( ? - ? ). He made his residence for many years in Omaha. His second wife was Barbara L. (1922-2016). At the age of 81, in Omaha, Roy succumbed on May 10, 2007. Barbara lived for another eight years as his widow. She joined him in death on Sept. 26, 2016 in Omaha. They rest together in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Omaha.

Daughter Adell Lenora "Della" McMullen (1902- ? ) was born on Aug. 1, 1902 in Osceola, Clarke County, IA. In 1941, when she was 39 years of age, she wedded Glen Stanley MacCarthy ( ? - ? ), also spelled "McCarthy." In 1944, the couple resided in California.

Son David Aubury McMullen (1902-1969) was born on April 23, 1902 in Columbus. In about 1925, he was joined in matrimony with Agnes (Kudlacek) Smith (Jan. 6, 1897-1978). He moved to California, where he lived in Los Angeles in 1935, San Francisco in 1940 and earned a living as a radio salesman. David died in Los Angeles County, CA on Dec. 1, 1969. His remains were returned to Nebraska to rest in the veterans' section of Mount Hope Cemetery in Omaha. Agnes survived him by nine years and spent that time in Vancouver, Clark County, WA. She joined him in eternity at age 81 on May 5, 1978. Interment was in Park Hill Cemetery in Vancouver.

~ Son Charles Thomas J. Miner ~

Son Charles Thomas J. Miner (1871-1932) was born on Nov. 27, 1871 (or 1872) in or near Columbus, Platte County, NE, shortly after his parents had relocated from Ohio. He grew up learning his father's carpentry trade.

As a young man, he was of medium height and slender build, with blue eyes and brown hair.

Charles obtained a contract from the City of Columbus in December 1892 for installing sidewalks along city streets. Reported the Columbus Journal, he was to be paid "65 cents a foot linear measure for sidewalks 10 feet wide, and 19½ cents for those 4 feet wide." In October 1897, he was selected as a subcontractor for C.C. Hardy in the construction of a 14 ft. by 28 ft., two-story house for John Galley, and in June 1901 for the residence of E.H. Frank in the Evans addition of town.

Proud of his father's Civil War service, Charles joined the Sons of Veterans, Union Camp No. 134. In late December 1896, he was elected second lieutenant of the organization and was named a delegate to attend the state encampment in Omaha in February 1897. During Memorial Day commemorations in Columbus, he played taps while special services were held at soldiers' gravesites.

During the Spanish-American War/Philippine Insurrection, Charles served as a musician in the U.S. Army with Company K of the 1st Nebraska Volunteer Infantry. Prior to shipping out, he was in San Francisco and sent a letter to his parents dated June 1, 1898. In it, he described a visit to a "cliff house" along the Pacific Coast and seeing "the great waves dashing up against the rocks." But he added that "we are all anxious to get out of here & commence our war crear [career]." The envelope he used was illustrated with an American flag overlaid with a photograph captioned "Remember the Maine."

Charles' battlefield map, 1898

By July 31, 1898, he had had arrived in the Philippine Islands and was posted to Camp Dewey near Manila. One 12-page letter he sent home, written  over the span of a week between July 31 and Aug. 6, spelled out details of an early battle: "yesterday morning found us under fire of the Spanish guns cannon ball & riffell [rifle] balls were flying pretty thick." He and fellow troops were sent to battallion headquarters in an abandoned English clubhouse. "When [the enemy] got to fireing & the bullets got to ringing through the building we changed our quarters to the ground under the porch on the south side oposet [opposite] the enemy. Our boys worked all night throwing up breast works within 100 yd's of the spanish works... We were releaved by the Peyslvany boys & came home."

His writing on Aug. 1 reported that "We heard this morning that 15 of the 10th [Pennsylvania] were killed & 45 wonded, the spanish atacked our right flank & came onto the boy's befor they could realize what had happened, but the boy's did not flinch & drove them back behind the wall's takeing there breast works... Well I have found out exactley how many were killed. Pens'y had 8 killed & 5 wounded." The next day, Aug. 2, he wrote that "We are going out this morning to take the trenche. [Admiral George] Duey has given them till tomorrow morning to surender so we will be out there at that time." A day later, Aug. 3, he wrote that "I would not give (hardly) one cent for our lives here for us are with in the search lights of the spanish guns all the time. They could tare our camp all to pieces any time they seen fit. & when we go out in the trenches there is not more than 1000 of us & when the spanish makes an atact [attack] they come about 5000 or 6000."

Charles' Aug. 6 letter disclosed that, after a day of building breastworks, his unit was to expect an attack at 7:30 p.m.: "shell, grape & canester rolled shot & ... bullets rang over & around us like hale, makeing a horrible dischord. And then came the order to move to the front trenches. We started out in single file... Altho it was dark, it seemed as if the whole spanish fire came right up the road, we dubbled timed up the road, & all at once I heard some one say Head it shot, & shore enough, I moved ahead to a light spot in the hedge & there lay my friend Clod Head, Co. G, a Trumpeter, shot through the stomach." After apparently taking the enemy works, Charles and his company were ordered back to the trenches and in the morning back to camp. In this long letter, he enclosed a hand-drawn map of the battlefield.  

Another of his letters home was printed in the Aug. 24, 1898 edition of the Columbus Journal:

We have landed and are in camp a mile and a half from Manila. The insurgents had quite a battle yesterday morning, when he landed. Everything here is heathenish. Houses, horses and boats are of the old heathen style. The natives are a queer people -- something of the Malay race, with all kinds and sorts of race diseases including leprosy. Out in the bay, where we lay awhile before coming ashore, the stench from the dead Spanish of the sunken fleet was fearful. Just after supper the lower half of a Spanish body came floating by the Senator, and made about half the boys sick. The Monterey is expected in tonight, and if she comes we will probably take Manila in a few days. I like the country; have good health, and feel like a fighting cock all the time.

Their camp at times was overrun by what he called "yellow feavor, Small pocks & Cholery." When his fellow Company K member Theodore Larson succumbed to illness, on Oct. 3, 1898, it was Charles' responsibility ss bugler to play taps at the grave. He later wrote: "It was one of the hardest tasks I have done since we have been out in the U.S.A. I hope & pray it will be the last one."

Charles wrote many more letters home from the army, and these duly were printed in the Journal. He returned home after the war's end.

When the U.S. Census count was made in 1900, the unmarried 28-year-old lived with his parents in Columbus and earned a living as a carpenter.

On Nov. 27, 1902, when he was 31 years of age, Charles was married to 23-year-old Martha Della "Delight" Wells (April 10, 1879-1962), daughter of William Lewis and Jennie Rose (Fellows) Wells. Martha was a resident of Columbus and a native of Plattsmouth, NE. The ceremony was held in St. Luke's Episcopal Church of Plattsmouth, NE. In announcing the upcoming wedding, the Courier said: "Miss Wells was for some time a competent helper in the composing room of the Argus office and became acquainted with many Columbus people while here. Mr. Miner is a Columbus boy and needs no introduction to our readers. We extend wishes for their happiness through life."

They produced four known offspring, Jennie Delight Moore Adams, Charles R.O. Miner, Robert Thomas Miner and Orabelle M. Herbeck Courtney.

Sadly, little Charles died in Kansas City on Sept. 8, 1913 at the tender age of 15 days, caused by acute kidney failure and lack of vigor. His remains were interred in Elmwood Cemetery.

Charles among uniformed friends, some holding instruments. Courtesy Marcia Farrell

He obtained employment circa August 1901 as a coach repairer with the Burlington and Missouri Railroad shops in Alliance, NE. By February 1903, he had secured a new job with the Big Four Railroad Company in St. Joseph, MO, working there as a finisher. Reported the Journal, "He is getting good wages and is well pleased with his work."

A story in the Journal in July 1903 noted that he and his wife resided in Plattsmouth, NE and that he was "now receiving treatment for an arm which did not heal perfectly from a fracture received about two years ago."

Circa 1906, he lived at 415 Vine Street in Kansas City, and his aged father died in the residence. In June 1907, as noted in the gossip columns of the Journal, they attended a family reunion at his parents' home in Omaha.

They remained in Kansas City as shown in the 1910 census, with an address of Wayne Avenue. In 1910, Charles' widowed mother lived in their home, in addition to 25-year-old brother in law John M. Wells and cousin 14-year-old Earl (?) Thomas. By 1911, they had relocated within Kansas City to a house at 132 North White. There, his mother died on Nov. 13, 1911. The Miners remained at 132 North White in 1913.

Charles at age 45 was required to register for the military draft during World War I. He stated his residence as Arnold, Custer County, NE, listing Della as his next of kin. At the time, he was providing carpentry services for George Morrow.

By 1920, the family had relocated to Logan, NE, where daughter Orabelle was born. Within five years, in 1925, the Miners were living in Missouri. Then in 1925-1926, the Miners moved south to Texas into Houston, Harris County. They lived at 2008 Columbia, and Charles earned a living with carpentry.

Charles filed to receive a military pension as compensation for his wartime service. [App. #1524722 - Cert. #A-7-20-20].

Tragically, Charles was stricken with cancer of the prostate and bladder. He was admitted to Heights Clinic in Houston, where he died at the age of 59 on Jan. 20, 1932. John L. Moore of Houston was the informant for the Texas death certificate. Interment was in Woodlawn Cemetery in Houston. A military marker is believed to mark his grave.

Martha survived her spouse by three decades. She began receiving her husband's pension. [App. #171.901 - Cert. #A-6-11-32 - XC #2.647.674].

She succumbed in Houston on July 6, 1962, at the age of 83.

Daughter Jennie Delight Miner (1907-1980) was born on Jan. 13, 1907 in Kansas City, Jackson County, MO at the address of 4115 Wayne Avenue. She migrated to Texas as a young woman. On Nov. 27, 1923, in  nuptials held in Houston, Harris County, TX, she was wedded to John Leo Moore Sr. (May 1, 1895-1957), with Fr. James T. Moriarty officiating. He was the son of John and Teresa Mary Moore. John was a native of Ireland, having emigrated from his home of St. Gabriel Parish near Dublin in 1912 after the death of his father, and then settling in Austin, TX. The couple's four children were Charlotte Delight Moore, Rose Mary Moore, John Leo Moore Jr. and Charles Thomas Moore. John was short and slender with grey eyes and brown hair. As a young man, he was employed as a collector in Austin, TX. He registered for the military draft during World War I and eventually served in the armed forces. The federal censuses of 1930 and 1940 show the family making living in a home they owned on 1433 Columbia Street in Houston. John earned a living in the 1920s and early 1930s as an interior decorator, working for a retail furniture company. By 1940, evidence suggests that he had formed his own decoration business,with Jennie having gone to work also as a secretary. The Moores made a journey of a lifetime when they traveled to Ireland in the fall of 1949, sailing back to the United States on the Washington. In the mid-1950s, he continued as a home furnisher. John was burdened with hardening of the arteries for the last 20 years of his life. He suffered a heart attack in about 1952 but continued on for five more years. Sadness blanketed the Moores when John went into circulatory failure at the age of 60 and was rushed to Heights Hospital in Houston where he was pronounced dead on arrival on March 9, 1957. His remains were placed into repose in Garden of Gethsemani Cemetery in Houston. Jennie survived her husband by 23 years. She supported herself through her labor as a draftswoman for a metal working firm. She married a second time on July 19, 1958 to railroad clerk and World War II veteran Nealon Francis Adams (Feb. 6, 1905-1971), son of William Henry and Lena A. (Butler) Adams. The wedding was held at All Saints Catholic Church in Houston. They made their home in Bacliff, Galveston County, TX, with the address of 4746 First Street. Jennie was a member of the All Saints Catholic Church of Houston and later the Shrine of the True Cross Catholic Church. Jennie was widowed a second time when Nealon died of larynx cancer and pneumonia on Christmas Day 1971 in Houston. Jennie remained in their home from the final nine years of her life. She suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 73 on April 15, 1980. Burial was in Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery, following funeral services at the Shrine of the True Cross Catholic Church in Dickinson, with Rev. Eugene Cargill leading the service. An obituary appeared in the Galveston Daily News.

• Granddaughter Charlotte Delight Moore (1924-1992) was born on July 25, 1924 in Houston, Harris County, TX. She was baptized in All Saints Catholic Church in Houston. At the age of 18, on Dec. 15, 1942, she was united in wedlock with Jack Woodworth Tanner (1920-1972). They produced seven children -- among them John Frederick Tanner, Susan Redding and Sandra Waltrip. Their marriage of 30 years' duration was ended when Jack died in Beaumont, Jefferson County, TX on Aug. 28, 1972. A year later, Charlotte endured the further pain of the untimely death of son John at age 18 or 19, also on Beaumont, on Nov. 14, 1973. Charlotte married a second time to George Preston Trousdale (June 23, 1921-1978), son of Arthur T. and Ruby May (O'Neal) Trousdale and a native of Pauls Valley, OK. George was a machinist in an auto parts store in Woodville, Tyler County, TX. Sadly, he contracted a rare neurological disorder known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), popularly called Lou Gehrig's Disesae. At the age of 57, he died on Oct. 27, 1978, after just a few years of marriage with Charlotte. Hie body was willed to medical science at Baylor University College of Medicine. Charlotte resided in the early 1990s in League City, Galveston, TX. Tragically, she died in Galveston with her aunt Orabelle Courntey in a two-car collision in League City on Aug. 13, 1992. Reported the Galveston Daily News, the accident "occurred as a 1989 Ford Crown Victoria turned left from the Interstate 45 feeder road onto FM 646." Burial was in Beaumont.

Great-grandson John Frederick Tanner ( ? -1973) was born on (?). He was married. Sadly, he was killed in an automobile accident in Jefferson County, TX on Nov. 14, 1973.

Great-granddaughter Susan Tanner wedded Michael Redding. They were the parents of Christopher Redding and Nicholas Redding. Grief blanketed the family when son Christopher, father of three and grandfather of two and newly remarried for just a year, died at the age of 41 on Feb. 9, 2020 in Lumberton, TX.

Great-granddaughter Sandra Tanner married (?) Waltrip.

• Granddaughter Rose Mary Moore (1926-2002) was born on July 12, 1926 in Houston, Harris County, TX. On March 5, 1946, she was joined in matrimony with Samuel Alton Boazman (Nov. 12, 1926-2003), a native of Roswell, Chaves County, NM, and the son of Samuel A. and Pearl (Rentz) Boazman. Rev. Thomas F. O'Sullivan of Houston officiated. The couple produced five children, among them Sam Boazman, Richard "Rick" Boazman, Jane Pearson, Danita Burriola and William "Billy Joe" Boazman. The Boazmans' home in 1960 was in Lubbock, TX. In 1963, he was named manager of the Corpus Christi yard of the Great Texas Lumber Company, and they moved there. By 1985, they moved to Virginia, settling in Manassas, VA, where he is believed to have served as deputy director of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). There, Rose Mary succumbed on Dec. 29, 2002, at the age of 76. Samuel only lived for another eight months after his wife's passing. He died in Charlottesville, VA on Aug. 20, 2003.

  Great-grandson William Joseph "Billy Joe" Boazman ( ? -2022) played clarinet and ran track in high school. He was married and the father of a daughter. Burdened with cancer, William passed away in Corpus Christi, TX on Dec. 3, 2022.

• Grandson John Leo Moore Jr. (1928-1997) was born on Sept. 13, 1928 in Houston, Harris County, TX. During the Korean War, he served in the U.S. Navy. John was married at the age of 30 to Judith Ellen Shovers ( ? - ? ) on Dec. 6, 1958. Rev. Charles C. Domec, of the Catholic Church, led the wedding ceremony in Houston. The couple resided in Houston and produced five children -- among them Theresa Bailey, Christine Allen, Brenda Hutsko, Johanna Warren and John Moore III. John is known to have signed his mother's Texas death certificate in 1980. John died in Houston on Dec. 8, 1997. Interment was in Driver Cemetery in Teague, Freestone County, TX. [Find-a-Grave] Judith has outlived her husband for several decades. In 2022, she entured the heartache of the untimely death of her daughter Thesesa.

  Great-granddaughter Theresa Moore (1959-2022) was born on July 5, 1959 in Houston. She was joined in wedlock with (?) Bailey. The couple bore a  daughter, Nicole Munoz. Said an obituary, "Heer smile and laugh lit up any room. Theresa’s life and the way she lived it was strong. She was a fighter." Sadly,   she succumbed to the spectre of death at age 62, in St. Luke's Hospital in The Woodland, TX, on Jan. 30, 2022.

  Great-granddaughter Christine Moore married (?) Allen

  Great-granddaughter Brenda Moore wed (?) Hutsko 

  Great-granddaughter Johanna Moore was united in matrimony with (?) Warren 

  Great-grandson John Moore III

• Grandson Charles Thomas "Tom" Moore (1930-2000) was born on Aug. 20, 1930 in Houston, Harris County, TX. At the age of 24, on Nov. 27, 1954, Charles married Emily Patricia Kubick (Oct. 27, 1934-2023), a native of Brenham, TX and the daughter of Bruno H. and Rosalie D. Kubick. Their wedding ceremony was conducted in Houston. They became the parents of three offspring -- Charles Thomas Moore Jr., Roxanne Boyce and Michelle Moore. Emily grew up in Houston and was an alumna of St. Agnes Academy. Said an obituary, "After a honeymoon trip to California, they settled in Houston where she worked at a hospital in the records department until the birth of her 3 children, where she got the most important job, a stay-at-home mom. After she successfully raised her children, she decided to get back into the working world but before doing so, she went to the local community college and took a typing class. She joined Gerald Hines Interests in the fall of 1984 where she worked until she retired in March 2019 [and] during this time, she also worked part-time at a bingo hall and at Foleys." During her free time, she liked to raise plants and work in her yard. The couple divorced on March 26, 1993. Charles spent his final years in Galveston, Galveston County. Stricken with cancer, Charles' life was cut away by the Grim Reaper on Nov. 9, 2000 in Galveston. An obituary was published in the Galveston Daily News. [Find-a-Grave] Emily outlived her ex by 23 years and lived in Houston. She died at the age of 88 on May 28, 2023. Her mass of Christian burial was held at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, followed by burial in Woodlawn Cemetery.

Great-grandson Charles Thomas Moore Jr. was married to or a companion of Robin Treadwell. He later was in a relationship with Denise.

Great-granddaughter Roxanne Moore wedded Michael Boyce.

Great-granddaughter Michelle Moore was married to or a companion of Dennis Clooney.

Son Robert Thomas Miner (1918-1968) was born on Feb. 10, 1918 in Kansas City, Jackson County, MO. He stood 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighed 140 lbs., and had a light complexion, grey eyes and brown hair. On April 5, 1942, when he was 24 years of age, Robert was united in marriage with Agnes Lucille "Aggie" Albert (Dec. 5, 1920-2001), a native of Many, Sabine Parish, LA She was the daughter of Mohammed Abdullah and Clara Marie (Mercieca) Husseini, the father an immigrant of Syrian/Turkish heritage whose name was Americanized to "Alex P. Albert." The couple produced three children -- among them Betty Ann Goodson Bruton and Linda Kirschbaum. During World War II, Robert served as a private first class with the Texas National Guard, achieving the rank of major. After the war, the Miners dwelled in Houston for decades with an address of 509 East 16th Street. Robert earned a living as an upholsterer and retail merchandising supervisor for Stower's Furniture Company. Tragically, at the age of 49, and in the morning hours of Jan. 14, 1968, he died suddenly at home. Mrs. Lance Stanley signed the official certificate of death. Interment was in Woodlawn Garden of Memories in Houston. [Find-a-Grave] The widowed Agnes outlived her husband by more than three decades. She joined him in death on July 9, 2001. Inscribed on her grave marker are the words "Beloved Mother" and "Forever in our hearts."

• Granddaughter Betty Ann Miner (1947-1998) was born on Aug. 21, 1947 in Houston. Her first spouse was (?) Oliver ( ? - ? ). She carried that surname circa 1967. Her second husband was Glenn Michael Goodson (1950- ? ), married in Reno, NV on June 19, 1973 and divorced in Houston on Nov. 23, 1977. On Aug. 21, 1986, in the Houston area, the 39-year-old Betty married Anthony Dale Bruton (Jan. 9, 1947-2007). Circa 1993, her home was in New Caney, Montgomery County, TX. She passed away at the age of 51 on Oct. 25, 1998 in New Caney. Her remains were transported to Louisiana to rest in St. John the Baptist Catholic Cemetery in her mother's hometown of Many, Sabine Parish. Inscribed on the face of her grave marker are the words "Beloved wife and best friend." [Find-a-Grave] Anthony survived for another nine years. He succumbed on Nov. 26, 2007.

Daughter Orabelle Mercedes Miner (1920-1992) was born on June 16, 1920 in Logan, NE. Her first husband was Frank Herbeck (Jan. 13, 1916-1979). Their children were Martha Carol Trammell, Frank Alan Herbeck, Charles Richard Herbeck, James Edward Herbeck, Paul David Herbeck and William Robert Herbeck. Frank was a veteran of World War II and earned a living as a bricklayer. They dwelled in Kemah and LaPorte. Orabelle was a talented seamstress and worked for Competition Marine in Seabrook, TX. She also was a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles in Kemah. Sadly, the Herbecks divorced. On July 1, 1966, she wedded again to World War II army veteran Leslie Shelton Courtney (1920-1983). The couple divorced in Galveston on Dec. 3, 1971 after five years of marriage. In about 1972, Orabelle relocated to League City, TX. Sadness shook the family when she endured the deaths of sons James and Paul in a vehicle accident on Dec. 18, 1973. History repeated itself when Orabelle and her niece Charlotte Moore were killed in a two-car collision on Aug. 13, 1992. Reported the Galveston Daily News, the accident "occurred as a 1989 Ford Crown Victoria turned left from the Interstate 45 feeder road onto FM 646." Burial was in Seabrook Cemetery, with Rev. James L. Killen officiating, and an obituary printed in the Galveston Daily News. Former husband Frank Herbeck died at age 63 on Oct. 7, 1979, with burial in Galveston Memorial Park in Hitchcock.

• Grandson Frank Alan Herbeck (1938-1998) was born on June 30, 1938 in Houston. On Oct. 24, 1959, when he was 21 years old, he married 19-year-old Shirley Marie (Regan) Milstead (1940-1982). The nuptials took place in Harris County, with Rev. Conracd W. Winbow Jr. officiating. the couple produced one known daughter, Ceh'a Whitworth. They resided in Galveston in 1973 and in Texas City in 1979. He was a founding member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles of clear Lake Shores and was elected to the position of guard. Sadness enveloped his world upon the death Shirley's passing at the age of about 41 on March 23, 1982 in Texas City. Frank lived for another 16 years and dwelled in Clear Lake Shores, TX in 1992. Stricken with cancer, he died in St. John's Hospital in Nassau Bay, Harris County on March 5, 1998 at the age of 59. Interment was in Whitworth family cemetery in Leona, Leon County, TX. An obituary in the Galveston Daily News said that "Frankie was independent and self-sufficient in spite of much ill fortune. He shared heart and home with niece and nephew Georgia and David Herbeck who gave him the support and freedom he needed to retain his dignity."

Great-granddaughter Ceh'a Herbeck wedded Phillip Whitworth. They were the parents of Selena Whitworth, Amanda Whitworth and Emily Whitworth.

• Grandson William Robert "Billy" Herbeck (1941-2006) was born in 1941. He was united in holy matrimony with Leone ( ? - ? ). He made his home in Seabrook, TX in 1973-1979 and in Clear Lake Shores in 1992.

• Grandson James Edward Herbeck (1948-1973) was born on Jan. 4, 1948 in Houston. He produced a son, Eric James Herbeck. Circa 1973, he resided at 915 Juniper in Clear Lake Shores, Galveston County, TX. At that time, he was employed as a rigger for Seabrook Shipyards. On the fateful night of Dec. 17, 1973, the 25-year-old James and his 20-year-old brother Paul were badly injured in a two-automobile accident on Highway 146 near Seabrook. His neck broken and chest and abdomen crushed, he was taken to the Space Center Memorial Hospital in Nassau Bay, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Rev. Bob Parrott officiated at the funeral held in League City, with burial in Seabrook Cemetery.

• Grandson Paul David Herbeck (1952-1973) was born on Sept. 3, 1953 in Pasadena, TX. In 1973, he was self-employed as an air conditioning technician. On Dec. 18, 1973, at the age of 20, he and his brother James were badly injured while driving on Highway 146 near Seabrook, TX. Paul suffered a skull fracture with bleeding on the brain. He was rushed to Clear Lake Hospital in Webster, where he died the following morning, the brother having passed earlier at another hospital. Rev. Bob Parrott officiated at the funeral for both men, held in League City, followed by interment in Seabrook Cemetery

• Granddaughter Martha Carol Herbeck married Gene Trammell. In 1973-1992, she lived in Crosby, TX, and circa 2023 in Seabrook, TX.

• Grandson Charles Richard Herbeck ( ? -2023) was born in (?). He is believed to have been enrolled at Lee Junior College where he met his first bride. He was employed with Monsanto Chemical Company in Texas City, TX in 1960, working as a laboratory technician. On April 23, 1960, in a ceremony held at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Baytown, TX, he married Roma Olivia Romero (Aug. 19, 1938-2020), daughter of Raoul S. "Rome" and Thelma (Chachere) Romero of Lafayette, LA. The trio of sons born to this couple were Kelly Herbeck, Kirk Herbeck and Kristofer Herbeck. Roma had grown up on Conroe, TX, where she joined Sacred Heart Catholic Church, but relocated as a teen to Baytown, TX, where she was a 1957 graduate of Robert E. Lee High School. She then attended the University of Houston. The growing family relocated to Texas City, TX, where he commuted back to Houston to study at the University of Houston and the South Texas College of Law. Said an obituary, Richard "began his law career with Mabry & Gunn in Texas City in 1971 in what was the original TC hospital. His law partner, Ed Mabry, who was also the band director at Clear Creek High School when [Richard] attended there, remained his partner for the next 40+ years. He practiced family and corporate law and was one of the first environmental attorneys in Texas." Richard also was an active volunteer with St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Optimist Club, Rotary Club, Texas City Chamber of Commerce and Galveston Bay Foundation. His sons remembered the rings he would bring them, made from scrap pipe at Monsanto, and selling Christmas trees for the Optimist organization and peddling raffle tickets for the grand prize automobile for the bazaar of St. Mary's Church. The boys also played in a two-story playhouse which he built at their first home, completed with a fireman's pole and climbing rope. The couple eventually divorced.  
  
  Roma received an associate's degree from the College of the Mainland. For a time she was employed in drafting for a small engineering firm. She also was a talented oil painter and sketch artist. For many years, she held a membership in the St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church and the altar group of St. Anne's. Said the Beaumont Enterprise, "Roma's favorite season was Christmas. She would spend many months prior shopping for the perfect gift for each member of her family, spending hours decorating, wrapping and trimming the tree, all to make Christmas magical. The pinnacle of the event would always be dozens upon dozens of her delicious and wonderfully decorated sugar cookies." In 2009 Roma relocated to Tomball, TX. Sadly, at the age of 82, ex-wife Roma died on Oct. 23, 2020 as a patient in Lawrence Street Health Care, Tomball, TX. Her funeral mass was held at St. Matthias the Apostle Catholic Church, with burial following in Garden Park Cemetery.
  
  Richard moved to North Houston and married again to Linda Morris ( ? - ? ). Stepchildren from the second marriage were Todd Morris, James Morris and Douglas Lyn Morris. Charles and Linda established a home in Rockport, TX and moved to Katy after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. Death swept him away on July 30, 2023.

  Great-grandson Kelly Martin Herbeck (1961-2023) was born on Sept. 21, 1961 in Texas City, TX and spent his life in the community. In 1993, he married Kathy ( ? -living). Their only daughter was Mindy Carthrae. Kelly earned a living as an appliance repairman, employed for two decades by EJ & Sons. They attended the Abundant Life Christian Center. Said an obituary, "Kelly was an inventor, a reader and researched everything. He enjoyed tinkering with almost anything and loved cats." He underwent heart surgery, and never fully recovered. Death swept him away in Galveston, TX at the age of 61 on May 11, 2023. Pastor Billy Lynn Williams led the memorial service.

  Great-grandson Kirk Herbeck wed Marcy. They dwell in Pinehurst, TX.

  Great-grandson Kristofer "Kris" Herbeck is an alumnus of Texas City High School. He also studied at the University of Houston. Kristofer was joined in wedlock with Scott Faber. The couple make a home in Kerrville, TX. Kristofer owns Peyton's Place Dog Boutique and Salon.

~ Daughter Cora Nell (Miner) Cummings Dotson ~

Daughter Cora Nell Miner (1877-1932) was born on Jan. 5, 1877 in Columbus, Platte County, NE.

In 1894, at the age of 17, she was united in wedlock with W.A. Cummings ( ? - ? ).

They together produced at least two children, Iona "Ownie" Neilson McMillan and James "Albert" Cummings.   

Circa April 1896, when their first child was born, they resided in Osceola, Iowa. Less than three years later, by January 1899, they had relocated back to Nebraska, making a home in Omaha. Cora traveled to Columbus in May 1899 to spend a month with her parents, as reported in the Columbus Journal.

The federal census enumeration of 1900 shows Cora and her two children living with her parents in Columbus. The whereabouts of her husband are not known.

At the age of 30, in about 1907, Cora had married again, to Illinois native Melvin Dotson (1877- ? ).

Melvin Dotson (left) and brothers-in-law Fred McMullen and Harvey Farrell (right), all married to Miner women and all destined to become exes.  Courtesy Marcia Farrell

The couple bore one daughter, Thelma Dotson.

In June 1907, as noted in the gossip columns of the Columbus (NE) Journal, they attended a family reunion at her parents' home in Omaha.

Melvin earned a living as a steamfitter and a furnace installer for a hardware company. They made their home in Council Bluffs, Iowa on Avenue B (in 1910) and Avenue D (1920). In late July or early August 1910, she suffered a slight stroke and was somewhat paralyzed, but a story in the Columbus Journal noted that "Her friends in this city will be pleased to hear of her speedy recovery." 

In 1911, when named in the Columbus Telegram obituary of her mother, Cora lived in Omaha. 

During the decade of the 1920s, the Dotsons divorced. Cora and her family relocated to northern California, making a new home in San Francisco. The 1930 federal census shows the group there, living in one household. Cora had no occupation, but appears to have been supported by her adult children. She was a member of the Council Bluffs lodge of the Rebekah's/Independent Order of Odd Bellows and the Security Benefit Association.

Sadly, she  died in San Francisco at the age of 5 on Sept. 7, 1932. A death notice was printed in the San Francisco Examiner. The obituary asked that newspapers in Denver and Council Bluffs please republish the item.

Daughter Iona "Ownie" Cummings (1896- ? ) was born on April 20, 1896 in Iowa. News of her birth was published in her mother's home town newspaper, the Columbus Journal. In February 1903, when she was age six and living with her parents in Omaha, she traveled with her brother and grandmother Caroline Miner back to the Miner home in Columbus. Iona wedded (?) Neilsen ( ? - ? ). They were divorced during the 1920s. By 1930, Iona had migrated to San Francisco, CA with her mother and siblings and worked there as a hairdresser in a beauty shop. By 1932, she had marriied Robert McMillan ( ? - ? ).

Albert Cummings (right), home from the Army. L-R:  Melvin Dotson, Emma McMullen, Cora Cummings, Carrie Miner, Della McMullen. Courtesy Marcia Farrell.

Son James "Albert" Cummings (1899-1941) was born on Jan. 8, 1899 in Nebraska, most likely in Columbus. During World War I, he served as a bugler with a U.S. infantry unit. He married Margaret Anna (1902- ? ), an immigrant from Ireland. Their one known son was John Albert "Jack" Cummings. Circa 1920, Albert at age 21 and Margaret at age 18 dwelled with his parents in Council Bluffs. That year, he was employed as a streetcar conductor. During the 1920s, they relocated with his divorced mother to San Francisco, CA, and he found work as a laborer at odd jobs, while she was a waitress in a hospital. Their address in 1930 was on 23rd Street. Albert passed away at the age of 42 on Oct. 8 or 9, 1941 in San Francisco. He rests in the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, San Mateo County, CA. [Find-a-Grave]

Daughter Thelma Dotson (1920- ? ) was born in about 1920 in Nebraska. As a girl, she and her mother and older half-siblings moved to a new home in San Francisco, CA.

~ Daughter Laura Charlotte "Lottie" (Miner) Farrell ~

Harvey and Lottie and sons. Courtesy Marcia Farrell

Lottie, age 18 Courtesy Marcia Farrell

Daughter Laura Charlotte "Lottie" Miner (1883-1958) was born on March 14, 1883 in Columbus, Platte County, NE.

At the age of 20, she was employed in the hat factory of the Boston Store in Omaha. She made news in the Columbus Journal gossip column when she visited her brother Charles who had secured a new railroad carpentry job in St. Joseph, MO.

In January 1904, she relocated to Council Bluffs, Pottawatomie County, IA, where she had obtained work in a restaurant and where her married sister Cora Dotson made her home.

In 1905, when she was 22 years of age, Laura was joined in marriage with 29-year-old Harvey Albert Farrell (1876-1957), whose father was an immigrant from Ireland. Harvey was employed for many years as an engineer with the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, also known as the "Rock Island" or the "CRI & P."

The couple produced a brood of five children -- Dr. Chester Harvey "Chet" Farrell, Milton Edward "Milt" Farrell, Frank Farrell, Stanley "Stan" Farrell and Eloise Farrell.

In June 1907, as noted in the gossip columns of the Columbus (NE) Journal, they attended a family reunion at her parents' home in Omaha.

When named in the Columbus Telegram obituary of her mother in 1911, Laura lived in Council Bluffs.

The United States Census of 1920 lists the family in Council Bluffs, with Harvey continuing his employment as a CRI&P Railroad engineer, and all four sons in the household. 

Circa 1926, the Farrells' marriage dissolved. There are differing stories within the family about how and why the split occurred. One version has Laura deserting the household "for no reason at all," recalls one granddaughter, and taking her daughter Eloise to California where she enrolled the girl in a convent school. An alternate version has Laura moving out after learning that Harvey was conducting an affair with a woman from eastern Iowa named "Grace" whom he had met on his railroad runs. 

After the separation, their son Frank abandoned plans to study law and went to work for the Pacific Fruit Express Railroad to help cover bills back home. 

Laura, 1945

Laura returned from California, and the 1930 census shows her heading a household on 10th Avenue in Council Bluffs. Her husband Harvey at age 52 was boarding a short distance away on 10th Avenue, under the roof of Chester and Manda Sanville, and continuing his work as a railroad engineer. The couple officially divorced about that time.

Harvey eventually purchased a residence on Woodbury Avenue in Council Bluffs and brought his girlfriend Grace to cohabitate there with him. He bought a nearby house at 119 Woodbury Avenue which he later sold to son Frank for a dollar.

Laura remained in Council Bluffs during the rest of the 1930s and into 1940. She appears on the federal census enumeration of 1940 in a home on 12th Avenue, providing a home for her unmarried son Stanley (age 27) and daughter Eloise  (19). At the time, Stanley's occupation was marked as a student at a barber college.

Obituary, 1958

Ex-husband Harvey is remembered as growing grapevines and vegetables. He and his son Frank are said to have purchased a cow at auction and then removed the back seat of their automobile in order to carry the bovine home. He also liked to play the accordion and harmonica, and as an Irish tenor would sing "Old Black Joe" and "I Dream of Jeannie."

Laura's later years were spent living variously in the homes of her sons. She seems to have spent much of that time with her son Frank and his wife Helen and their children. Her final address was at 119 Woodbury Avenue.

Harvey passed away in 1957, with burial in Cedar Lawn Cemetery in Council Bluffs.

Laura only lived for a year more and was admitted to a nursing home. She died on Feb. 7, 1958, in an Omaha hospital. Interment was beside her ex-husband in Cedar Lawn Cemetery, even though she had told her family she did not want to be be there. 

Dr. Chester Farrell

Son Chester Harvey "Chet" Farrell (1907-1975) was born in 1907 in Council Bluffs, Pottawatomie County, IA. In 1930, at age 23, he resided at home and, as a student, was marked as having no occupation. The same year, he received his medical degree in 1930 from Creighton University and then interned at St. Luke's Hospital in Denver. He went on to a psychiatry practice in Omaha spanning 45 years, "longer than any other psychiatrist in Nebraska," reported the Lincoln Journal Star. He was "one of Omaha's best known psychiatrists." Chester was joined in matrimony with Margaret "Happy" Cathers ( ? - ? ), daughter of (?) Cather and a cousin of  Pulitzer Prize-winner Willa Cather, author of such popular books as O Pioneers! and My Ántonia. In fact, when Margaret was a sophomore student at South High School, she was pictured in a local newspaper, shown in a writing pose, with the caption stating that she was "demonstrating a position familir to three generations of Cathers. Her Cousin Willa has worn out hundreds of pencils in this same position and has produced many best sellers. Grandfather Cather, 90-year-old uncle of Willa, also writes and is preparing a manuscript about the Cather ancestors." 

The pair together produced a family of four children -- Janice Healey Ray, William F. Farrell, Michael Cathers Farrell and Robert "Terry" Farrell. Chester began his practice in 1931 in the state hospital located in Hastings. After 15 years, they relocated to Omaha, with him launching a private practice and donating time as a volunteer faculty member of his alma mater. Said the Journal Star, he "served as head of St. Joseph Hospital's Psychiatric Dept. and helped plan the hospital's psychiatric wing." He was consulted many times over the years in court cases and gave testimony in a number of trials in Douglas County, many involving homicides. He joined the Douglas County Board of Mental Health in 1951 and served continuously until the last year of his life. As an advocate for quality mental care, he testified before a U.S. Senate subcommittee in the early 1950s on patients; rights. Sadly, after suffering a ruptured artery, he died in an Omaha hospital at the age of 70 on Nov. 5, 1975. His obituary appeared in the Journal Star. Funeral services were held in the Dundee Presbyterian Church of Omaha.

• Granddaughter Janice "Jan" Farrell ( ? -2003) was twice-wed in her lifetime. One spouse was (?) Healey ( ? - ? ). Another was (?) Ray ( ? - ? ). She is said to have resided in Council Bluffs at the end and to have taken her own life in about 2003.

• Grandson William F. Farrell (1939-2019) was born on June 2, 1939. He entered into marriage with Kay Boortz ( ? - ? ), daughter of Wilbert J. "Bill" and Gertrude H. Boortz. Their union endured a remarkable 55 years. Three offspring born to the couple were Catherine Proctor, William "Wiff" Farrell and John "Johnny" Farrell. He died in Omaha at the age of 79 on May 26, 2019. Burial was in Omaha's Forest Lawn Memorial Park. In an obituary in the Omaha World-Herald, the family asked that any memorial donations be made to the Central High School Foundation or All Saints Episcopal Church.

• Grandson Michael Cathers Farrell (1945-2022) was born on May 15, 1945 in McKinney, Collin County, TX. He grew up in Omaha and was a 1963 graduate of Omaha Central High School, where he was active in football, acapella singing and theatre. He then received a degree in history from the University of Miami, and upon graduation received from his parents the gift of a Pontiac GTO automobile. Michael went on to study law at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, where, said a family obituary, "he honed his skills in rhetoric and debate, which served him well throughout his life." In young manhood, he and his brother learned the business of irrigation, and he earned a living from this trade for the rest of his life. He branched out on his own and for more than half a century owned and operated Teddy Jon's and Ever-Green Irrigation. He also was an active volunteer for 40-plus years with the Omaha Community Playhouse. When he was 44 years of age, circa 1989, he met his future wife, Phyllis (Rath) Taylor ( ? - ? ). Upon marriage, he embraced her sons from an earlier marriage as his own, and adopted the youngest, Jay. Said an obituary, "Throughout the 1990's he took frequent road trips in the baby blue Cadillac with his boys to Colorado, Nevada, and Arizona. This reignited his love of international travel, taking several trips to England, The Netherlands, and France. With his lifelong love of history, Phyllis and Mike became regulars at the Omaha Auction Center. He eventually ran the concessions featuring his roast beef, BBQ beef, and infamous brownies." He surrendered to the spectre of death at age 76, in Omaha, on Jan. 11, 2022.

• Grandson Robert "Terry" Farrell

Milton Farrell

Son Milton Edward "Milt" Farrell (1908-1977) was born on Nov. 16, 1908 in Council Bluffs. He too obtained a degree in 1930 from Creighton University, majoring in pharmacy. On July 9, 1937, when he was about age 27 and she 22, Milton entered into marriage with Maude Bell Williams (March 5, 1914-2001), of Marshalltown, IA and the daughter of John and Hattie (Richmond) Williams. Their nuptials were held in Des Moines, IA. The pair met when Milton was working early in his career in a Marshalltown pharmacy. The couple's only known daughter was Linda Farrell. At some point the Farrells relocated to the San Francisco area, settling in San Mateo. There, for a quarter of a century, he was a pharmacist with Bowerman's Pharmacy, located at the corner of Post and Mason Streets in San Francisco. He also was an amateur musician. He belonged to the SIRS of San Mateo. For a baker's dozen years, Maude was employed with the Emporium Department Store in San Francisco. He surrendered to the angel of death in Burlingame, CA on March 12, 1977. His death notice appeared in the San Francisco Examiner. The remains were placed in the Last Supper Mausoleum of Rose Hill Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Marshalltown, IA. Maude outlived her husband by exactly 24 years to the day. The Rhodes (IA) Tribune reported that she "often visited in Rhodes over the years. Her last visit was for the Richmond Reunion in 1990." She contracted cancer and endured the illness for many years. Her final residence was in San Mateo. At the age of 87, on March 12, 2001, she was gathered away by the angel of death. Her obituary was published in the Tribune. 

• Granddaughter Linda Farrell (1939- living) was born in 1939. She received a paralegal certificate from the Univrsity of San Francisco School of Law. She went on to receive a bachelor's degree from the University of Phoenix and additional degree from City College of San Francisco. Laura was joined in holy matrimony with (?) Delohrey ( ? - ? ). She resided in Cupertino, CA in 1977 and in San Mateo in 2001. Linda is said to have earned a living as a paralegal and as a computer programmer in Silicon Valley. Later, she relocated back to Iowa and made a home in Marshalltown. 

The 4 Farrells, and then one more -- at right, clockwise from lower left: Milt, Chet, Frank, Stan, Eloise. Courtesy Marcia Farrell

Frank Farrell

Son Frank Eugene Farrell (1910- ? ) was born on Nov. 18, 1910 in Council Bluffs, Pottawatomie County, IA, and at birth weighed a whopping 12 lbs. In adulthood he stood 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighed 165 lbs. and had hazel eyes and brown hair. Frank had dreams of going to law school. But after his parents separated in about 1926, with the father remaining behind in Council Bluffs, the 16-year-old Frank went to work for the Pacific Fruit Express Railroad to help cover bills. Then when he was 25 years of age, on Oct. 5, 1935, he was united in wedlock with 31-year-old Helen Lena Hansen (1905-1970), daughter of Gustav and Pauline (Gerhard) Hansen, farmers from near Silver City, IA. The wedding was officiated by Rev. O.B. Anderson, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Onawa, IA. On their marriage license, Frank disclosed his nationality as "Irish American" and Helen as "Danish." Theirs' was a double wedding held with Helen's 22-year-old sister Fern marrying 24-year-old Arthur Pederson. The Farrells established their residence in Council Bluffs and became the parents of Marcia Farrell and Frank Dennis Farrell. The father eventually purchased two homes on the same street in Council Bluffs and sold one of them, at 119 Woodbury Avenue, to Frank for a dollar. The house had no indoor running water or toilet, with the Farrells relying on a water pump and outhouse with septic tank  Helen knew how to quickly behead a chicken and prepare it for dinner. With a steady income and growing family, Frank eventually gave up his law school dreams. For 30 years, he maintained employment as a clerk inspector by the Pacific Fruit Express, a division of the Union Pacific Railroad, headquartered in the Trimble Building in the city. He held a membership in the Brotherhood of Railway Clerks. Raised on a farm, Helen had only an eighth grade education but had attended Boyles Business College in Omaha. She supplemented the family income by working for more than three decades for Dr. Isaac Sternhill, a doctor in town. In 1940, on the eve of World War II, he was required to register for the military draft. At the time, the family dwelled at 209 12th Avenue in Council Bluffs and he worked for the railroad. They are known to have belonged to the First Presbyterian Church and to have entertained lengthy visits from Frank's mother over the years, presumably sharing the duty with his brothers. She died in their home at 119 Woodbury in 1958. Sadly, Frank in a hospital in Omaha died at the age of 51 in [year?]. Rev. Robert C. Bowman, of the family church, led the funeral. Interment of the remains was in Cedar Lawn Cemetery.

• Granddaughter Marcia Farrell (1939-living) was born on Nov. 11, 1939. She is a graduate from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, IA, majoring in secondary education and literature and minoring in social studies. She further studied instructional technology in the master's program at the University of Illinois in Edwardsville. For a decade, she was a teacher but went on to a career in marketing and sales for independent, assisted living and memory care communities. Marcia generously has contributed valuable images and content for this biography.

• Grandson Frank Dennis Farrell (1943-2022) was born on March 30, 1943 in Council Bluffs. Following in the footsteps of his uncle Milton Farrell, he received a pharmacy degree in 1968 from Creighton University. Circa 1968, he was employed as a pharmacist with Methodist Hospital and Medical Center in St. Joseph, MO. On April 26, 1969, in nuptials held in Sacred Hearts Catholic Church of Sun Prairie, WI, he entered into marriage with Lois Margaret Hanley ( ? - ? ), daughter of Arthur H. and Ruth Hanley of Sun Prairie. They met in pharmacy school, and Lois also has been a longtime pharmacist. Two children born of this union were Brian Kopec-Farrell and Tyler Farrell. For two decades, Frank was employed as a  pharmacist at St. Mary's Hospital in Milwaukee, following by his final work with Aurora Johnston Primary Care Clinic. Their home in the early 2020s was in West Allis, WI. Frank passed away into the realm of the eternal at age 79 on April 27, 2022. His obituary was published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Stanley Farrell

Son Stanley Jerome "Stan" Farrell (1912-1972) was born on Oct. 13, 1912 in Council Bluffs, Pottawatomie County, IA. At the age of 27 in 1940, single, he lived with his mother and sister in Council Bluffs and was a student at a barbering school. Stanley is known to have been twice-wed. His first marriage took place in San Francisco on June 29, 1951. Less then four years later, citing "extreme cruelty," he filed for divorce. His second bride was Vera Marjorie (Westphalen) Norris (Jan. 20, 1914-1979). She brought a daughter to the marriage, Karen Harrington. Stanley was a career member of the U.S. Air Forces, and provided service during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. His final rank was as a staff sergeant, from which he retired. The Farrells' address was at 4717 Baldwin in Lincoln. Stanley held memberships in the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Lincoln and the First Presbyterian Church of Council Bluffs  He died in Minneapolis, MN at the age of 60 on Nov. 8, 1972. An obituary was printed in the Lincoln Journal Star, with a notice appearing also in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The body was returned to Lincoln to rest for all time in the soldiers circle in Wyuka Cemetery. A standard issue military marker stands at the grave. Vera surrendered to death in Lincoln at age 64 on Jan. 16, 1979. Burial was in Ashland (NE) Cemetery. Stanley was mentioned by name in a May 29, 1995 editorial in the Lincoln Star, headlined, "This Memorial Day, Remember These Vets."

• Step-granddaughter Karen Lynne Norris ( ? - ? ). On Sept. 23, 1967, she was joined in wedlock with Richard Lee Harrington ( ? - ? ), son of Donald P. Harrington of Atlanta, GA. The nuptials were conducted in the First Methodist Church in Lincoln, with Karen pictured in an accompanying story in the Lincoln Sunday Journal and Star. Richard held a degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University. Circa 1972, the couple made a home in Lincoln.

Above: Eloise (left) next to Maude and Milton Farrell and Laura (Miner) Farrell.  Courtesy Marcia Farrell. Below: Eloise pictured 3rd from top, right side, in the San Francico Opera's program book for Sept. 17-Oct. 20, 1946

Eloise Farrell

Daughter Eloise Carolyn Farrell (1921-1991) was born on Sept. 1, 1921 in Council Bluffs, Pottawatomie County, IA. She is not known to have married but appears to have devoted her adult life to her career. Eloise relocated to California where she pursued a career as a singer. Her early years included shows with the Pasadena Grand Opera (1946). She joined the San Francisco Opera Association in 1946 and performed every single year there until 1966. Circa February 1948, she was elected secretary of the San Francisco Chapter of the American Guild of Musical Artists Inc. Among other career highlights, in the fall of 1953, at San Francisco's War Memorial Opera House, she and legendary soprano Beverly Sills performed together in a string of performances, among them Richard Strauss's masterpiece Elektra followed by Richard Wagner's equally famed Die Walküre, part of the composer's "Der Ring des Nibelungen." Eloise is listed in the official San Francisco Opera's  Performance Archive, which shows that her most visible cast performances with the company included Wagner's Lohengrin (1946-1947) -- Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly (1946-1947) -- and Modest Mussorgsky's Boris Gudonov (1951-1954; 1956-1962). Scheduled just over a year after the end of World War II, as the nation blossomed back into prosperity, the 1946-1947 season also featured performances by the Opera's Concert Division of such musical giants as violinists Jascha Heifetz and Yehudi Menuhin and bass vocalist Paul Robeson. As well, Eloise is known to have performed in 1951-1956 with the Pacific Opera Company in stagings of Giuseppe Verdi's  La Traviata -- Charles Gounod's Faust  -- and Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel -- and in 1957 with the San Francisco Männerchor, a German heritage singing club. Eloise never married, once telling an inquiring niece that "The men I loved didn't love me, and vice versa." She is known to have dwelled in Sacramento by 1977. She passed away at the age of 70 on Nov. 23, 1991. Her remains were placed into eternal repose in Camellia Memorial Lawn Cemetery. Inscribed on her bronze grave marker was the phrase "Loving Friend" accompanied by the words "She brought happiness to everyone."

Soprano Eloise Farrell stands with fellow bridesmaids in the San Francisco Opera's 1946 performance of Richard Wagner's Lohengrin. Image courtesy San Francisco Opera Association Archives, R. Strohmeyer, photographer.

Edward and daughter Margaret Courtesy Sandra Waltrip

~ Son Edward Arthur Miner ~

Son Edward Arthur "Eddie" Miner (1885-1982) was born on July 22, 1885 in Ord near Columbus, Platte County, NE. He may have used the name "George" but this is being sorted out. In the family Bible inscription of his birth, his middle initial is written as "B."

At the age of 11, he was injured one day in a freak accident. Reported the Columbus Journal: "Ed. Miner ... endeavored to get into the side door of Butler's milk wagon while the horses were on a full trot, but, missing his reckoning in some way, fell between the wheels and had an arm and leg bruised."

In November-December 1900, he and his mother and sister Laura "Lottie" spent a month visiting with friends in Omaha.

Edward at age 16, in 1901, began working in his father's carpentry contracting business, which took on the name "D.N. Miner & Son." Then in August 1903, he secured employment as a news agent on a passenger railroad train running betwee Grand Island and Omaha. By 1907, he had relocated to Omaha, and that year attended a family reunion at his parents' home in the city.

When he was about age 25, on Nov. 10, 1909, he married 24-year-old Maybell Irene L. "May" (Nicholson) Davis (1887-1944), a native of Garden City, KS and the daughter of John and Margaret (Cottrell) Nicholson of Council Bluffs. The ceremony was held in Council Bluffs, with Rev. James M. Williams of the Broadway Church officiating.

They produced these known offspring -- Margaret Shafer, David E. Miner, Charlotte "Charlie-Mae" Christensen and Evelyn Hage. Edward and eldest daughter were photographed together, with postcard versions of the image sent to family and friends.

 

Edward pausing on a "Your City Light" Seattle tour bus. Courtesy Sandra Waltrip

The federal census enumeration of 1910 shows the Miners living in Council Bluffs, with Edward's occupation marked as "commercial traveler - news company." From there, the family moved frequently as evidenced by letters he wrote to his mother during the early 1910s.

In one such letter, of Nov. 17, 1910, from Minneapolis, Edward scolds his mother for not coming to see them but rather going to her daughter Cora's. He goes on to tell her to "give all your furniture to Laura as you are going to stay with us for good or until wecan't get along and bring just your whole, best clothes and we'll get you some more as soon as possible, and bring just your bedding that is perfectly good & your blankets as we have none." He goes on to say that "I am making fair money but don't know how long I have a job as the men are getting fired everyday for nothing but I think I can go to work for two or three News Co.'s at any time so am not worrying any."

Edward seems to have held resentments to some degree for his older brother and brothers-in-law for their reactions to help he had requested. His Nov. 17, 1910 letter says that "hope we'll never have to ask Mr. H.F. [Harvey Farrell] or M.D. [Melvin Dotson] or C.T.M. [Charles Thomas Miner] for one D----- favor."

Then in an Oct. 22 1911 letter to his mother, from Winnipeg, Canada, he said that "I know Chas. could make a mint of money here... Tell him I'll be able to help him in the spring or sooner. I can't see why he stays in that town when he has had so much hard luck there -- now if he was here I could find him a dozen easy jobs where he could be inside and make $100.00 or more a month the year round and not have to work 16 hrs. a day & kill himself." 

In the same 1911 letter  to his mother, he and May apparently had just arrived in a move from the U.S. and had shipped their furniture separately. He wrote that "with the Canadian 'red tape' and emigration agents and duties we did not get it out to the house until Friday... All the furniture was O.K. except one large mirror that was broken all to bits... I am on a nice train now. I leave each morning at 9:10 and am at home at 4:40 P.M. and off Sunday. Make an average of $5.00 a day but don't expect to hold it long as men older than me, are asking for it as the hours are so nice."

Sadly, Edward's mother died in December 1911. Edward was named in the Columbus Telegram obituary. 

They returned to Council Bluffs by 1915.

Christmas card, 1933, from Ed and Mae to his sister Laura Farrell

The family relocated again between 1916 and 1919, establishing a new home in Denver, CO, with Edward continuing his work as a salesman of news products. They lived on Zuni Street in 1920.

While their whereabouts in the 1930 U.S. Census are unknown, they did move to Seattle about that time. The pair made their residence circa 1935-1940 in the New Richmond Hotel in Seattle. They are known to have sent a Christmas/New Year's card, from Seattle, to his sister Laura in 1933, with their address shown as 209 12th Avenue. 

In 1940, the 54-year-old Edward was employed as manager of a Seattle news stand and restaurant, and Mabel added income through her work as a sales clerk at the news stand.

Circa 1942, he was employed by Barkalow Bros. Company, operating a news stand at Union Station in Seattle. His address that year was 308 Fourth Street South. He was required to register for the World War II military draft, and stated that "Mrs. Daniel Hage" of 185 34th Street North in Seattle would always know where to find him.

Sadly, while on a visit to Tucson, Pima County, AZ in March 1944, Maybell was admitted to St. Mary's Hospital after suffering with heart problems. She died there after three weeks on April 14, 1944, at the age of 58. Her remains were returned to Seattle for interment in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, also known at one time as the Seattle IOOF Cemetery. Her daughter Charlie-Mae Christianson of Seattle signed the official certificate of death. An obituary in the Seattle Star noted that she "had lived in Seattle for 24 years."

Edward survived for another nearly four decades. He succumbed at about the age of 97 in 1982. [Find-a-Grave]

Daughter Margaret E. Miner (1908-1951) was born in about 1908 in Iowa. She married Milton Shafer ( ? - ? ). In November 1939, when a bridesmaid for her sister Charlie-Mae in Seattle, Margaret and Milton dwelled in Los Angeles. They were still in Los Angeles in 1944 when her mother died. Margaret passed away in June 1951 at about age 44. She rests with her parents in eternity in Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

Son David E. Miner (1914- ? ) was born in about 1914 in Iowa and appears to have been named after his grandfather. Unmarried at the age of 26 in 1940, he made his home in the New Richmond Hotel in Seattle, and earned a living as a railroad trackman.

Daughter Charlotte Miner (1915- ? ) -- also known as "Charlie-Mae" -- was born on Nov. 10, 1915 in Council Bluffs. She was a graduate of the Marshall Stedman School of Drama in Los Angeles. On Nov. 24, 1939, in a ceremony held in the Grace Methodist Church in Seattle, she entered into marriage with Raymond George Christensen ( ? - ? ), also spelled "Christianson." As he had done three months before, for the wedding of Charlie-Mae's sister Evelyn, Rev. E. Raymond Attebery led the nuptials. Reported the Seattle Star, "the bride wore a white satin gown with a draped neckline, shirred sleeves and a flowing princess skirt falling in a long train. Her long veil was caught to her hair with orange blossoms, and she carried a bouquet of orchids and lilies of the valley." Raymond was an alumnus of the University of Washington's School of Engineering.

Daughter Evelyn Lee Miner (1920- ? ) was born in about 1920 in Denver. When she was about 19 years of age, on Aug. 25, 1939, she was united in the bonds of holy matrimony with Sigurd Daniel Hage ( ? - ? ), son of Sigurd Hage. The wedding nuptials were held in Seattle's Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, by the hand of Rev. E. Raymond Attebery. Evelyn was pictured in a related announcement in the Seattle Star. "The bride's blonde loveliness was accentuated by hr gown of white wilk net over taffeta, its skirt very full and bouffant, and the soft bodice fashioned with puffed sleeves and a spray of orange blossoms over each shoulder," the Star said."Her tulle veil was fingertip in length and crowned with a halo of orange blossoms, and for bouquet she carried white orchids."

 

~ More ~

Minerd.com extends its gratitude to Marcia (McMullen) Driggs,  Sandra Waltrip and Marcia Farrell for sharing content for this biography.

 

Copyright © 2002, 2004, 2007, 2015-2016, 2018 Mark A. Miner