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Peter Minard |
Peter
Minerd, also spelled "Minard" and "Miner," was born on Aug. 6, 1875 (or 1871 or 1872) near Philippi, Barbour County, WV, the son
of John and Martha (Mayle) Minerd.
Norris Cemetery, Philippi
A bachelor at age 36, Peter was listed in the 1910 federal census, making a home with his mother, but working away from the residence at the time.
For 40 years, starting in the early 1920s, he dwelled in Kasson, a small community 10 miles northeast of Philippi. When the 1920 census was enumerated, as a 45-year-old, he resided by himself in the Cove District of Barbour County, and was listed as a widower. If in fact had had been married, the identify of his bride is not known.
The census of 1930 shows Peter at age 57 as head of his household, in the Cove District, and working as a farmer. Living under his roof were his 36-year-old brother and wife Steve and Crive.
He died in Kasson of natural causes at the age of 89, on Dec. 14, 1960. His funeral service was conducted by Rev. J. Frank Peoples, one of the first by the famed preacher upon his arrival in Philippi. Peter's remains were laid to rest in the Norris Cemetery north of Philippi, located not far from Alderson-Broaddus College. Information for the official West Virginia certificate of death was furnished by Clay Hardin of Kasson, with Peter's race listed as "colored."
His moss stained grave marker, seen on this page, was photographed in May 2007, and shows a birthdate of 1872, although the 1875 date is more accurate based on original evidence written by his father. The death date of 1961 also is off by a year.
Also buried in the Norris Cemetery are Peter's brothers Stephen Minard and Vernie Miner, aunt Elvira (Mayle) Minard, cousin William McKinley Minard, and cousin Granville Miner (grandson of Sarah [Minerd] Wright). In 1991, when Rev. Peoples published his memoir The Bright Side of the Mountain, Peter was listed among the funerals he had preached.
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| The steep Norris Cemetery near Philippi |
Copyright © 2005-2008, 2022, 2025 Mark A. Miner