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Minerd.com regularly is in the public eye and generates new content and news. Telling the story of our website and archives, our extended population of cousins, national family reunion and proprietary brand of research and storytelling are keys to reaching many thousands of cousins and the public at large and sharing this website's encyclopedic trove of family information.

Our goal is to educate anyone about our mission to document the early lives of thousands of our collective forefathers, mothers and cousins, and the enormous, long-term collective impact that an average, ordinary American family can have on society. Here is a summary of news-making efforts since 1999.

~ 2024 ~

Custer Memorial Association's Fall newsletter

Dec. 9, 2024 - Minerd.com founder Mark A. Miner will make a presentation to the annual George Armstrong Custer birthday celebration of the Custer Memorial Association on "Speckled Legacy: Tom Custer in American Popular Culture." The event will be held near the Custer birthplace memorial in the Global Methodist Church of New Rumley, OH. Miner's upcoming talk is announced in the Summer 2024 edition of the CMA's Custer's Corner newsletter, Vol. 14, Issue 4. It will be the second time this year that Miner has given this presentation and his third Custer presentation overall in calendar year 2024.

Fall 2024 - In the new edition of its Through the Years newsletter, the Rockwood Area (PA) Historical and Genealogical Society publishes a front-page listing of books considered of "Interesting local history reading" and includes the title Well At This Time: The Civil War Diaries and Army Convalescence Saga of Farmboy Ephraim Miner, edited and published by the founder of this website. The book contains the diaries of a soldier who spent the bulk of his wartime service lost in the Army's ill-prepared healthcare and convalescence system. Link on Amazon for more details >>> https://www.amazon.com/Well-At-This-Time-Convalescence/dp/0983714908 

Summer/Fall 2024 - The latest edition of The Battlefield Dispatch newsletter of the Custer Battlefield Historical and Museum Association, Vol. 43, No. 3, contains a group photograph of the first-time attendees of the CBHMA's 2024 conference held in Hardin, MT in June. Among them is the founder of this website, who spoke at the conference about "Tommy of Tontogany: The Little Known Son of Thomas Ward Custer."

Little Big Horn Associates Sept. 2024 newsletter articles about Miner's talk in Gettysburg about Tom Custer in American popular culture.

September 2024 - Mark A. Miner is pictured in the Little Big Horn Associates' Newsletter devoted to the 2024 conference held in Gettysburg in August. Jim Hessler recaps the talk and says Miner "walked us through Tom Custer's checkered history in popular culture and showed how Tom remains in George's shadow." Another article by Siobhan Fallon, "Those Left Behind," cites how Miner "emphasized Maria Custer's loss of three sons, nephew, and son-in law" at the Little Big Horn battle.

Above: Ravenscroft/Ravenscraft reunion near Uniontown, PA. Below: 49th annual Shroyer Reunion in Connellsville, PA. Courtesy Mia Lizzy Sarnelli

Sept. 1-2, 2024 - On consecutive days over the Labor Day weekend, this website's founder accepts invitations to attend the annual Ravenscroft/Ravenscraft family reunion at the Hutchinson Sportsman Club in Little Brownfield near Uniontown, PA (of the family of Charles J. and Sarah Jane [Rankin] Addis, with thanks to Bobbi [Rhodes] Marzullo) -- and the 49th annual Shroyer Reunion hosted by Shawn and Brittany Shroyer in Connellsville, PA (of the family of Jacob Adam and Laura Belle ([Younkin] Shroyer).

Miner presents "Speckled Legacy: Tom Custer in American Pop Culture," at the Little Big Horn Associates' 50th annual conference in Gettysburg. Below right: with Siobhan Fallon, renowned author, researcher, photographer and video documentary maker. See entries for May 27 and June 10, 2024.

Aug. 17, 2024 - At the invitation of the Little Big Horn Associates, Minerd.com founder Mark A. Miner will speak at the organization's 50th annual national conference in Gettysburg, PA on the topic of "Speckled Legacy: Tom Custer in American Popular Culture." Others who will be presenting include Sandy Barnard on “The Eight Majors of Custer’s 7th U.S. Cavalry and Their Fates” -- Joe Creadon on “The Battle of Little Bighorn: A Photographic Essay, from the Crow’s Nest to Last Stand Hill” -- Bob O’Neill on “Custer’s Trials in Louisiana and Texas: a Re-Appraisal Drawn from the Contemporary Record” -- and Gregory Urwin on “The Rise of George Armstrong Custer, 1861-1865.”

Above: This website's founder presents at the Custer Battlefield Historical and Memorial Association symposium in Hardin, MT. Below: With fellow CBHMA speakers Rev. Fr. Vincent Heier (left) and Albert Winkler. Courtesy Gordon Ramsey

June 21, 2023 - Minerd.com founder Mark A. Miner makes a presentation at the 37th Annual Brian C. Pohanka Symposium of the Custer Battlefield Memorial and Historical Association in Hardin, MT on "Tommy of Tontogany: The Little Known Son of Thomas Ward Custer." His accompanying article will be published in the Proceedings of the 2024 Symposium. Other speakers included Albert Winkler on "The Importance of the Reno Court of Inquiry for Our Understanding of the Battle of the Little Bighorn" -- and Rev. Fr. Vincent Heier on "Meet Me in St. Louis... Meet Me at Custer's Last Stand." Opening remarks were made by Dustin Sene, National Park Service Superintendent at the Little Bighorn Battlefield.

Author and historian Siobhan Fallon's two-part video series on YouTube using images and stories from the Minerd.com Archives. View part 1 and part 2.

May 27 and June 10, 2024 - In a two-part YouTube video series about Capt. Thomas Ward Custer -- General George Custer's brother -- author and historian Siobhan Fallon uses a host of Minerd.com Archives images and stories for a segment on Thomas' Thomas C. "Tommy" Custer. She refers to Minerd.com as an "incredible website" that contains "a wealth of information" and as well as "really fantastic details and research." See part 1, "Thomas W. Custer: First Soldier to Win the Medal of Honor Twice" and part 2, "Tom Custer's Last Stands: Wild Bill Hickok, Rain-in-the-Face, & Lost Love." Fallon She is the author of The Confusion of Languages  and You Know When the Men Are Goneand is working on a Thomas Ward Custer biography.

Little Big Horn Associates' June newsletter

June 2024 - The June 2024 edition of the Little Big Horn Associates' Newsletter contains a front-page article about the upcoming conference in Gettysburg and names the founder of this website and his topic, "Speckled Legacy: Tom Custer in Amereican Pop Culture."

April 15, 2024 - After an absence of nine years, the board of trustees of the Beaver Area Heritage Museum unanimously elect Mark A. Miner back onto the board and into the role as chairman, a seat he held for five years from 2011 to 2015. He continues to serve as vice chair of the Beaver Station Cultural and Event Center operating committee and helps lead the organization's corporate sponsorship program which he helped to found in 2012 and has raised more than $200,000 in that timespan.

PA Museums bestows its 2024 best-in-show award to the Beaver Area Heritage Museum - L-R: Mark Miner, Beth Spence, Rusty Baker.   - Courtesy Beth Spence

April 15, 2024 - The Pennsylvania Federation of Museums bestowed its highest annual "best in show" S.K. Stevens Award to the Beaver Area Heritage Museum for its exhibit and documentary, "Saint or Sinner? The Complicated Legacy of Senator Matthew Stanley Quay." The award and a $500 check were presented by PA Museums executive director Rusty Baker to museum officials Beth Ann Spence and Mark Miner at the organization's annual conference in Harrisburg. This is the Heritage Museum's third award for its provocative 2022-2023 display examining the life and practices of the controversial 19th century politician and Beaver resident.  Said Baker, "The Stevens Award is prestigious because it ranks above our standard awards and speaks to best practices recognized at the national level. "It honors those organizations that have won statewide and national awards for a particular project. We are proud to recognize all of the great work being done in Beaver as well as by other museums and historical organizations throughout the Commonwealth." The award is named in honor of Sylvester K. Stevens (1904-1974) who served as Pennsylvania State Historian and 1956 to 1972 was executive director of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and was author of the 1964 book Pennsylvania: Birthplace of a Nation. Vintage images from the Minerd.com Archives were used in the Saint/Sinner exhibit and documentary.

Citation in The Astrochimps

March 25, 2023 - Minerd.com founder Mark A. Miner makes a presentation at the quarterly meeting of the Western Pennsylvania Historical Coalition held at Beaver Station Cultural and Event Center in Beaver, hosted by the Beaver County Genealogy and History Center. Other featured remarks are made by Genealogy & History Center board director Jim Teapole with and a feature presentation by Kevin Farkas, founder and executive producer of “The Social Voice Network” podcast.    Afterward, Miner leads a tour of the Beaver Area Heritage Museum's new 2024 exhibit, "Out of the Unknown," honoring a local fighter pilot shot down and lost during World War II.

Feb. 6, 2024 - Minerd.com and its feature memoir "A 21 Story Salute: Nursing Experiences in Harm's Way During World War II, Korea and Vietnam," are credited as reference sources in the newly published juvenile non-fiction book The Astrochimps by Dawn Cusick. [Chicago Review Press, 216 pages, ISBN-10: 1641608951 - ISBN-13: 978-1641608954] The referenced memoir, authored by the late Col. Betty Jo (Workman) Canter, of the family of Howard and Phoebe (Thorpe) Workman, describes her work as an Army nurse on the 1960s mission to send "Ham the Astrochimp" into orbit. In turn,  The Astrochimps book is described thus by the publisher: "Based on extensive research and interviews with living members of the team of veterinarians, handlers, and psychologists who worked with the animals, The Astrochimps offers a fresh perspective on animal intelligence and the rise of the space age. Detailed back matter provides resources, space mission stats, and calls to action for young readers to honor the astrochimps’ legacy and advocate for the humane treatment of chimpanzees today."

Minerd.com Annual Review 2023

Jan. 13, 2024 - The Minerd.com Annual Review 2023 is released to the public under the headline of "A Higher Sense of “Belonging and Community.” In 2023, the site received 34,019 visitors including 33,266 new visitors who made 89,744 page impressions, with a host of other metrics on the upswing, the most since 2019. In the introduction, the website's founder writes that the family website and its Facebook page, blog and national reunion have become catalysts that connect thousands of perfect strangers to each other through shared family history and story. An upswing in visitors came to these sites this past year as, emerging from the shackles of Covid-19, I believe more and more people sought a meaningful link to previously unknown family over long distances and remote relationships and environments. Our sites originally were created as an information repository but have become trusted centers were people can meet and unite." Cousin Debra Cyphert made the profound comment that the website and Facebook page “bring many people happiness and provides connection – something that is so very needed. If we could all embrace a love for family and adopt a deep respect for those who paved a way for generations who followed, we too could perhaps make our world a bit better and our families a lot happier.”

~ 2023 ~

Dec. 12, 2023 - The Meinert Essen Buch: The Minerd-Minard-Miner-Minor Cookbook produced by Heather (Miner) Dandy is released to the public and posted on this website. The book comprises 100 pages and includes 184 separate recipes, including vintage Pennsylvania-German dishes. They include Appetizers & Beverages (6) -- Breads and Muffins (9) -- Breakfast (4) -- Canning and Cooking Tips (2) -- Cookies (23) -- Desserts (54) -- Main Dishes (44) -- Salads (12) -- Soups and Stews (13) -- Vegetables and Side Dishes (17). Raised in Massachusetts, Heather is the granddaughter of Odger and Monalea (Ullom) Miner of Aliquippa, PA. The list of contributors includes (alphabetical order by first name): Angela Packan - Barb Minerd - Barbara (Herron) Kimmel - Becki Rae Bermel Noll - Bernard Charnovich - Beth Lynne Radcliffe - Beverly Hansen Miner - Bob Cyphert - Bobbi Marzullo - Brenda (Kimmel) Harding - Cindy Birch Schaeffer - Constance Miner - Debbie Bitner-Polacke - Debra Cyphert - Donna Smithburger - the late Doris Hawker - Ellen Mertz Yoesron - the late Esther (Kuhn) Miner - the late Evanell (Miner) Kimmell Nicklow - Gery (Nicklow) Cameron - Heather Dandy - the late Helen (Whipkey) Zearfoss - Jacqueline Alkula - the late Jane (Sage) Minerd - Janet M. Jones - Jill Channing Aird - Kimberly A. Miner - Laresa Renfro Roberts - the late Leola (Skinner) Miner - Liz Zoeller Miner - the late Lorraine (Stark) Miner - the late Lt. Col. Betty Jo (Workman) Canter - the late Mae (Richter) Grimm - Mary Giuliani - the late Melda (Miner) Bittinger - the late Olive (Faidley) Gary - Paula Gaumer Tooke - Paula Wakefield - Peggy S Grimm Mansberry - Richard Minerd - Bob and Rita DeMichele Kennison - Rita (Charnovich) Packan - Sandra Waltrip - Sandy Boda - the late Shirley (Sanner) King - Sue Martin - the late Theresa (Minerd) Charnovich - and Tom Beck.

Dec. 6, 2023 - Representing the Beaver Area Heritage Foundation and Museum, Minerd.com's founder to helps to lead the American Association for State and Local History's virtual "Small but Mighty" Small Museums Summit with a special session devoted to the topic of "Unearthing Untold Histories: Navigating Sensitive Narratives." The panel is moderated by Laura Casey of the Texas Historical Commission featuring additional presentations by Rachel Ferrante of the Maine MILL (Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor) and Joy Summar-Smith of the Dr Pepper Museum. Our family archives was cited in Miner's presentation which in turn was viewed by 160 participants coast to coast. The session may be viewed at this link on the AASLH page on YouTube. 

Nov. 2023 - Mark Miner, the founder of this website, is elected to the board of directors of the Beaver County (PA) Foundation. Its mission is to "create an atmosphere for and an understanding of philanthropy, the love of humankind, in order to preserve and encourage the development of organizations and programs that meet human needs." Funded by a $25,000 bequest from the last will and testament of founding father Benjamin Franklin, which matured in 1992, the Foundation today is comprised of 79 funds with combined assets of more than $9.6 million. Last year, the Foundation awarded more than $695,000 to the communities of the county in grants, scholarships and project funding.

Sept. 3, 2023 - At the invitation of Roberta "Bobbi" (Rhodes) Cole Marzullo, the founder of this website attends the Ravenscraft/Ravenscroft Reunion, held at Hutchinson Park near Uniontown, PA, and gives remarks to the group about our family research, website and Facebook page. Bobbi and the Ravenscraft/Ravenscroft brood are of the Charles J. and Sarah Jane (Rankin) Addis branch of the M-M-M-M family.

Aug. 4, 2023 - Quotes from the founder of this website, and a scanned vintage image from the Minerd.com Archives -- the cover of McClure's Magazine, May 1903, and bearing the headline "Pittsburg: A City Ashamed," exhibited as part of the Beaver Area Heritage Museum's multi-award-winning 2022-2023 display -- are published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article entitled "Was U.S. Sen Matthew Quay from Beaver a saint or sinner?," authored by Karen Kadilak.

Minerd.com Archives images used in the national and state award-winning Beaver Area Heritage Museum exhibit, "Matthew Stanley Quay: Saint or Sinner?"

Award-winning exhibit. Beaver Area Heritage Museum

June 26, 2023 - The American Association for State and Local History bestows a 2023 Award of Excellence to the Beaver Area Heritage Foundation for the “Saint or Sinner?" exhibit and documentary, which includes vintage images from the Minerd.com Archives. The award will be presented on Sept. 8 at the AASLH annual conference in Boise, ID. "The Award of Excellence is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation of state and local history,” said Bethany Hawkins, AASLH chief of operations. “This year, AASLH is proud to confer 51 national awards honoring people, projects, and exhibits which represent the best in the field and provide leadership for the future of state and local history."

... the challenge of re-engaging their community and volunteer base after all the pandemic shutdowns by offering a new exhibit that explored the story of a once-famous local political figure in an inventive way. “Senator Matthew Stanley Quay: Saint or Sinner?” used the Beaver Heritage Foundation’s small display space to their advantage by creating a unique double-sided exhibit experience that presented the positive and negative aspects of Senator Matthew Stanley Quay’s career, then asked visitors to vote. Did 19th-century political power broker’s achievements and contributions outweigh his transgressions, or was it the other way around? The Matthew Stanley Quay project illustrates the Beaver Area Heritage Foundation’s commitment to helping their community recognize that “meaningful, substantive history is right in our own backyard.” The project also demonstrated the group’s collaborative relationships with other local organizations, including the Beaver County Historical Research and Landmarks Foundation, the First Presbyterian Church of Beaver, and members of the Quay family, all of whom contributed to the project. Beaver’s Matthew Quay project was also notable for documentary film produced in conjunction with the research done for the exhibit. Segments from a detailed video interview conducted with 100-year-old Quay Scholar Dr. James A Kehl months before he passed away were transformed into a professionally produced film exploring Senator Quay and his legacy. While Dr. Kehl did not live to see the final film, the finished documentary will now serve as an educational outreach tool, preserving Dr. Kehl’s scholarship for future generations.

Judge for National History Day

March 19, 2023 - Minerd.com's founder volunteers as a judge of student essays on National History Day at Pittsburgh’s Heinz History Center, in affiliation with the Smithsonian. The team led by the History Center's Anne Madarasz, was tasked with assessing the clarity of presentation and historical quality of top local high school seniors' research papers on the theme of "Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas." Among the essays evaluated are "The Frontier of Irish Colonialism" - "Andrew Carnegie: Pushing the Industrial and Philanthropic Frontiers" - "A Woman’s Right to Vote: The Frontier Broken by New Zealand’s Suffragists" - "The Forgotten Pioneers: The Paris Commune" - and "Why Mohandas Gandhi is A Frontier in Protesting History."Anne is the History Center's director of the curatorial division, chief historian, and director of the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum.

Jan. 19, 2023 -  Minerd.com releases its 2022 Annual Review -- A Look Back, a Look Ahead and a Five-Year Plan" -- with founder Mark A. Miner writing:

Minerd.com Annual Review 2022

Our award-winning Minerd.com website, social media properties and family research archive are nearing a crossroads to determine their future. Either these assets will be retired into oblivion when I can no longer maintain them or be kept intact and endure for future generations through a bold plan of action. After much thought and prayer, my choice is to pursue the bold plan. Maybe I'm just crazy. Thus in 2022, I began a five-year process to identify what steps are needed to make this happen. It will take a combination of factors that must function together in harmony. The solution needs to include all aspects of keeping our website and social media assets online and up-to-date and a facility to house and curate the physical archives where people can gather and mine the material for new discoveries. The solution also will require funding to assure proper stewardship and a team who can expertly curate long-term upkeep and public-facing engagement.

Some statistics about 2022 performance. Page impressions were down to 77,170 -- total visitors were down to 29,551 -- new visitors were down to 28,606 -- and 20 new biographies were added. Facebook page membership grew from 722 to 791, and research added to the numbers of known military casualties, accidental work deaths in mining and metals, and casualties of water, fire/shock and vehicle accidents. Some 110 cousin deaths were recorded for the year, and total known counts of deaths since July 2000 grew to 4,577. More>>>

~ 2022 ~

New Beaver Area Heritage Museum video documentary on YouTube features rare, vintage images from the Minerd.com Archives

Oct. 18, 2022 - A new, 35-minute video documentary Saint? or Sinner? The Complicated Legacy of Senator Matthew Stanley Quay of Beaver, PA, premieres at Beaver Station Cultural & Event Center , hosted by the founder of this website. The documentary features a number of vintage historical images from the Minerd.com Archives and is produced by the Beaver Area Heritage Foundation in association with Pacer Studios . The video highlights an exclusive interview with 100-year-old James A. Kehl, Ph.D., retired University of Pittsburgh professor and author of the definitive Quay biography Boss Rule in the Gilded Age. Sadly, Dr. Kehl died on Aug. 20, 2022, before the production could be completed. View the documentary on the Heritage Foundation's new YouTube Channel.  

The Minerd.com Archives acknowledged in the 2022 Beaver Area Heritage Museum exhibit, "Matthew Stanley Quay: Saint or Sinner?"

Minerd.com Annual Review 2021

April 2022 - In a new year-long exhibit, the Beaver Area (PA) Heritage Museum uses generic images from the Minerd.com Archives in highly attractive and colorful exhibit panels. The exhibit, "Matthew Stanley Quay: Saint or Sinner? You Decide!" is a deep dive into the complicated life and career of the 19th century Beaver resident who served as Pennsylvania State Treasurer, United States Senator and Republican National Committee Chairman prior to his death in 1904. The illustrations from our archives includes a drawing of the Union Army attack at the Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg, an image of world-renowned author Rudyard Kipling and the cover of McClure's Magazine bearing the headline, "Pittsburg: A City Ashamed." Minerd.com's founder, working with museum trustees Thomas Dowlin and Beth Spence, collaborate on the development and curation of the display.

Feb. 27, 2022 - Minerd.com releases its 2021 Annual Review covering the year's highlights and performance of our award-winning website and private family Facebook page and blog, Page impressions were down to 98,963 -- total visitors were down to 33,774 -- new visitors were up to 30,879 and new biographies added up by 86. Facebook page membership grew from 646 to 722, and research added to the numbers of known military casualties, accidental work deaths in mining and metals, and casualties of water, fire/shock and vehicle accidents. Some 125 cousin deaths were recorded for the year, and total known counts of deaths since July 2000 grew to 3,803. In 2021, the website was updated nearly every single day, using a combination of proprietary research and a flood of amazing new material proactively shared by readers.

~ 2021 ~

Historical Center executive director Mark Ware displays Well At This Time

December 2021 - The Historical & Genealogical Society of Somerset County (PA) -- also known as the Somerset Historical Center -- re-stocks its gift shop inventory of Well At This Time: The Civil War Diaries of Ephraim Miner, in both hardback and paperback formats, just in time for the Christmas holiday shopping season. Here, the Society's executive director Mark Ware displays the volumes in the Center's gift shop. In affiliation with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the Society is the steward of the cultural heritage of Somerset County through its historical collections, educational programs and genealogical archives. More about the book>>>

Minerd.com Archives images used by WFMZ-TV, Allentown, PA. View>>>

May 22, 2021 - Two vintage Minerd.com Archives images are used by WFMZ-TV in Allentown, PA in a new installment of its ongoing "History's Headlines" series. Entitled "1938: On the Edge," the segment features Dr. Preston Albert Barba, professor at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, and an expert on German history, focusing on the looming clouds of World War II in America during the late 1930s. Dr. Barba was of the family of Jesse and Elizabeth (Baer) Fegley, made some 40 research trips to Germany during his impressive career, and was highlighted as the Minerd.com "Photo of the Month" in April 2019. View the clip>>>

Minerd.com Annual Review 2020

Feb. 17, 2021 - Minerd.com releases its Annual Review 2020 covering the performance of the award-winning family website, private Facebook page and blog, a look back at highlights, what's new and performance during an otherwise difficult 2020, with the numbers generally up across a number of metrics. Page impressions were up to 105,449 -- total visitors were up to 35,959 -- and new visitors were up to 27,966 -- with total images up to 20,499 and total biographies up to 1,851. The year 2020 was to have been a much more pronounced celebration of Minerd.com’s 20th anniversary, and the Covid-19 lockdown slowed traditional research and reunion travel activity. But on the flip side, more time was freed up for online exploration and writing which greatly expanded Minerd.com’s already vast library of biographies, features and historic images.

Website founder Mark Miner writes in the opening paragraphs:

The worldwide coronavirus pandemic and lockdown – mixed with an embattled presidential election season, inflamed racial tensions and social media overload – shaped the quality of connection and respite in 2020 that Minerd.com and our Facebook page and blog are intended to be. These online properties document a social history of old Pennsylvania German families to the current time.

Today the clan is made up of a very wide range of cousins who racially and culturally are White and Black and richly mixed with everything else. Politically, they are Blue, Red, indifferent and expatriate. What binds us all together despite the breadth of diversity, culture and opinions is the family bond. It’s an absolute thing.