John Vernon Smith Minerd (1830-1907) was a laborer from Fayette County, PA who migrated into Ohio, served with an artillery unit in the Civil War and later returned to Western Pennsylvania for good. His 1855 work at an iron furnace is the earliest documented specific industrial activity in the family.

This photograph is believed to have been taken at his funeral in mid-February 1907, in Hunker, Westmoreland County, PA, showing his widow Elizabeth (Minerd) Livingston (see arrow) and her children and grandchildren. Only some of the faces have been identified, but not all. Can you help?

One of the more unusual aspects of this branch of our family is that at least 7 descendants have died as a result of workplace accidents over the years, especially in the coal mining and coke industries.

Copyright © 2002 Mark A. Miner