MARY MINEHART

MINEHART

Posted By: Sheila Federspiel (email)
Date: 2/7/2008 at 19:47:06

THE MINEHART FAMILY HISTORY BY JAY HART ROSDALL GRANDSON OF PHILP MINEHART

MARY ELIZABETH, THE OLDEST CHILD OF GRANDFATHER PHILP MINEHART AND CHRISTINA FENSTERMAKER, WAS MARRIED IN CARROLL, FAIRFIELD COUNTY, OHIO, TO ONE NATHAN FENSTERMAKER , TO THIS UNION TWO CHILDREN WERE BORN; NOAH, NOVEMEMBER 21, 1842 AND MARY JANE, FEBRUARY 12, 1844. THE FATHER NATHAN FENSTERMAKER, MET A RATHER TRAGIC DEATH WHILE THE CHILDREN WERE YET YOUNG. HIS BROTHER BEING ILL, WAS IN NEED OF MEDICAL ATTENTION AND NATHAN RODE TO TOWN ON A HORSE TO GET HELP FOR HIM. IT WAS THE DEAD OF WINTER AND WHEN THE FAITHFUL HORSE RETURNED HOME, HIS MASTER WAS FOUND FROZEN TO DEATH ON HIS BACK. HE WAS BURIED AT CARROLL, OHIO.

SEVERAL YEARS LATER, MARY E. MARRIED JOHN BROWN, JOHN WAS THE YOUNGEST OF A FAMILY OF ELEVEN CHLDREN OF JACOB AND MARGARET (HOUK) BROWN, ALL NATIVES OF GERMANY. JOHN BROWN WAS BORN IN WEILHEIN, WURTTEMBERG, JUL 19, 1815. IN 1837, AT THE AGE OF 22 , HE CAME TO AMERICA WITH AN OLDER BROTHER, MICHAEL, FATHER OF MORRIS BROWN, MRS. GEROGE BROWN AND MRS. JOHN BAKER. THE BROTHERS WERE UNABLE TO FIND WORK IN NEW YORK AND WENT TO BUFFALO AND FROM THERE TO TOLEDO, OHIO. HERE THEY WORED ON THE OHIO CANAL FOR ATIME. IN 1838, WHILE SEARCHING FOR EMPLOYMENT, JOHN BROWN, EMIGRATED TO FAIRFIELD COUNTY. IN THE LATTER FORTIES HE HIRED OUT TO THE WIDOW, MARY E. FENSTERMAKERM, NEE MINEHART AND ON THE 14TH OF FEB 1847 THEY WERE UNITED IN THE BONDS OF MATRIMONY.

FOR OVER THREE YEARS, MR. & MRS. JOHN BROWN RESIDED AT CARROLL, OHIO. DURING THIS TIME PERIOD THREE CHILDREN WERE BORN, GEORGE WASHINGTON AND WILLIAM HENRY, TWINS; AND LYDIA ANN. BUT THE LURE OF THE GREAT WEST WITH IT'S PROMISE OF UNEXPLORED AND FERTILE LAND WAS STRONG IN THOSE DAYSAND IN APRIL 1850, THE FAMILY OF SEVEN STARTED OUT ON THE JOURNEY TO IOWA. SIX WEEKS WERE NECESSARY TO MAKE THE TRIP OVER MANY MILES OF ROADS, THROUGH MANY DAYS OF WEARY WEATHER. SOME OF THE WAY WAS BUT A WILDERNESS. THEY REACHED LINN COUNTY ON MAY 2, 1850 AND SETTLED ON GOVERMENT LAND IN BOULDER TWP. THE COUNTRY WAS NEW, THE SOIL WAS PRODUCTIVE THE LAND WAS CHEAP. THEY PURCHASED 80 ACRES LOCATED ON SECTION 31 AND 32 AND ERECTED A LOG HOUSE ON THE FOREMER. THIS LOG HOUSE WAS THE SECOND ONE TO BE ERECTED IN THE TOWNSHIP. THEIR DAUGHTER SARAH BROWN, WAS THOUGHT TO BE THE FIRST WHITE CHILD BORN IN BOULDER TWP.

INDIANS, DEER AND WOLVES WERE NUMEROUS. FROM THIS "HOWLING WILDERNERSS" THE HANDS OF THIS IONEER COUPLE WROUGHT A MODERN FARM WITH SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENTS. MARY E. BROWN DEPARTED THIS LIFE JUNE 20, 1886, AGED , SIXTY FIVE YRS. NINE MONTHS AND TEN DAY. BOTH ARE BURREID AT BOULDER CEMETARY, BUFFALO TWP. "UNCLE JOHN", AS HE WAS FAMILIARLY CALLED BY EVERYONE, IS REMEMBERED FOR HIS SOCIALBILITY. HE USED TO VISIT A GREAT DEAL AND WAS IN THE HABIT OF PRESENTING HIS GRANDNIECES AND NEPHEWS WITH SHINY DIMES. "AUNT BETSY" HAD A DUTCH OVEN. SHE WAS NOTED FOR A SUNNY SMILE AND A GOOD WORD FOR EVEYERONE.

MINEHART
 

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