Joseph Minteer (1828 - 1878)

Born 14 Feb 1828 in Worthington, Armstrong, Pennsylvania, United States

Descendants

Died 19 Feb 1878 at age 50 in Craigsville, Armstrong, Pennsylvania, United States

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Biography

From "The Minteers As I Have Known Them" by Josephine Minteer Dickinson (1961 limited-edition private printing of 200 copies), youngest and last surviving of William Minteer and Mary Nicholson's 85 grandchildren:

"Joseph Minteer was born on February 14, 1827, and died on February 19, 1878. He married Sarah Kalb, who was born on February 14, 1835, and died on September 18, 1915. They were married on June 19, 1855. This is my own family and I am on surer ground here. Joseph was twenty-eight and Sarah, twenty when they were married. His parents were both dead and he was considered a successful business man and eligible bachelor. Mother was an orphan living with Eliza and Nicholas Clark. Her parents died within three months of each other when she was but ten years old, leaving four daughters of which Mother was the oldest. Her grandmother, Rachel Stephens Larimer, took the baby from Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania, where their home had been to a farm near Stoystown, Pennsylvania, and kept her there until she, Rachel, the grandmother died. Then the baby Rachel (now in her teens) came to live with her sister, Sarah. The other three Kalb girls were taken to Butler County by their aunts living there. Sarah by Aunt Margaret, wife of William Thompson, Martha by Mary Hutchison, wife of George, and Ellen by Elizabeth, the first wife of William Hutchison. After Elizabeth’s death he married his wife’s sister, Eleanor or Ellen Larimer. Sarah’s father, Adam Kalb, who was a German immigrant from Alsace-Lorraine, was a skilled blacksmith. He was not too well received by the family at first, although they all admitted he was a very fine man. He became ill with tuberculosis when his wife, Rachel, was pregnant with her fourth child. She died in July when the baby, Rachel, was born, and he died the following November. The third daughter, Elle, contracted an illness after her father’s death and died. Martha was first married to John Truxel from Butler. He lost his life in the Civil War. They had a daughter, Lena, and a son, Harvey. Martha later married John Mullen, an Englishman, who had fought with the North in the Civil War. Mother went to live with her Aunt Mag but did not have a happy life there and in a couple of years went to the Hutchisons. Here there was love and consideration. She was treated just the same as their own daughters. Mr. Nicholas Clark, hearing about her, asked her to come with them as they needed her. She was now fourteen and lived there until her marriage. They dressed her well, Eliza, being a tailoress, taught her sewing, and they had a happy life. When she was married, they gave her a cow, bed, carpet, and all they could, just as though she had been their own. Her trousseau consisted of silk, wool delain, and lawn dresses and accessories to go with them. Sarah’s grandmother Larimer must have been quite an unusual woman. She read Latin and Greek, having been educated in Philadelphia. The sister, Rachel, had a bad hip (probably tubercular) which restricted both her education and her activities a great deal. Fortunately for her, her grandmother Larimer was able to teach her. We have some unusual poems that Rachel wrote during the war when she was just in her teens and living with Mother. Mother’s youngest uncle, Benjamin Arundel Larimer, taught in the Mt. Pleasant Academy when he was very young, then went to Illinois and became a member of the House of Representatives. Mother had a copy of a speech he made in the Illinois Legislature that he sent to her, probably about the time of the Civil War. Grandmother Larimer was very faithful each fall visiting her daughters and granddaughters, riding horseback from Stoystown to Butler County, a distance of nearly 50 miles. She continued this until her death in the eighteen fifties. Father took his bride to his farm south of Worthington. During that first year they had Father’s nephew, James (son of Alexander) and Mother’s cousin, Rachel Hutchison (daughter of Elizabeth Larimer) living with them. When Father went to the Civil War he bought a house in Worthington for his wife and their children, John, Eva and Ada Bell. He later sold this farm and it came to be known as the Henry Claypool farm east of the Worthington-Slate Lick Road. The war was supposed to last only a very short time and Father volunteered to take the place of another man. In consideration for this he received a sum of three or four hundred dollars. I believe this was called exemption if the man called could find a replacement for himself. This enlistment, however, turned out to be more than a summer vacation - the war lasted four years. Army food was in plentiful supply but each company or group did their own cooking. In many cases this did not produce palatable or nutritious menus. For example, great quantities of rice were issued but no butter or milk to prepare it properly. Most of Father’s pay was spent in buying food since he found he could not eat what was provided by the Army. About mid-way through the war, he became ill with what must have been malnutrition. After engagements in the Shenandoah Valley he was sent to White Sulphur Springs where he made caskets for the Army. Later on his health improved and he was sent to Missouri where he was mustered out. (See agenda for war record.) He never fully recovered his health after this experience. The farm was becoming more of a liability than a help as taxes and food prices were high. So, shortly after his return from service, he sold the house and farm and established a planing mill at the mouth of Mahoning Creek on the Allegheny River. This was successful, but since Bradys Bend was being developed and offered great opportunity he went there. This was very profitable as he built superintendent’s homes, schools, churches, and many tenements or “row houses.” A baby, Adelaide, died there also Nannie died of whooping cough and measles. John didn’t like school and wanted a farm, so Father bought the Samuel Craig farm (400 acres) in Craigsville and had a man run it until John was able. Father’s work now shifted to this area. He built a tenant house on the part that is now occupied by the Tile Plant. He and Mr. Thorn McCurdy bought the Craigsville Flour and Feed Mill and a Peter Yockey was the miller. When Father built the Craigsville Woolen Mill for William F. Rumberger, they entered into many deals - to the detriment of the Joseph Minteer estate upon his death. While Father’s work was around East Brady and Craigsville, he had his nephews as apprentices. When the weather was too bad for outdoor work, they made window frames, doors, shutters, mantles and stair rails. The Minteer family kept in close touch with one another by much visiting. Aunt Nancy gave one day a week to visit some one of her children, brothers or sisters within walking or driving distance. I owe much of what I know of family history from listening during these visits from James, William, Nellie, Jennie, Nancy, Betty, the Clarks, and the good neighbors. What children miss today who seldom pause to hear the stories and incidents of the oldsters around them! In February, 1878, building was slow and Father, Mother and the baby (which was I) made the rounds of the family visiting with as many relatives as it was convenient to reach. Father took a cold which developed into pneumonia and died within the week, on February 20, 1878. He had carried much of his business in his head and most of his contracts were verbal. Uncle John was made guardian of the four youngest children, and brother John, just twenty-three with little education and no business experience and William Laird were executors. Through mismanagement, if not dishonesty, a hundred acres of the farm had to be sold to satisfy claims. Father had confided to his brother on his last visit that he was worth $25,000 if all worked out right. John soon bought a farm near Sherrett, leaving the home farm to be run by Mother and his two brothers, who were in their early teens. Mother very reluctantly applied for a pension for herself and her minor children. She has said what helped her decide was Dr. Maxwell, the family doctor, saying to her, “Do you consider yourself better than Mrs. Lincoln? She was not too proud to accept a pension!” Wint and Fin hated farming and went to work in the oil fields as soon as they were old enough. After dragging along for several years, the pension came through with back payment from the time of application. This gave Mother a lump sum of about $1200 as I remember. After having tried share cropping, she bought a house in Worthington and rented the farm. The finding of natural gas about this time brought new industry and more ready cash, and the area had a mild boom. The farm has reverted to sub-marginal land over the years with little or no cultivation. It is underlaid with two or three workable veins of coal, good clay, limestone and gas-bearing strata. Phillips Gas Company has had it under lease for sixty or more years. There were four good gas wells on it from which we received royalties, but they have gradually been exhausted. Mother bought a home in Worthington and, with her two youngest daughters, moved there to be nearer to church and better schools. With a cow, some chickens, a good garden and regular income, life became easier for all. The building of the B.R.& P.R.R. through the farm and purchase of right-of-way and then the sale of timber gave successive boosts financially that were appreciated. When I began teaching in Butler in 1901, Mother sold her home and we built a new house at the corner of Brady and First Streets, near my sister, Eva. We had a very happy twelve years there until the time of my marriage when we moved to Wilkinsburg. She always accepted every situation gracefully and her first comment on seeing our new home here was, “I always wanted to live in a brick house and here it is with electricity, too!” She was very happy and lived to see our son born. She died of cancer on September 18, 1915, having lived a very happy, full and busy life - always with many friends. She is buried in the United Presbyterian Cemetery, north of Slate Lick where so many of this family lie, near William and Mary."

From "The Minteers As I Have Known Them" by Josephine Minteer Dickinson (1961 limited-edition private printing of 200 copies), youngest and last surviving of William Minteer and Mary Nicholson's 85 grandchildren:

"Joseph Minteer was born on February 14, 1827, and died on February 19, 1878. He married Sarah Kalb, who was born on February 14, 1835, and died on September 18, 1915. They were married on June 19, 1855. This is my own family and I am on surer ground here. Joseph was twenty-eight and Sarah, twenty when they were married. His parents were both dead and he was considered a successful business man and eligible bachelor. Mother was an orphan living with Eliza and Nicholas Clark. Her parents died within three months of each other when she was but ten years old, leaving four daughters of which Mother was the oldest. Her grandmother, Rachel Stephens Larimer, took the baby from Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania, where their home had been to a farm near Stoystown, Pennsylvania, and kept her there until she, Rachel, the grandmother died. Then the baby Rachel (now in her teens) came to live with her sister, Sarah. The other three Kalb girls were taken to Butler County by their aunts living there. Sarah by Aunt Margaret, wife of William Thompson, Martha by Mary Hutchison, wife of George, and Ellen by Elizabeth, the first wife of William Hutchison. After Elizabeth’s death he married his wife’s sister, Eleanor or Ellen Larimer. Sarah’s father, Adam Kalb, who was a German immigrant from Alsace-Lorraine, was a skilled blacksmith. He was not too well received by the family at first, although they all admitted he was a very fine man. He became ill with tuberculosis when his wife, Rachel, was pregnant with her fourth child. She died in July when the baby, Rachel, was born, and he died the following November. The third daughter, Elle, contracted an illness after her father’s death and died. Martha was first married to John Truxel from Butler. He lost his life in the Civil War. They had a daughter, Lena, and a son, Harvey. Martha later married John Mullen, an Englishman, who had fought with the North in the Civil War. Mother went to live with her Aunt Mag but did not have a happy life there and in a couple of years went to the Hutchisons. Here there was love and consideration. She was treated just the same as their own daughters. Mr. Nicholas Clark, hearing about her, asked her to come with them as they needed her. She was now fourteen and lived there until her marriage. They dressed her well, Eliza, being a tailoress, taught her sewing, and they had a happy life. When she was married, they gave her a cow, bed, carpet, and all they could, just as though she had been their own. Her trousseau consisted of silk, wool delain, and lawn dresses and accessories to go with them. Sarah’s grandmother Larimer must have been quite an unusual woman. She read Latin and Greek, having been educated in Philadelphia. The sister, Rachel, had a bad hip (probably tubercular) which restricted both her education and her activities a great deal. Fortunately for her, her grandmother Larimer was able to teach her. We have some unusual poems that Rachel wrote during the war when she was just in her teens and living with Mother. Mother’s youngest uncle, Benjamin Arundel Larimer, taught in the Mt. Pleasant Academy when he was very young, then went to Illinois and became a member of the House of Representatives. Mother had a copy of a speech he made in the Illinois Legislature that he sent to her, probably about the time of the Civil War. Grandmother Larimer was very faithful each fall visiting her daughters and granddaughters, riding horseback from Stoystown to Butler County, a distance of nearly 50 miles. She continued this until her death in the eighteen fifties. Father took his bride to his farm south of Worthington. During that first year they had Father’s nephew, James (son of Alexander) and Mother’s cousin, Rachel Hutchison (daughter of Elizabeth Larimer) living with them. When Father went to the Civil War he bought a house in Worthington for his wife and their children, John, Eva and Ada Bell. He later sold this farm and it came to be known as the Henry Claypool farm east of the Worthington-Slate Lick Road. The war was supposed to last only a very short time and Father volunteered to take the place of another man. In consideration for this he received a sum of three or four hundred dollars. I believe this was called exemption if the man called could find a replacement for himself. This enlistment, however, turned out to be more than a summer vacation - the war lasted four years. Army food was in plentiful supply but each company or group did their own cooking. In many cases this did not produce palatable or nutritious menus. For example, great quantities of rice were issued but no butter or milk to prepare it properly. Most of Father’s pay was spent in buying food since he found he could not eat what was provided by the Army. About mid-way through the war, he became ill with what must have been malnutrition. After engagements in the Shenandoah Valley he was sent to White Sulphur Springs where he made caskets for the Army. Later on his health improved and he was sent to Missouri where he was mustered out. (See agenda for war record.) He never fully recovered his health after this experience. The farm was becoming more of a liability than a help as taxes and food prices were high. So, shortly after his return from service, he sold the house and farm and established a planing mill at the mouth of Mahoning Creek on the Allegheny River. This was successful, but since Bradys Bend was being developed and offered great opportunity he went there. This was very profitable as he built superintendent’s homes, schools, churches, and many tenements or “row houses.” A baby, Adelaide, died there also Nannie died of whooping cough and measles. John didn’t like school and wanted a farm, so Father bought the Samuel Craig farm (400 acres) in Craigsville and had a man run it until John was able. Father’s work now shifted to this area. He built a tenant house on the part that is now occupied by the Tile Plant. He and Mr. Thorn McCurdy bought the Craigsville Flour and Feed Mill and a Peter Yockey was the miller. When Father built the Craigsville Woolen Mill for William F. Rumberger, they entered into many deals - to the detriment of the Joseph Minteer estate upon his death. While Father’s work was around East Brady and Craigsville, he had his nephews as apprentices. When the weather was too bad for outdoor work, they made window frames, doors, shutters, mantles and stair rails. The Minteer family kept in close touch with one another by much visiting. Aunt Nancy gave one day a week to visit some one of her children, brothers or sisters within walking or driving distance. I owe much of what I know of family history from listening during these visits from James, William, Nellie, Jennie, Nancy, Betty, the Clarks, and the good neighbors. What children miss today who seldom pause to hear the stories and incidents of the oldsters around them! In February, 1878, building was slow and Father, Mother and the baby (which was I) made the rounds of the family visiting with as many relatives as it was convenient to reach. Father took a cold which developed into pneumonia and died within the week, on February 20, 1878. He had carried much of his business in his head and most of his contracts were verbal. Uncle John was made guardian of the four youngest children, and brother John, just twenty-three with little education and no business experience and William Laird were executors. Through mismanagement, if not dishonesty, a hundred acres of the farm had to be sold to satisfy claims. Father had confided to his brother on his last visit that he was worth $25,000 if all worked out right. John soon bought a farm near Sherrett, leaving the home farm to be run by Mother and his two brothers, who were in their early teens. Mother very reluctantly applied for a pension for herself and her minor children. She has said what helped her decide was Dr. Maxwell, the family doctor, saying to her, “Do you consider yourself better than Mrs. Lincoln? She was not too proud to accept a pension!” Wint and Fin hated farming and went to work in the oil fields as soon as they were old enough. After dragging along for several years, the pension came through with back payment from the time of application. This gave Mother a lump sum of about $1200 as I remember. After having tried share cropping, she bought a house in Worthington and rented the farm. The finding of natural gas about this time brought new industry and more ready cash, and the area had a mild boom. The farm has reverted to sub-marginal land over the years with little or no cultivation. It is underlaid with two or three workable veins of coal, good clay, limestone and gas-bearing strata. Phillips Gas Company has had it under lease for sixty or more years. There were four good gas wells on it from which we received royalties, but they have gradually been exhausted. Mother bought a home in Worthington and, with her two youngest daughters, moved there to be nearer to church and better schools. With a cow, some chickens, a good garden and regular income, life became easier for all. The building of the B.R.& P.R.R. through the farm and purchase of right-of-way and then the sale of timber gave successive boosts financially that were appreciated. When I began teaching in Butler in 1901, Mother sold her home and we built a new house at the corner of Brady and First Streets, near my sister, Eva. We had a very happy twelve years there until the time of my marriage when we moved to Wilkinsburg. She always accepted every situation gracefully and her first comment on seeing our new home here was, “I always wanted to live in a brick house and here it is with electricity, too!” She was very happy and lived to see our son born. She died of cancer on September 18, 1915, having lived a very happy, full and busy life - always with many friends. She is buried in the United Presbyterian Cemetery, north of Slate Lick where so many of this family lie, near William and Mary."

From Genealogical and Personal History of Western Pennsylvania:

Joseph, son of William and Mary (Nicholson) Minteer, was born in Worthington, Pennsylvania, February 14, 1828. He learned the carpenter's trade, and followed this calling at Worthington until the outbreak of the Civil War, when he enlisted in Company L, Fourteenth Regiment Pennsylvania Cavalry, and was an active participant in the battles of Bull Run, Rocky Gap and Lookout Mountain, serving altogether for a period of three years. He then returned to Worthington and resumed his trade, but he never regained the strength which the hardships he endured while in service had caused him to lose. In 1872 he removed to Craigsville, and there bought a farm which his sons cultivated, and he died there February 19, 1878. He was a Republican, and a very devout member of the United Presbyterian church. He had six children who attained maturity. He married Sarah B., who is now living in Wilkinsburg, a daughter of Adam and Rachel (Lorimer) Kalp;

Sources

• Find A Grave: Memorial #32043906
• Jordan, John W. Genealogical and Personal History of Western Pennsylvania (Lewis Historical Pub. Co., New York, 1915, Vol. 3., p. 1248-1250)