“Chances are there is someone in your family tree whose name begins with a vowel… or lived in a place that begins with a vowel… or had an occupation that begins with a vowel….” prompt from Amy Johnson Crow for Week 14 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.
Alex was born in Indiana, so two vowels in one for this tale. He was born in Blooming Grove, Indiana August 5, 1932. I haven’t been able to find a birth record but did find a very detailed obituary, so we will start with the end in this case. Alex was living in Mulvane, Kansas when he died on October 13, 1922.
The first actual record I have is the 1840 Census. In 1840 only the head of the household is listed by name. Everyone else is just a check mark under the appropropriate age range. Alex is listed as the first mark in the 5-10 year old male column after William Minson, who was his father.
Alex’s mother, Catherine Castner, died in 1840. I think from the number of older females in this Census she was still living when the Census was taken and possibly some care takers lived with them as well. In 1841 William married his second wife, Irennah Price. She is found with William and Alex in the 1850 Census. Also in this Census are two of Alex’s three sisters and four half siblings. Alex is 17 in 1850 and the family is still located in Blooming Grove, Indiana.
Alexander was attending school still at age 17, which honestly in my family is a big deal. It seems many others had to quit school early to help support the family. I’m not sure if he continued to live with his family for the next few years or moved on. In 1855 on the 25th of March, Alex married Martha J. Lewark in Rush County, Indiana. According to a cousin Alex and Martha had twin girls who died either at birth or soon after in 1855. Their next two children born in 1858 and 1860 both died in 1863 of scarlet fever. I can’t even imagine losing four children in such a short period of time.
My great grandmother, Melissa Alice Minson, was their fifth child and she was born in 1863, the same year they lost two of their other children to scarlet fever. I wonder if all of this is what pushed them to move. Their sixth child was born in Illinois. They had three more children while living in Illinois. Their final child was born in Mulvane, Kansas where they spent the remainder of their lives.
This map was a fun find. It not only shows where the Minson’s lived but also shows where the Smith’s lived. Ira Smith was also my second great grandfather and his son Charles William married Alex’s daughter Melissa Alice Minson. You can see they lived close together. The Smith’s did not live in Kansas for long so this meeting was an example of being in the right place at the right time.
Both Alex and Martha lived long lives. Alex was 90 when he passed away and Martha was 93. A birthday celebration was held for Martha on her 90th birthday. I think this photo is from that celebration. Martha and Alex are seated in the middle. Their daughter (Melissa) Alice and her husband Charles William Smith, my great grandparents, are standing on the right side of the photo. They would have been living in Iowa at this time and traveled to Kansas for the celebration.
Two years later Alex passed away and the next year Martha followed. They lived a long and eventful life and it sounds like they landed on top with the many blessings of family and friends.
My Tree in the Forest 