Who is she to us? She is Lester's paternal grandmother. She and her husband Mack (of the jungles) raised Lester and his siblings after his Mom died of pneumonia. (Do you see Lester in her face?)
Researching women can be a bit tough due to maiden/married names but from what Zola told me and from the records I found I believe Minnie's name is Arminda Ellen Hinkle or Amanda Ellen Hinkle. "Minnie" for short.
Minnie is the daughter of William and Alvira (Winstow or Winslow) Hinkle, born August 8, 1865 in Missouri.
I found a book: "A Reminiscent History of the Ozark Region" by Goodspeed Brothers Publishers 1894, that includes a biographical sketch of the Hinkle family. What? We are famous? I always knew it. Goodspeed Publishing was a Chicago company that published many works on local American history and biographies in the 1880's. They are viewed as a significant resources for historians and genealogists because they contain personal biographies of many prominent American citizens, and they provide an important snapshot of the lives and economic situation of that era.
This was an excellent find and I learned Minnie's father (William) was a native of the Keystone* State and of German descent. He moved from Pennsylvania to Iowa and from there to Lawrence County, Missouri where he remained until 1870. He finally settled in Taney County and passed away in 1876. William was a blacksmith and worked in that trade as well as farming all his life.
*Sorry Mama and Mr. Rossbach I had to look it up - the Keystone State is Pennsylvania
Alvira Winstow or Winslow (dang I wish I'd know her name when I was pregnant with Emma - Alvira Jade Hansen has a nice ring to it, huh?) was born in Pennsylvania and in 1894 was living a comfortable life with her son Henry J. Hinkle.
They were the parents of eleven children who are listed as follows:
Henry J.
Frank, who is a farmer near Sparta
Albert, residing in Taney County
Minnie the wife of Mac Adair of Indian Territory;
Daniel, a farmer of Taney County
Ida; the wife of George Bullock of Clay County
Lillie a widow, residing in Clay County
James
Mahala
and two infants deceased
The family attended the Christian Church and Mr. Hinkle was a wealthy man, a good citizen, and was well liked by all acquainted with him. Mrs. Hinkle reared a large family, and is a most estimable lady of about 60 years of age now.
The things we learn from this article!!! It's is a treasure trove (toilet paper word of the day). We learn several things - Minnie had 10 siblings. Her mother's maiden name (kinda) and birthplace and her birth year - approximately 1834. We learn her father's profession and that it seems he did well and people liked him. He passed in 1876 in Missouri. To tie it all together, I mean what if this isn't our Minnie, it says she was the wife of Mac Adair of Indian Territory (Oklahoma). Minnie was most likely born in Lawrence County - other records indicate she was born in Missouri, this timeline says that by 1870 the Hinkle family settled in Taney County. Minnie was born in 1865, so before they moved to Taney County.
As I searched census records I have found these siblings with their respective spouses and this gave me something to go off of. Frank's name is actually William F. Hinkle on many records, now I know they called him Frank. Ida's name looks like Luda on several records as well and we have her married name. Darn, we don't know Lillie's married name, but I know she was a widow by 1894.
So much information from one little article, here is some more.
Minnie's brother Henry J. Hinkle seemed to be the main subject of the biography and it says he secured a fair education in Missouri. He also learned the blacksmith's trade and when he was a grown man started a shop for himself in Taney County at Kirbyville where he stayed for 6 years. Then he moved to Texas to pursue farming . I am assuming this is Texas County Missouri, not the state. He then moved to Sparta Missouri in 1883 and opened a shop working there until 1892. Then he opened a hardware business and has always been successful in all his pursuits. The man didn't have enough to do so he opened a hotel and that is what he was doing at the time of the article in 1894. He has a comfortable home in Sparta attended to by his wife - formerly Miss Mariah Ellen Stephens of Illinois. She is the daughter of Thomas A. and Elizabeth (Davis) Stevens of Taney County. Notice the two different spellings of the name Stephens/Stevens? Great . . . .
Henry J. and his wife had five children, two dying in infancy - William T., Jasper N. and Tulela A (excellent names). I love that the article mentions that Mrs. Hinkle is a lady of much capacity and performs the duties of landlady with "command and great ability."
Again - look at all that information. I've been matching up census records, marriage records, wills/estates and having a hay day! Jealous much?
Do you wanna know what got me really excited? Because I know Minnie's brother's name is Henry and Henry's wife is Mariah Ellen, when I found them on an 1880 census record it made me wonder if Minnie was anywhere around them. One street over I found Mack and Arminda Abrita - as I examined the census closer I swear it says Adair not Abrita. The ages Mack - 21 and Arminda - 15 are exactly right for Mack and Minnie. I sent a correction for consideration - and they approved it. In examining the original record the National Archives agrees that it is Adair not Abrita. Oh my exciting. I've been looking for some proof of Mack before 1900's and this is the only thing in 25 years I've found. It indicates on the census they are married and they live in their own household in Oliver, Taney County Missouri. The 1870 census shows Minnie as a child in her father William's home - this 1880 census record is the earliest record I have of Mack.
When I finally was finally able to obtain a copy of Minnie's death certificate it listed her father as Henry Hinkle and her Mother as Alvira Hinkle. So unless her father's name was Henry William or William Henry Hinkle, I think her daughter Ava (who provided the information) didn't know her grandfather's name for sure or just mixed it up with her uncle's name. She also listed her grandmother's maiden name as Winslow - the article reports it as Winstow. I realize in the 1880's Facebook and the internets wasn't as popular as it is today, so they didn't have the same contact with family members who weren't nearby.
It's tough to read, but Minnie's cause of death? says "don't know, probably due to ongoing head lesion, she died suddenly." I am not sure I am reading it correctly though . . . .
Do you know your parent's parents names? Including maiden names? The information on a death certificate is provided by a family member.
What if Mack & Minnie were worriers? What if they were stressed about raising snot-nosed kids who don't know how to work when their 4 grandchildren came to live with them? What if farming is super hard work and they needed everyone to pull together and work hard? We just don't know . . . were they mean and ornery? Were they strict? Is that a fine line? Maybe one day we will know.
I do know I love Minnie, as I've search and learned about her - as I look at her picture and see my grandpa in her face . . . . It's still surprising to me that I can have so much love for people I haven't met. Blood is blood, right?
I love you all, so much. When I'm having a tough day - I think of you, and I love you and my heart swells. "Oh, I'm a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love." We may be a small clan, but our love is mighty.
UPDATE: I received a copy of the Record of Funeral from Leschers Funeral Home who are still operating and in business in Fort Gibson Oklahoma. They were wonderful and so helpful in searching for information for me. Here is some of that information:
Mack made the arrangements for Minnie with the help of their daughter Ava Barnett. Minnie passed away at 7:00 p.m. at home on May 4, 1946. Funeral services were held at 2:00 p.m. on May 8, 1946 at their home in Fort Gibson. Reverand George. T. James officiated. Minnie's cause of death was clarified a bit . . . "unknown, probably due to heart lesion, died suddenly." These may be silly details, but I just like to know all I can, she had a "steele gray plush, half couch casket" and the form even indicates her hair and her dress was done by a professional. Her funeral cost $592, which is equivalent to $8,018 in our day.
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