| Notes |
- Rebecca "Becky" (Minerd) Goins was born on Nov. 4, 1857 (or 1859) in or near Evansville, Preston County, WV, the daughter of Jacob and Ruth (Adams) Minerd. We do not know for certain that this family is related to ours, but the evidence strongly suggests so. It is known that Rebecca's father was a "Dutchman" (Pennsylvania German) and that he was from the precise area of the Fayette/Somerset County, PA, border region where our Minerds were pioneers in the 1790s. We also know that Rebecca's mother was a Native American and that Rebecca and her siblings thus were considered of mixed race (or "mulatto" in the language of the mid-1800s).
Rebecca followed her parents when they migrated to Taylor and Barbour Counties, WV, and thence to Athens and Washington Counties, OH.
On June 30, 1886, Rebecca gave birth to a daughter, Nancy "Anna" Cook. The child's father was "Linc" Cook. It is not known if Rebecca and Linc were married. Based on information in the 1880 census, it's thought that Linc was born in 1860 and the son of Rolla and Mary Cook. (But this is not proven.)
Five years later, on Jan. 13, 1891, in Athens County, OH, Rebecca married Hiram Goins (1861- ? ), the son of Jesse and Eveline Goins. In their marriage license, they are marked as "colored." The ceremony was performed by John Featherstone, a justice of the peace.
The Goinses had two children of their own -- Jesse Floyd Goins (born in 1892 in Sharpsburg) and Bertha M. Goins.
When the federal census was taken in 1900, the Goinses resided in Washington County. Hiram's occupation was listed as "day laborer." They lived next door to Nelson and Cora Goins, and to James and Sarah E. Goins. Seen at left is a postcard from 1908 depicting a wintry scene in the Muskingum Valley near Marietta, Washington County.
Rebecca and Hiram resided off and on in Philippi, Barbour County, WV, over the years. She was living there in 1907 shortly after the death of her brother, William Minerd.
In 1910, the family was enumerated in the census of near Clarksburg, Harrison County, WV. Hiram worked as a common laborer, and he and Rebecca had been married for 13 years. Widowed daughter Anna Ransom, and her children Gilbert and Dale, also made their home under the Goins roof that year.
As she aged, Rebecca went to live at the home of her son Jesse at 702 Front Street in Toledo, Lucas County, OH. Supposedly, the family's oral history states that Hiram was last seen by loved ones in 1918, when he left home never to return. Legend has it that he was a bounty hunter and the family didn't know whether he was killed or ran off and started another family elsewhere.
A rare old photographic postcard of Toledo is seen at right, dated 1915, and depicting "market day" on Monroe and Huron Streets.
Rebecca passed away of breast cancer on Oct. 4, 1919 in Toledo, Lucas County, OH. Her death certificate noted that she was "colored." She was laid to rest in Forest Cemetery in Toledo. A marker was never placed on her grave. However, with the assistance of the cemetery groundskeeper, the cornerstone has been located, and a new headstone is expected to be placed sometime in the future.
~ Daughter Nancy "Anna" (Cook) Ransom McCuen ~
Daughter Nancy "Anna" Cook (1886-1965) was married twice. Her first husband was (?) Ransom, the son of George W. Ransom. They had two sons, William "Gilbert" Ransom and Delbert "Dale" Ransom. The first husband died sometime prior to 1910.
Anna's second husband was John Oliver McCuen (1884-1950), a native of Kanawha, WV and the son of Augustus and Almeda (Sinnett) McCuen. When the federal census was taken in 1920, they lived in Washington Twp., Muskingum County. John was employed as a laborer in a local tube mill. Residing with them that year was Anna's former father in law, George W. Ransom.
The McCuens later resided in Mill Run, near Zanesville, OH, where they belonged to the Wings of Hope Tabernacle. Anna and John had one son, Wesley E. McCuen (1913- ? ). Anna was employed until retirement as a "domestic worker." Circa 1948, they resided on Coal Run Road. John died on April 21, 1950, and is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Zanesville. Anna outlived her husband by 15 years, and passed away on Sept. 2, 1965. Their obituaries were published in the Zanesville Times Recorder.
~ Daughter Bertha (Goins) Norris Adams ~
Daughter Bertha Goins (1895-1948) (seen at left) was married twice. Her first husband was Kirby Norris ( ? - ? ). They resided in Zanesville, and had three children -- Marie Marcus, Louise Ferguson and Howard Norris. All of the three children eventually resided in Washington, DC as adults. Later, Bertha married Hollie Elsworth Adams (1902-1977), the son of James Lewis and Martha Jane "Doolie" (Mayle) Adams, and the grandson of James and Elizabeth Mayle.
In the late 1930s, Bertha moved to Washington DC. She became ill in about 1948 and returned to Zanesville, where she resided at the home of her sister Anna (Goins) McCuen.
Bertha passed away at the age of 53, on Nov. 19, 1948, at Anna's home, after an illness of three months. She was laid to rest at the Woodlawn Cemetery in Zanesville. Bertha's son Howard Norris died in Washington DC in 1958, and her second husband, Hollie Adams, passed away in Morgan County, OH on June 18, 1977. More details of this family will be added here when learned.
~ Son Jesse "Floyd" Goins ~
The Floyd Goins family farming near Zanesville circa 1943
Son Jesse "Floyd" Goins (1892-1973) (seen at left) was a coal miner. He married Reatha Arcelia (McCuen) Goins, and they resided at 1234 Devin Street in Zanesville. Floyd and Reatha had 11 children -- Jesse Goins, Donald Goins, Wesley Goins, Denver Goins, Gerald Goins, Floyd Goins, Charles Goins, Arcelia Norman, Nancy Croston, Catherine Taylor and Betty Norman. Reatha brought two children to the family from her earlier marriage to Frank Spires -- Emmett Spires and Frances Parsons.
During World War II, sons Jesse and Donald and stepson Emmett all served in the US Army, and the news was covered by a local newspaper, seen at right. Floyd passed away at age 81 on Dec. 12, 1973. At the time of his death, the Times Recorder noted, he had "65 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren."
For more information on this branch of the Minerd family, visit the extraordinary genealogy website of descendant Irita (Goins) Canady which contains a stunning array of wonderful family photographs. In her introduction to the site, Irita writes that of Jesse Floyd Goins' 74 grandchildren, "68 are still living. I've lost track and stopped counting the number of children in the generations that follow."
Be sure to visit Rebecca's page on Barb Nelson's TribalPages.com website, which is a compilation of research done by others. Barb's website contains significant excerpts from Minerd.com's proprietary research and website postings, as well as additional research by Irita (Goins) Canady.
Copyright © 2004-2008, 2010 Mark A. Miner
Jesse Floyd Goins family images courtesy of Irita (Goins) Canady.
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