Person:Albert Minger (1)

BIOGRAPHY: Compiled by Mae Brown Siemers Rand

ALBERT RICHARD MINGER, 1878-1930, and MERCY BLANCHE (PENHOLLOW) MINGER,1887-1952.

Albert Richard Minger, was born on Friday, the eighth of November 1878, and was the youngest child of Johann and Elisabeth (Hassig) Minger. His baptism record in St. John's Lutheran Church, Guttenberg, Iowa reads: Albert Richard Minger, son of John Minger and Elisa Hesseck, born 8 November 1878; baptized 19 October 1879. The sponsors were Soph. Jaberg and Joh. Jaberg (niece and brother-in-law of Johann Minger, and also Julius Anderegg (nephew of Johann Minger). Bert, as he was known, was five years old when his parents moved to their farmhome on Section 15 in the spring of 1884. He attended school in Millville, which was then a good sized town. He finished his education through the sixth reader. When Bert's father died in 1908, Bert continued to live on the farm and to help his mother. At some time he built a barn on the farm out of hewn logs. This building is still standing today (1983).

Bert was musically inclined and even as a small child he would want only musical instruments as gifts. He played the organ, accordion, violin and fiddle. As he grew older, he often played for dances in the area. Bert's niece, Elizabeth (White) Peterson remembers that when she was about four years old and visiting at her grandmother's house, she was not allowed to go in a certain room because Bert kept his phonograph in that particular room. Bert was also artistically inclined, often drawing and printing fancy letters.

Bert attended the Goshen Church in the community and after church he would walk Mercy Blanche Penhollow (known as Blanche) home from church; the two would walk hand in hand. Blanche, like Bert, also came from a large family, fifteen children in all. In time Bert asked Blanche's mother for permission to marry her daughter and, permission granted, the couple started to collect household furnishings. Bert stored all the furnishings in his mother's farmhome. In July 1915 the farmhome, built of logs, burned to the ground, destroying everything in the house - including Bert's musical instruments. A frame house was then built which still stands today. Two months after the fire, on the 8th of September 1915, Bert and Blanche were married in the Congregational Church in Elkader. They were married by the Reverend Isaac Cassel; witnesses were Alfred G. Penhollow and Ethel Hansel. Bert was then 36 years old and Blanche was 28.

Bert and Blanche made their home with Bert's mother for two years after their marriage and it was here that their first child, Alton, was born. In 1917 Bert and Blanche decided to go to Canada where Bert felt he would have better opportunities. Bert went to Canada first and established himself on a farm near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Blanche and the baby went up later. A daughter, Maymie, was born in Saskatchewan. In 1922 Bert and Blanche lost everything and that same year they decided to move to Manitoba where they thought there was better wheat land. Here they built a log cabin and homesteaded land across the Sinobon River. Their daughter Opal was born in Roblyn, Manitoba on SE Section 32-25-29Wl.

In October 1925 Bert and Blanche decided to return to Iowa, the reason being that if they remained in Canada for a total of ten years they would have to become Canadian citizens and Blanche did not want to do this. They left everything in Canada, with the understanding that their neighbors would sell it and give them the money; however, they never received anything. When they first returned to Guttenberg, the family lived with Albert's brother, Frank Minger. Eventually they moved into the north half of a house at 510 North First Street where a fourth child, Vera, was born.

Albert R. and Blanche M. Penhollow Minger http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=e5cf7505-057a-4259-aa7f-10e25719556d&tid=31653303&pid=35

Albert Minger http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=a18de0b0-2bf1-4d2e-8b7b-130393f2d083&tid=31653303&pid=35

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census. (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.Original data - Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Was)
   Year: 1910; Census Place: Millville, Clayton, Iowa; Roll: T624_397; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 0053; Image: 597; FHL microfilm: 1374410.

   Birth date: 1877 Birth place: Iowa Residence date: 1910 Residence place: Millville, Clayton, Iowa _APID: 1,7884::137098209

   http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=1910uscenindex&h=137098209&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt

2.   GEDCOM file submitted by Penhallow.net. Imported on 29 June 2011..