Person:Mary Minger (1)

BIOGRAPHY: Compiled by Mae Brown Siemers Rand MARY ELLEN (MINGER) WHITE, 1872-1948, and WILLIAM AARON WHITE, 1871-1916.

Mary Ellen Minger was born 16 January 1872, the eleventh child of Johann and Elisabeth (Hassig) Minger. Her baptism record in St. John's Lutheran Church, Guttenberg, Iowa reads: Maria Helena Minger, daughter of Johann Minger and Elisabeth Minger, born 16 January 1872; baptized 5 May 1872. The names of the sponsors were unreadable in the records. Ella, as she was known, spent her childhood years on her parent's farm and attended school in Millville.

At the age of 23 on 29 October 1895 Ella was married to William Aaron White, a farmer in Millville Township. They were married by J. C. Marshall, Justice of the Peace, and their witnesses were Ella's brother and sister, Henry, age 30, and Susie, age 20. Ella and William's first five children - Isa Dell, Dewey, Martin, Rueben and Elizabeth, were born in what was called the "old house" on the farm. Elizabeth (White) Peterson has a large painting of this house on her living room wall in Guttenberg. (Eventually this farm was sold to William's brother, Grant White, and a new house was built, which still stands today.)

Three more children were born to Ella and William in their farmhome - Marvel, Lucille, and Rena. After Rena's birth, the family moved to Buena Vista where they operated a grocery store. A fourth and last child, William, was born in Buena Vista. William was the only child to be delivered by a doctor; for all the other children Ells was attended by her mother. A little over a month after the birth of William, Ella was left a widow when her husband died from pneumonia at the age of 45. Ella was then 44 years old, with eight children living at home. She decided to return to farming and to raise cattle, in order to support herself and her children. When her sons reached a certain age they all left home, with the exception of Rueben who remained on the farm until he was 31 years old.

Ella, in spite of her poor health which included diabetes and heart problems, was an easy-going person. She raised a big garden and was a hard worker, but she always found time to visit with everybody. She loved people. Her grandchildren were her pride and joy, and they could do most anything and it was fine with her. She was especially noted for her good cooking. Ella died in the home of her daughter Elizabeth on 31 May 1948 at the age of 76. Her brother Henry had died earlier the same month and her brother John had died the previous month in April. It is said that when Ella lost her two brothers, she remarked, "There have been two deaths in the family, now there will be a third," and Ella herself was the third.

Lucille (White) Marsh remembers: During the winter of 1923 the Ella White family, along with the Alfred Anderegg family, all piled into a bobsled hitched up to a team of horses. The sled had been covered with hay for everyone to sit on and they covered up with warm horse blankets. They went to Sarah (Minger) and John Smith's farm, four or five miles away to hear the newest thing out...which was an Atwater Kent Radio. All they heard was mostly squeaks and squeals, but when they got it tuned in right, they heard music and many other things!

Elizabeth (White) Peterson remembers: My mother could see someone coming down the road by horse and buggy about 1/2 a mile from our home. She would recognize who it was by the horses they were driving. Before they got to our house, she would have a cake in the oven. Even if she didn't know company was coming, she could always get a good meal for them. She had canned beef, etc., to use. One time I remember I was watching my Aunt Lizzie Brown make bread - she could throw it up in the air and then catch it, and I said to her, "You make the best bread."