Tucker County, West Virginia          Biography of JOSEPH P. MINEAR

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The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 413-414
Tucker

JOSEPH P. MINEAR has devoted the greater part of his
active life to the coal mining industry in West Virginia.
He is now superintendent of the Minear Coal & Mining
Company at Adrian, this being a family corporation.

The Minear family goes back into the pioneer history
of Tucker County, West Virginia. The great-grandfather
of Joseph Minear was David Minear, who came from old
Virginia in 1789 and entered about five hundred acres of
land in the vicinity of St. George in Tucker County. That
land is still in the family name. David Minear is said to
have built the first sawmill in this part of the state, and
in the early days that mill cut great logs of walnut timber
into common lumber. The grandfather of Joseph P. Minear
was Enoch Minear. David Minear was founder of the
Methodist Church in his community, building a church
edifice, and his own children followed him in that religious
faith. However, his grandson, David S. Minear, became
a Presbyterian and was an elder in that church for many
years. David S. was affiliated with the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows and voted as a democrat. He married
Mary J. Parsons, who was also born in the St. George
community. They have six children: Crede W., who grad-
uated from the Smith Commercial College at Lexington,
Kentucky, and is cashier of the First National Bank of
Hendricks, West Virginia; Joseph P.; John W., of Parsons;
Crawford W., of Tacoma, Washington; Mary C., wife of
Lomax Wamsley, of Herndon, Virginia; and W. S., who
lives on the old homestead farm.

Joseph P. Minear was born at St. George February 1,
1870, grew up on the home farm, and supplemented his
public school education in the Fairmont State Normal.
He has had a busy career and for several years was in
newspaper work at St. George and Davis. For six years
he was railroad agent at Hendricks, and then became store
manager for the Wildell Lumber Company, remaining in
the service of that corporation six years. He then went
to Harding, West Virginia, as store manager for the Davis
Colliery Company, remaining there six years, and in 1917
took the responsibility of superintendent of the Minear
Coal & Mining Company at Adrian. Mr. Minear is also
one of the directors of the Bank of Adrian. He is a
democrat, is affiliated with Hendricks Lodge of Knights of
Pythias, a member of Beverly Lodge of Masons, and has
attained the thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite.
Mrs. Minear is a member of the Eastern Star. They are
active in the Presbyterian Church. In June, 1895, Mr.
Minear married Anna T. Adams, daughter of John J.
Adams. She graduated from the St. George Academy and
was a teacher before her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Minear
lost their only child, a daughter.