- Born: March 20, 1888, Pennsylvania
- Died: July 22, 1938, Kittanning, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania
- Relationship: My great-grandaunt
Minerva Pearl Wegley, sometimes remembered as Minnie Pearl, was my great-grandaunt and the eldest known daughter of John Wesley Wegley and Helen Elizabeth “Bessie” Swanson. She was born on March 20, 1888, in Pennsylvania and belonged to the generation of the Wegley family raised in and around Kane during the late nineteenth century.
Her father descended from the Pennsylvania Wegley line, which had been in the state for generations, while her mother was born in Sweden. Minerva therefore grew up at the intersection of two very different family histories, one rooted deeply in Pennsylvania and the other tied to more recent Scandinavian immigration. The current family reconstruction places Minerva among the children of John and Bessie alongside Frederick, Ruth Leona Victoria, Clarence John Leroy, Raymond Walter, and Howard.
Her Birth Date
Various websites and older family information have given Minerva’s birth year as 1885 or 1887, but her death certificate provides a much stronger internal match. It records her birth as March 20, 1888, and states that she was 50 years, 4 months, and 2 days old when she died on July 22, 1938. Those figures agree exactly. For that reason, I currently consider March 20, 1888 the date best supported by the surviving evidence.
Marriage to Gerald Winfred Foster
Minerva married Gerald Winfred Foster, whose name appears on her death certificate as Gerald W. Foster. At the time of Minerva’s death in 1938, the certificate records her as married, not widowed or divorced.
The 1950 marriage certificate of their daughter, Myrtle Gene Foster, independently supports the full middle name, Winfred. That record identifies Myrtle’s father as Gerald Winfred Foster and her mother as Minerva P. Wegley, providing especially strong evidence connecting the Foster and Wegley families.
Their Children
Surviving records directly document at least two children of Minerva and Gerald.
- Griffith Wayne Foster
- Myrtle Gene Foster
In 1950, Myrtle married Harold Eugene Boswell in Arlington, Virginia. Her marriage certificate records her as twenty-five years old, born in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, and working as a financial clerk for the federal government.
The certificate is particularly valuable for Minerva’s family history because Myrtle herself identified her parents as Gerald Winfred Foster and Minerva P. Wegley. It gives us another independent record confirming Minerva’s maiden surname and her marriage to Gerald.
I found the birth certificate for their son, which, of course, provides a long list of invaluable information about her.
| Field | Information |
|---|---|
| Document type | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Delayed Birth Certificate |
| Full name | Griffith Wayne Foster |
| Sex | Male |
| Date of birth | December 26, 1913 |
| County of birth | Beaver County, Pennsylvania |
| Place of birth | Darlington Village, Beaver County, Pennsylvania |
| Twin or triplet | No |
| Mother married to father at time of birth | Yes |
| Father’s full name | Gerald Winfred Foster |
| Father’s race | White |
| Father’s age at child’s birth | 31 |
| Father’s birthplace | Lewis Run, McKean County, Pennsylvania |
| Father’s occupation | Superintendent of Brick Works |
| Father’s address | Kittanning, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania |
| Mother’s full name | Minerva Pearl Wegley |
| Mother’s race | White |
| Mother’s age at child’s birth | 26 |
| Mother’s birthplace | Kane, McKean County, Pennsylvania |
| Mother’s occupation | Housewife |
| Mother’s status when delayed certificate was filed | Deceased |
| Children born alive and living at time of this birth, including Griffith | 1 |
| Previous children born alive but deceased at time of this birth | 0 |
| Previous stillborn children | 0 |
| Total children born to Minerva including Griffith at that time | 1 |
| Meaning of child-count information | Griffith was Minerva’s first recorded child |
| Attendant at birth | Clara F. Salisbury, R.N. |
| Attendant’s signature date | February 12, 1942 |
| Attendant’s address | Box 66, Pennsylvania; locality difficult to read with certainty |
| Applicant for delayed certificate | Griffith Wayne Foster himself |
| Applicant’s signature | Griffith Wayne Foster |
| Applicant’s 1942 address | 308 N. 14th Ave., Apt. 12, Phoenix, Arizona |
| Applicant sworn before notary | February 17, 1942 |
| Notary location | Maricopa County, Arizona |
| Notary public | Signature difficult to read with certainty |
| Notary commission expiration | September 18, 1944 |
| Filing date | March 4, 1942 |
| Registration date | March 6, 1942 |
| File number | Appears to be 219951 |
| Primary district no. | 04-10-42 |
| Legal basis | Filed under Pennsylvania Act 148 of 1941 |
Life in Kittanning
Minerva spent her adult years in Pennsylvania and eventually made her home in Kittanning, Armstrong County. By 1938, she and Gerald were living at:
127 Hazel Street
Kittanning, Pennsylvania
Her death certificate identifies this address not only as her residence but as the place where her life ended. The house therefore represents a direct physical connection to Minerva’s final years.
The residence still survives today. Family research identifies it as a house built in the early twentieth century, making it one of those rare locations where a place associated with an earlier generation of the family still stands.
Her Life at Home
Minerva’s death certificate records her occupation as housewife and gives her industry or place of work as “own home.” That wording reflects the way women’s domestic labor was commonly recorded in official documents during the period.
It is easy to overlook such an entry because it does not identify an employer or wage. In reality, maintaining a household and raising a family represented a substantial part of daily life, particularly before the widespread availability of modern household appliances and conveniences.
High Blood Pressure
The medical portion of Minerva’s death certificate reveals that she had suffered from high blood pressure since about 1934. That means the condition had been known for roughly four years before her death.
High blood pressure is listed as a contributory cause rather than the immediate cause of death. The certificate therefore gives us a clear medical sequence rather than simply stating that she died unexpectedly.
A Sudden Death at Home
On the morning of July 22, 1938, Minerva died suddenly at her home at 127 Hazel Street. Her death occurred at approximately 10:30 a.m. The principal cause of death was recorded as apoplexy.
“Apoplexy” was a historical medical term commonly used for a sudden stroke or cerebral hemorrhage. In Minerva’s case, the accompanying diagnosis of longstanding high blood pressure makes a stroke-related event a particularly understandable interpretation of the terminology used on the certificate.
No autopsy was performed. Because the death was sudden, the certificate was completed through the coroner rather than through a lengthy hospital treatment record.
| Field | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Minerva Pearl Foster |
| Maiden name | Minerva Pearl Wegley |
| Sex | Female |
| Race | White |
| Marital status | Married |
| Husband | Gerald W. Foster |
| Date of birth | March 20, 1888 |
| Age at death | 50 years, 4 months, 2 days |
| Birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| Usual occupation | Housewife |
| Industry/place of work | Own home |
| Last worked at occupation | July 22, 1938 |
| Father | John W. Wegley |
| Father’s birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| Mother’s maiden name | Helen Elizabeth Swanson |
| Mother’s birthplace | Sweden |
| Informant | Gerald W. Foster |
| Informant’s address | Kittanning, Pennsylvania |
| Residence | 127 Hazel Street, Kittanning, Pennsylvania |
| County of death | Armstrong County, Pennsylvania |
| Borough of death | Kittanning |
| Date of death | July 22, 1938 |
| Time of death | 10:30 a.m. |
| Place of death | Her residence, 127 Hazel Street, Kittanning |
| Primary cause of death | Apoplexy |
| Nature of death | Recorded as having died suddenly at her residence |
| Date of onset of apoplexy | July 22, 1938 |
| Contributory condition | High blood pressure |
| Onset of high blood pressure | 1934 |
| Autopsy performed | No |
| Death related to occupation | No |
| Coroner | Chas. M. Woodward |
| Coroner’s address | 316 Market Street, Kittanning, Pennsylvania |
| Burial date | July 25, 1938 |
| Burial place | Appears to be Kittanning, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania |
| Undertaker | Name appears to begin George W., but the surname is difficult to read confidently |
| Undertaker location | Kittanning, Pennsylvania |
| Certificate filed | July 26, 1938 |
| File number | 61039 |
| Registered number | 164 |
| Primary district number | 03-09-21 |
Only Fifty Years Old
Minerva was only fifty years old when she died. Her death certificate records her precise age as fifty years, four months, and two days. The suddenness of her death makes the record particularly striking. She apparently began July 22 at home with her family and died there that morning, with no indication on the certificate of a prolonged final illness.
Her Parents Confirmed
Minerva’s death certificate also provides important genealogical evidence about the previous generation. It identifies her father as John W. Wegley, born in Pennsylvania, and her mother as Helen Elizabeth Swanson, born in Sweden.
That is especially useful because the certificate gives Bessie’s full name rather than merely “Bessie Wegley.” It independently confirms the Swedish birthplace that appears elsewhere in the family’s records.
A Family Connection Preserved Through Myrtle
More than a decade after Minerva’s death, her daughter Myrtle’s marriage record preserved Minerva’s identity once again. When Myrtle Gene Foster married Harold Eugene Boswell on August 5, 1950, the Virginia certificate listed her mother as Minerva P. Wegley.
Myrtle was twenty-five, single, and living in Washington, D.C., at the time. Her record lets us follow Minerva’s family into another generation, even though Minerva had died when Myrtle was still relatively young.
| Field | Information |
|---|---|
| Document type | Certificate of Marriage, Commonwealth of Virginia |
| County issuing license | Arlington County, Virginia |
| Clerk’s no. | 1101 |
| State/certificate no. | Appears to be 2119 |
| Groom’s full name | Harold Eugene Boswell |
| Groom’s age | 26 |
| Groom’s race | White |
| Groom’s marital status | Single |
| Groom’s previous marriages | None |
| Groom’s occupation | Safety Engineer |
| Groom’s industry/business | Government |
| Groom’s birthplace | Boardman, North Carolina |
| Groom’s father | John David Boswell |
| Groom’s mother’s maiden name | Henrietta Rebecca Stone |
| Groom’s residence | Commodore Hotel, Washington, D.C. |
| Bride’s full name | Myrtle Gene Foster |
| Bride’s maiden name | Foster |
| Bride’s age | 25 |
| Bride’s race | White |
| Bride’s marital status | Single |
| Bride’s previous marriages | None |
| Bride’s occupation | Financial Clerk |
| Bride’s industry/business | Government |
| Bride’s birthplace | Kittanning, Pennsylvania |
| Bride’s father | Gerald Winfred Foster |
| Bride’s mother’s maiden name | Minerva P. Wegley |
| Bride’s residence | 38 Forrester Street S.W., Washington, D.C. |
| Proposed marriage date | August 5, 1950 |
| Proposed marriage place | Arlington, Virginia |
| License issued | August 1, 1950 |
| Actual marriage date | August 5, 1950 |
| Actual marriage location | Arlington County, Virginia |
| Officiant | George T. Liddell |
| Officiant’s title | Minister |
| Church/denomination | Presbyterian |
| Officiant authorized in | Fairfax County, Virginia |
| Officiant’s address | 2853 Ontario Road, Washington, D.C. |
| Certificate signed by officiant | August 5, 1950 |
Minerva’s Place in the Wegley Family
Minerva belonged to a generation in which the Wegley family moved beyond Kane and spread through Pennsylvania, and eventually far beyond the state. Her siblings would follow very different paths, with later branches of the family reaching New York, Oklahoma, and other parts of the country.
Minerva’s own life remained centered in Pennsylvania. Her records connect Kane and the family of John and Bessie Wegley with Kittanning, Gerald Foster, and the next generation represented by Myrtle Gene Foster.
Her story also reminds us why original records matter. Family trees gave Minerva several different birth years, but her death certificate records a date and an age that agree precisely, allowing us to replace uncertain inherited information with a much stronger documented conclusion.
Minerva Pearl Wegley Foster died far too young, but the records she left behind provide a surprisingly clear picture of her family. We can identify her parents, husband, daughter, home address, health condition, exact time and place of death, and the medical event that ended her life, preserving much more than simply her name on a family tree.