Minnie Lucas (1868-1948) was the first of three children of Newton and Barbara Lucas. She was born in Timewell, Illinois, and had two siblings, Ruth (1875-1960), and William (Willie) 1873-1950. It seems as if they were very doted on children judging from number of photographs of them we have.

Minnie

Ruth and Minnie in the 1880s

Minnie married Henry Lee in 1888 (her 2nd cousin once removed I think). That means that Amassa and Elder Lee are both our 3rd great aunt and uncle and our 4th great grandparents. They are Henry’s great grandparents and Minnies’s great aunt and uncle. Very confusing!

Minnie and Henry on their wedding day in 1888

Minnie’s wedding dress

After Minnie and Henry married they moved quite a bit – Bakersfield, California, northern New Mexico, southern Colorado, and Dodge City, Kansas. He was a telegraph operator for the railroad and they lived right next to the railroad stations.

They had eight children, Henry Claude (1888-1898), Mamie Edith (1890-1891), Carl Lucas (1892-1895), Harry Sterling (1894-1896), Mabel Ruby Isabel (1896-1989), Grace Elmyra (1898-1980), Minnie Blanche (1900-1988), and Harlan Newton (1904-1967). The first four children all died in childhood.

They bought a house in Trinidad on Tillotson in the early 1900s, where they lived the rest of their lives. Henry died in 1935.

Gram (Joan Roper) went to stay with Minnie in Trinidad every summer- she had happy memories of staying with her “Gramma”.

She remembered that Minnie was very devout – she read the Bible at the dining room table every night, and she walked to the First Christian Church every Sunday (at least a mile or two). She walked everywhere, to the grocery, post office, wherever she needed to go.

She especially loved her grandchildren, Edgar, Joan, Mildred, Mary Lee, Claudia and Norton. She writes in one postcard to her daughter, Mabel:

“Dear Mabel, Edgar’s pictures are just splendid. I just keep looking at it how many times I have seen just that same look on his face so natural”

Gram thought Edgar might have been her “favorite”

Mary Lee Benedict, Minnie Lee, Grace Benedict

Minnie Lucas Lee

Great grandmother

Great great grandmother

3rd great grandmother