The Minthorn Family

Dr. Henry John Minthorn (1846 – 1922)

Dr. Henry John Minthorn moved from West Branch, Iowa, to Oregon between 1882 and 1883 and purchased the house from Jesse Edwards in 1885.

  • Born Bergersville, Ontario, Canada, 1846

  • Moved to Iowa with Parents and Siblings, 1856

  • Fought in the Union Army (Company D, 44th Iowa Infantry)

  • Graduate University of Iowa & Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia

  • Conductor of Underground Railroad

  • Teacher & Family Doctor

  • Ponca Indian Agency, Nebraska & Nez Perce Agency, Oklahoma

Black and white portrait of Dr. Henry John Minthorn

Dr. Henry John Minthorn (1846 – 1922)

Dr. Henry John Minthorn moved from West Branch, Iowa, to Oregon between 1882 and 1883 and purchased the house from Jesse Edwards in 1885.

  • Born Bergersville, Ontario, Canada, 1846

  • Moved to Iowa with Parents and Siblings, 1856

  • Fought in the Union Army (Company D, 44th Iowa Infantry)

  • Graduate University of Iowa & Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia

  • Conductor of Underground Railroad

  • Teacher & Family Doctor

  • Ponca Indian Agency, Nebraska & Nez Perce Agency, Oklahoma

Dr. Henry John Minthorn and Laura, his Wife

Dr. Minthorn’s Family

Dr. Henry John Minthorn moved from West Branch, Iowa, to Oregon between 1882 and 1883 and purchased the house from Jesse Edwards in 1885.

  • Wife, Laura Ellen Miles (1846 – 1916), m. 1871
    A fellow Quaker and educator, she taught at Friends Pacific Academy.

  • Daughter, Tennessee C. Minthorn (1875 – 1892)
    Died at the age of seventeen from a brief, bacterial respiratory infection.

  • Son, Benjamin Bruce Minthorn (1878 – 1884)
    Died at the age of six from injuries sustained during a carriage accident.

  • Daughter, Gertrude Minthorn (1882 – 1944)
    Graduate of Pacific College, 1904. She became a physician and a surgeon, who completed her post-graduate work in Dublin, Ireland and went on to practice medicine in India for six years, before moving to Southeast Asia and then to Alaska.

  • Daughter, Mary Agnes Minthorn Strench (1887 – 1983)
    Graduate of Pacific College, 1906 and received her Master’s degree from Columbia University. She married William Strench, an immigration agent from Missouri. They lived between Hawaii, Alaska and Oregon.

  • Wife, Matilda Atkinson Minthorn (1862 – 1944), m. 1917
    A fellow Quaker, Dr. Minthorn met Matilda while pursuing missionary work in Alaska after the death of his first wife, Laura Miles.

  • Nephew and adopted son, Herbert C. Hoover (1874 – 1964)
    31st President of the United States.

The Minthorn children’s upbringing in a Quaker household probably influenced them to seek careers as humanitarians and global citizens.  They all seized great opportunities and made a difference to many others around the world.

Dr. Henry John Minthorn and Laura, his Wife
Black and white portrait of Dr. Henry John Minthorn

Dr. Minthorn’s Family

Dr. Henry John Minthorn moved from West Branch, Iowa, to Oregon between 1882 and 1883 and purchased the house from Jesse Edwards in 1885.

  • Wife, Laura Ellen Miles (1846 – 1916), m. 1871
    A fellow Quaker and educator, she taught at Friends Pacific Academy.

  • Daughter, Tennessee C. Minthorn (1875 – 1892)
    Died at the age of seventeen from a brief, bacterial respiratory infection.

  • Son, Benjamin Bruce Minthorn (1878 – 1884)
    Died at the age of six from injuries sustained during a carriage accident.

  • Daughter, Gertrude Minthorn (1882 – 1944)
    Graduate of Pacific College, 1904. She became a physician and a surgeon, who completed her post-graduate work in Dublin, Ireland and went on to practice medicine in India for six years, before moving to Southeast Asia and then to Alaska.

  • Daughter, Mary Agnes Minthorn Strench (1887 – 1983)
    Graduate of Pacific College, 1906 and received her Master’s degree from Columbia University. She married William Strench, an immigration agent from Missouri. They lived between Hawaii, Alaska and Oregon.

  • Wife, Matilda Atkinson Minthorn (1862 – 1944), m. 1917
    A fellow Quaker, Dr. Minthorn met Matilda while pursuing missionary work in Alaska after the death of his first wife, Laura Miles.

  • Nephew and adopted son, Herbert C. Hoover (1874 – 1964)
    31st President of the United States.

The Minthorn children’s upbringing in a Quaker household probably influenced them to seek careers as humanitarians and global citizens.  They all seized great opportunities and made a difference to many others around the world.