Chapter One Early Years

Chapter 1.
Early Years
from birth to 11.
1860 to 1871

In the Beginning.

Marinda Anna Reed was born at Lowell, Massachusetts, USA in 1860 on September 14, the only child of William Hellier Reed and Delphina A. Taylor, of Methodist background. Her father was an immigrant from England. On her mother's side, Minnie descended from a long line of Americans going back to the early 17th century. One of her great-grandfathers was an American revolutionary soldier and she descends from the first two Governors of the Massachusetts Colony. Her father was, at first, a farmer in Linton, Maine, then was a Mill Hand in Lowell by 1860. Later, he was involved in the paper industry. Her parents were married in 1859 on March 31, according to the records of Minnie's daughter Anna Grace Tanner. The location of marriage could not be determined, but may have Lowell.

When she was born, two of her grandparents were still living: Ann Hellier, widow of George Reed, who was in Lowell, the same city as Minnie, and Sophronia D. Taylor (maiden name same as her husband), widow of Isaac Bonney Taylor who was living in Freeman, Franklin County, Maine. Sophronia was a daughter of John Taylor, revolutionary war soldier. Sophronia died in Lowell in 1867 when Minnie was six. Minnie's other grandmother, Ann Hellier, outlived both of Minnie's parents and lived to age 83. She died in 1889 in New Haven, Connecticut, when Minnie was 29.

Parents of Minnie


William Hellier Reed 1831 - 1875	Delphina A. Taylor 1833 - 1872	Delphina A. Taylor about 1855

There is no identification indicating when or where these

photographs were taken. The first two were probably taken in Lowell, Massachusetts about the time of their marriage in 1859. The picture on the right was probably taken in the mid 1850s when she was in her early 20s. This may be the oldest photograph in my collection of family pictures. These pictures were colourised manually at the time.


	Here is a picture of Minnie's Grandmother Ann Hellier. She was the mother of Minnie's father William Hellier Reed. The back indicates it was taken by Gardner and Co., 276 and 278 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. No date was given, but an estimated period would be within a few years around 1880. Ann lived in Lowell from before Minnie was born until after 1880, so Minnie must have known this grandmother well.

Minnie was born about two months after the 1860 US census was taken. Her parents appear in the census of Lowell, ward 4, as shown here.

picture of 1860 census

In the household is also an Olive C. Bradley. It is unknown if this was a relation, friend, or boarder.

Early Childhood.

Little is known of the earliest years of Minnie, until age 12. In 1861, at the age of one, she was with her parents at 16 Appleton, Lowell. During this period, she was an only child in a middle-class family living in Lowell, Massachusetts. In the 1870 census of Lowell, her father was described as a worker in a cotton mill. They were still in Ward 4 (addresses not given), the same as the 1860 census. The 1872 Lowell City Directory, the address of this REED family was was 27 Appleton Street in Lowell.

Note the misspelling of names in the census: this was not uncommon, as census takers would sometimes just write down what they hear, without asking spellings. In historical research, it is important to consider that census and other records often included variations in names. Ages given to census takers were not always accurate; the tendency was that people would sometimes age less than ten years between each ten year census!

picture of 1870 census

Minnie would likely have attended a local elementary school in the area, but no record could be found to identify the school.

During her first decade, Minnie would have known her two grandmothers, as both lived in Lowell during the 1860s. On her mother's side, Sophronia Taylor died at Lowell in 1867, just before Minnie turned 7. Her grandmother Ann Hellier, widow of George Reed, was living in Ward 1 of Lowell in 1870 in what appeared to be a large rooming house or apartment complex serving as a residence for a number of people working in a cotton mill, as a number of people were listed in the same residence. At that time, Ann who was 65 in 1870 was living with three spinster daughters, who were Minnie's aunts: Mary, Martha, and Emma. It appears that Ann and three of her adult daughters may have been in charge of the rooming house, as they are described as "keeping house" while others are listed as servants and workers in a cotton mill. Ann's property was listed as worth $4500: no others in the resident were shown as having property value. This probably became Ann's business to support herself after her husband died in 1852, when Ann was 46 years old.

picture of census 1870

Also, in Ward 5 of Lowell lived Minnie's Aunt Elizabeth Ann Reed, who was married to Ezra Parker, her cousin Almina (Mina and other various forms) Adela Parker. In the same household with the Parkers was her uncle John Wesley Reed. Minnie and Mina eventually became close friends. Minnie's aunt and cousin will appear later in her life as important figures, as discussed in the next chapter.

picture of census 1870

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