Minerva Farnsworth Bennett
1867 - 1956
Minerva was born August 12, 1867 in Mendon, Massachusetts. This was the town where her father and grandfather lived and where her parents where married.
While still a baby, her parents and her older brother, along with her father's mother and her father's two younger brothers, moved to Carroll County, Iowa. Shortly after their arrival a boy was born to her parents.
When she was 9 years old her parents divorced in 1876. Three years later her father remarried and moved to Vermont. Minerva and her siblings were raised by their grandmother in Iowa.
According to family lore Minerva was a school teacher in Colorado. She met her husband, Milan Stevens, there while he was on vacation. They married when she was 25 years old and he was 40 and spent the rest of their lives in Malden, Massachusetts.
Minnie F. Bennett
Manning, Iowa
1888
Buena Vista Herald
Saturday, August 27, 1892, page 3
MARRIED—On Monday after-
noon at the M. E. Parsonage, Mr.
Milor F. Stevens, of Boston, Mass.,
and Miss Minnie F. Bennett, of
Buena Vista. The young couple
immediateley left view the Midland
R. R. for Boston, where they will
make their future home.
The Malden Evening Mail
August 30, 1892
Milan F. Stevens of this city and Miss Minnie F. Bennett of Buena Vista, Col., were unitied in marriage at the brides's home Monday, Aug. 22. Mr Stevens started five weeks ago on a tour through the West, and after visiting Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Chicago and other places of interest he contunued on to Buena Vista. The happy couple arrived home Saturday, and have since been receiving the congratulations of numerous friends. They are residing with Mr. Stevens' sister, Mrs. H. M. Pitcher on Winthrop street.
In March 1904 Minerva entered a cooking contest in The Boston Post. There were 10 prizes of $10 for 10 different catogories. Minerva entered her recipe under Cooking Vegetables. There were about one hundred thousand recipes entered in the contest.
The Boston Post
Sunday, March 6, 1904 page 46
Stewed Potatoes
Pare and slice 6 medium-sized potatoes. Boil
20 minutes in water enough to cover. Cut three
slices of fat pork into inch squares. Brown in
a hot oven. Put the pork and 3 tablespoonfuls
of the hot fat into the stewed potatoes. Stir
well, and let simmer 10 minutes. Add pepper if
desired and salt to taste. Do not pour off water
potatoes are cooked in.
Malden. MRS. MINERVA F. STEVENS.
Minerva died at Malden Hospital where she was a patient for seven days. She was living at the Buchanan Nursing Home, 190 Summer Street, Malden, Massachusetts for the last 10 years. She died of bronchopneumonia. A second cause was nephrosclerosis which is the hardning and scarring of the kidneys caused by high long-term blood pressure. For the past 5 years before her death she had arteriosclerotic heart disease which is plaque buildup in artery walls. All this was on her death certificate.
Malden Evening News
January 30, 1956
Mrs. Milan Stevens
Resident 50 Years,
Dies at Hospital
Mrs. Minerva Farnsworth (Bennett) Stevens, wife of the late Milan Stevens, passed away yesterday morning at Malden Hospital. For several years she had been residing at a local nursing home.
A native of Mendon, Mrs. Stevens had been a resident of Malden more than 50 years and lived a few years in Everett.
She leaves a son, Philip D. and his wife Edith Hiatt Stevens of Edgewood, R.I.; and four grandchildren, Mrs. Stanley Wilkinson of San Antonio, Tex, Misses Arlene Patricia and Diana Jean Stevens, both of Edgewood, R.I., and Richard Hiatt Stevens, at present serving in the Armed Forces in the Philippines.
Services will be held Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 at the Margeson funeral home with burial to be in Cambridge City cemetery. Visiting hours will be held tomorrow at the funeral home.
Minerva is buried with her husband at Cambridge Cemetery. There is no grave marker.