Rebecca (Minerd) Behme Kearns was born on June 24, 1850 near Tontogany, Wood County, OH, the youngest daughter of Samuel and Susanna (Hueston) Minerd. She was romantically linked with Thomas Ward Custer -- two-time Medal of Honor recipient for his Civil War bravery who later was tragically slain with his famous brother George at Little Big Horn. Together, Rebecca and Thomas produced a son, Thomas C. Custer, and the relationship is discussed in a book by Carl F. Day entitled Tom Custer: Ride to Glory, available on Amazon.com. It also was the theme of our 2002 national family reunion. She later married and had a family of three more children........Many lingering questions about the Custer-Minerd story will forever be unanswered. How Rebecca Minerd, or her young son, reacted to the news of the Custers' slaughter likely will never be known........By 1876, she had married Nathaniel Arthur Behme (or "Beam") (1851-1914), the son of Julius H.D. and Mary Ann (Ketchum) Behme. Nathaniel's father was a German immigrant, and his mother a native of New York. The Behmes had three children -- Frederick Arthur Behme, Clara Jensen Kiggins Young and Samuel H. Behme. .........Moving frequently, Rebecca resided in Spokane, Spokane County (1899), Seattle and Port Townsend (1906), Everett (1907) and Blaine, Whatcom County (1914-1915). Whatcom is the most northwest county in Washington State, near the Canadian border. She once sent her sister some "fine ore" obtained at "the mines in British Columbia."Rebecca earned income in Seattle through her sewing skills. In 1906-1910, they resided at 2307 North 63rd Street in the Green Lake section of Seattle. Though claiming to be "poor," she took out a $1,000 "Yeomen" life insurance policy for her daughter Clara, a $500 policy "in the Wood Craft" for her own burial, as well as a $1,000 policy "in the Maccabees" for her sons. It cost her $4.00 a month in premiums........Rebecca's ex-husband Nathaniel Behme died on Sept. 4, 1914 at Custer, Whatcom County, at the age of 63.During that time, Rebecca suffered from cancer of the uterus, and the disease spread quickly to her bladder and bowels. On Aug. 15, 1915, at the age of 64, she passed away in Blaine. She was laid to rest at the Enterprise Cemetery in Custer, WA, beside her first husband, Nathaniel Behme.
Rebecca (Minerd) Behme Kearns was born on June 24, 1850 near Tontogany, Wood County, OH, the youngest daughter of Samuel and Susanna (Hueston) Minerd. She was romantically linked with Thomas Ward Custer -- two-time Medal of Honor recipient for his Civil War bravery who later was tragically slain with his famous brother George at Little Big Horn. Together, Rebecca and Thomas produced a son, Thomas C. Custer, and the relationship is discussed in a book by Carl F. Day entitled Tom Custer: Ride to Glory, available on Amazon.com. It also was the theme of our 2002 national family reunion. She later married and had a family of three more children........Many lingering questions about the Custer-Minerd story will forever be unanswered. How Rebecca Minerd, or her young son, reacted to the news of the Custers' slaughter likely will never be known........By 1876, she had married Nathaniel Arthur Behme (or "Beam") (1851-1914), the son of Julius H.D. and Mary Ann (Ketchum) Behme. Nathaniel's father was a German immigrant, and his mother a native of New York. The Behmes had three children -- Frederick Arthur Behme, Clara Jensen Kiggins Young and Samuel H. Behme. .........Moving frequently, Rebecca resided in Spokane, Spokane County (1899), Seattle and Port Townsend (1906), Everett (1907) and Blaine, Whatcom County (1914-1915). Whatcom is the most northwest county in Washington State, near the Canadian border. She once sent her sister some "fine ore" obtained at "the mines in British Columbia."Rebecca earned income in Seattle through her sewing skills. In 1906-1910, they resided at 2307 North 63rd Street in the Green Lake section of Seattle. Though claiming to be "poor," she took out a $1,000 "Yeomen" life insurance policy for her daughter Clara, a $500 policy "in the Wood Craft" for her own burial, as well as a $1,000 policy "in the Maccabees" for her sons. It cost her $4.00 a month in premiums........Rebecca's ex-husband Nathaniel Behme died on Sept. 4, 1914 at Custer, Whatcom County, at the age of 63.During that time, Rebecca suffered from cancer of the uterus, and the disease spread quickly to her bladder and bowels. On Aug. 15, 1915, at the age of 64, she passed away in Blaine. She was laid to rest at the Enterprise Cemetery in Custer, WA, beside her first husband, Nathaniel Behme.
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