SALT LAKE CITY — Most Utahns who can find the surname Miner in their genealogy are descendants of Thomas Minor (1608–1690) and Grace Palmer (ca. 1612–1690), early settlers of Massachusetts who later helped found New London and Stonington, Connecticut. Thomas kept a historically valuable diary and had a large posterity. People from several branches of the family migrated to Utah in the 19th century, and there are now thousands of Miner descendants living in Utah and surrounding states.

The Thomas Minor Society was founded in September 1979 by a group of Thomas’ descendants who had traveled to Thomas’ birthplace in Chew Magna, England. The society will celebrate the 40th anniversary of that founding at its 20th reunion this fall, Sept. 19-22 at the Hilton hotel in Salt Lake City. The largest event will be the Sept. 21 evening banquet at the Hilton.

All descendants of Thomas and Grace are invited to attend the reunion — the group hopes to gather as many Miner cousins as possible this year, especially those who live within driving distance of Salt Lake City. One does not have to join the society in order to participate in the reunion.

Anyone interested in attending all or part of the reunion can email Mary Lynn Johnson at editor@tmsociety.org for details and pricing. The society can also be reached via their Facebook page, “Thomas Minor Soci’ty.”

Most of the Minor/Miner relatives in the Mountain West descend from Thomas and Grace’s sons John and Clement. Many are the descendants of Albert Miner, a third great-grandson of Clement, whose family came to Utah in 1850 (he died en route) or of the brothers Edward, Leonidas, Ephraim and Lewis Mecham (fourth great-grandsons of Clement) who came to Utah in the 1850s. Many others descend from Elmira Pond (third great-granddaughter of John), who came to Utah in 1852 or from her sister Clarissa Pond, who died in 1844 before her children came to Utah. Others are the descendants of Aurelius Miner, a fourth great-grandson of John, who came West as a young lawyer in 1854.

The Thomas Minor Society helps to maintain several cemeteries around Stonington, Connecticut, where the first generations of American Miners are laid to rest. They also publish a small family magazine called The Minor Mirror.