The Minall family lived around Tilehurst (Reading, Berkshire). They mainly appear to have been labourers. The earliest known member of the family is William born around 1779.

There were a number of variant spellings such as Minall, Mynall, Minal, Minail

William's eldest son was Joseph Mildenhall Minall (born 1811). There is no obvious clue as to where the Mildenhall came from as his mother's maiden name was Webb. However he continued the convention by naming his younger daughter Sarah Ann Mildenhall Minall