Treasure Chest Thursday: Best Dressed Miners

Digging in the Olde Treasure Chest this week, my pick is a book by Katherine A. Harvey, Best-dressed Miners, Cornell University Press, 1970. Because so many of my male ancestors worked in the coal mines of the Georges Creek mining area in Western Maryland, this book was a must-have for my book shelf! And I've not been bored reading it.

As you'll see from the photos of the pages, below, there are statistics to back up the strong narrative Katherine A. Harvey beautifully weaves together. I read it and re-read it. Can't get enough of it! So take a look at this treasure:)

Title page with detailed map of the mines.

I can trace where each ancestor lived and if in doubt which mine he worked for, look at the map to see which ones were closest.

Salaries by year and days typically worked.

Not everyone worked all the time. If the mine management liked you, you worked.

Salaries by mining company. Some paid better than other, with larger operators paying best so as to attract the best workers.

Costs of common goods with years.

Strikes were rather common and a trial for the miners and their families.

Old illustrations show the area as it was.

 

Treasure Chest Thursday is a blogging prompt of GeneaBloggers.

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