Life of a Coal Miner
Both sides of my family have men who worked in the coal mines. As far as I know, Sheldon was the only one of his generation to go to work for the mines, and he chose an engineering job, one of the elite crew who didn't do the hardest and most dangerous work down in the mines. In the early 20th century coal mining was an important business in the Susquehanna Valley.
A Family Business
Sheldon Jones Sr., and his two sons Sheldon Jones II and Sheldon Jones III went into mine engineering.
No Easy Job
Mining was then and still is today one of the most dangerous occupations. The miners in the early days fared the worst- no job protection, dangerous conditions- gas explosions, roof cave-ins, black lung, working in damp, cramped, badly ventilated conditions. In the nineteenth century children often were put to work in the mines- some as young as 6. They would spend the entire day down in the mine, never seeing sunlight, never going to school. They'd be put to the job of opening the door as the mine cars sped down the inclines, and closing them behind them. They could be crushed by them. The few pennies a day they earned went to their families. By the time the Jones men worked for the mines, things may have been somewhat better, and they all became engineers, so didn't have to do the really hard dangerous work. Sheldon I with only up to a seventh grade occupation rose to a management position.
Robert McGuire
Whether he was Scotch or Irish, Robert most likely emigrated to America to work in the mines, and, even then at the age of 13, could have worked in the Scottish mines before his immigration. This was early 1830's. The life of a mining family was squalid. The family lived in mine housing, the conditions which made slum living seem like a Holiday Inn vacation. Read the reports at this site. If you ever are in the Wilkes-Barre area, take a tour of the mine at suchandsuch south of Wilkes-Barre. It's a chilling experience!
Tour a "real" Coal Mine
There are several mines open for tourists. It's a fascinating trip down into the "underworld" which was the miner's life. A dangerous place where no sun shines! The Lackawanna Tour click here. Another tour is offered at "the No. 9 Coal Mine." If you can't make the trip, go on youtube. And this tourist attraction offers a mining museum and mining village- Eckley's Miners' VIllage.
