Changes To Fraterville Memorial Page

The links to Philip Francis' account of the Fraterville rescue effort, the Fraterville original program, and the 100th anniversary program, have been moved from the Fraterville Memorial Page to the Links page.

Thanks to Linda Slover Lindsay

Today, I received a very nice note from Linda Slover Lindsay about the Fraterville Memorial Page. She brought an error to my attention which I corrected. She also provided some additional information about her relatives who were killed in the Fraterville and Cross Mountain mine explosions.

Thank you so much, Linda.

I have begun work on a Cross Mountain mine explosion Memorial Page which I hope to have completed later this year. Next year will be the 100th anniversary of that event.

Introducing the Fraterville Memorial Page

I have launched my Fraterville Memorial Page and associated links today in advance of the 108th anniversary of the Fraterville Mine explosion that occurred on 19 May 1902 near Briceville, Anderson County, TN.

The link is now active on my home page.

I welcome comments, additions, and corrections.

New Home Page

Starting this afternoon, my website has a new home page. I have reorganized the content of the website into themes. These include coal mining, family history and genealogy, miscellaneous other topics, and previous and current blogs. I have placed a temporary introductory paragraph on the home page to explain some of the changes. This paragraph will remain on the home page for a few months and then will be removed. I hope that these changes will highlight the varied content on the site. The link to the Fraterville page will be activated on or before the anniversary date of May 19th.

LOOKING FOR DESCENDANTS OF ELIZABETH HARRIS AND THOMAS THOMAS

On my home page at: http://www.seventyyearsinthecoalmines.org, there are four descendant lineages that are also included as appendices B, C, D, and E in “Seventy Years in the Coal Mines – the Annotated Edition”. The four lineages are connected by two Welsh immigrant sisters, Rebecca and Elizabeth HARRIS.

We think that Elizabeth HARRIS accompanied her sister and brother-in-law, Rebecca and Philip FRANCIS, to the USA from Glamorgan, Wales ca. 1851. Rebecca and Elizabeth were two of the children of James HARRY and Elizabeth OWEN, who were married 4 March 1819 in Pendoylan, Glamorgan, Wales. We think that Elizabeth HARRIS met and married Thomas THOMAS, also from Wales, in PA. By the 1860 census, both sisters were widowed, and Rebecca had re-married. Elizabeth re-married 2-3 years later. Both sisters had children by each of their husbands. This resulted in two blended families. Both families endured severe hardships.

I am a descendant of Philip FRANCIS and Rebecca HARRIS. I have been able to contact and share family information with a descendant of Rebecca HARRIS and David P. JAMES and a descendant of Elizabeth HARRIS and William JAMES. I have been unable to contact a descendant of Elizabeth HARRIS and Thomas THOMAS. I was able to create their family tree with census and other information. However, it is very sketchy and incomplete. The URL for the lineage is shown below.

http://www.seventyyearsinthecoalmines.org/syitcmappendixd.htm

One of my many reasons for creating the website was the hope that one or more descendants of Elizabeth HARRIS and Thomas THOMAS might visit the website and contact me. They had three sons: James, Thomas, and Daniel R. THOMAS.

James THOMAS married Sarah A. TAYLOR and raised a large family. James died 12 March 1921 in Coal Township, Northumberland County, PA. Their children were: George W., William, Arthur, Ralph, unknown female, Ruth, and Harold THOMAS.

I was not able to trace Thomas THOMAS after the 1870 census.

Daniel R. THOMAS married Elizabeth SAGER and raised a family in Luzerne County, PA. Daniel died 19 November 1920 in Nanticoke, Luzerne County, PA. They had five children: Arthur S., Archibald, Elizabeth, Sterling R., and Daniel S. THOMAS.

I remain hopeful.

THOMAS MEYRICK, 1857-1888

My Great Grand Uncle, Thomas MEYRICK, has been quite a mystery to me.  I knew from the MEYRICK family Bible entry that Annie (Meyrick) FRANCIS' brother, Thomas MEYRICK, had died at age 31 years on 14 Sep 1888. I had considered the possibility that he had been killed in a coal mine accident. I have recently found information about his death which is summarized below. To my knowledge, he died unmarried and without children. This information was kindly provided by the research librarian at the Pottsville Public Library, Pottsville, PA.

1888 Rpt of Fatal Accidents in the 2d Anthracite District, comprising parts of Luzerne, plus Old Forge and Lackawanna townships (Lackawanna Co), and Bernice township (Sullivan Co). (from the Reports of the Inspectors of Mines of the Anthracite Coal Regions of Pennsylvania for the Year Ending 31 December, 1888)

9/14 THOMAS MEYRICK, miner, 33, Keystone slope, Plains twp

Thomas Meyrick -- Instantly killed by a fall of rock in face of chamber. (p. 82, Dept. of Internal Affairs, Anthracite Mine Report, 1888)


Information about my MEYRICK family can be found in the web pages beginning at:

http://www.seventyyearsinthecoalmines.org/meyrick1.html

My search for information about Thomas' father and my 2nd great grandfather, Richard MEYRICK, is summarized in the document, "Who Was Richard MEYRICK?" at:

http://www.seventyyearsinthecoalmines.org/whowasrichardmeyrick.htm

Links to photographs repaired

A friend informed me that many of the photographs on various pages of my website at: http://www.seventyyearsinthecoalmines.org were not opening. I discovered that the links had disappeared. I have repaired the links to the photographs and hope that they are all working now.