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Why Pennsylvania by Jay
Zane Coal was discovered in the eastern part of Pennsylvania well before the American Civil War. In fact, the legendary Necho Allen accidentally ignited a vein of anthracite coal in 1790 while traveling in what would later be Schuykill County. In 1822, the Anthracite coal industry began in earnest when fortune hunters journeyed into the coal fields of Schuykill, Carbon, Luzerne and Lackawanna counties in northwestern Pennsylvania. Large fortunes were discovered
by a select few. Stephen Girard of Philadelphia amassed millions
from the Anthracite area after purchasing more than 29,000 acres
of coal land in 1830 for $30,000. The profits he and his successors
reaped in the 1800's continue into the millions today. When Lithuanian immigrants began to arrive in the early 1880's, safety nets like unemployment compensation, welfare checks, food stamps, and medical assistance were non-existent. Survival meant work, hard work. Coal mining, with ten hours of grueling back-breaking labor, six days a week, was considered a privilege to newcomers, grateful to be away from the serf existence and Russian military conscription. Since there was no telephone, Internet service, or television in the late 1880's, how did word of plentiful employment opportunities spread? Agents from the Pennsylvania's Coal and Railroad Companies traveled throughout eastern and southern Europe, seeking cheap labor. Word spread quickly about the streets of America being "paved with gold." These stories hastened the Lithuanians to head towards the ports of Bremen and Hamburg, creating a labor shortage in their own land and prompting the Russian government to prohibit lawful immigration. Before arriving at German ports, a risky trip had to be made to avoid the Russian army and police. Immigrants would have to sail in steerage, rather than first or second class, due to the meager savings they had with them. Their unventilated passengers room had double-decker, wide shelves for beds underscored by a permanent stench. Several persons were forced to share the inadequate accommodations. Although the United States Congress had enacted the "Passenger Act of 1882", improvements on the passenger ships came gradually. Lithuanians first set foot
on America soil, usually New York, in wooden or leather shoes. Wearing
pleasant clothing, they carried what few possessions they owned
in several suitcases. Each immigrant had to have a few dollars to
prove to US Immigration officials that they were self sufficient.
When my maternal grandfather arrived in 1911 from Rudnikia, Suvalkija,
the ship's manifest indicated he had: Several cities and large towns in the Anthracite coal fields attracted Lithuanians. Shenandoah, in northern Schuykill County was one of the major settlements in the 1880's. It earned itself the nickname, "the Vilnius of North America". While Shenandoah was the county's largest metropolis, it lacked the charm and sophistication of the county's seat, Pottsville, located about 15 miles to the south. Situated in a pocket between rugged mountains which contained the valuable anthracite coal, Shenandoah was confident of its future even in the aftermath of the destructive fire of November 12, 1883 which laid waste to one quarter of it's buildings. By the end of the nineteenth century, there were as many as twenty foreign languages being spoken on the streets of Shenandoah. For awhile, Shenandoah had the distinction of having more people per square foot than any other place on earth. Many unmarried Lithuanian male immigrants were forced by economics to live in small huts or shacks made from scrap, lumber, and tin built on the hillsides near the mines. Others would crowd into cheap living quarters, including barns converted into dormitories. Sometimes over a dozen men would rent an abandoned store. For a few dollars per month, they sleep on bunks or mattresses arranged along the walls. The owner's wife would wash the men's laundry, perform household chores, and cook her tenants a basic meal each day: bread, meat and coffee. This became known as the "boardinghouse system" and continued for decades. The 1900 United States census files for Shenandoah reflect the prevalence of this system within the Lithuanian community. Supposedly 70% of Lithuanians took in boarders. To make ends meet, families picked huckleberries on the mountains and grew cabbage and potatoes. If financially able, they kept some livestock. Because it was difficult, if not impossible, to save enough money to purchase an stove, rye bread was baked communally in a large outdoor oven. Even with limited earnings, miners were able to raise their families and educate their children so that the next generation would not have to follow their footsteps into the bowels of the earth. It cannot be emphasized enough: Mining was one of the most, if not the most, dangerous occupation. Death in the mines was a regular occurrence. Fine coal dust was always in the damp air of the coal mines causing untold misery for thousands and "black lung disease." But, the biggest fear was explosions caused by methane gas build-ups in the crevices of the mines. Whistles would blow whenever a mine explosion occurred, wives and children would wait in fear until the names of the victims were circulated. Then, there was silence. Life was difficult, death tragic. Besides Shenandoah, there are several other well known Lithuanian
settlements in eastern Pennsylvania including: Commercial use strictly prohibited. Printing of this file for non-commercial purposes and by libraries is encouraged, providing all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including uploading files to other sites requires permission from Lithuanian Global Genealogical Society. We encourage links. |
