Community Chat

[goldensrbest]

Many years ago,working for the mines,was the job to have, unions protected their workers, in that part of the country most people did not finish high school ,many not grade school, people had big families, kids had to work, people were killed in mines, we had family that was, my grand pa,got black lung, in that part of the united states, you were farmers,  you had pigs,and cows, put out hunge gardens, my grandma put out two big gardens, cleaned people homes,to just make it,they worked very hard.

[NoelSeven]

Many years ago,working for the mines,was the job to have, unions protected their workers, in that part of the country most people did not finish high school ,many not grade school, people had big families, kids had to work, people were killed in mines, we had family that was, my grand pa,got black lung, in that part of the united states, you were farmers,  you had pigs,and cows, put out hunge gardens, my grandma put out two big gardens, cleaned people homes,to just make it,they worked very hard.

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Thanks for your post   I also have a strong coal miner background.  It was mostly the Welsh who were called to help establish coal mining in America.  My grandfather was a minister who asked to serve the miners, and so he did.

When my father was born, the miners made a baby cup out of coal for my dad, not to be used, but a traditional Welsh decorative gift for a baby.  That was long ago and I have it now, in a place of honor.

[goldensrbest]

My grandparents, ,did not ,haveplumbing until i was about, 10, we had a outhouse,bolied water on the stove to take baths,they had a tiny house, one bedroom for a while,then two bedrooms ,my dad added on to their house, once when my dad was layed off work ,at that time he worked in a factory, we all,6 peole including a baby, moved into what once a chicken coop, they called it a bruder house, a coal.stove to heat with,  tough times, but i have the best memories of my childhood, we were all together,loved, and fed.

[RedTop]

I understand this thread makes reference specifically to a documentary about poor people in KY, but the poor people of WV have also been the subject of many documentaries, and any survey or health study always portrays my home state state in a negative way. The old generation holler and hill folk, lived their lives as peacefully and quiet as they could. They didn't take well to educated strangers showing up at their door telling them they were poor and uneducated, and trying to force the ways of the outside world on them. Poor was the way of life for almost everyone here in WV, before, during, and after the Great Depression. I didn't realize until high school that I had grown up poor. My family always had plenty of food, we lived in a warm house, we had summer clothes, winter clothes, and always had shoes, boots, and winter coats. We had as much, if not more than our friends, and others we knew, and if we heard of someone in our community in need, we helped them. West Virginia people and Kentucky people were drawn into cigarettes and alcohol, due to the money that could be made from both items. Various members of my dad's family made moonshine; there was never a still on my grandpa's farm, but there was indeed one on his fathers big farm. Drinking was accepted and expected. My grandpa said his family made moonshine for their own use, but I feel sure someone sold a little on the side at some time--I just don't know about it. I have a picture of my grandma in the middle of a tobacco field on their farm in the early 1940's, which is the only way I knew that dad's family raised and sold tobacco as a cash crop. The loft area of the tractor shed was used as the drying area once the tobacco leaves were harvested. Smoking was also accepted and expected in those days. While I grew up around cigarettes and alcohol, I have never done either, nor had an interest in smoking or drinking. I have been involved in charting my family genealogy for nearly 40 years, and am particularly interested in recording cause of death. My grandpa died from heart disease and grandma died from diabetic complications, but no one knew of her diabetes until after she died. My dad and 3 siblings died of different cancers, and 2 others died of heart disease. There is a strong line of cancer in my dads extended family. As to the extensive cancer referred to in the KY documentary, i think it would be hard to say if coal mining is totally the cause. I do know that sludge ponds have been looked at as a strong source of carcinogens. My husband was heavily exposed to Floc, which was a dry chemical that was used to treat coal through the cleaning process as it ran through the tipple. Floc has indeed been linked to several cancers.

[YorkieonmyPillow]

My maternal grandfather passed away the year before I was born. He died of black lung.

[NoelSeven]

My grandparents, ,did not ,haveplumbing until i was about, 10, we had a outhouse,bolied water on the stove to take baths,they had a tiny house, one bedroom for a while,then two bedrooms ,my dad added on to their house, once when my dad was layed off work ,at that time he worked in a factory, we all,6 peole including a baby, moved into what once a chicken coop, they called it a bruder house, a coal.stove to heat with,  tough times, but i have the best memories of my childhood, we were all together,loved, and fed.

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I really appreciate your comments and vivid description of the people who mined

It was an important part of Welsh-American life.  Mining both here and in Wales... it was all about safety for the miners.  A call went out every time there was an accident, and people gathered in their churches to pray for the miners and the families.

[NoelSeven]

RedTop, thank you for that post above.  So informative and well written.

[goldensrbest]

Yes there was alot of smoking, i grew up with just about everyone smoking, my dad died at 61 from lung cancer, he smoked,but also worked in abestos factory, still today you see more peole still smoking ,i really do not know why.I tried smoking in high school,hated it!!

[NoelSeven]

goldensrbest -

I grew up with smoking, also.  Both parents, all their friends.  It seemed like everyone smoked, which is why I took it up in high school and college.  I quit when all the studies and information came out as to how bad it was for us.

Where I live, almost no one smokes nowadays, and it's not allowed in any public area, including bars.  Every little bit helps.

[foundinlv]

This has been a very interesting thread.  Thank you OP and to all that contributed.