Blue-Collar Ancestry: Tracing Your Coal Miner Roots
Take a deep dive into the lives of your coal miner ancestors.
In the second session of the History Center’s new genealogy series, explore the lives of Western Pennsylvania coal miners and discover the often-overlooked records that reveal their fascinating stories.
Perhaps more than any other industry, coal mining attracted waves of immigrants from across Europe. These workers joined African Americans and other Appalachian laborers in grueling work to power the country’s Industrial Revolution. These mining families built vibrant multicultural communities and left behind rich documentation of their lives.
Join professional genealogist Kate Townsend, CG® to uncover research strategies and materials unique to the coal industry, including union records, company newsletters, newspaper clippings, mining accident reports, maps, historic photographs, and more.
Track your ancestors across coal patch towns and communities throughout Western Pennsylvania while exploring connections to mining disasters and their lasting impact on families.
Local archivists will also share lightning talks highlighting lesser-known coal industry resources within their collections.
Admission
Tickets are $10 for non-members and $5 for members. This is a hybrid program. Attendees can participate either online or in-person at the Heinz History Center.
Live captioning will be provided for this event. American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be available upon request. Please contact us at [email protected] in advance to request accommodations.
About the Series
Blue-Collar Ancestry is a new genealogy series presented by the Detre Library & Archives at the Heinz History Center. Each installment will explore a specific industry, with a focus on locating key genealogical records to illuminate the working lives of your ancestors.
About the Speaker
Kate Townsend
Kate is a former professional investigator turned genealogist, specializing in Pennsylvania genealogical research. She also has experience with records from Ohio, West Virginia, and New York City, as well as expertise in immigration, naturalization, and court records. Kate owns Family History Investigations LLC.
Kate has spoken at national and local genealogical societies, libraries, and conferences, including the National Genealogical Society Family History Conference, New England Regional Genealogical Consortium, Ohio Genealogical Society Conference, and RootsTech.
Kate completed Boston University’s Certificate in Genealogical Research in May 2020. Since then, she has completed continuing education at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG). She is a graduate of ProGen 58. She previously served as the Vice-Chair, Chair, and Immediate Past-Chair of the National Genealogical Society Delegate Council. Kate holds the Certified Genealogist® credential as of February 2024.
Although Kate has been working on her own family history since she was sixteen, her interest in investigating and researching on a professional level was piqued when she served as an Archives Technician at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) while completing her undergraduate studies. She worked as a resource for amateur and professional genealogical researchers, alike, assisting them in conducting database and archives records research. Additionally, she gained experience with primary source documents in her first position with NARA, where she worked in the holdings maintenance department, preserving and cataloging records dating back to the 1800s.
Dr. Harrison Wick
Since 2007, Dr. Harrison Wick has served as the Special Collections Librarian and University Archivist at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Dr. Wick earned a BA in History from Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland; graduate degrees in History and Library Science at Indiana University (Bloomington, Indiana); and his doctorate in Administration and Leadership Studies from IUP. His research interests include writing about regional history. Serving on the University Museum Board of Directors at IUP, he has curated four exhibits about regional industrial heritage, rare books, and IUP history. In 2009, he curated an exhibit on Pennsylvania Coal Culture featuring the Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal Company Collection. The IUP Special Collections and University Archives has archival collections related to coal mining, the steel industry, and labor history.
Abby Tancin
Abby Tancin has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Evansville in history, a master’s degree in public history and a certificate in cultural recourse management from West Virginia University. She has worked at the Coal and Coke Heritage Center (CCHC), located on the Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, since 2018, becoming the archivist in 2022. Recently, she completed a total renovation of the CCHC creating an interactive and immersive exhibition that follows the path of a miner from home to the mine. As the archivist for the CCHC, Abby works closely with many collections within the archives, answers numerous research questions, provides tours, and communicates with other museums and institutions.