Joanie-- I've searched the U. of I's catalog for mining reports, but as I recall, there wasn't anything that went real far back except reports on the Cherry Mine disaster. Tim -----Original Message----- From: bluejay201@mchsi.com [mailto:bluejay201@mchsi.com] Sent: Sunday, January 23, 2005 7:04 AM To: ILLASALL-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [ILLASALLE] Book: Biography in Black Col. Plumb went to England to get money and miners. The English mine owners lost too many men, so they asked their gov. to put a stop to it. Then agents were employed to encourage miners from eastern Europe to come. Many of these families came in the late 1870's, Bartko, Merks, Pearchard(Perhach?), Urich, Fellow, Martin, Cheveny, Harcharik, Super, Masley. Most of the Polish people seem to come at or after the turn of the century. Don't know when the Italians came, probably after 1900, not many of them work/stayed in the mines in Streator. Migration routes are interesting. Most of the information I have comes from obituaries or funeral home records. The words "spent a year in New York, then came to Streator", later obituaries have "came directly to Streator in 189?" Some funeral home books had the question, "how long a resident of U.S./or state." If everything is OK, I will be at the museum this afternoon, going to miss the Eagles at the Rock. We have a couple of the annual coal mining reports, what year did John Kerestes die? Long time ago, I asked the Streator library if they could get the books on an interlibrary loan, but no luck. They could not find the books. There HAS to be copies of the books somewhere. I checked the state library in Springfield, maybe I should try the U of I? I have several John Kerestes John Kerestes, jr 1873 - 1944 married to Anna Bakalar, who had a son named John John Kerestes, sr, 1843 - 1927 married to Anna Botko? John Kerestes married to Pauline Plesko, had a dau. Barbara 1927 - 1928 John Kerestes, abt 1913 - 1948, married to Viola (maiden name unknown) John Kerestes, prob. above John's father, married to Anna Kochis Joanie

Has anyone tried the Coal Association of Illinois? At 8:05 AM -0600 1/24/05, Tim Bryant wrote: >Joanie-- > >I've searched the U. of I's catalog for mining reports, but as I recall, >there wasn't anything that went real far back except reports on the Cherry >Mine disaster. > >Tim