Marilyn, one interesting fact I forgot to mention regarding the Black Country was back in the 17th and 18th Centuries, there were more people working under ground than there were above ground. Makes you think! Linda.

Really .... I had no idea! Wow. That's fascinating. I do recall stories being passed down about working in the dark, damp coal mines with water dripping down. It sounded wretched. I'm just not sure who exactly were the coal miners, since they didn't appear as such in the census records, but think my GG GF was at one time, as a young man. No wonder he wanted to come to "America" and become a minister -- a far easier life! You are saying 17th and 18th centuries -- ie 1600s, 1700s. So coal was discovered there as early as the 1600s? Marilyn ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lin Lamberg" <linlamberg@btinternet.com> To: <staffordshire@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2012 9:32 AM Subject: Re: [STAFFORDSHIRE] 1881 -- The Iron Works, Moxley/Wednesfield > Marilyn, one interesting fact I forgot to mention regarding the Black > Country was back in the 17th and 18th Centuries, there were more people > working under ground than there were above ground. Makes you think! > > Linda. > ****************************** > ATTENTION TO ALL:- When replying please remove the details that do not > apply to your mail and change the SUBJECT LINE for best useage of ARCHIVED > MATERIALS. > ------------------------------- > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > STAFFORDSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message

My father was born in Hanley. When he was a little kid they got him a job in the mines and because he was so small in stature he was given the job of clearing the air shafts of dead animals. He had to crawl thru the shaft pushing a big metal box in front of him just about the size of the tunnel. He could hear the live rats runnung in front of the box. He did that for 3 days and at night he would wake up screaming at the rats. His mother said not her son and made him quit. Just the thought of doing thaqt gives me the creeps. Syd in Arizona Subject: Re: [STAFFORDSHIRE] 1881 -- The Iron Works, Moxley/Wednesfield > Really .... I had no idea! Wow. That's fascinating. I do recall stories > being passed down about working in the dark, damp coal mines with water > dripping down. It sounded wretched. I'm just not sure who exactly were > the > coal miners, since they didn't appear as such in the census records, but > think my GG GF was at one time, as a young man. No wonder he wanted to > come > to "America" and become a minister -- a far easier life! > > You are saying 17th and 18th centuries -- ie 1600s, 1700s. So coal was > discovered there as early as the 1600s? > Marilyn

How horrifying! Smart mother! ----- Original Message ----- From: "Syd" <sgholt@cox.net> To: <staffordshire@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2012 11:18 AM Subject: Re: [STAFFORDSHIRE] 1881 -- The Iron Works, Moxley/Wednesfield > My father was born in Hanley. When he was a little kid they got him a job > in > the mines and because he was so small in stature he was given the job of > clearing the air shafts of dead animals. He had to crawl thru the shaft > pushing > a big metal box in front of him just about the size of the tunnel. He > could > hear > the live rats runnung in front of the box. He did that for 3 days and at > night he would wake up > screaming at the rats. His mother said not her son and made him quit. Just > the thought of doing thaqt gives me the creeps. > Syd in Arizona > > > > Subject: Re: [STAFFORDSHIRE] 1881 -- The Iron Works, Moxley/Wednesfield > > >> Really .... I had no idea! Wow. That's fascinating. I do recall >> stories >> being passed down about working in the dark, damp coal mines with water >> dripping down. It sounded wretched. I'm just not sure who exactly were >> the >> coal miners, since they didn't appear as such in the census records, but >> think my GG GF was at one time, as a young man. No wonder he wanted to >> come >> to "America" and become a minister -- a far easier life! >> >> You are saying 17th and 18th centuries -- ie 1600s, 1700s. So coal was >> discovered there as early as the 1600s? >> Marilyn > > ****************************** > ATTENTION TO ALL:- When replying please remove the details that do not > apply to your mail and change the SUBJECT LINE for best useage of ARCHIVED > MATERIALS. > ------------------------------- > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > STAFFORDSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message