Ramsey-Lewis Family History

W William Lewis & The 1886 Mine Report History of Mine Reports Following the Avondale Mine disaster in 1869, Pennsylvania passed the modest "Mine Safety Act of 1870"  from which annual mine reports were born.  These reports include detailed information on mine accidents leading to death or serious injury.  The 1886 Inspectors of Mines Report can be viewed in full for free via the Penn State University Library Archives .  William Lewis worked at the Henry Colliery which was owned by the Lehigh Valley Coal Company in the Second Anthracite District which begins on page 45 in the report. Interesting Highlights from Report I enjoyed skimming through the total report and if you're interested in more context of the mines at the time I encourage you to take a peek at your leisure.   In 1886, the Henry Colliery saw 33 fatal accidents leaving 16 widows and 38 orphans. There were 137 non-fatal accidents of which 96 were considered serious.  This equate...