Mike Gallagher and Ellen Dugan had married in Lamar in 1885. Their first child, a son John, was born in 1886. Sadly, John died at two months. There were no more children born in the 80s.
The 1890s were a different story. In the early years of the 90s, Mike and Ellen had three sons.
The 1870s had seen remarkable changes for Pat and Ellen Gallagher. From coal mine work in Pennsylvania to railroad work in Clinton County, Missouri to farm ownership in Barton County, Missouri.
In March 1872, just a few years after they moved to Missouri, Patrick and Ellen Gallagher bought a farm east of Lamar in Barton County, Missouri.
During the Civil War, anthracite coal was crucial to the Union. Many of the mine workers didn’t serve in the military, as coal was a critical industry to support the war effort. The owners pressured the workers for increased production.
The Gallaghers and Larges and Kellys labored on.
The mine workers lived under the complete control of the coal companies. It was a relationship much like the oppression from English landlords they had suffered in Ireland.
Continue readingIn 1854, a new mine and coal patch town of Eckley was created in southern Luzerne County wilderness.
Continue readingOnly five years later, the enterprise had proven so profitable that the town included 130 houses, a sawmill, a hotel, a company store, several shops and three churches.
Coal Patch, Take Two: The Preservation of Eckley Miners’ Village
The demand for anthracite coal kept growing through the 1840s and 1850s. Coal operators looked for new lands for mines.
Bridget Large and her family were living in Tuscarora. Her sons worked as miners and laborers in a mine. By 1850, Tuscarora had several mining operations, and had grown to a population of 400.
Patrick Gallagher was also in Tuscarora.
Bridget Large and her seven children arrived in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania in 1844. They settled in the town of Tuscarora.
Family Nibbles 