Pennsylvania, U.S., Coal Employment Records, 1900-1954

The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company (LCNC) was formed in 1820 by a merger of the Lehigh Coal Company and the Lehigh Navigation Company. Both had been founded in 1818 by Josiah White, Erskine Hazard, and George F. Hauto. Operations of the company included navigation improvements on the Lehigh River and railway and canal construction, as well as exploitation of the Lehigh anthracite fields. The Lehigh Navigation Coal Company was formed in 1930, essentially as a holding company for the LCNC and other companies. The company went out of business in 1965.

These records include employee cards and applications. The cards may list name, marital status, occupation, birth date, record date, residence, spouse, nationality, number of children and their ages, citizenship, date range for jobs, who to notify in case of an accident, and pension date.

Applications can contain other details, including parents’ names, schooling, employment record, birthplace, and height and weight.