DISCOVERING THE PAST: HOW ONE FOSSIL COLLECTOR FOUND MORE THAN JUST FOSSILS

Written by Chris Marotta (FossilGuy@Suffolkgem.com)

Reprinted with permission from the author and the New York Peleontological Society (Volume 8 / No. 9 December 2001 The Spirifir - Newsletter)

In April 2001, the New York Paleontological Society made a field trip to two fossil-rich sites in Eastern Pennsylvania. One was in the Deer Lake area where recent construction revealed an incredibly diverse Devonian Population and the second site was the world-renowned St. Clair Fossil Bed in Schuylkill County. Before going, I had mentioned to my father that I would be digging for fossils in Schuylkill. He told me "Just don’t dig up any relatives".

Dad was referring to our notorious "Molly Maguire" ancestors buried just a few miles north in Frackville. Hundreds of millions of years ago Pennsylvanian forests had become coal and later continental collision metamorphosed the coal to anthracite. This high-energy coal was the fuel of America’s Industrial Revolution in the mid-19^th century. Mining and Railroad companies sprung up all over Eastern Pennsylvania to exploit the region’s vast supplies of anthracite and subsequently exploit the coal miners.

Coal miners in this region were in a very difficult situation. Before and during the American Civil War, a plausible living could be made in the coal mines. Work was six to seven days a week 12-18 hours a day. Pay was based on coal carried out less company supplies used. Miners worked until killed or disabled by coal dust in their lungs and were often replaced by the younger family members to support their family.

After the Civil War a number of factors made their situation much worse. There was a sharp increase in the available work force, the price of coal began a steady decline and most mine ownership in the region was consolidated into one big Railroad and mining monopoly called the "Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road Coal and Iron Company". This monopoly, managed by lawyer Franklin B. Gowen, Became the world’s largest holder of anthracite in the 1870’s, controlling some 125,000 acres. Gowen was under shareholder pressure to recoup the company’s investment in all these mines.

Miners were men, boys and small children in workhouses. The former were completely expendable in mine disasters, however, rescues would be attempted when mules were involved. The miners had little recourse against abuses by the Coal Company. The local law enforcement (Rail Road Police) was literally owned by the company and the government at this time was very pro-business (not very good for quality of life issues). Many miners resorted to secret societies such as the "Molly Magiures" to curtail abuse or retaliate against the mining company.

The "Molly Maguire" secret society was derived the many secret societies back in Ireland where the most of the miners in this time and region were from. In the late 18^th century they were known as the "Ribbon Men" ( as in "cut you to ribbons") but later took the name Molly Maguires; allegedly after a destitute women who had starved with her children in Ireland. In Pennsylvania they were a splinter group of the "Ancient Order Of Hibernians".

The story that unfolded in the 1860’s and 1870’s is like a cross between "The Godfather" and a wild western. My ancestor, Frank McAndrew, enters the story as an Irish immigrant miner who very active in the Molly Maguires. Frank may have played a roll in several assassinations, including members of the Carbon County Civil War Draft Board and he was implicated, but never tried for burning a railroad bridge. In 1874, he had usurped control of Shenandoah,Pa. Molly Maguires from "Body Master" "Muff" Lawler. Lawler had failed to have some abusive mine bosses killed in a timely manner. Frank used this opportunity to seize power and went about arranging assassinations in Carbon and Schuylkill Counties.

The Molly Maguires were a thorn in the side to Franklin Gowen who needed to minimize labor costs. Earlier he had tried to infiltrate the organization with Pinkerton Detectives who later turned up dead. He did get one in, however, under deep cover, in the Shenandoah Molly Maguires. His name was McPharlan but he used the alias "McKenna" and over the coarse of a few years became drinking buddies with Great-Great-Great-Great Grandfather Frank McAndrew. "McKenna" managed to remain undercover by participating in several of the Shenandoah Molly Maguire crimes.

The Pennsylvania Molly Maguires had a regional leader named John Kehoe. In the winter of 1876, a local priest tipped off Kehoe that "McKenna" was a Pinkerton spy. Kehoe told Frank McAndrew to kill "McKenna" but instead Frank told McKenna about the accusation. We do not know why Frank did this; it was probably some combination of his friendship with "McKenna" and Frank’s objection to John Kehoe ordering assassinations in his territory.

Either way, "McKenna" denied the accusations and demanded to go to Girardville to meet Kehoe and defend himself. Frank set out to Girardville with "McKenna" by horse-drawn sleigh accompanied by two of Kehoe’s men in another sleigh. During the journey Kehoe’s men tried to kill "McKenna" but Frank saved him from this fate. "McKenna" then confessed to Frank that he was indeed a Pinkerton, and apparently tipped Frank off to flee.

Frank destroyed the Shenandoah Molly Maguire records and went back to Ireland for a about year. "McKenna" (Detective McPharland) reported his information back to Gowen resulting in the "Great Trials" of 1877 in Schuylkill and Carbon Counties. Franklin Gowen was the Prosecutor at these trials. Twenty "Molly Maguires" (including the defunct "Muff" Lawler) were hanged in Pottsville and Mauch Chunk (Now Jim Thorp), Pa. The Molly Maguires were quelled and local labor organizations lost their credibility for a long time to come.

McPharlan later went on to infiltrate another labor organization with less spectacular results. His boss, Allen Pinkerton, wrote a book about the whole affair including two illustrations of my Great-Great-Great-Great- Grandfather, Frank McAndrew. Shortly after the trials, Franklin Gowen was found shot in the head.

The 1970 movie "The Molly Maguires" starring Sean Connery gives a very good representation of the setting and circumstances of the Pennsylvania coal miners. In typical Hollywood style, however, the story line is mostly contrived or simplified, and a widespread secret society has been made into a handful of outlaws and misdeeds.

After many years of poverty, Frank McAndrew’s granddaughter (my great-grandmother) and her husband, a locomotive driver, left Schuylkill (around 1920) for a better life in New York City. Several years ago I had visited their parent’s graves in Frackville, with only scant knowledge of the regions turbulent recent history and Paleozoic past. This small, scenic coal region has helped me dig into my family’s history, the nation’s history, and even geologic history. It is an amazing chain of events that has been set in motion, by dead trees and a couple of continental collisions.