Welcome

Welcome to Family Stories

Family Stories are taken from:

THE BLACK HILLS AND QUILTED VALLEY'S OF PENNSYLVANIA

Written by: Catherine Silliman Fontaine

Based on the Memoirs and, stories of my mother Agnes Beninsky Silliman . She loved her family and was proud of them and the ordeals undertaken by her older brothers and her sister Mary in keeping them together as a family when they were orphaned. Memories may not always be totally accurate--but this is the story of her family and the struggles endured after the death of their parents and beloved grandmother in 1917.

A special Thank you to Chrissy Z. for sending this collection.

This page is currently under construction.

Chapter	Title Click to Read	Manuscript Image
1	The Great Anthracite Strike Of 1902 And The Aftermath	1 2 3 4
2	The Anthracite Coal Region - My Home And Playground	5 6
3	Antoinette Jacoboska -Malinowski Marries Michael Swartz (1893)	7 8 9 10
4	The Company Store And The Advent Of Hucksters	13 14
5	Born To Be A Miner	11 12
6	Scavenging The Coal Banks For Our Daily Coal	15
7	Marty's Early Career In The Colliery The Breaker Boys	35 35a 36 37 38
8	The Morea Patch Water Supply	25
9	History Of Our House In Morea	16
10	Our House In Morea	17 18
11	Our House In Morea - The Shanties And Barn 1905-1917	20
12	The Basement Of Our House Was For Storing Food	19
13	Our Mini Farm In Morea	39 40
14	It Was Time For The Cow To See "The Bull''	22
15	Pa's Smoke House	21
16	My Grandmother - Anna Jacoboska Malinowski 1853-1917	27 28
17	Grandmother's Trunk	31 32
18	Sliding Down The Coal Banks Was Fun	33 34
19	We Washed Clothes On Mondays	41 42 43
20	Making Clothes And Underwear Made From Mother Hubbard Flour Bags	44 45
21	Treasures In The Attic	29 30
22	Aunt Anna	1005
23	The Blessing of the Flowers	1010
24	Know Your Mushrooms	24
25	Edible Treats Like Salted Lima Beans	23
25	A Tribute To Coal Oil Lamps 1905-1917	26
26	Walking The Distance To Church 1905-1917	1006 1007
27	Easter Preparations	1008 1009
28	The Bandstand	46 47
29	Beer And Games.	49 50
30	The Right And The Wrong Way To Pick Huckleberries 1915	51 52
31	Mike's Story (BORN In 1895)	53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
32	Mike Recovers With A Lot Of Help	61 62 63 64 65 66
33	Mike Buys A Wild Horse	67 68 69
34	Jimmie Allen - The Magnificent Horse	1001 1002
35	N0 Money But Determined To Do The Right Thing	1003 1004
36	Before Christmas The Last Week Of Advent	70
37	The Night Before Christmas-- The Special Wilia Supper	71 72
38	Christmas Day	73
39	Mary Is Growing Up 1905-1917	1013
40	Mary's Duties As The Eldest Daughter In The Family 1905 1917	1011 1012
41	Mary Tries To Keep The House Orderly 1905 - 1917	1014
42	Mary's First Romantic Interest: Gus Mostick	1015 1016
43	Mary's Last Date With Gus Mostick	1017 1018 1019 1020
44	Morea's First Doctor - His Beautiful House	1021 1022
45	How Mary Met Her Husband - John Grazel	1023 1024
46	Mary Elizabeth Beninsky Marries John Grazel -1915	1025
47	Working To Attain A Skilled Miners Certificate (Jacob, 1915)	74 75 76
48	Mary (My Oldest Sister) Live In Mahanoy City - The Pool Room 1916	77
49	The Pool Room--The Early Months-- 1916	77 78
50	My Father Jacob Beninsky Is Injured 1916	79 80
51	Grandmother's Illness 1916	81 82
52	It Was A Sad Christmas: 1916	83 84
53	Jacobs Wake / The Ice Box 1917	85 86
54	Jacob's Wake - Dorothy's Vision	87 88