Ohio Coal Country: County Histories of Ohio's Coal Mines

A man with coal dust on his face and a miner's cap lamp on his head, arms folded, seated in front of a painted wooden sign. — A coal miner in Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio, photographed by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration in January 1942.John Vachon. Library of Congress. Source record. Public domain.

These 4 pages tell the story of Ohio coal mining county by county, written only from the old county histories, with every source cited.

The counties

Coal Mining in Belmont County, Ohio, 1832 to 1902How Belmont County coal was mined and shipped from Capt. John Fink's 1832 river boats to the 1902 land rush: seams, mines, operators and mining families.From the 1903 county history

Coal Mining in Perry County, Ohio: Shawnee, New Straitsville, CorningWhat the 1902 History of Perry County, Ohio says about coal: the Great Vein, Col. James Taylor, Baird Furnace and the founding of Shawnee and Congo.From the 1902 county history

Coal Mining in Tuscarawas County, Ohio: Mineral Point to DennisonCoal seams, mines and miners of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, from the 1884 county history: Mineral Point, Dover, Port Washington, Uhrichsville, Dennison.From the 1884 county history

Coal Mining in the Hocking Valley, Ohio: Nelsonville and BuchtelWhat the 1883 History of Hocking Valley says about Nelsonville coal: the great vein, the Brooks and Poston mines, Buchtel, Floodwood and the miners.From the 1883 county history

Coal country in the other Midwest states →

Tracing a coal-mining ancestor in Ohio

Federal census. From 1850 on, the census lists each man's occupation. Look for "coal miner" or "miner," the township, and his birthplace and his parents' birthplaces, which often point to another coal region or another country.
Death records and cemeteries. Search our Ohio database by surname. Many coal camps had their own cemeteries, which outlived the towns.
Mine inspectors' reports. State mine inspectors published regular reports on the mines in their districts, including accidents.
The county histories. Each page here links the books it was written from. Their biographical sections name operators, superintendents, and miners, with parents, spouses, and where the family came from.
Newspapers. Local papers carried mine openings, strikes, accidents, and obituaries. Chronicling America, from the Library of Congress, is free to search.

Was your family in Ohio coal country?

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Frequently asked questions

Where were Ohio's coal mines?

The pages here cover Athens, Belmont, Hocking, Perry and Tuscarawas counties, as the old county histories describe them. Each page names the mines, companies and camps its books record.

How do I find out if my ancestor was a coal miner in Ohio?

Start with the census: from 1850 on it lists occupation, so look for 'coal miner' or 'miner' and note the township. Then read the county history for that county and look for the state mine inspectors' reports.

Are these pages based on real sources?

Yes. Each county page is written only from public-domain county histories, names the books, and links to the full text on the Internet Archive.

Photographs on this page are in the public domain. About the images and their sources.