Counting Colliers: A Demographic Profile of the Forgotten Charcoal Makers of Clarion County, Pennsylvania, 1850–1880

Q2 Arts and Humanities

International Journal of Regional and Local History Pub Date : 2020-01-02 DOI:10.1080/20514530.2020.1745362

C. E. Williams

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引用次数: 2

Abstract

ABSTRACT Clarion County, Pennsylvania, was a regional leader in historic iron production in the mid-nineteenth century with a majority of its furnaces fuelled by charcoal. Little is known about the colliers that crafted the charcoal used by the county’s historic iron furnaces. I used United States Census data from 1850 to 1880 to develop a demographic profile of Clarion County colliers. Collier numbers in Clarion County peaked dramatically in 1850 with the rise of the iron industry and declined exponentially through 1880. Most colliers were white, male and Pennsylvania-born. Few remained in the profession for more than one census date, largely becoming labourers and farmers that remained in the county or region. Likewise, movement of colliers from Clarion County to other iron-producing regions was minimal. The rise and fall of colliers in Clarion County suggest a local response to economic opportunity consistent with the boom-bust nature of the mid-nineteenth-century charcoal iron industry.

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计算科利尔：1850年至1880年宾夕法尼亚州克拉里昂县被遗忘的木炭制造商的人口概况

摘要：宾夕法尼亚州克拉里昂县是19世纪中期历史性钢铁生产的地区领导者，其熔炉大多以木炭为燃料。人们对制造该县历史悠久的铁炉所用木炭的煤矿知之甚少。我使用1850年至1880年的美国人口普查数据来编制克拉里昂县煤矿的人口概况。随着铁工业的兴起，克拉里昂县的科利尔人数在1850年急剧上升，到1880年呈指数级下降。大多数煤矿工人都是白人，男性，宾夕法尼亚州出生。很少有人在一次以上的人口普查中继续从事这一职业，主要是留在该县或地区的劳动者和农民。同样，煤矿工人从克拉里昂县转移到其他产铁地区的人数也很少。克拉里昂县煤矿的兴衰表明，当地对经济机会的反应与19世纪中期木炭铁行业的繁荣-萧条性质一致。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Regional and Local History Arts and Humanities-History

CiteScore

0.30

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： The International Journal of Regional and Local History aims to publish high-quality academic articles which address the history of regions and localities in the medieval, early-modern and modern eras. Regional and local are defined in broad terms, encouraging their examination in both urban and rural contexts, and as administrative, cultural and geographical entities. Regional histories may transcend both local and national boundaries, and offer a means of interrogating the temporality of such structures. Such histories might broaden understandings arrived at through a national focus or help develop agendas for future exploration. The subject matter of regional and local histories invites a number of methodological approaches including oral history, comparative history, cultural history and history from below. We welcome contributions situated in these methodological frameworks but are also keen to elicit inter-disciplinary work which seeks to understand the history of regions or localities through the methodologies of geography, sociology or cultural studies. The journal also publishes book reviews and review articles on themes relating to regional or local history.