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This week’s theme is “Challenge.” One of the most difficult challenges is confirming that an Appalachian Coal Miner died from Black Lung.
Many doctors didn't write Black Lung as the cause of death on the death certificate because the Coal Company didn't want them to. A lot, but not all, of the doctors were payed by the Coal Company.
Many doctors didn't write Black Lung as the cause of death on the death certificate because the Coal Company didn't want them to. A lot, but not all, of the doctors were payed by the Coal Company.
The Challenges of Finding Black Lung Families in Genealogy
Genealogical research can be a fascinating journey, but tracing ancestors who suffered from black lung disease presents unique challenges. Black lung disease, or coal workers' pneumoconiosis, primarily affected coal miners and their families, leaving behind records that are often fragmented or difficult to access.
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| Changing shifts at the mine portal, Floyd County, Kentucky. - Russell Lee (Nat Archives) |
One of the most common forms is black lung disease, also known as miner's lung. It's caused by breathing in coal dust. Another is brown lung, which comes from working around dust or other fibers. Other types of dusts that can cause pneumoconiosis include silica and asbestos. John Hopkins Medicine.
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Click on the Read More link for steps in Finding Black Lung Records.
