William Penn Life, 2001 (36. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2001-12-01 / 12. szám
1 <Branching Out with Endre Csornán Mining the fraternal spirit A harsh life gave birth to a tradition of caring and sharing Prejudice and poverty often forced miners to build their own simple shelters, like the ones found in these photos from 192 7. Even in these conditions, it was common for miners to take on borders. (Welcome to the first installment of a new regular feature of our publication, "Branching Out with Endre Csornán." Endre is the WPA's Membership Activities Manager. In this and future columns, he will share with you his thoughts, experiences and ideas concerning our branches, fraternal programs, heritage and whatever else he finds relevant and worth sharing. — The Editors) YATESBORO, PA — It was indeed a distinct pleasure for me to attend a recent monthly branch meeting of Branch 88 Rural Valley, Pa. Over the years, I have made many trips to this area, nestled in the foothills of the beautiful Allegheny Mountains in Armstrong County. I have developed a special interest in this region, knowing that many of our people came to seek employment and fortune in its coal mines, only to find a miserable existence. At the turn of the century, Hungarian immigrants were found in large numbers in Yatesboro, Nu Mine, Rural Valley, Big Run, Rossiter, Elenor and Punxsutawney. The coal miners and their families moved often due to mine shutdowns or to seek improved living conditions, better pay, affordable housing or safer work. The coal that we produced today is saturated with the blood of too many miners and drenched with the tears of too many surviving spouses and orphaned children. Most of the these mining towns were "captive," meaning those who lived there lived by the rules of the mine owners. Company police commonly beat (and sometimes hanged) those who violated the rules. Nothing came easy for the people in any coal mining town. There was a harshness about their lives. Most of the houses (which were owned by the mining company) were similar, however, the miners were segregated into different parts of the town according to their nationality. The only thing all the miners had in common was poverty. This was the reason the newcomers turned to each other for help and comfort. The modest pay they received for 10 to 12 hours of dangerous daily work was barely enough to exist on. But, somehow, they managed to build churches to give them spiritual support and to found fraternal benefit societies to give them security. Branch 88 was established on June 21,1914, with 20 paying members. The first officers were György Hegyi, president; Géza Bodis, secretary; and József Selmecky, treasurer. In 1946 Branch 88 opened the Verhovay Social Club. However, the membership decreased greatly in the late 1950's due to the closing of many mines. I wish to extend my personal admiration and congratulations to the officers and members of Branch 88 for their dedicated work and for being loyal to their parents, grandparents and the country they were born in. I especially congratulate them for continuing the work of their predecessors, for further strengthening fraternalism and for perpetuating the culture brought from the old country by their forefathers. |ffPL| llilliam Penn l.iir. December 2001 3
