As I head out on the road for a trip this week, I am reminded of how important places are in our family history. I have made several genealogy trips to Wilkes-Barre, PA, where both sides of my family settled. I still remember the thrill of standing on the grounds of the Dorrance Mine in view of the fan building, all that is left of the mine. My grandfather Andrew Butas was a coal miner there and died in 1936 of the flu superimposed on what was then called “miner’s asthma”.  I later drove around south Wilkes-Barre looking for the addresses where my maternal grandfather, Felician, ran “taprooms” that would open at 6 am so the miners could have a shot before descending into the mines.

I have read many books on anthracite coal mining to understand the lives my families led in my adopted town of Wilkes-Barre. When I am there, I visit cousins, my living history. I peruse the Luzerne County Historical Society, the Osterhaus library and the NE PA Genealogical Society for their collections. I become part of the town in which my history developed.

When you are planning a vacation this year, schedule a trip to a city of your past and “feel the history”. And don’t forget to add the location to your photo metadata so your descendants can find the locations.