MG-311. LEHIGH COAL AND NAVIGATION COMPANY RECORDS, [ca. 1792-1970].
The Lehigh Navigation Company was formed in 1798 and the
Lehigh Coal Company in 1792. They merged on April 21, 1820 and were incorporated as the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company in 1822. As of 1978 the company no longer operated as a carrier or a coal producer. The records consist of Minutes, 1821-1931, Administrative Files, 1801-1950; and Accounts, 1818-1947 of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company and its ninety-six affiliates including the Lehigh Coal Mine Company, Panther Valley Water Company, Lehigh and New England Railroad Company; B & M Oil Company; Delaware Division Canal Company, Alliance Coal Mining Company, Automatic Coal Burner Company, B.M. Liquidating Corporation, Wilkes-Barre and Scranton Railroad Company, Split Rock Skeet and Trapshooting Association, Inc., Nanticoke Railroad Company; and the Eureka Furnace Cleaning Company, among others.
Although this is quite a large collection, only a small portion of it deals with employees and few African American workers are clearly identified. References to African Americans are found, however, in the Inactive Employment Record Cards. These cards provide such information as name, address, birth date, marital status, employment record, salary, and reason of departure from service.