Jersey County, Illinois Coal Mining History and Genealogy

	Wayne's World of History and Genealogy

Jersey County, Illinois History and Genealogy Featuring Coal Mining

      Jersey County is a county located in the central pat of the state of Illinois.
The population was 21,668 at the 2000 census,
and the population was 22,622 in the 2008 official US Census estimate.
The county seat is Jerseyville.

      Jersey County was founded on February 28, 1839, and was formed out of Greene County.
The county was named for the state of New Jersey, from which many of the early settlers emigrated

      Jersey County has eleven townships :
            Elsah, English, Fidelity, Jersey, Mississippi, Otter Creek, Piasa, Quarry, Richwood, Rosedale, Ruyle

Blodgett Coal Mines

The legal description lists this as : Jersey County - Township 7 North, Range 10 West, Section 11
This mine operated as a strip mine.
The mine type for surface mines is "strip" because these mines are more commonly called "strip mines."¹

Mine Name Operarted By Years

Blodgett Mine Dan Blodgett Coal Mine 1948 - 1949

[Source - No. 1, Index 2522]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The legal description lists this as : Jersey County - Township 7 North, Range 10 West
This mine operated as a strip mine.
The mine type for surface mines is "strip" because these mines are more commonly called "strip mines."¹

Mine Name Operarted By Years

Blodgett Mine No. 2 Dan Blodgett Coal Mine 1949 - 1950

Blodgett Mine No. 3 Dan Blodgett Coal Mine 1950 - 1952

[Source - No. 1, Index 2517]

Bott & Camp Coal Mine

The legal description lists this as : Jersey County - Township 7 North, Range 10 West, Section 14

Mine Name Operarted By Years

Cairn Mine Alex Cairn Coal Company 1901 - 1902

Bott & Cairn Mine Bott & Cairn 1902 - 1916

Bott & Griner Mine Bott & Griner 1916 - 1924

Bott & Camp Mine Bott & Camp 1924 - 1927

[Source - No. 1, Index 2524]

1916 Annual Coal Report²
Change of Name
Cairns & Bott to Bott & Griner

Geisler Coal Mine

The legal description lists this as : Jersey County - Township 7 North, Range 10 West, Section 18

Mine Name Operarted By Years

Geisler Mine No. 1 Herbert Geisler 1935 - 1945

[Source - No. 1, Index 2526]

Jerseyville Ice & Fuel Company
1918³ Fred William Heller Fred William Heller is Secretary-Treasurer and General Manager of the Jerseyville Ice & Fuel Co. at Jerseyville, Illinois, and has been connected with the business for five years. He was born at Jerseyville, April 1, 1876.

Longfellow Coal Mine

The legal description lists this as : Jersey County - Township 7 North, Range 10 West, Section 23
This was a strip mine.
The mine type for surface mines is "strip" because these mines are more commonly called "strip mines."¹

Mine Name Operarted By Years

Longfellow Mine George W. Longfellow 1938 - 1940

[Source - No. 1, Index 2527]

Luking Coal Mine

The legal description lists this as : Jersey County - Township 7 North, Range 10 West, Section 9

Mine Name Operarted By Years

Luking Mine Louis Luking About 1906

[Source - No. 1, Index 2518]

Lyle Coal Mine

The legal description lists this as : Jersey County - Township 7 North, Range 10 West, Section 10

Mine Name Operarted By Years

Lyle Mine Charles Lyle 1905 - 1908

[Source - No. 1, Index 2520]

Phillips Coal Mine

The legal description lists this as : Jersey County - Township 7 North, Range 10 West, Section 15
This was a drift mine.
A "Drift" type mine is is an underground mine that is excavated where the coal outcrops in the side of a bluff or the highwall of a surface mine. The mine type for surface mines is "strip" because these mines are more commonly called "strip mines."¹

Mine Name Operarted By Years

Phillips Mine Milton Phillips 1934 - 1938

[Source - No. 1, Index 2525]

Wagonblast Coal Mine

The legal description lists this as : Jersey County - Township 7 North, Range 10 West, Section 10
This was a drift mine.
A "Drift" type mine is is an underground mine that is excavated where the coal outcrops in the side of a bluff or the highwall of a surface mine. The mine type for surface mines is "strip" because these mines are more commonly called "strip mines."¹

Mine Name Operarted By Years

Wagonblast Mine Fred Wagonblast 1937 - 1939

[Source - No. 1, Index 2519]

Witt Coal Mine

The legal description lists this as : Jersey County - Township 7 North, Range 10 West, Section 10

Mine Name Operarted By Years

Witt Mine Witt Coal Company About 1927

[Source - No. 1, Index 2521]

Y & B Coal Mine

The legal description lists this as : Jersey County - Township 7 North, Range 10 West, Section 13

Mine Name Operarted By Years

Unnamed Mine Bott & Kruse Coal Company 1930 - 1933

Y & K Mine Yost & Kruse 1934 - 1939

Kruse Mine Kruse Coal Company 1916 - 1924

Y & B Mine Yost & Baker 1939 - 1941

[Source - No. 1, Index 2523]

Sources :

¹ Coal Mines in Illinois, Jersey County
                Illinois State Geological Survey, 615 East Peabody Drive, Champaign, IL. 61820
² Thirty-Fifth Annual Coal Report of Illinois, 1916
                State Mining Board
                Springfield, ILL.; Illinois State Journal Co., State Printers 1916
³ Coal Men of America A Biographical and Historical Review of the World's Greatest Industry.
                by : Arthur M. Hall, Editor-In-chief & Sydney A. Hale, Assistant Editor
                Chicago, The Retail Coalman, Inc., 1918

Coal & Coal Mining in Central Illinois