GRSNP eZine

Treasures, Tidbits and Tales

January February 2016
Editor: Rick Sedlisky
Editors Note: The January February 2016 issue of eZine is dedicated to the 12 men
who were killed in the Knox Mine Disaster on January 22, 1959. The names of the 12
men are:

Samuel Altieri
John Baloga
Benjamin Boyar
Francis Burns
Charles Featherman
Joseph Gizenski

Dominic Kaveliski
Frank Orlowski
Eugene Ostrowski
William Sinclair
Daniel Stefanides
Herman Zelonis

Years before the Knox disaster, the Avondale Mine disaster, in which 110 men and boys
were killed, resulted in the enactment of mine safety laws by the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania. Other states followed suit. Laws, however, do not necessarily overcome
greed and are often ignored in the desire to squeeze every possible nickel of profit from
an operation. In an effort to do exactly that, the operators of the Knox ignored stop
lines and miners had no choice but to dig closer to the Susquehanna River bed.
Commonwealth law prohibits mining within 35 feet of a riverbed. The Knox men were
roughly two feet from the Susquehanna when the roof caved in, trapping 74 men, 12 of
whom were never found. Millions of gallons of Susquehanna River water flooded the
Knox and in effect, ended deep mining in the Wyoming Valley and brought about
unemployment for thousands of miners.
The Knox disaster brought to light the corrupt coal company officials, corrupt United
Mine Workers officials, as well as mafia connections within the industry. Seven men
were convicted of involuntary manslaughter and three also of conspiracy. Many were
not surprised when all convictions were subsequently overturned.
For some who cared only about profit, the Knox was just business as usual. Business as
Usual takes us to the present where across Northeast Pennsylvania, Mining History
Month allows us to recall what happened at the Knox and why. Mining History Month
also offers so much more. While January 17 is dedicated to the Knox men who never

again saw the surface, Mining History Month allows us to appreciate and learn from
those who have studied and documented our anthracite life.

Mining History Month 2016

The regional observance of Mining History Month will take place January
9-31, 2016, with programs in Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, Pittston, Port Griffith, Plymouth,
Nanticoke, Ashley and Wilkes-Barre Township.
The programs are sponsored by the Anthracite Heritage Museum, Anthracite
Heritage Foundation, Kings College, Wilkes University, Lackawanna
Historical Society, Barnes & Noble, Luzerne County Historical Society,
Luzerne County Community College, Greater Pittston Historical Society,
Plymouth Historical Society, Nanticoke Historical Society, Huber Breaker
Preservation Society, Anthracite Living History Group, and Knox Mine
Disaster Memorial Committee.
All events except the first are open to the public free of charge.
Jan. 9, 8 am-6 pm, Boy Scouts of America: Mining in Society Merit Badge Day, Open
to Boy Scouts of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Council, King's College, Wilkes-Barre.
Jan. 14, 7pm-8:30 pm, Plymouth Historical Society-Public Program: F. Charles Petrillo,
The Susquehanna Navy: The River Coal Dredging Industry in Northeastern
Pennsylvania, Community Room at Dan Flood Apartments, 150 E. Main St., Plymouth.
Refreshments will be served.
Jan. 15, 6pm-7:30 pm, Lackawanna Historical Society-Public Program: James Guthrie,
Dealers and Jobbers: Advertising Anthracite to the Intermediate Market, Catlin
House, 232 Monroe Ave., Scranton. Refreshments will be served.
Jan. 16, 7pm-8:30 pm, Greater Pittston Historical Society-Public Program: Craig
Robertson, The Butler Mine Tunnel from the Inside: Examining the Wyoming Valleys
Worst Toxic Disaster, Pittston Memorial Library, 47 Broad St., Pittston. Refreshments
will be served.
Jan. 17, 10 am, Knox Mine Disaster Memorial Service, St. John the Evangelist Church,
35 William St., Pittston.
Jan. 17, 11:30 am, Knox Mine Disaster Public Commemoration, PHMC Historical
Marker in front of Baloga Funeral Home, 1201 Main St., Pittston. Coffee served courtesy
of Baloga Funeral Home.
Jan. 17, 12 noon, Walk to the Knox Disaster Site in Port Griffith, weather permitting;
meet at Baloga Funeral Home.
Jan. 19, 6:30pm-8 pm, Huber Breaker Preservation Society-Public Program: John

Welsh, Documentary Film: Beyond the Huber Breaker, (Earth Conservancy Building,
101 S. Main Street, Ashley. Refreshments will be served.
Jan. 21, 7:30-8:45 pm, Kings College-Annual Msgr. John J. Curran Lecture: Sue Hand,
The Anthracite Miners and Their Hallowed Ground, Room 162, Kings on the Square
Building, Wilkes-Barre. Refreshments begin at 6:45 pm in the lobby.
Jan. 22, 7pm-8:30 pm, Nanticoke Historical Society-Public Program: William Hastie
and Robert Wolensky, Anthracites Labor Wars and the Knox Mine Disaster; and
David Brocca, The Knox Mine Disaster Documentary Film, Nanticoke Cultural Center,
(St. Stans Church), 38 West Church Street, Nanticoke. Refreshments will be served.
Jan. 23, 2pm-3:30 pm, Anthracite Heritage Museum: Annual Knox Mine Disaster
Remembrance Program, 22 Bald Mountain Road, Scranton, David Brocca, Los Angeles,
CA, Documentary Tribute to Myron Thomas and the Knox Mine Disaster; Myron
Thomas Oral History Reading, comments by members of the Thomas family, Chester
Kulesa and others. Refreshments will be served.
Jan. 24, 2pm-4 pm, Barnes & Noble Bookstore, Wilkes-Barre Township: Meet the
Authors. Local authors will speak briefly about their books and sign copies. Authors
include Lucia Dailey, Mark Dziak, Stephanie Longo, John Stuart Richards, Sheldon
Spear, Robert Wolensky, and Chester Zaremba.
Jan. 27, 6pm-8 pm, Wilkes University: Panel DiscussionThe Industrial History of the
Wyoming Valley: A Global Perspective, Moderator: Diane Wenger (Wilkes U.);
Panelists: John Hepp (Wilkes University, Railroads); Jonathan Kuiken (Wilkes
University, Anthracite Coal); Robert Schmidt (Independent Scholar, Economy);
Robert Wolensky (Kings College, Garments); The Ballroom, Henry Student Center, 84
West South Street, Wilkes-Barre.
Jan. 31, 5pm-7:00 pm, The Anthracite Caf, 804 Scott St., Wilkes-Barre: Special Benefit
Dinner for The Knox Mine Disaster Documentary directed by David Brocca of Los
Angeles, CA. Chef/owner Mike Prushinski will serve an authentic Coal Miners Dinner.
Excerpts from the Knox documentary will be shown. Tickets for the evening are $20,
and are available at the Caf or by calling 570-822-4677.
Contact: Prof. Robert Wolensky, Kings College & Anthracite Heritage Foundation.
Phone: 715-252-6742; E-mail: rwolensk@uwsp.edu
For anyone interested in learning more about the Knox disaster, three highlyrecommended books are available.
Robert P. Wolensky, Kenneth C. Wolensky, and Nicole H. Wolensky, The Knox Mine
Disaster, 1999.
Robert P. Wolensky, Nicole H. Wolensky, and Kenneth C. Wolensky, Voices of the Knox
Mine Disaster, 2005.

Robert P. Wolensky and William A. Hastie Sr., Anthracite Labor Wars, 2013.
The first two deal directly with the disaster, both the causes and the consequences. The
third deals goes into greater detail regarding the causes, specifically the origins and
corruption surrounding the anthracite industry's subcontracting and leasing systems,
through which Knox leased the River Slope mine from the Pennsylvania Coal Company
in return for rental and royalty payments. The first and third books also delve into the
organized criminal connections of the Knox Coal Company. All three are available at the
Lackawanna Historical Society and the Anthracite Heritage Museum.

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Whats Happening at GRSNP???

Mortgage Campaign

(Photo courtesy of Connie Barruffaldi)

The Genealogical Research Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania recently marked its
20th anniversary; the societys desire is to retire the buildings mortgage.
The building, that was once a church in the past, has existed as a symbol of GRSNPs
continuing effort to help patrons find their PA roots. We are very fortunate to have this
building that has been a part of the Peckville community for many years now as the
home to our society. The building holds many treasures that paint peoples lives and
their family histories.

Our desire to retire the mortgage is so that we can flourish and expand our reach of
research. The current mortgage balance is $47,600. Please consider a gift to the
Mortgage Campaign to help GRSNP retire its mortgage.
Anyone donating $100 toward the Mortgage Campaign will have a leaf added to our
family tree (pictured above) and those donating $1000 will have their leaf added within
the borders of the magnifying glass. The society is a 501 (c) 3 organization and your
contribution is fully tax deductible in accordance with Pennsylvania law. Please send
your donation to:
Genealogical Research Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania
1100 Main Street, Peckville, PA 18452
Phone: (570) 383-7661
E-mail: info@grsnp.org
For your convenience you can use PayPal or your credit card by going to:
http://grsnp.org/wordpress/mortgagecampaign/

Holiday Raffle Winners

The winners of our Holiday Raffle drawn December 12, 2015 are:
$300: Joe Musko, Ocala, FL
$200: Jane Varcoe, Waymart, PA
$100: Susan Gelfand, Scranton, PA

2016 Flea Market

Our next flea market will be held in April 2016. Dates will be announced
when they are confirmed. Donations are accepted year round. Costume
jewelry, household items, small appliances, childrens toys, books, small
furniture items, suitcases, po cketbooks, pictures, picture frames and many
other items are greatly appreciated. No clothing items, please. If you
have items that you would like to donate, please call 570-383-7661 for more
information. The event is held in the basement of GRSNP at 11 00 Main
Street, Peckville, rain or shine beginning at 9am and will run until 2pm on
both Friday and Saturday. Please call to check that someone will be at
GRSNP to accept your donation before bringing it to GRSNP.

GRSNP 2016 Calendar

If you would like a bit of Northeast Pennsylvania photographic history to place on one of
your walls the GRSNP 2016 calendar is available. The cost per calendar is $15, which
includes sales tax, shipping and handling. For a sneak preview of the calendar, please go
to the GRSNP calendar ad on our web page at http://grsnp.org/wordpress/shop/

Speaker Schedule for 2016

The 2016 speaker schedule is in the works and will be announced once the speaker dates
are confirmed. We thank all those who presented at GRSNP in 2015 and look forward to
those who will present during 2016.
If you have a topic that you feel is of interest and would like to be one of the 2016
speakers, please contact us at http://grsnp.org/wordpress/shop/ or via phone at 570383-7661.
Wednesday meetings begin at 7pm and Saturday meetings begin at 2pm.
During the year, all GRSNP meetings and presentations take place at:
GRSNP Research Center
1100 Main Street, Peckville, PA 18452-2064
570-383-7661
We recommend that you RSVP by calling GRSNP in advance at either
570-383-7661 or online at http://grsnp.org/wordpress/meetings/

QR Code for GRSNP

QR Codes (for Quick Response) are a "jumble" of squares and dots arranged in such a
fashion that they lead to the WebPage that QR code was designed to link. Recently our
Webmaster, Dave Lucas, designed the below QR code to link smart phones to GRSNP.
That same QR code is used by USPS, UPS, FedEx and other shippers. It also replaces the
UPC code. If you take a picture with your smart phone (If you have the Barcode Scanner
installed), your phone will open our webpage at GRSNP.

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Editors Book Review

By Rick Sedlisky

The Old School

By Joseph Peter Klapatch

Through legislation passed in 1961 and 1963, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania forced
the consolidation of school districts across the state. Consolidation legislation began
well before 1961. In 1911 unions were offered as an incentive to combine districts, but
the effort was cumbersome and largely ineffective. The process was streamlined in 1937
with the introduction of merged districts, however, by 1960 only 131 union or merged
districts had been formed. Through forced consolidation, the 1960s saw a drop in the
number of school districts in Pennsylvania from 2,277 to 669. The number of districts
continued to decline in the 1970s and 1980s to 501. In 2016, there are 500 school
districts across the commonwealth.
In his book, The Old School, author Joseph Peter Klapatch, a native of Olyphant, PA,
discusses the schools of the former Olyphant School District and the consolidation of his
home boroughs district with those of the neighboring boroughs of Throop and Dickson
City that formed the Mid-Valley School District. The district became official with the
beginning of the 1969-70 school year.
While Mr. Klapatch shares his experiences at the schools in Olyphant, Dickson City and
Throop are by no means ignored. His words allow readers to feel and experience the
growing pains of the consolidated district that inherited at least two condemned school
buildings, poor conditions in others, half-day school sessions, fierce opposition by some
to the construction of new schools, the eventual successful construction of new buildings

and from his 1982 graduation from Mid-Valley High School to the present. The book
consists mainly of two parts, History and Memoir.
In Part I: History, the author literally takes the reader back to the beginning and the
separation of Olyphant and neighboring boroughs from Blakely Township beginning in
1867 when the Borough of Blakely became an independent jurisdiction. Olyphant,
Throop, Dickson City, Archbald, Jermyn and Winton (Jessup) soon followed. By the late
1870s, Blakely Township ceased to exist and the newly-formed boroughs were on their
way to being on their own and formation of their own school districts.
When Olyphant was still a part of Blakely Township, a one-room school house was
constructed on a tract of land in 1855. A graded school called the Olyphant Central
School was constructed in 1883. As Olyphant (and other towns) grew, largely due to the
booming anthracite coal industry as well as other industries, it became necessary to
build more schools to accommodate the increasing student population. As Mr. Klapatch
explains, mostly one-room structures were constructed in various neighborhoods, as
well as one each in the anthracite communities of Underwood Village and Marshwood
that were located a few miles southeast of downtown Olyphant. The one-room schools
were eventually replaced by larger structures.
Mr. Klapatch is fortunate to have family members and others who shared their
experiences of seeing some of the schools built and also attending them. Through words
and many photographs, we are taken to a time where the reader can experience the
evolution of a town and its school system that was similar to many others across the
United States.
Not only large cities have events in their histories that are remembered generations
later. Most everyone knows of The Boston Tea Party, but how many know of The
Olyphant Coal Party that took place in 1922 and why?
Part I: History also contains a chapter called, Sundry Items. Usually, sundry items are
those that either dont have enough information to become a separate chapter, but if not
included, would become historical footnotes lost to time. Examples include Slavic
immigrants learning English at night, commencement exercises held at an opera house,
and why in 1958, 67 of 72 seniors at Dickson City High School went on strike.
Author Klapatch takes us forward from the 1930s when Scranton had a larger
population than Miami to the 1950s and the steady decline of the anthracite industry.
Northeast Pennsylvanias population declined as people moved elsewhere for jobs.
Schools that were once too small for the growing student population had empty
classrooms. Consolidation was in the near future.
In Part II: Memoir, Mr. Klapatch delves into his life as a student. He describes
beginning his education at Olyphant schools. He takes the reader from Kindergarten
and the first year of the newly-formed Mid-Valley School District forward and explains
the atmosphere and the odds the new district faced.

The odds the author describes are many and there was much to do. School buildings
were old and as was mentioned, at least two were condemned because of things such as
wooden, oiled floors where should a fire occur, the odds of escaping were not good.
There were other issues such as the lack of maintenance.
As he tells the reader, not all in the three boroughs were in favor of consolidation. Mr.
Klapatch tells us about the people he considered to be the obstructionists, those who
furiously opposed the construction of new schools, spread false rumors, made school
board meetings appear to be anything but civilized and through law suits, caused much
time and money to be wasted. The author explains this and more in detail.
The Old School by Joseph Peter Klapatch is a story about a topic that some may think is
boring. It is anything but boring as the author not only offers reasons that make the
topic extremely interesting from historical and genealogical points of view, but through
pictures, a complete list of school buildings that existed in the three boroughs, and
names of people who played a role both educationally and administratively, and people
from the three boroughs who stood together against many odds to make Mid-Valley a
success, the reader experiences the genealogical evolution of three boroughs and their
combined school district.
When we think of genealogy, we think of people and families. Mr. Klapatch shows that
towns and school districts also have a genealogy of their own. While the author
successfully documented the schools in Olyphant, Throop and Dickson City that are now
Mid-Valley, he also, whether realizing it or not, gave us another level of genealogy.
In the end, author Klapatch takes us from what was to what currently exists and in the
end, he waves a red flag. He states that 67 years from now, Mid-Valley school buildings
will have to meet future standards. He asks that his book be used as a reference tool so
that those in the future will not repeat mistakes of the past.
For anyone who wishes to learn about schooling in Dickson City, Throop and Olyphant
and how Mid-Valley was formed, The Old School is an excellent resource tool and a
highly recommended read.
Joseph Peter Klapatch is a resident of Galloway, NJ. He grew up in the Grassy Island
Heights part of Olyphant, PA, and in his early years delivered newspapers in that part of
Olyphant and also in parts of neighboring Jessup. He began his study of Electronic
Technology at the Lackawanna Vocational Technical School North Center. He is a
1982 graduate of Mid-Valley High School. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in
Electrical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University in 1986 and in 1992, received
his Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering from Wilkes University.
The Old School is available for purchase through the following sources:
Print copies (ISBN: 9781633187276) are available through The BookPatch
http://thebp.site/57084, as well as Magdon Music, Lackawanna Avenue, Olyphant.

eBook (ISBN: 9781310503733) is available through Smashwords

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/595951
Smashwords made it available through Apple
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781310503733
Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-old-school-joseph-peterklapatch/1123058414?ean=2940152490923
Inktera http://www.inktera.com/store/title/47635ffd-574b-4cb5-8903-17b3488b4810
Kobo https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-old-school-the-mid-valleyelementary-school-in-olyphant-Pennsylvania
The eBook is available in libraries using OverDrive
https://www.overdrive.com/media/2510838/the-old-school (Los Angeles, CA and
Austin, TX to date).
Print copies are available through the Mid-Valley School District libraries, Lackawanna
County (PA) libraries, and Atlantic County (NJ) libraries.

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Disaster at Powderly
December 29, 1934, 7:20pm
By Rick Sedlisky
Powderly was a settlement located along the Moosic Mountains about one and a half
miles east of Jessup and within walking distance from Underwood Village. Access from
Powderly to the highway that separated Olyphant and Jessup was via a dirt road. The
settlement consisted of about 10 homes and the powder manufacturing plant and
adjacent buildings that were owned by E. I. duPont deNemours & Company. The
operation was known as Consumers Powder Company.
On December 29, 1934 after being idle for 10 days, the plants press room reopened at
about 2:30pm. Godfrey Taylor, 33, resident of a nearby settlement, Lloyd Myers, 32,
Powderly, and William Martin, 53, Jermyn, and president of that towns borough
council, were preparing powder that would be used to make an explosive in the adjacent
buildings. The other buildings were scheduled to reopen at 9:00am the following day.
The completed product would fill an order placed by the Anchor Powder Company.
At about 7:20pm that evening, an explosion was followed by massive flames that
destroyed the one-story building in which the three men were working. The explosions
flash was seen as far away as Olyphant. Because the building was surrounded by a high
barricade, the force of the explosion was sent skyward, hurling the bodies of Mr. Taylor

and Mr. Myers into the air. Mr. Martins body was found in the building wreckage while
Mr. Taylors body was located about 180 feet from the building. Mr. Myers was the only
one of the three not instantly killed. Badly burned, he was found wandering about 150
feet from the blast site by Thomas Hodgetta of Jessup. After about 10 minutes of
attempting to provide aid, Mr. Myers died in Mr. Hodgettas arms.
Word of the explosion spread rapidly. Hundreds of nearby residents, including many
who had family members employed at the plant, rushed to the scene. It took the
combined efforts of police from Olyphant, Blakely and Jessup to keep the crowds at a
distance from the scene. Newspaper reporters did not get beyond the companys office.
The ambulance and rescue crew of Howard Sweeney, Olyphant, arrived at the scene.
Crew members were Russell Brughler, Charles Nemitz and Emerson Jones. Also at the
scene were Drs. J. W. Lyons and Peter H. E. Vale, both of Jessup. The victims bodies
were taken to Sweenys Morgue in Olyphant where they were attended to by Deputy
Coroner, Dr. Murray Finkelstein. The first company officials to arrive onsite were
General Manager, M. C. Cook and Superintendent, Walter Gebhardt. The officials
declined to offer reasons for the explosion until completion of an official investigation.
The victims were survived by their spouses, as well as several children and siblings. Mr.
Martin was also active in Republican Party politics and was a member of Rushbrook
Lodge, I. O. O. F., as well as the Jermyn Methodist Church.
The disaster reminded many locals of a similar explosion that took place at Powderly 26
years earlier. The April 1908 explosion also took the lives of three men who were only
reported by their surnames, Arthur, Cobb and Moon.

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What's Happening in NEPA???
Even though its winter, there are plenty of reasons to not hibernate. There are
numerous events taking place across Northeast Pennsylvania and the choices are as
diverse as the people who live in and visit the region. Below are just a few events from
which to choose.
Winter Farmers Markets
You can still have farm fresh foods on your table even during winter as two winter
farmers markets are at your disposal, with a third that begins operations for the first
time on January 9.
The Winter Farmers Market in Honesdale operates on January 9 and 31, February 6
and 20, and March 15 and 19 at The Cooperage, 1030 Main St., Honesdale. Please call
570-253-2020 or visit thecooperageproject.org/ for a listing of Wayne County vendors.
The Indoor Winter Farmers Market at 509 Cedar Ave., South Scranton is open on

Saturdays from 10am to 2pm through March 7. For information please call 570-3460759 or visit uncnepa.org/
The Abington Winter Farm Market opens on Saturday, January 9 at the Clarks Summit
United Methodist Church, 1310 Morgan Hwy. Business hours are 10am to 2pm. Eric
Garver, owner of Conifer Corner near Factoryville, approached church officials with the
idea. The Clarks Summit venue is centrally located and offers ample parking.
Thus far, nine vendors who operate farms or ranches are on board, as well as Keystone
Konfections Bakery, Tunkhannock, and Beta Bread Bakery & Deli, Clarks Summit. The
market, which will be open through the end of May, also plans to offer presentations by
farmers who will explain how their products are grown and made.
Flick & Float
Would you like to do something different with your kids or grandkids? The Greater
Scranton YMCA located at 706 North Blakely St., Dunmore, will present the LEGO film
in the pool area on January 23, from 5pm to 6:3opm.
Bring your inflatable, float in the pool and watch the movie. The Y has a limited
number of noodles and tubes available so it would be best to bring your own rather than
be disappointed. The event is free to Greater Scranton YMCA members. Non-members
can pay a facility guest fee. For additional information, please contact the Y at either
570-342-8115 or email ddempsey@greaterscrantonymca.org for details. Flick & Float
will continue on February 20 from 5pm to 6:30pm with the screening of Enchanted.
2016 NEPA Home & Garden Show
Winter has arrived and with it, frigid temperatures. By the time this piece is read, we
could have snow across Northeast Pennsylvania and frigid temperatures. Regardless,
spring is on the way and its never too soon to begin planning spring projects.
The 2016 NEPA Home & Garden Show takes place on January 22 and 23 at the
Mohegan Sun Arena, Casey Plaza, 255 Highland Park Blvd., Wilkes-Barre, the home of
Northeast Pennsylvanias American Hockey League, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
While the Penguins are on the road, the 2016 NEPA Home & Garden Show makes their
home something different. If you go to the arena, be sure to bring your thoughts about
what youd like to do with your home and garden. You will find many exhibits that
include the best products and services, including builders, contractors, deck ideas,
plants and landscaping displays. Youll meet professionals who will help you to decide
what is best for your home and garden. This is a must not miss event.

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History Mystery
Progress Made on the Elk Brand Nut Product Company
In the November December 2015 issue of eZine, the Elk Brand Nut Product Company
that was founded by the Robbins family and existed in downtown Wilkes-Barre nearly a
century ago was introduced. At the time, Elk Brand was the main rival to well-known
Planters Peanuts. Courtesy of the Luzerne County Historical Society, Elk Brand
researchers received the following images that were published in Wilkes-Barre
newspapers 90 years ago.

The photo above shows the entrance to the new Elk Brand store at 20 Public Square and
products for sale. On the left the ad explains how one pound of Elk Brand nuts is equal

in food value to 5 lbs. of eggs, 9 lbs. of milk or 4 lbs. of beef. Perhaps Elk Brand
was a pioneer in the promotion of healthy eating.

The above image announces the opening of the companys newest store at 20 Public
Square and also shows that The H. S. Robbins Co., Inc. is headquartered at 60 North
State Street. The ad further explains that those who suffer from high blood pressure,
Brights disease, tuberculosis and ailments of the digestive system find Elk Brand Nuts
to be a satisfying Vegetable Meat that eliminates the ill effects of flesh food.

In the above ad, H. S. Robbins announces that due to the popularity of Elk Brand nut
products, another store has been opened at 119 South Main Street., Wilkes-Barre.
The images offer an insight to a company that aggressively promoted the products the
companys founders believed in. The images show that The H. S. Robbins Co., Inc. was
successfully on its way and was not only established in the Wyoming Valley, but also had
a presence in the Lehigh Valley cities of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton.
To document a piece of Northeast Pennsylvanias corporate history is important, but for
genealogy purposes, it is equally and if not more important to learn about and document
the people behind companies such as Elk Brand. Researchers found two Robbins family
names, Seigel Robbins, founder and president of Elk Brand Nut Products and his son,
Homer Seigel Robbins, who was the companys vice president.
As was reported in the November December 2015 issue of eZine, The Robbins family
also owned a tea house somewhere in the Pocono Mountains. To date, no leads have
surfaced although tea houses existed in the Poconos.
If anyone knows anything or has memory of The Elk Brand Nut Product Company or
any knowledge about tea houses in the Pocono Mountains, your help is greatly
appreciated. Please contact Tony Ranella at Golden6727@aol.com and place Elk Brand
Nut Product Company or Pocono Tea Houses in the subject matter.
Thanks to the Luzerne County Historical Society for providing images that will hopefully
open doors to Elk Brand and the Robbins family.

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GRSNP needs your HELP!!!
Non-profits all over the country are having a very difficult time making ends meet.
GRSNP is in good company with so many non-profits that are finding it hard to find
grants to help them to make the capital improvements needed. Because of this, money
from their budgets must go to make needed repairs. Since GRSNP occupies a building
that is quite old, we are trying our best to make ends meet and to keep the society in as
best a maintained state as possible.
There is a way that you can help. There are programs out there that give back to nonprofits but we need the participation of many for those program contributions to add up.
Your help would be greatly appreciated. Many hands can make a difference. Below are
three such avenues that help GRSNP. Please consider participating.

Amazon Smiles.com
GRSNP is now participating in the Amazon Smiles program. This is a program where
Amazon donates .05% of certain sales to the 501 (c) 3 of your choice. You must choose

the non-profit that you would like this donation to go to before you shop and your
shopping must be done on the AmazonSmiles.com webpage. You can read about the
program at:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/10/30/amazon-smile-charitydonations/3309017/
This is a great way for non-profits to benefit from your shopping. It is these small but
automatic donations to GRSNP that add extra money to our yearly budget.

Help GRSNP by Using Good Search

GRSNP will get a penny every time you use Good Search as your Browser. All
you need do to use Good Search is to go to http://www.goodsearch.com/ and
indicate The Genealogical Research Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania as
your charity of choice. Thats it. As long as you are using Good Search as your
Browser (instead of Bing, Google, Yahoo or any other browsers), The
Genealogical Research Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania gets a penny
every time you use Good Search.

ShurSave Community Rewards and GRSNP

If you shop a ShurSave Supermarket, you can help support the Genealogical Research
Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Either mail the necessary information to GRSNP or call GRSNP to register your
ShurSave Gold Card number, your name and phone number. We will register your card
number into the ShurSave Community Rewards Program. All you need to do is
continue shopping as usual. ShurSave will give GRSNP three cents every time you
purchase a ShurSave or Western Family product. Supermarkets include Gerritys, Rays
Supermarkets, Bricks, Schiels Family Market, Quinns Market, Carones Market,
Goulds, Dutchs Market, Jim Thorpe Market, Riccardos, Robs Market, Mountain Fresh
Supermarket and Heritage Fresh Food.

Subscribe to NePa Ancestors:

NePa Ancestors is a membership-free Yahoo! Group that was originally formed as a
place for GRSNP members to network with fellow family researchers. Since NePa
Ancestors was established, this Yahoo! Group has expanded its membership to all
interested in family research across Northeast Pennsylvania. If you would like to join to
post your surnames, request census lookups or ask for assistance from other group
members in scaling a brick wall you might have encountered, please go to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NePa-Ancestors/ to become a member.

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GSRNP Membership Information:

Please check the home page at: http://grsnp.org/wordpress/ to see what services
GRSNP can to provide to you. If you are not a member of GRSNP, please know that
membership includes our quarterly newsletter, "The Searcher" (
http://grsnp.org/wordpress/newsletter/ ), admission to all meetings
(http://grsnp.org/wordpress/meetings/ ), workshops, events and access to the Research
Center (http://grsnp.org/wordpress/research-services-and-center/ ).
Please be sure to visit (http://grsnp.org/wordpress/memberships-donations/ ) for
additional membership information.
If you are a member of GRSNP, please remember to keep your membership information
up to date. Use the online form at: http://grsnp.org/wordpress/membershipsdonations/ to update your information. If you change your email address, please resubscribe to eZine using your new address.

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GRSNP Hours:
GRSNP Research Center
1100 Main Street, Peckville, PA 18452-2064
Phone: 570-383-7661
OPEN
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
9 am - 2 pm
Wednesday evenings and Saturdays by appointment
http://grsnp.org/wordpress/
info@grsnp.org
Meetings
Third Wednesday in
April, May, June, July, August, September and October
7 pm to 9 pm
Saturday meetings to be announced
2 pm to 4 pm
1100 Main Street
Peckville, PA 18452-2064
It is recommended that you call GRSNP in advance to reserve your seat
or go online to http://grsnp.org/wordpress/meetings/ to reserve your seat.

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GRSNP Cook Book Recipes Old and New

We are down to our last few dozen cook books. If you would like a copy of this cook book,
please do not wait to order. The book will not be reprinted.

Included in the cookbook is an excerpt from a 1939 cookbook that at the time of its printing was
how entertaining dinner guests was expected to be done. It was a guide for the young housewife
to learn how to cook and entertain properly, something that at one time was an important thing.
There is also an in-depth explanation of china, silverware, glassware, linens even down to table
decorations and the type of "service" used at different points of the meal.
There are 190 donated recipes from condiments to main dishes to desserts, soups, holiday
treats, salads and breakfast items. Recipes include stuffed cabbage, haluski, pierogies, Welsh
cookies, Scottish shortbread and garlic, Greek white bean and German lentil soups, pasta dishes,
yeast breads, cakes and puddings. These recipes were once made by parents of those donating
the recipes and are reminiscent of what our ancestors made when we were children.
Please print the following form and either mail or fax it to the address listed or telephone your
order to the number listed if you would like to use your credit card. You can also order and pay
by credit card via PayPal from http://grsnp.org/wordpress/shop/page/3/
There is no doubt that you will enjoy the cookbook and all the wonderful ethnically-diverse
recipes it includes. Your purchase will help support GRSNP and its endeavors.
"Recipes Old and New"
ORDER FORM
Number of copies _________
Price per book:
Shipping and tax per book:
Total per book:

Amount Enclosed $____________

$15.00
3.60
$18.60

To order by MAIL: Make checks or money orders payable to GRSNP and mail to:
GRSNP, P.O. Box 1, Olyphant PA 18447-0001.
To order by phone using a credit card, call 570-383-7661.

To Fax this Order Form (Please include your name and address): 570-383-7466
Please use our PayPal account: info@grsnp.org
Name: _____________________________________
Address: ___________________________________
City: ______________________________________
State: ______________________________________
Zip Code: __________________________________
Email: _____________________________________

We welcome your stories, ideas and helpful wall breaking/family research hints. Please
go to http://grsnp.org/wordpress/ezine-subscription/ to submit any stories or articles
you would like to share with eZine subscribers. The editor can also be contacted at
NJRicky2@aol.com