Vol. 3-Interview-Spire

Mrs. Bella Spire DO NOT TYPE June 3, 8:30 - 9:30 pm

- Great for estimating population, location of (??) families living in "BACK STREET" (?)

Superstition: If you don't wash all the (??) before going to bed at night, the devil will come and lick them off!

??? on itinerant merchants

(?) it?" - (??)

[This is a typewritten form that is filled out by hand. Handwritten parts are in quotation marks here]

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

Bureau of Museums

P.O. Box 1026

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Date: "6/24/72"

Home Address: (Street) "House #137" (City, State) "Eckley, Penna." (Zip Code): [left blank]

Home Phone: [left blank]

Occupation: "Housewife (widowed)"

Hobbies, Crafts or Other Skills: "None (watches T. V.)"

Business Address: (Street) [left blank] (City, State): [left blank] Zip Code: [left blank]

Business Phone: [left blank]

Previous Occupations: (years) "Housewife (had 8 children)"

Religion: "Roman Catholic"

Place of Birth: (town) [left blank] (State or Country) "Prussia"

Year of Birth: "1898" [In the left margin is written "131/132 1900 census"]

Other Places of Residence (years) "Moved to Eckley at age 6 months & has remained in Eckley ever since."

Father's Name: "Andrew Laganoski" Birthplace [left blank]

Father's Occupation and Special Skills: "Miner (was killed in Eckley mine in a cave-in, 1917)"

Mother's Maiden Name "Catherine Swankosky" Birthplace [left blank]

Mother's Occupation and Special Skills: "Housewife--had 15 children--9 which lived"

"A. Bruno Laganoski's sister..."

"B. Reuben Spire (husband), born in 1883, died in 1957, asst. foreman in the Eckley mines 1910-1938, he 1938-1948 died of miner's asthma." [In the left margin is written "88/89 1900 census"]

"C. Lived in 'Backstreet' house #19 then when she"

got married she moved to her husbands home, house, #137 where she now still resides

Bella Spire (6-25-72) House #137 I. "Main Street" was like a little city - this is where all the foreman & "big shots" lived (from the office down to Surgent's house), & the other people didn't go through that part of town or they got yelled at. This was like a private club. The girls were afraid to come through this part of town "We might get attacked." The miner foremen & "big shots" moved out [??] around 1910 & the area of "Main Street" changed, the children weren't afraid to through that [??od] of town...The children would go down to "love rock" & sing and "meet other children." [on the right side of the text it says "Town Division"]