Ann Heinz's Page

I am interested in colliers (or charcoal burners) working at iron furnaces who perhaps were part of the Scotts who were moved to Ireland and then England before immigrating to America in the late 1700's. Ireland closed their iron furnaces when the woods disappeared, England changed over to burning coal for furnace fuel. Then many of the charcoal burners sailed to Pennsylvania to continue working in their narrow field. Charcoal burning was the fuel of general use here until around 1850.