Dunmore Borough Directory

City Directories can contain useful information to genealogist as well as individuals researching the history of a house.  These books are well liked and used so this was an important addition to the LVDA. This early 1900's book contains an alphabetical listing of every adult that was living in Dunmore. Children are not listed if they didn't have jobs.  On the first page of this resource are the names and locations of the fire departments, post office, and the borough officials in office in 1903-1904.  This book can also be found on Internet Archive along with other Lackawanna County books that can be downloaded to a eReader, printed, or you can read them online.

Scranton Lace Fabrics and Embroideries

The Scranton Lace Company, which closed in 2002, was the subject of the History Channel TV show Abandoned.

In From Lace Makers to Coal Miners, you can examine samples of Scranton Lace products from its heydey. Check out Interior Decorative Fabrics & Embroideries of Quality and Style. The pages with the light blue background contain actual samples of the product. Be sure to zoom in to see the details. Each sample has a number which references brief descriptions of the product.  

First District Attorney of Lackawanna County

Frederick W. Gunster (1845-1900) was the first District Attorney of Lackawanna County, which he became in 1878.  He was an influential man and was one of the credited individuals who pushed for the creation of Lackawanna County. One of the many other positions that he held in the city was a trustee of the Albright Memorial Library from which we believe the dates in the picture above relate to.  According to the History of Lackawanna County Pennsylvania by Thomas Murphy, Gunster also served as an attorney for the City of Scranton and also served as an attorney for the School Board. That service lasted 15 years.

Charity in Scranton

Charity in Scranton, an item from 1914 included in "From Lace Makers to Coal Miners," provides a fasincating glimpse into how society cared for its poor in an era that pre-dates New Deal programs. A sampling of 810 of families "given relief" in 1913 shows a community in which the family was dependent on the ability ot the male to perform his backbreaking duties in the coal mines. Reasons why families were placed on "relief:" Widowed (323), Desertion (211), Sick (136), TB (20), Accident (33), Husband in Jail (7), Unemployment (2), Old Age (37), Feeble Minded (2), Blind (7), Husband Won't Work (4), Permanent Disability (6), Insane (7), Large Family (1), Drunk (4), Miscellaneous (4).