Today I went to a lecture sponsored by the Western Pennslvania Genealogical Society of which I am a member. The lecture was given by Charles McCollestar and entitled Point of Pittsburgh. This was the title of the book written by Mr. McCollestar and is about Pittsburgh from the beginning to 1960. The beginning starting with the end of the Ice Age.
The lecture was free and I learned a lot that I had not known, even thought I have lived here for decades.
What even piqued my interest was a brief mention of the Homestead Steel Strike. My great grandfather, Patrick O’Rourke was involved in this event. My father had said that after this strike he lost his job with the steel company and the only work he could find after than was working as a street sweeper. There has to be archives with some information. This was the same year my grandmother, Gertrude O’Rourke was born.
I can not imagine the anguish they must have felt with the strike and then losing his job. Patrick had many children to raise, and then to spend the rest of his life sweeping streets. I hope I can find more information on this event.
I need to find an equivalency chart on what would be the same money today as in an earlier period of time. He died in 1929 and at that time had about $5,000 in his will. I will search and see what that would be in today's dollars.
Patrick and Ellen (Mortel/Martel) O’Rourke c. 1920
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