Worker Names & Death Certificates

A fraction of the Hawk’s Nest dead, gleaned from Union Carbide reports and vital records. In general, this list does not include those who died after their employment ended, or outside of West Virginia. The list also includes several "camp followers," including three women. Not all the listed persons died of silicosis; some died of other causes like rock falls or other illness. Some silicosis victims' deaths were likely misattributed by doctors to "pneumonia" or a "heart attack." See the Union Carbide reports for more details. Contact us to add a name to the archive.

Sources:

"Lists of Rinehart & Dennis Company Employees Who Died in West Virginia, April 1, 1930 – December 31, 1935," from Accident and mortality report on Rinehart and Dennis employees and miscellaneous data on silicosis, by Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation; March 10, 1936.

"List of Deceased Persons for Whom White and Cravens or H.C. White Were Undertakers," from Accident and mortality report on Rinehart and Dennis employees and miscellaneous data on silicosis, by Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation; March 10, 1936.

Death certificates compiled by Rita Hanshaw and Tammy Rose from the West Virginia Vital Records Research Project.

DOWNLOAD .CSV / EXCEL

Add a Name to the Archive

NAME (AGE / RACE / PLACE OF BURIAL)

Individual names are linked to PDF scans of death certificates when available.

Abraham, Eugene (21 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Adams, Winfred (B / Clairmont, NC)
Alexander, James (32 / B / Logan, WV)
Allison, Robert (39 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Andrews, Sidney (22 / B / Lewis Cemetery, Summersville, WV)
Bales, Alonzo (24 / B / Lewis Cemetery, Summersville, WV)
Barrat/Barrett, Nathan (45 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Blakley, Thomas (B / Diamond, WV)
Blankenship, Ballard (30 / W / Lindsey, WV)
Blankenship, Oran Mearl (41 / W / Line Creek, WV)
Bostic, Marshall (22 / W / Elk View, WV)
Bostic, (Mooney) Willie (16 / B / Vanetta, WV)
Bostic, Ray Ernest (28 / W / Elk View, WV)
Brown, James (26 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Brown, Parker (38 / B / Potters Field, Fayetteville, WV)
Brown, Walter Burley (21 / W / Syria, VA)
Browning, Fred (30 / B / Summersville, WV)
Burdette, Rufus (51 / W / Poe, WV)
Caldwell, Henry (30 / B / Vanetta, WV)
Cashion, Richard Wesley (48 / W / Ansted, WV)
Chambers, Benny (23 / B / Lewis Cemetery, Summersville, WV)
Chatfield, Fred (30 / B / Vanetta, WV)
Childers, Lewis B. (18 / W / Dixie, WV)
Clark, Nelson (30 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Cole, Lonnie C. (34 / W / Jumping Branch, WV)
Cooper, Mack (35 / B / Lewis Cemetery, Summersville, WV)
Cox, Milton (32 / B / County Poor Farm)
Daniel, A. L. (40 / W / Atlanta, GA)
Daugherty, George (35 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Devine, Henry (61 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Dickinson, Frans (42 / W / Mt. Carbon, WV)
Dixon, James (46 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Elders, Sylvia (35 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Euill, Gaston (36 / B / Amherst, VA)
Evans, H. C. (26 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Flack, Dewey (21 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
German, Ben (38 / B / Beckley, WV)
Goines, Marvin (24 / B / Not Noted)
Green, Clemon (28 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Haines, D. W. (34 / W / Sunset Memorial Park, Charleston, WV)
Hancock, Bennie H. (47 / B / Hunter Cemetery, WV)
Harvey, Calvin (38 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Hendrick, Henry (Harry) (42 / W / Hendrick, WV)
Hicks, James (42 / B / Union, SC)
Hockens/Hawkins, Richard (B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Hunt, Thomas (45 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Inabinet, (S) Walter (27 / W / St. Mathews, SC)
Jackson, Whirley (24 / B / Not Noted)
Jackson, Wm. (40 / B / Summersville, WV)
Johnson, Golden Allen (59 / W / Gamoca, WV)
Johnson, John (57 / B / Boomer, WV)
Johnson, Luther (B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Johnson, Raymond (38 / W / On Gauley, WV)
Johnson, Robert (30 / B / Vanetta, WV)
Johnson, Walter (42 / B / Prince, WV)
Johnson, William (42 / B / Montgomery, WV)
Jones, Charley 52 / W / Gamoca, WV)
Jones, Charlie (52 / B / Glen Ferris, WV)
Jones, Cecil L. (23 / W / Gamoca, WV)
Jones, Lindsey (36 / B / Vanetta, WV)
Jones, Owen (22 / W / Vanetta, WV)
Jones, Robert (37 / B / Not Noted)
Jones, Shirley (18 / W / Gamoca, WV)
Kincaid, Walter (59 / W / Terry Cemetery, Victor, WV)
Kube, A. L. (52 / W / Roadsville, VA)
Lane, Henry (26 / B / Knoxville, TN)
Lee, Sydney (33 / B / Denmar, WV)
Littlejohn, Mary (40 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Lyles, Ernest (23 / B / Diamond, WV)
McCalphin (McCalton), John (30 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
McCrorey, George (31 / B / Chester, SC)
McDaniel, Clara (23 / B / Glen Ferris, WV)
McDaniel, Robert (50 / B / Spring Hill, WV)
McGuire, George W. (Cane Branch, WV)
McKeever, Grover (B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
McKission, James (30 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Means, Charles (21 / B / Vanetta, WV)
Miller, J. H. (B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Mitchell, Fred (40 / B / Rock Hill, SC)
Monagan, John (35 / B / Lewis Cemetery, Summersville, WV)
Moore, James (47 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Morgan, Ellwood (42 / B / Clanton, AL)
Morrison, John (24 / B / Summerlee, WV)
Moses, Lona (25 / B / Lancaster, SC)
Murphy, Robert (46 / B / Camden, SC)
Murphy, Sam (Sim) (24 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Nelson, Alex. (44 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Nelson, George (44 / B / Fayetteville, WV)
Patterson, Charlie (25 / B / Lewis Cemetery, Summersville, WV)
Peyton, Arthur (W)
Pickett, Willie T. (45 / B / County Poor Farm)
Potts, Jesse (73 / B / Diamond, WV)
Powell, Will (36 / B / Mt. Holly, SC)
Reed, Ernest (23 / B / Lancaster, SC)
Reed, W. M. (55 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Robinson, George (51 / B / Vanetta, WV)
Robinson, Will (60 / B / Bayes Cemetery, Fayetteville, WV)
Robinson, Willie (29 / B / Summerlee, WV)
Rollins, George (Cane Branch, WV)
Sandusky, Albert (49 / B / Vanetta, WV)
Saunders, Walter (40 / B / Diamond, WV)
Scott, Joe (45 / B / Knoxville, TN)
Shepherd, Howard (21 / W / Gamoca, WV)
Sherrod, John (B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Singleton, Roosevelt (31 / B / Lewis Cemetery, Summersville, WV)
Skinner, C. M. (47 / W / Thurmond, WV)
Slaughter, Hudson (25 / B / Pierce’s Cemetery, Fayetteville, WV)
Sloan, Mat (31 / B / Vanetta, WV)
Smith, Bee (29 / B / Vanetta, WV)
Smith, Frank (45 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Smith, H. L. (60 / W / Mt. Holly, NC)
Smith, John (28 / B / High Springs, FL)
Smoke, Emanuel (50 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Stokes, Willis (40 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Street, Lewis Walter (46 / W / Swiss, WV)
Stringer, Ralph (33 / W / Cleveland, OH)
Strong, John (37 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Sykes, Walter P. (24 / W / Peachland, NC)
Thompson, Enoch (B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Ward, John (26 / B / Kings Mt., NC)
Ward, Sam (30 / B / Vanetta, WV)
Watkins, Sam (38 / B / Vanetta, WV)
Watts, W. A. (42 / W / Not Noted)
White, James (B / Diamond, WV)
Williams, Joe (30 / B / Lewis Cemetery, Summersville, WV)
Williams, Willie (B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Wilson, James (32 / B / Summerlee, WV)
Woodard, Calvin (B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Woods, Frank (23 / B / White Farm, Summersville, WV)
Woodward, Will (40 / B / Lewis Cemetery, Summersville, WV)
Yarber, George (18 / W / Beckwith, WV)