Our family tree's roots in the USA begins with Peter & Roseanna who were born in the eighteenth century and traveled to what is now West Virginia in the early 1800's. Family stories says he was a runaway--broke his indenture and headed for the wilderness. Generations of the family farmed in the area he settled. My sister learned the name of the cemetery where they are buried and after a half-day of searching country back roads we found the graves of Peter & Roseanna.
My great-grandfather was a streetcar conductor. During a strike he took the 'scab' who was running his car by the nose and pulled him into the street. Eventually Great-grandfather was shot and killed. The newspaper reported him as a "known troublemaker." The shooter, though identified, was not charged. That's how workers were treated early in the 20th century.