In 1862, George Henry Haskins was born in Dudley, Worcestershire, England. After emigrating to the United States, he prospected for gold in Arkansas and operated a restaurant in Kansas before moving to Illinois to mine. He eventually became a mine surveyor and manager, and later owned a store in Danville. This collection contains sixteen record books for coal accounts and shipments, labor accounts, rent records, and personal financial records kept by Haskins. In addition, the collection contains correspondence, photographs, receipts, and machine schematics. There is also a series of Vermilion County mine surveys made by Haskins during the 1920s. Blanche Haskins, daughter of George Henry Haskins, donated the collection to the Library in 1974.