Asa Lansford Foster

Asa Lansford Foster (August 19, 1798 – January 9, 1868) was a Pennsylvanian geologist, merchant, and coal mine owner. He was also a geologist, mining engineer, and publisher and was one of the pioneers of the anthracite industry. He was a native of Massachusetts but immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1818. Foster married Louisa Trott Chapman.

Early life Foster was born on August 19, 1798 Upon arriving there, Foster established a store which became a supply point for much of the area between the Susquehanna and Delaware Rivers. He sold the newspaper in 1842.

Personal life Foster married Louisa Trott Chapman on August 24, 1822, in Wilkes-Barre. He had six children. They were Thomas Lansford Foster (born 1823) and Charles Edward Foster (born 1826), Mary Chapman Foster (born 1829), Elizabeth Reed Foster (born 1832), Louisa Foster (born 1835), and Marion Foster (born 1836). Thomas Lansford Foster and Charles Edward Foster were born in Bloomsburg. His life was consistently lived in a Christian way. He served as a communicant for the Protestant Episcopal Church. Foster supported the Federalist, Whig, and then the Republican political parties.

In 1992, his Great Granddaughter, Katharine Foster Thompson self-published Chapter and Verse; The Annotated Diaries Of Asa Lansford Foster (1798 - 1868). The original diaries were donated to the Museum at Eckley after the book was published.

Death and legacy Foster died in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on January 9, 1868, at the age of 69, while visiting his friends. Foster Township, in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, is also named for him.