From: "Kathleen Atwood" <katwood(a)chartermi.net>
To: PRUSSIA-ROOTS-L(a)rootsweb.com
Subject: [PRUSSIA] Save the REcords!
----- Original Message -----
From: Linda Thiessen <thiessen.linda(a)mcleodusa.net>
To: <MIHOUGHT-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Friday, March 16, 2001 2:12 AM
Subject: Urgent-Montana connections!
This was a response I received from a posting on a
Montana
mailing
list
I subscribe to regarding the destruction of
ancestral records
in
Montana! I asked if there was any action I could
take as my
mother
was
born in Butte and I have an interest in preserving
these
records. I
thought those of you with connections to Montana
should be
aware of
the
situation and hopefully will take action too!
"I would think that the more who wrote the better.
Make sure the
families who write explain that they're interested
in
preserving
their
Montana family records, as the site requires a
person to put
their
home
address and they'll see it's from out of state. In
the
comment
section,
just mention the reasoning for wanting the bill to
pass - their
Montana
ancestral records. If you have any other
questions, Patti
Marchington
is heavily involved in Helena. Her email address is
below."
Please take the time read this message and respond
to those mentioned
below via e-mail.
Subject: Urgent--SB 443 Hearing update for
Genealogists & Historians,
SB 443 had tons of opposition from the lobbyist for:
The Clerk of District Court Assoc.
The Clerk & Recorder's Assoc.
The Treasurer Assoc.
and opposition from the:
The School Insurance Assoc.
The State Fund for Workmen Comp.
The State Historical Society Library
The Secretary of State Brown's Office
(I hope I didn't leave anyone out...)
They brought up all kinds of things that twisted
SB 443 into something that it wasn't.
SB 443 only concerns Public Records that
are being destroyed in County Courthouses...not
anything to do with Workmen's Comp., School
anything, etc.
Only to give "Notice" to the Public...the State
Historical Soc, Historical & Genealogy Soc.,
down to the Public to have a chance to Preserve
our MT History!
I showed the House-State Admin. Committee today,
3 Old Record Books originally from Park County
Courthouse, that were
thrown away. These are:
1897 Voter Registration Book (name, age, birthplace,
& address were
listed for each voter). 1889 Court Ledger
Book...that on the
last
page
has the old 1889 to 1890 marriage records.
1904 City of Livingston Census Book (has names of
all family members,
occupation of head of
household, ages, & addresses).
These books were "rescued" by a Historian that
happened by the trash
cans by the Courthouse and were "saved" in our local
Yellowstone
Gateway
Museum here in Park County....But many, many other
records have
been
lost forever.
Our Park County has thrown away the old MT. Marriage
Application
Books...as many other counties have done, because
the Clerk of
District
Court Assoc. has said they have to...
(None of the MT Old Marriage Application Books from
about 1865/1889
to
1960s have been copied!).
No Courthouse is willing to tell exactly what
records have been
destroyed, how many, what they are, etc. We don't
have an
accounting
on
anything.
I had really thought it would be a simple thing to
just have the
Courthouses to "post" on the wall of the Courthouse
the list of
Records
that they didn't want (or had no room for). And
since most
Courthouses
around MT have e-mail (with more coming on-line
everyday), they
could
just e-mail the State Historical Society of that
list of
unwanted Records. The State Historical Society
(that does not
want
these records) would look on their lists of local
Historical
&
Genealogy
Societies for the area in and around the County that
doesn't want the
records...and the Public & MT State Historical &
Genealogy Societies
would all be notified!
Very little work on the part of the Courthouses.
No cost to the County. After the listings of the
local Historical &
Genealogy Societies' e-mails on the State Historical
Society Library
Computer database...very little work (not compared
to the
priceless
preserving of history).
If Montana does not come up with a simple plan like
this to preserve
our
MT History NOW....a lot more RECORDS WILL BE
DESTROYED!!!!
MT Courthouses do not have the space for these
Records...they will not be expanding their
Courthouse Buildings.
They
say Micro-filming is too expensive.
The Montana Clerk of District Court & Clerk &
Recorder Assoc.s will
continue to hire their lawyers & lobbyist to tell
the MT
Researcher
what
Records we can see, what Records that will no longer
exist,
while
they
and all of the Courthouse clerks will be the only
ones to have
Access,
BUT NOT THE PUBLIC.
Please call or e-mail these House of
Representatives on the
House-State
Administration Committee.
House--State Administration Committee:
Allan Walters, Chairman R - Hamilton
Debby Barrett, Vice Chairman Majority R - Dillon
Tom Dell, Vice Chairman Minority D - Billings
Norma Bixby D - Lame Deer
Dee Brown R - Hungry Horse
Don Hedges R - Antelope
Hal Jacobson D - Helena
Larry Jent D - Bozeman
Michelle Lee D - Livingston
Larry Lehman R - Power
Ralph Lenhart D - Glendive
Gay Ann Masolo R - Townsend
Doug Mood R - Seeley Lake
Alan Olson R - Roundup
Holly Raser D - Missoula
Rick Ripley R - Wolf Creek
Clarice Schrumpf R - Billings
Frank Smith D - Poplar
e-mail the House of Representatives:
http://leg.state.mt.us/leg_msg.htm
This House-State Administration Committee
needs to hear from at least hundreds of
MT Genealogists & Historians in the next
couple of days!
Please Support SB 443, we need everyone's help NOW!
Patricia Marchington
Member of Park County & the State Genealogy
Society.
marching(a)avicom.net
==== MIHOUGHT Mailing List ====
Houghton County Queries
http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Mi/Houghton
==============================
Ancestry.com Genealogical Databases
http://www.ancestry.com/rd/rwlist2.asp
Search over 2500 databases with one easy query!
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail.
http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/