The following is a rather long article, not for the faint of heart I might
add, and if you have a short fuse--DON'T READ IT!
If something like this were to happen in Morgan County, Indiana, I can
assure you that I would do all in my power as a member of the Morgan County,
Indiana, Council, to reduce the County Commissioners Budget to Zero thus
requiring them to request every penny that they needed to spend from the
Council as they needed it. Including the destruction of valuable County
Records. Thank goodness we in Indiana have legislation that has created a
Commission On Public Records for all 92 counties. With final destruction
authority vested in the State Commission on Public Records. Shame on you
Marion County, West Virginia, County Commissioners!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sam Cline
Morgan County Council ~
http://www.scican.net/government/mc-gov/councilm.html
Morgan County Indiana Historian - IHB/IHS ~
http://www2.ihs1830.org/ihs1830/cohist.htm
Indiana Genealogical Society ~
http://www.indgensoc.org/
Greene County Indiana INGenWeb ~
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ingreene/greenegw.htm
Knox County Indiana INGenWeb ~
http://www.rootsweb.com/~inknox/knox.htm
Lawrence County Indiana INGenWeb ~
http://www.rootsweb.com/~inlawren/lawrengw.htm
Morgan County Indiana INGenWeb ~
http://www.rootsweb.com/~inmorgan/index.html
INGenWeb Links ~
http://www.rootsweb.com/~inmorgan/igwcclnk.html
Greene County Indiana Genealogical Society ~
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ingreene/gcgs.htm
HoosierWeb ~
http://www.hoosierweb.org
Morgan County History And Genealogy Association ~
http://www.rootsweb.com/~inmchaga/mchagai.html
The candle light will always be gleaming through the sycamores. The latch
string is always out.
-----Original Message-----
From: Celia G. Snyder <cgsnyder(a)uiuc.edu>
To: USGENWEB-ALL-L(a)rootsweb.com <USGENWEB-ALL-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Date: Friday, June 26, 1998 2:18 PM
Subject: [USGENWEB-ALL-L] [BP2000-L] CALL TO ARMS
Please forward the news of this Marion County, West Virginia travesty
to
every
genealogy group or historical society that you belong to. Also, if you
have any
media contacts or government contacts please forward this information to
them.
Let's make Cody Starcher infamous!
From: Pam Mullinax
E-Mail: pmullinax(a)mindspring.com
Fairmont -- Leatherbound books recording transactions between 1842 to
1880 have been important to local genealogist, but now the historical
books are gone - buried with the five bins of trash the Marion County
Commission hauled away from the Jacob's building last week.
Along with books were, boxes and files of papers dating back to Marion
County's inception in 1942. There were five floors that had books, boxes
and files to be removed.
Some of the books were Wills; others were Justice of the Peace books.
There may have been other records, but the article didn't say what all
had been destoyed, because they didn't know. The article was a large
article for the paper. The historical and genealogical societies were
NOT notified that the county had planned to discard the handwritten
record books, files and other etcs.
It seems the decision was made by the county commissioners (namely, Cody
Starcher) to clear out several floors from the Jacobs building (scheduled
for renovation) in which these historical documents were stored. They
decided on their own that no one would want to go through all the files to
separate out the salvagable and so decided to not tell anyone. They then
had the local garbage collectors come and clear out the books and
documents.
*************
The story about the above first appeared in the Times West Virginian
(Fairmont, WV)Sunday,June 21, 1998. On Thursday, June 25, 1998 the
below follow-up story was published.
* * *
Dump off limits to historians
By Theresa Haynes
Times West Virginian Staff Writer
FAIRMONT -
Genealogists who wanted to dig through the landfill in search of the
county's discarded pre-Civil War record books will not be allowed to
excavate the dump. ÝÝRon Chrislip, a local historian who has researched
Marion County's past for more than 30 years, said he and four other people
were prepared to go to the Meadowfill Landfill in Bridgeport to search for
the record books tossed last week.
But landfill officials halted the group's plans at the request of the
Marion County Commission.
The day books dating back to 1842 were among several tons of outdated
files, books and papers the commission removed from the historic Jacob's
building, which is undergoing renovation.
Chrislip said he and other genealogists wanted to dig up the historically
valuable record books when they learned the books had been hauled away to
the dump, but the landfill told them there were confidential files among
the garbage.
Commissioner Cody Starcher said in an interview last week that the county
had received special permission from the state to include old juvenile
records in the six BFI Dumpster trash bins hauled to the dump.
"We are allowed to throw the juvenile records away after 20 years," he
said. "But they usually have to be shredded and burned."
Now local historians are concerned they will never see the priceless,
handwritten books again.
"I don't see how they will be retrieved," Chrislip said. "As a
historian I
have to be realistic. Now hopefully the county will preserve what is left."
ÝÝChrislip said the leather-bound books were particularly valuable because
they recorded everything from the county clerk's office.
"Record keeping then was a very different process," he said. "We were
still
in Virginia and documents like that are very, very rare."
The historian said the records gave insight into a lifestyle long gone.
"There is no oral history from that time, no photography and very little
written history. Through the day books we had a great deal of information
to interpret history," he said.
Chrislip agrees with the county commission that the books had no monetary
value, but he said the county has lost something culturally valuable.
He said 20 years ago he had searched for day books like the ones thrown
away and was told they did not exist. Years later he learned they were in
existence, but in "dead" storage.
The historian said he and other people interested in genealogy would have
liked to have been given access to the books before they were discarded.
County Commission President James Sago and Starcher were not available for
comment Wednesday evening.
* * *
If you'd like to write the Editor of the WV Times,
The email address is:
timeswv(a)timeswv.com
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
All letters for publication should be so stated.
Requests for publication must include address & telephone number.
phone: (304) 367-2500 * Fax: (304) 367-2569
Or postal mail to:
Times West Virginian
PO Box 2530
Fairmont, WV 26555-2530
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-------------------------------------------------------------------
Celia G. Snyder, Graduate Programs Coordinator (mailto:cgsnyder@uiuc.edu)
Dept. of Mech. and Indus. Engr., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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