Hi All,
I hope I will be informative and try to keep my own personal feelings about some staff at
some of our local government offices to a minimum. I do work in a local government office
but I've had much more experience as a customer. I hope this post doesn't turn out
to be the great American novel. But, the problem distance poses for researchers is one
that I've tried to help alleviate for several years.
I was just as surprised as I'm sure you were when I found out about the new form
letter being sent to folks that write in asking for records. First of all, if you know
what you're doing, it doesn't take a heck of a lot of time to look for a record if
you've got the exact date. This isn't really a put-down of the Clerk's Office
staff, though. The problem lies in the fact that most of the people that work in the
Clerk's Office now have had little to no experience looking for the older records or
helping researchers do this. This is because in the past there was a lady working in the
office who was specifically designated to answering the query letters and help researchers
use the microfilm and records. She did perform other duties as needed, but her main job
was to act as the staff genealogist. She retired some time ago, probably 2 years ago, so
now there isn't anyone to answer the letters like she did. And, yes, she is
overwhelmed by letters.
BTW, I have nothing but praise for the folks in NC, especially Cherokee Co. where my
paternal grandma was from. I called them many years ago to ask how much copies of death
records were and to make sure I had the correct address. The lady I spoke to asked me who
I was looking for and whether I had dates. I didn't have everything exactly but gave
her what I had. She put me on hold for a little while but soon came back to tell me they
had great-grandma Iowa's but not great-grandpa's. I asked how much a copy would be
and she told me nothing, she'd just put it in the mail if I'd give her my address!
I couldn't believe that she was actually going to send me a death record based on a
phone call! Here in Greene Co., they won't tell you anything over the phone, let alone
send you a record.
In defense of the Clerk's Office, it is a very busy place. The clerks don't have a
lot of time to do in-depth research and aren't required to do so. It is true that
citizens have a right to access public records. However, you need to provide enough
information in order for them find the record you requested. You will have to include the
book & page number of the record in your written request for it. Copies are $1.00 per
page or $2.00 per page if you want certified copies. Yes, $1.00 per page is steep. Believe
me, I know. I paid $11 for a final estate record.
The best solutions I have been able to come up with for the biggest problem facing
genealogy and history researchers are volunteerism, contribution and involvement. I've
tried very hard to get my local genealogical society active and create a network of
volunteers, or at least a pool of reasonable researchers, to refer researchers to for
lookups, copies and other types of services that the Clerk's Office can't really
handle. I've not had much luck but I've still got hope that this will happen, if
not through this particular organization. As many of you may be aware, I've cut back
on my activity with the Society in order to pursue my own projects.
I would like to see a research group formed to take on the task of answering the query
letters received by the Clerk's Office. I would also like to see a
genealogical/historical research library and museum located in Greene Co. I believe that
these things would help researchers get the information and records they need more than
anything else.
For now, all I can offer you is a few lookups here and there which may help you get the
copies you need. Please don't hesitate to ask for these from the volunteers on the
Lookups page. They volunteered for lookups because they wanted to help others. (I do
apologize for my backlog, though. I've had lots of requests for lookups for some time
and haven't caught up yet.)
Diane :)
P.S. Carole, I've still got your photos. I haven't forgotten them or you.