FROM THE VAN BUREN LIBRARY ARCHIVES - ATTENTION ALL PERKINS FAMILY
RESEARCHERS
The Van Buren District Library and the Van Buren Regional Genealogical
Society would like to solicit the assistance of anyone
researching the PERKINS name in Southwest Michigan. Recently, the
entire contents of the PERKINS vertical file housed in the Local History
Collection of the Van Buren District Library was completely cleaned out
(stolen). This file contained quite a few research reports, family
groups sheets, wedding announcements, e-mails, etc. pertaining to
PERKINS and many other family names including: CREGO, EATON, GESSLER,
HICE, POWERS, SIMON, SPEAK, and VAN VORST. Anyone who is researching
the PERKINS family who may have submitted information for our files or
who would like to submit information, we are asking you to resubmit
copies of this material. Materials may be in hardcopy, but digital is
fine as well. To help us rebuild this file, please send information
to: Toni I. Benson, Van Buren District Library, 200 N. Phelps Street,
Decatur, MI 49045 or e-mail as an attachment to tbenson(a)vbdl.org.
Most researchers are very considerate, responsible individuals, taking
great pains to use items in the Local History Collection
with care. There are no restrictions on photocopying, so it is hard to
understand why anyone would feel the need to steal things
from the collection and thereby rob everyone else of the right to use
the materials. Apparently, there are still a few individuals
around that feel that if something pertains to their family name, it is
their property be default. It is very frustrating to those that
compile this historical data for a common good...Unfortunately,
incidents such as these will only serve to make the collection
usable on a more restricted basis.
Thank you, in advance, to those that will help us to rebuild this
information.