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Archiver > BRETHREN > 2003-07 > 1057070815


From: "Mary Anne Cook" <>
Subject: Re: [BRE] Bedford county, Pennsylvania court house records
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2003 09:46:55 -0500
References: <1a4.16c52ef3.2c32d5d8@aol.com>


Mary Anne Cook
Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Living in Frankfort, Indiana

----- Original Message -----
From: <>
To: <>
Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2003 7:17 AM
Subject: [BRE] Bedford county, Pennsylvania court house records


> Afternoon All Lists and researchers,
> I am forwarding exerpts from the Bedford Gazette newspaper of Bedford in
> Bedford county, Pennsylvania to several lists to those who may be
interested in
> what is occurring in the county that many of us trace our heritage to.
This
> article was printed in the June 25, 2003 edition and was penned by their
Staff
> writer Elizabeth Goyle.
> "Bedford County's historical records need an appropriate storage place to
> prevent further loss of invaluable public records, a spokesman for the
Pioneer
> Historical Society told officials Tuesday...
> Many if not most of the county's most valuable historic public records are
> housed in the county courthouse basement where county officials have said
> there is risk for theft or just misplaced records...
> The state has a technical assistance grant program for a professional
> archival assessment/evaluation of the county historic document collection
that
> could support inventory and archiving of historical records.
> Prothonotary Cathy Fetter and Register/Recorder Faith Zembower monitor
> records for their respective offices stored in the basement. That basement
space
> houses records that date from as far back as the 1700s.
> "No one goes down there unless someone watches them. We observe what
> they're doing," Fetter said.
> She called on the commissioners in the fall of 2001 to address the safety
> of the records. While staff for Fetter and Zembower monitor the perusal of
the
> records, they are documents people can see and use freely, Fetter said.
> "I don't want to prohibit people from coming in and looking at this stuff.
> It's public record. But something has to be done to preserve it," Fetter
said
> in 2001. She said this week that security is under control but anyone with
> bad intentions cant't be prevented from taking information from vaults...
> Instead the county should start the process of finding a professional
> archivist who would invent, index and copy these documents and records
onto
> microfilm or perhaps a county Internet site that would help generate funds
and help
> support the archiving..."
>
> This could be an opportune time for us as researchers to aid in the
> formation of a truly helpful archival facility like is available in some
of the more
> populated counties in Ohio and Indiana as well as some of the eastern
> counties of Pennsylvania.
> I will be attending the aforementioned meeting in July and would like to
> be the voice for researchers who can trace their roots to or through
Bedford
> county. Efforts are in the formative stages for digitization of the early
> records to be placed on a computer, or computers, so that people visiting
the county
> can go to the court house and use them for research. All I ask is that you
> email me privately with your name, home town and state of residence. I do
not
> want your phone number or your street address. I will compile these names
and
> present them to the Records Commission to show our support. The more names
on
> the list the greater the impact will be heard.
> For those of you perhaps not aware of it Bedford at one time covered most
> of western Pennsylvania which is why at times it is called "Mother
Bedford."
> Quite a few of the counties in Ohio were settled by people who lived in
Bedford
> county in the late 1700's and early 1800's. Especially if your family was
> Brethren.
> >From personal experience I agree with the statements of Mrs. Zembower and
> Mrs. Fetter about the condition of the court records. Many of them are
falling
> apart and are fragile to the extreme.
>
> Wayne Webb
> Brethren Roots Newsletter Editor
> <A HREF="http://www.cob-net.org/fobg/">Fellowship of Brethren
Genealogists: Homepage</A>
>
>
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