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Archiver > BRETHREN > 2003-07 > 1057112311


From: <>
Subject: Re: [BRE] Bedford county, Pennsylvania court house records
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2003 21:19:19 -0500
References: <BAY3-F129Fekzabtneq00050173@hotmail.com>


The Bedford Co,Pa problem is a matter of money and staff. Most courthouses
do not have the staff to do even the daily work that they are required to
do. With all counties and states having cutbacks, we will all have to be
patient and try to understand their position as well as ours. Much more has
been done in Bedford Co, Pa than in other counties. I have found the clerks
at the courthouse to be pleasant,but more interested in doing their regular
work than genealogy. Courthouses should relize that we would pay to have
copies made and this is a good source of income. Lynn
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ann Lock" <>
To: <>
Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2003 8:16 AM
Subject: Re: [BRE] Bedford county, Pennsylvania court house records


> Ann Lock
> West Palm Beach, FL
>
> Thank you and good luck!!!
>
> Ann
>
>
> >From:
> >Reply-To:
> >To:
> >Subject: [BRE] Bedford county, Pennsylvania court house records
> >Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2003 08:17:28 EDT
> >
> >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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