KSFRANKL-L Archives

Archiver > KSFRANKL > 2003-08 > 1061741775


From: "Alma Robertson" <>
Subject: Re: [KSFRANKL] Franklin County History by Daniel Valentine
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 2003 16:16:15 +0000


Melissa and list,

I can't actually say that the Valentine book doesn't exist, it just isn't at
the Ottawa Library. I'm familiar with the name of Deborah Barker. She used
to write a Saturday genealogy column in The Ottawa Herald and was very big
in the various societies here. In fact, she often signed off on the First
Families of Franklin County applications that were approved.

The Ottawa Library is not next door to the police department. The police
department is several blocks away, on West Second Street. The library
shares a building at First and South Hickory with the City of Ottawa,
however, and this might have given you the impression that it was the police
department. Even more confusing is the fact that we have two courthouses
(the original [1893], and a new [1970s] Court Building on the same block),
with the Franklin County Sheriff's Department building in between. Our 911
services are run by the county out of the Court Building, but a sheriff's
office captain is in charge of the program. And until May, the police
department and the fire department shared the same building. Now the police
department has a new building across the street, while the fire trucks are
still in the original building.

The Franklin County Historical Society was for years housed on the third
floor of the old courthouse, but last year moved to an old nursing home
facility on West Seventh Street Terrace. The phone number and post office
box, however, remain the same.

Deborah Barker is still listed in the current Ottawa phone book, so perhaps
I'll call her and see what she can tell me about the Valentine book. My
guess is that it may be housed at the Historical Society. If I find
anything out, I'll certainly post the information to the list.

Alma

>From: "Melissa Antos" <>
>To:
>Subject: [KSFRANKL] Franklin County History by Daniel Valentine
>Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2003 22:56:52 -0500
>
>Dear list members,
>
>I wish I could explain why this book doesn't seem to exist now. It hasn't
>been many years ago when I used it. In fact I can almost pinpoint that it
>would have been March of 2001. I had a weeks vacation and went to the
>Ottawa Public Library, next door to the police department. I was upstairs
>in the corner with the genealogy records, the wonderful index cards that
>someone has compiled and a new microfilm machines.
>
>The book was there, I can almost distinctly remember it having a black
>bound cover and it's an oversized book. That's what caused one of my
>problems. When I copied it, it had to be copied on 11 x 17 pieces of
>paper. I even have either the inside page or the cover of the book
>photographed; it's got a very pretty picture of a large waterway with very
>beautiful trees or huge bushes on either side of the bank.
>
>If anyone is familiar with Deborah Barker, she can solve the mystery for
>us. I copied a page where she is listed as the editor of the book. I
>emailed her at the same time when I got home after seeing this book,
>because I had questions about my family, one of which she has also been
>interested in over the years and wanted to know what info I had. If I can
>find her email and it hasn't changed, I'm going to contact her and see
>where the mystery lies.
>
>It has to be a large book as one of the pages I photocopied is page 603.
>
>If I locate any other information, I'll let everyone know. Sorry for the
>confusion.
>
>Melissa
>
>
>
>==============================
>To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records,
>go to:
>http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237
>

_________________________________________________________________
Help protect your PC: Get a free online virus scan at McAfee.com.
http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963

This thread: