> > > County clerks are not hired to do genealogy, so they may not always > > > be willing to go dust them off in the basement (or attic) unless > > > you're there in person to look (or you pay or beg a local person > > > they know to look at them for you). > > > > > > Connie > > > clsheets1@prodigy.net > > > > My question has always been, if the clerks are telling you that the > > records do not exist because of some disaster, how do you find out > > if some records actually remain? And if you find out that they do, > > how do you get the personnel working in the the repository to admit > > that and to let you look for them? > > > > [ There are a number of approaches to courthouse record access: > > (1) Go in person and be *extremely* polite while being persistent. > > (2) Find a local gen/hist society which knows the courthouse well. > > (3) Hire a local professional who knows the courthouse well. > > (4) Local librarians sometimes know records better than courthouse > > staff. - Mod ] > > > > Polly > > phheld@twcny.rr.com > > I'll agree with the Mod. It is pitifully poor planning to accuse a > man of not knowing his job and to insist you know better than he > does about what he's supposed to be overseeing. > > "Cheryl Singhals" <singhals@erols.com> To add a bit to two excellent responses: Anyone searious about genealogy should have access to a general reference of available records. Two of these are The Redbook from Ancestry and The Handy Book from Everton Publishers. These give basic information about the records in each county as well as necessary addresses and other information. When I have need for information in a county I am not familiar with, I first check The Redbook. Then I go to the USGenWeb site for the county to see what is there (these range from sites with hardly any information to sites which have posted many vital, cemetery, probate and other records. The next step, if I still have questions, is to join the mailing list for that county and then probe a bit with those familiar with it and its records. Today a brief phone call can be as cheap as the postage for a letter, so I often call the clerk's office and inquire about the availability of the record I am looking for. You get a range of responses. Catch them on a slow day and they will run and look it up! Catch the wrong person and they won't talk to you until you send the requisite fee. But usually you can a feel for what will happen when you letter arrives. As experience researchers know, in some court houses researchers get a warm welcome. In others, you are treated as if you are a trespasser. One county - bless it - has a "volunteer genealogist" who is constantly available to assist researchers and, when no one is around to help, she busily creates indexes and hanging files for various surnames! At the other end of the scale is the clerk who begins the conversation by saying that "the law says we must ...." by way of denying your request. As Brian and Cheryl suggest, your approach can affect which treatment you get - and being properly prepared is essential. Regards, Richard "Richard A. Pence" <richardpence@pipeline.com>