In a message dated 12/17/98 8:11:16 PM Pacific Standard Time, abcpec@erols.com writes: << Subj: Re: Help save MN ledgers Date: 12/17/98 8:11:16 PM Pacific Standard Time From: abcpec@erols.com (Andy & Pat) To: GenSwap-L@rootsweb.com I have occassionally seen old ledges of public records for sale, and I believe that this is probably illegall. These should be legal documents of the county, not someone's pesonal propety. I wonde how they came into private possession? Patricia C. >> Patricia, This is not illegal. Many, many, many county, city and state governments microfilm their original documents and then discard the originals. It is a matter of their records storing procedures. Many do not have the space to house them or the staff to make the records available, so they dispose of them. Then antique dealers come across them and try to sell them. Many paper dealers tear the books apart and sell them page by page!! I am a book collector also. It breaks my heart to see individual pages of books dated from 1300-1800 being sold as such at auction. The same is happening with the original ledger books and other records in our local government archives. Echoes of the Past Archive views itself as a rescue facility. We try whatever we can to rescue these records and documents and make them available for research. Cheryl