All, My courthouse really did burn down, it was well documented. It was Hernando/Pasco County Florida in the 1870's-1880's. The area was pretty lawless at the time. There was a judge shot, the local marshal was a murderer, family feuds aplenty. Lynchings and ambushing going on all over the area. It didn't improve much until the 1930's. A lot of records were destroyed out of ignorance, some have simply been lost over the years. I keep trying. TW Scott -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] Date: 04/16/2009 12:24 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [HESSE] All related Sorry, I should have qualified that. I was referring to American sites. It is not unusual to come across a clerk in America who will say there are no local records, because the courthouse burned down. Often time, the person simply doesn't know what is or isn't available, and is going on anecdotal evidence at best. Somethiimes, the clerks are just so busy they will use that excuse to politely let you know they don't have the time. That is not to say there are real cases where records were lost due to a fire. Certainly in Germany we are talking about an entirely different landscape. I had assumed the post I replied to was taking of US sources. I wasn't meaning to knock civil servants, they have a tough job sometimes, and can be extremely helpful. THe best way to really find out what sources are likely to be available is to contact a local history or genealogy society. They will often be more informed about what is available. Brian On Wed, April 15, 2009 12:47 pm, Heidi Utley wrote: > I wouldn't be to fast knocking down the civil servants. Since I lived in > Germany during World War II you might like to know that the devastation > was terrible... ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------------------------------------ Lawyers Paying too much for your lawyer? Click here to find lawyers and save money. http://tagline.excite.com/fc/FgElN1g4tcLIkV7XjArPACsVsyxGKjzcP0eYLOOxhYtSdJgIjgzy0XN9fSg/