Probably the clerks are not even interested in family history. This happens alot. The fox guarding the hen house. Nancy ----- Original Message ----- From: "JEAN PAYTON" <jeanpayton@earthlink.net> To: <JONES-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2003 8:07 PM Subject: Re: [Jones] VIRGINIA SENATE BILL DESTRUCTION OF WILL FILES > If the Bill passes it will give County Clerks in the State of Virginia to > destroy all Wills before 1913. These Wills are a very important part of our > History and Heritage. We as genealogists should speak up and to let these > Government people realize just what they are doing because the County clerks > lack Storage space. They could at least donate them to a Genealogy Society > so that they may be preserved and also be transcribed onto the internet for > the world to have access to them. > Jean Payton > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Carole Beth Arnette" <nautilus@satx.rr.com> > To: <JONES-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2003 7:53 PM > Subject: Re: [Jones] VIRGINIA SENATE BILL DESTRUCTION OF WILL FILES > > > > are they going to destroy them period? To our LDS friends is the church > > filming anymore material? ancestry.com did the 1930 census > > Carole Beth ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "JEAN PAYTON" <jeanpayton@earthlink.net> > > To: <JONES-L@rootsweb.com> > > Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2003 6:27 PM > > Subject: Re: [Jones] VIRGINIA SENATE BILL DESTRUCTION OF WILL FILES > > > > > > > That is what we are trying to stop from doing. Its fine to microfilm > them > > > but to destroy the originals would be a very costly mistake. The State > of > > > Virginia by allowing this destruction to happen is destroying a very > > > important historical documents that date back to the 1600s when people > > first > > > started to arrive in the New World. > > > > > > What I don't understand is why they won't donate them to the historical > > > Society, Library of Virginia, or to other Genealogical Societies. > Simply > > > the lack of storage is a very poor excuse for destroyng these documents. > > > Massachusetts has just as much historical papers and they haven't > > threatened > > > to destroy for lack of space. > > > > > > Microfilming them is not always a cost effective way of retaining these > > > histroical documents. When they are microfilmed people who do this > often > > > make mistakes. They don't photograph them properly, they miss pages, > and > > > sometimes destroy the whole document in the process. Look at some of > the > > > Census records we have. Some of them you can't read from the microfilm, > > > some of them have black splotches on their lens which transfer to the > > films. > > > Historic Wills that date back 400 yrs are hard to read in the immediate > > > copy. If they are hard to read in their original state microfiming will > > > just make it harder to read. > > > > > > If we the people let these States do these things because they lack > space > > we > > > stand to lose a very important part of our history and heritage. Our > > > ancestors when writing their last testant and will wrote them with the > > idea > > > of protecting their families and heirs and leaving a piece of history > when > > > they were gone. > > > > > > It is just the State of Virginia,but there is the State of Florida who > > want > > > to do away with their State Library which houses all of their important > > and > > > historical documents, The state of Washington is another state who wants > > to > > > do away with their historical documentation. We are the family > > researchers > > > must ban together and let our government know that these are precious > > > records that should be retained for ever not thrown away because they > lack > > > storage. The least they could do is to offer them to the Genealogical > > > Societues or have them transcribed and put online for the world to see. > > > > > > One prime example of retaining these documents is to be able to prove > who > > > were the heirs. I was trying to connect my Spencer line and I was > missing > > > the name of one son. When I thought I had the rright father I was told > > that > > > he didn't have a son named John. Well when I found the will in New York > > he > > > indeed did have a son John which connected my line from the First > Spencers > > > to come to the New Wolrd. Without that will I would have been still > > looking > > > for the connection. > > > > > > So yes we all need to let the Senators, Delegates, Congressman, and our > > > President know that these papers are very important to all of the people > > of > > > the United States not just that state. We need to make sure they retain > > > these copies. I don't understand how they can lack for storage space > nor > > > the money to fund these records when they can vote themselve huge wage > > > increases as they did this past year and then complain they don't have > the > > > money to continue restoration or continue to keep these documents > > available > > > to the World. > > > Jean Payton > > > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: "BILL & KARLI DYE" <bdye@tcac.net> > > > To: <JONES-L@rootsweb.com> > > > Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2003 6:30 PM > > > Subject: Re: [Jones] VIRGINIA SENATE BILL DESTRUCTION OF WILL FILES > > > > > > > > > > Thanks, I read what the summary was. Appreciate you giving me the > > > > directions. > > > > > > > > Does that mean that as long as the wills are microfilmed then they > can > > be > > > > destroyed -- like it says in the last line? > > > > > > > > Karli > > > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > > From: <Jnshowl@aol.com> > > > > > Wish this was a hoax. Go to the link below > > > > > http://legis.state.va.us/ > > > > > and type in this bill number SB818 > > > > > Jackie Howell > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ==== JONES Mailing List ==== > > > > Direct your questions, comments or problems to the listowner at > > > jones-admin@rootsweb.com > > > > For detailed instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing visit this > > > site: > > > > http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/surname/j/jones.html > > > > browse the archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/jones > > > > search the archives: > > > http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?list=JONES > > > > Unusual JONES given names, > > > http://members.aol.com/stjones/jones/oddnames.html > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ==== JONES Mailing List ==== > > > Direct your questions, comments or problems to the listowner at > > jones-admin@rootsweb.com > > > For detailed instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing visit this > > site: > > > http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/surname/j/jones.html > > > browse the archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/jones > > > search the archives: > > http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?list=JONES > > > Unusual JONES given names, > > http://members.aol.com/stjones/jones/oddnames.html > > > > > > > > > > > ==== JONES Mailing List ==== > > Direct your questions, comments or problems to the listowner at > jones-admin@rootsweb.com > > For detailed instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing visit this > site: > > http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/surname/j/jones.html > > browse the archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/jones > > search the archives: > http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?list=JONES > > Unusual JONES given names, > http://members.aol.com/stjones/jones/oddnames.html > > > > > > > > ==== JONES Mailing List ==== > Direct your questions, comments or problems to the listowner at jones-admin@rootsweb.com > For detailed instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing visit this site: > http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/surname/j/jones.html > browse the archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/jones > search the archives: http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?list=JONES > Unusual JONES given names, http://members.aol.com/stjones/jones/oddnames.html > >