----- Original Message ----- From: mary perkins To: [email protected] Sent: Monday, December 25, 2006 10:38 AM Subject: Re: [NCBERTIE] Fw: Guardianship Dear Paul, Would NC courthouses still retain court records regarding guardianships? (or have they been sent to Raleigh --- (The Emerald City -- smile) --- and if so, how are these records classified? (in the county courthouses or in Raleigh.), Thanks and Best Wishes for a Blessed New Year. Mary Parker Perkins ****** Hi, Mary. The answer is that many counties - Sussex and Isle of Wight, VA, as but two of MYRIAD examples - keep their old records until the storage and maintenance becomes more expensive than that county can/will bear and then either destroy such, give those away to some parasites, as did Cumberland Co., PA, who then sell the same for obscene prices as "old documents", or box those up and send such to the States' archives as did Sussex and Isle of Wight. In the two examples given their Clerks carefully guarded those for years and allowed but limited viewing by researchers. If you mean where in the courthouse might such be found, there is no good answer. You likely should first ask the local genealogical society, next search the "chancellors' offices" for files and indexes of cases, and then search the offices of the Clerks to the courts. Failing those inquiries, ask someone in those offices where those records might be found. Should that also not help, ask the local library or the county historian. I have found, as examples, in Bledsoe Co., TN the present Librarian - Mrs. Knight - gathered the records up when those were about to be discarded and, with the help of the local genealogical society, did a wonderful job of cataloging and placing such in archival boxes and folders for use by researchers. So too did Roane Co, TN. In Pickaway County Ohio, I found myriad of such records strewn all over the floor in the courthouse attic (now gathered together for indexing, I am told), in Fentress Co, TN, I was sent to Jim _X_'s chicken barn, and there found the priceless files and papers wet, covered with chicken manure, and totally lost. Do not forget to simply ask in any of the courthouse offices where the "very old records" might be found, get permission to look at those, and DO SO. Don't forget the sheriffs' offices, many of which (such as Perry Co., PA) kept those papers that required such as a "return" or a record by those officers of service or mileage to and from the places where the parties might be served the papers. So, ASK, and if those have been preserved, visit the place where such are housed. Happy holidays Paul