FYI for all who are interested in the NC State Archives in Raleigh: I go there weekly to do my family research. Been going for several years now. Most of what you say about it is true. You can take in only paper and pencils and laptops, basically. Copies are 10 cents each for the items which are able to be photocopied. Copies from microfilm are 25 cents each. There are certain hours they are willing to pull items and make copies. Staff there is great but has decreased in numbers with the budget crunch. Please call or check their website to make sure that you know their hours and if they are open when you plan to visit---and that you become familiar with the rules---will save yourself a lot of time and trouble! The Genealogy library on the Mezzanine level of the same building has (on microfilm)all of the states' censuses up to 1920 (only NC soundex), and they have loads of printed resources. Lynn Wesson Chapel Hill, NC -----Original Message----- From: Bdhery@aol.com [mailto:Bdhery@aol.com] Sent: Tuesday, May 21, 2002 3:04 PM To: NCRUTHER-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [NCRUTHER-L] Information avaliable and how to treat the files. Hi Bill: Thanks very much for what you do for all of us. He has read many cemeteries and put them on line in North Carolina, and copied different marriage, birth records etc., for many of these counties. I do have a five foot thirty inch bookcase with books for everywhere, as well as anything that is published on each family. Some cannot understand why I would purchase so much. I also have 80 CD, of Census records, and well as 100 others that I have purchased to help myself. Ths is quite true.  I started the society here inVallejo, Ca., in 1993, and taught a class every Friday to get things going for two hours.  I therefore could not get my genealogy done.   I am again the Vice President this year, with booking all of the speakers, organizing the three field trips to the archives, LDS and our State Library.  It takes tremendious time, and this past Saturday from 10A to 4P, at Heritage day, passed out fliers about the park and the 1906 earthquake, and about our Society. Many of our people have never been in a courthouse, or the State Archives. I tried to teach them to take along their notebook with full pedigree sheets so those of us trying to help them learn, would see at a glance what we needed to find for them.  They ould come with scraps of paper and thought we should be able to do the job.  I would do the driving and take three at a time, to teach them where these facilities were, and ask $4.00 each for gas and bridge toll.  It is 55 miles each way for us to go to each of these places and two bridges with a toll of $2.00 each, so $12.00 barley covers the epense.  Some would come along with $1.00 and think that this did it. As for the Archives at Raleigh,  You are only allowed to take paper and pen or group sheets there, or at least the last time I was there in 1995, before becomming terribly ill.   You are allowed to look in each box that they bring you, and put in a piece of cadboard and tell them what you want photocopied, after so many copies,  you pay for them and they send it in the mail.  They watch everything, and see what you have when you leave the archives.  Your things are placed in a locker and you have a key for it. The LDS n Salt Lake City is the same.  this might be good to put on the internet as well.  Many of us old timers know what to expect, but the newbies or those that do not attend the Genealogical Societies do not know rules. I get postcards from people wanting all the information that I have on a famly or someone.  They need to be taught that when you write, that you need to send a self addressed stamped envelope and at least say thank you for ever someone is willing to share. If I sent one of my files, there are aprox. 5,000 people on it. at age 71, and not kthe greatest of health some do not understand when I say I will try and photocopy at our local place some of what they are looking for.  I have three ruptured ddisc in my spine and undergo epidurals three times a year in order to walk or sit for whatever little time that I dare.   Betty Heryford Vallejo, Ca. ==== NCRUTHER Mailing List ==== Subscribing: Clicking on one of the shortcut links below should work, but if your browser doesn't understand them, try these manual instructions: to join NCRUTHER-L, send mail to NCRUTHER-L-request@rootsweb.com with the single word subscribe in the message subject and body. To join NCRUTHER-D, do the same thing with NCRUTHER-D-request@rootsweb.com. Unsubscribing: To leave NCRUTHER-L, send mail to NCRUTHER-L-request@rootsweb.com with the single word unsubscribe in the message subject and body. To leave NCRUTHER-D, do the same thing with NCRUTHER-D-request@rootsweb.com. For questions about this list, contact the list administrator at NCRUTHER-admin@rootsweb.com