Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 16:10:32 -0400 From: "Rebecca Rector" <rrector1@nycap.rr.com> Subject: [NY-TROY-IRISH-GENSOC] Troy Naturalization, 1839 > In Loretta Nial's index, I found a naturalization for a William Hurley, 6 Nov 1839; vol. 2, pg. 4 (Rensselaer County Court). However, there is no Vol. 2 to be found in the basement of the City Clerk's office (that covers that date). Plenty of other Vol. 2’s, but with much later dates. > Do any of you local folks know where these early volumes are? There is no Vol. 1 either. They must have existed to get into her index, but perhaps are lost now? It's unfortunate that the basement record room is such a mess, and so difficult to find things down there. Some volumes are labeled with dates, others are not, with no particular order to the shelving. It's quite frustrating. Rensselaer County ought to have a Hall of Records like Albany County does! Short of that, however, you could bring the matter to the attention of Rensselaer County Historian Kathryn T. Sheehan http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nyrensse/history.htm Some of the specific responsibilities mandated in law for historians are relevant to matters such as record books from the 1830s mouldering, unsecured, in a basement where they might (as seems to have been the case) disappear entirely: "It shall be the duty of each local historian, appointed as provided in the last section, in cooperation with the state historian, to collect and preserve material relating to the history of the political subdivision for which he or she is appointed, and to file such material in fireproof safes or vaults in the county, city, town or village offices. Such historian shall examine into the condition, classification and safety from fire of the public records of the public offices of such county, city, town or village, and shall call to the attention of the local authorities and the state historian any material of local historic value which should be acquired for preservation. He or she shall make an annual report, in the month of January, to the local appointing officer or officers and to the state historian of the work which has been accomplished during the preceding year.” N.Y. Arts & Cultural Affairs Law sec. 57.09 http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/services/historian/artslaw.html AFAIK, it’s been decades since a Rensselaer County Historian has sent in an annual report. There should also be a Rensselaer County Records Management Officer: “The governing body, and the chief executive official where one exists, shall promote and support a program for the orderly and efficient management of records, including the identification and appropriate administration of records with enduring value for historical or other research. Each local government shall have one officer who is designated as records management officer. This officer shall coordinate the development of and oversee such program and shall coordinate legal disposition, including destruction of obsolete records. […] In other units of government, except where the governing body shall have enacted a local law or ordinance establishing a records management program and designating a records management officer prior to the date that this article shall take effect, the chief executive official shall designate a local officer to be records management officer, subject to the approval of the governing body.” http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/excerpts/aca5719.htm "The Legislature also approved a resolution appointing a Records Management Officer, who will store and maintain county records in accordance with state law. District 2 resident Greg DeJulio will handle the duties as part of his work as Deputy County Clerk." http://www.rensselaercounty.org/Press%20Releases/2014%20Majority%20Report%20D2.htm “The Records Management Officer, or other official who carries out disposition, should describe what has been done to dispose of records during the year in an annual report to the governing body. [….] Records created before 1910 (even those which have been microfilmed) are not eligible for disposition without written permission from the State Archives.” http://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/records/mr_pub_mi1_part1.shtml http://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/workshops/workshops_handouts_rmo.shtml Whether Rensselaer County’s Records Management Officers have been making annual reports, I’d guess not, but I don’t know. If the early records books have been improperly destroyed or if they’ve been stolen, it should probably be reported to someone for investigation. Chris Philippo