The reloading while running story was on one of the pages I looked at also. It's the stuff great legends are made of. Speaking of photos, someone needs to rescue some of the neglected archives shown in photos at that West VA site: <www.wvculture.org/history/rmpb/Cabell_County/Images/P10CountyClerkinactive. htm> <www.wvculture.org/history/rmpb/Cabell_County/Images/P8CountyClerkinactive.h tm <www.wvculture.org/history/rmpb/Greenbrier_County/Images/P25CountyClerkactiv e.htm> There are grants available for library initiatives to make digital copies of old books. I was looking at this recently and it looks like it's not difficult for libraries to apply. A local library could probably get funding to take on projects like this and digitizing their own old books and local history. Oral history projects are big in grants recently also.

I hate to tell you, but this often the state of affairs of records....probably the rule more than the exception. In fact, my box of 'stuff' I carry in the car includes one of those lights that fastens on your head and can be used without hands, AND a pair of coveralls to go over my clothes. More times than I like to remember I've encountered records stuck in boxes, in the basement of all sorts of strange places....sometimes stacked against the walls, from floor to ceiling. I have a friend in Ohio who is actively involved in the preservation of county records that they have rescued everywhere from bat filled attics to mice infested basements. I be there isn't a genealogist that doesn't have a 'records' story!! Sadly, old records are often considered a tremendous pain in the neck by those who keep them...and they are stuffed anywhere a place to stuff them can be found! Officials often care nothing for them and it takes a local historical or genealogical society getting involved to 'do' something to preserve them. Our courthouse burned theirs, after they 'transcribed' them to computers! S. -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.4.0/306 - Release Date: 4/9/2006

Why doesn't someone contact the LDS in Salt Lake City? They brought a team to Birmingham 2 years ago and microfilmed all the loose papers in the Birmingham AL, Jefferson County court house basement. At least those are preserved in the LDS library now! My cousin and several others helped sort the papers into groups for them to film. It took about 2 weeks or more for this to get done! Diana in AL ----- Original Message ----- From: Sandra Ferguson<mailto:ferg@ntelos.net> To: PA-OLD-CHESTER-L@rootsweb.com<mailto:PA-OLD-CHESTER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, April 10, 2006 6:19 PM Subject: old records I hate to tell you, but this often the state of affairs of records....probably the rule more than the exception. In fact, my box of 'stuff' I carry in the car includes one of those lights that fastens on your head and can be used without hands, AND a pair of coveralls to go over my clothes. More times than I like to remember I've encountered records stuck in boxes, in the basement of all sorts of strange places....sometimes stacked against the walls, from floor to ceiling. I have a friend in Ohio who is actively involved in the preservation of county records that they have rescued everywhere from bat filled attics to mice infested basements. I be there isn't a genealogist that doesn't have a 'records' story!! Sadly, old records are often considered a tremendous pain in the neck by those who keep them...and they are stuffed anywhere a place to stuff them can be found! Officials often care nothing for them and it takes a local historical or genealogical society getting involved to 'do' something to preserve them. Our courthouse burned theirs, after they 'transcribed' them to computers! S. -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.4.0/306 - Release Date: 4/9/2006 ______________________________