A message I received in the ROBINSON-L list. I sincerely hope that the Beaver County Historical Society would never let this happen to any of the Beaver County Records. -----Original Message----- From: Billy Beaty [SMTP:billyb@mtnhome.com] Sent: Friday, June 26, 1998 6:46 PM To: ROBINSON-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Fw: [BP2000-L] CALL TO ARMS ---------- > From: Ray Beaty <r1941@idt.net> > To: BP2000-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [BP2000-L] CALL TO ARMS > Date: Friday, June 26, 1998 2:35 PM > > Please forward the news of this Marion County, West Virginia travesty to every > genealogy group or historical society that you belong to. Also, if you have any > media contacts or government contacts please forward this information to them. > Let's make Cody Starcher infamous! > > From: Pam Mullinax > E-Mail: pmullinax@mindspring.com > > Fairmont -- Leatherbound books recording transactions between 1842 to > 1880 have been important to local genealogist, but now the historical > books are gone - buried with the five bins of trash the Marion County > Commission hauled away from the Jacob's building last week. > > Along with books were, boxes and files of papers dating back to Marion > County's inception in 1942. There were five floors that had books, boxes > and files to be removed. > > Some of the books were Wills; others were Justice of the Peace books. > There may have been other records, but the article didn't say what all > had been destoyed, because they didn't know. The article was a large > article for the paper. The historical and genealogical societies were > NOT notified that the county had planned to discard the handwritten > record books, files and other etcs. > > It seems the decision was made by the county commissioners (namely, Cody > Starcher) to clear out several floors from the Jacobs building (scheduled > for renovation) in which these historical documents were stored. They > decided on their own that no one would want to go through all the files to > separate out the salvagable and so decided to not tell anyone. They then > had the local garbage collectors come and clear out the books and documents. > > ************* > > The story about the above first appeared in the Times West Virginian > (Fairmont, WV)Sunday,June 21, 1998. On Thursday, June 25, 1998 the > below follow-up story was published. > > > * * * > Dump off limits to historians > > By Theresa Haynes > Times West Virginian Staff Writer > > FAIRMONT - > Genealogists who wanted to dig through the landfill in search of the > county's discarded pre-Civil War record books will not be allowed to > excavate the dump. Ron Chrislip, a local historian who has researched > Marion County's past for more than 30 years, said he and four other people > were prepared to go to the Meadowfill Landfill in Bridgeport to search for > the record books tossed last week. > > But landfill officials halted the group's plans at the request of the > Marion County Commission. > > The day books dating back to 1842 were among several tons of outdated > files, books and papers the commission removed from the historic Jacob's > building, which is undergoing renovation. > > Chrislip said he and other genealogists wanted to dig up the historically > valuable record books when they learned the books had been hauled away to > the dump, but the landfill told them there were confidential files among > the garbage. > > Commissioner Cody Starcher said in an interview last week that the county > had received special permission from the state to include old juvenile > records in the six BFI Dumpster trash bins hauled to the dump. > > "We are allowed to throw the juvenile records away after 20 years," he > said. "But they usually have to be shredded and burned." > > Now local historians are concerned they will never see the priceless, > handwritten books again. > > "I don't see how they will be retrieved," Chrislip said. "As a historian I > have to be realistic. Now hopefully the county will preserve what is left." > Chrislip said the leather-bound books were particularly valuable > because they recorded everything from the county clerk's office. > > "Record keeping then was a very different process," he said. "We were > still in Virginia and documents like that are very, very rare." > > The historian said the records gave insight into a lifestyle long gone. > > "There is no oral history from that time, no photography and very little > written history. Through the day books we had a great deal of information > to interpret history," he said. > > Chrislip agrees with the county commission that the books had no monetary > value, but he said the county has lost something culturally valuable. > > He said 20 years ago he had searched for day books like the ones thrown > away and was told they did not exist. Years later he learned they were in > existence, but in "dead" storage. > > The historian said he and other people interested in genealogy would have > liked to have been given access to the books before they were discarded. > > County Commission President James Sago and Starcher were not available > for comment Wednesday evening. > * * * > > If you'd like to write the Editor of the WV Times, > > The email address is: > timeswv@timeswv.com > > LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: > All letters for publication should be so stated. > Requests for publication must include address & telephone number. > phone: (304) 367-2500 * Fax: (304) 367-2569 > > Or postal mail to: > Times West Virginian > PO Box 2530 > Fairmont, WV 26555-2530 > -Marc Sunseri McCune http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4660