You're right on the money, Mickey. They used to be open more days and hours than any other state archives in the US. The staff is just as sick about the cut-backs as those of us who use it are. During the week, they open after I'm at work and close at 4:45 p.m., before I leave work. Weekend hours are non-existent allow the Archives Foundation is helping with the first Saturday of each month. Monya Columbia, SC Fayette Co. AL list manager ASTON surname list manager MUSGROVE surname list manager THOMPSON surname list manager Researching: ANDERSON, ANDERSEN (Norway), ASTON, BISHOP, DODSON, FYLLINGSNES (Norway), GRANT, HARRIS, HOWELL, JORDAN, LESLIE, McDILL, McDONALD, MILLIGAN, MORTON, MUSGROVE, OWEN, PEDEN, SOUTH, THOMPSON and WEBSTER On Sep 15, 2004, at 3:58 PM, Mickey Fournier wrote: > I am so sorry to hear about your experience at the Archives. It must > be > because they have had their hours and their staff cut drastically. I > have > been there many times and it has always been pleasant and rewarding > for me. > > Mickey > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] >> Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2004 9:51 AM >> To: [email protected] >> Subject: Re: [SC] Visits to Counties >> >> >> I also sing the praises of the Edgefield County Library. The staff >> there >> were wonderful to me. They will never know how much I appreciated >> their >> help and pleasant smiles after leaving the South Carolina Archives in >> Columbia. On two different occasions, I traveled over 3000 miles round >> trip to do research in the Archives. I went there with high hopes and >> came away empty-handed & in tears. I spent more time standing in line >> waiting for staff to answer my questions on how to search through the >> catalogs to locate the correct microfilm and then set up the machines >> to >> read the films than I did actually getting to scan the microfilm >> documents. After I finally got them threaded into the machines, >> things >> went better. I have arthritis in my hands and had extreme difficulty >> threading them. I also spent $$$$ trying to copy the microfilm and >> ended >> up with black pages and very few productive prints. So you can see, I >> didn't know what I was doing and I have a feeling that a lot of folks >> who >> go there have the same problems. The archives are wonderful for those >> who are smart enough to operate the system and have good coordination. >> My choice is to go to the small County libraries. I found valuable >> information in them. Keep up the good work Edgefield ladies & God >> bless >> you. Martha >> Some thoughts that came to my mind that I have learned in my research >> of >> Edgefield Co after reading an exchange between Freda and Helen >> (following >> my >> message) >> >> 1) I have found most of the records of Edgefield Co. (and all of the >> other >> counties I presume) have been microfilmed and are located at the state >> archives. If you have multiple folks to look for in several areas, >> you >> can >> find them all in one stop shopping at the state archives. >> >> 2) Don't restrict yourself to the Will books. They give the will >> only >> and do >> NOT include the accountings, the petitions against the estate etc that >> provide >> wonderful clues as to the relationships of others in the family. >> Especially if >> there were two marriages and two sets of children. Wills books make >> nice >> copies of the info, but just don't provide all that you need. I make >> my >> transcriptions from the original containing all the accountings and >> often >> find >> that they are not the same when read in their entirity as they are in >> the >> Abstracts of Wills found in several books. Study it all and make your >> own >> conclusion as to the meaning of the info. Also if possible, get >> probate >> records >> for several members of the connecting families.... you will often find >> surnames >> and married names of the women in the family that way. >> >> 3) Microfilm Index at the state Archives called Probate Records gives >> wills >> AND administrative box and package numbers, and then you get the film >> that has >> them on it and see everything that was in the box when filmed. This >> will >> provide so much more than the will, and lots more if there was an >> administration with no will. >> >> 4) Don't forget equity records - I love it when someone I am looking >> for >> got >> into a dispute with someone else, or made a petition for a portion >> due to >> a >> child of a deceased child. At the State archives these are all in >> the >> same >> area. Don't know where they are in Edgefield. Good place to start is >> with >> Carol Well's abstracts. >> >> 5) You will NOT get the tenderloving care and help at the State >> Archives >> that >> you will get at Edgefield. I have not researched in Laurens, but >> most of >> the >> smaller individual libraries or archives have always provided me with >> a >> more >> personal touch. Unlike the Edgefield Tompkins library, some of the >> others are >> not very knowledgable, but that is certainly NOT true in Edgefield. >> Tonya and >> volunteers are very capable of helping folks on their research. Plus >> they know >> the area, the churches, the cemeteries, and the old families. >> >> 6) the Last time I tried to work on probate records in Edgefield, the >> probate >> judge was refusing to let anyone in. Don't know if what ever problem >> set >> him >> off at that time is resolved or not. >> >> 7. Tompkins library at Edgefield has lots of family files that have >> been >> sent >> in by others. Like you and I they are bound to contain errors, but >> they >> are a >> start. You will not find any such records like these on the state >> level >> that I >> have ever seen. >> >> I am sure that there are other things I should think of to put in >> here, >> but >> those are the ones that come to my mind quickly. Hope they help >> someone. >> >> Billie Jones >> Camden, SC >> [email protected] >> >> >> >> >> ==== SC-Genealogy Mailing List ==== >> Virus warnings are not welcome on this list. >> Remember when writing a query, to always put in DATES & LOCATIONS >> >> ============================== >> Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration >> Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. 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