Okay everyone is there a email add to the Surrey Co Va Historical Genealogical Society? I keep reading this and everyone refers back to them which it should. But how do we ask them to do this and to set up a person in charge of funds etc, so they know we are serious? I gather some on list live near them and can relay message and maybe long to this list? They will then have to contact the county and work agreement to do this , sure hope they are willing to cooperate. Actually, if cooperative enough it could bring both Society and County some funds. And making CD's of the data and sell sounds super .It may not be a permanent solution but viable for now. There are many counties with records that need preserved. It would be nice to see us get involved and show them it can be a working relationship and everyone gain from it. Berks Co PA has done a great job of doing that. In hopes more county and societys can do the same. In stead of saying no people to do research etc.. WE could be funding the people whom do the research. Especially if records to fragile for everyone to mull through.. My two cents. SusiCP in San Diego Ca

Hi, making CD's of the data and sell sounds super .It may > not be a permanent solution but viable for now. I see- we fund it, support it, volunteer to do all possible, they copyright and we get sued if we dare to mention a quote from it on a list? I agree with everyone on the importance of protecting, perserving our national heritage for all generations to come. It is vital! One thing I've seen here is a group that will do what it can to help preserve these records and this group seems to have the knowledge and desire to accomplish this. It would be great if this could be done so that the public could have access to these records. Let's face it- not everyone can travel to every county that they are researching. We have to rely on loans, lookups, free info, paid info on the net, writing to NARA, counties, etc. There are many ways to find ancestors. But there seems to be nothing that beats going to the court house and looking yourself. Even then, when items are purposely held back from the public we lose. But, at the same time , these papers are in excellent shape because they have been held back and stored well. Light is paper's enemy, from what I have read about paper preservation, just photocoping a page hurts it. We certaintly don't want to destroy. We want to protect. If digital cameras and scanners are a viable way. The copies need to go to Genweb Surry County, Va. for all - in addition to money making CD's for a deserving historical society. Margy

I am not atall interested in any participating in any discussion as to who does and who does not profit from any efforts that are advanced. That said, we must all full well realize that there is MUCH to be done over and above filming those records. To paraphrase Socrates, if one is to build a boat, he/she should consult a shipwright and not seek the advice of the trash collector. So? To accomplish the intellectual effort needed, needed are no small measure of talent, many years of experience in the "doing" of such work, and a great depth of knowledge, even as to the identity of a particular documents, not to mention the exertion required for ordering, numbering and the accomplishing the terribly tedious indexing of such material. I can't do that, nor can many others among us. To merely copy this enormous quantity and variety of early writings - literally written by hundreds, if not thousands, of different folks, most of whom had a "writing hand" that differed from the others - and then to put that film on-line with no aids to interpretation, abstractions, or indexing surely is but a sorry use of whatever money is forthcoming from good people. So, how to do it? As at the inception of the idea, when some of us suggested that a researcher and abstractor of talent and experience be permitted to undertake this incredible task for whatever profit - IF ANY - he/she might derive, I now again suggest that such a course is the proper one. There is a middle ground for the Society to consider, as follows: IF - IF - the Society/County is willing to oversee and administer the funds and activities needed, and if Steve and his wife do or direct the photography effort, then those two parties should enter into dialogue with Mrs. Haun (OR some other person of equal skill, if one is known) to the end that she/he profit from the publication, that the photography be compenstaed as is agreeable, and that the Society do so also, all by some division that equates to the relative exertions. For the moment, assume that Steve and his wife are to do the photography, that Mrs. Haun will accomplish the abstracts, etc., and that the Society is to do the administration. It is not rocket science for reasonable, sensible and talented folks to evaluate the worths of those separate tasks. Within that very evaluation will rest the answer to the division of such profits - IF THERE ARE ANY. Parenthetically, as a published author of several genealogy related books, I can assure you that the pie to be cut up won't feed many folks, no matter how well done. There will be no bearded fellow there with the fishes and loaves. Paul Drake