The Tragedy of Lost Data...to the genealogist and historian
Genealogy Tips by Jeannette Holland Austin
Are we going backwards in time?
During the pandemic months we have added more old wills, estates and marriages in Ohio. Members of Georgia Pioneers login and click here
Also, we added old long-time-out-of-print books which contain parish records (this is where to find parents of your ancestor, births, deaths, siblings, etc.) for England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Members of Georgia Pioneers login and click here
We are still working on adding old books for all States. Lots of invaluable genealogy and history here. Slowly but surely these old books have been removed from the shelves of local libraries. Yes, all libraries cull through worn volumes and push them out in book sales! I once found many volumes of the New England Genealogical Society dumped in the trash outside of a library. Although the New England States generally have this huge set in their libraries, it is doubtless becoming lost to other areas of the country. This is how information gets lost. How are we going to find our ancestors by only using the census records? Now that most libraries (and all National Archives) are closed in this great Nation (and monuments are being destroyed), more is at stake for the genealogist researcher. What I am saying is that when the National Archives facilities reopen to the public (if they do), we stand to lose. In former years, during State budget shortages, Georgians had to petition the Secretary of State to reopen its facility to the public researcher. It took months and months when finally the State redirected some of their budget from the University of Georgia to help pay for the Georgia State Archives. And I might add that during the closed venues, the facility was open to a workers only. In other words, it remained open for the employees, but not to the public. Go figure.
With the current state of affairs being fostered by militant groups and politicians, they might do something stupid like remove the Civil War Records from the National Archives and/or State Archives.
Internet Services. Some libraries around the country are adding online access to their website with a list of holdings, without access to the actual record and limited services. In other words, they might send you a copy of a record (for payment). This is fine, except the genealogist needs to first read tons of information to learn that a record actually exists.
Do not visit a county office without first phoning to learn where the records are currently stored. Certain Georgia counties are storing their records “off site”.