State & Local Records News

Vol. 6, No. 2 Published by the ADAH Government Records Division August 2001

A lthough the Alabama legislature again declined to fund a statewide local records grant program for fiscal year 2002, Government Records archivists of the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) recently helped two Alabama counties to obtain records preservation grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). NEH announced the awards in mid-July.     The Lowndes County Probate Office received $4,506 to purchase archival supplies, shelving, and environmental monitoring equipment for stabilizing conditions in a storage building that houses historical Lowndes County records. NEH awarded the Montgomery County Historical Society $5,000 for archival supplies and equipment to preserve collections of documents and photographs documenting the history of 19th- and 20th-century Montgomery.     So long as a statewide grant program remains unfunded, ADAH will continue to assist individual counties and municipalities in pursuing other grant opportunities for records preservation. For more information, contact the division at (334)242-4452 or records@archives.state.al.us. Civil War Database Launched on ADAH Web Site     O n August 25, 1862, a twenty-four-year-old, single farmer from Clifton, Ala-		bama joined Company A of the 8th Alabama Regiment. His name was John Barefield and he was present at the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. Information about John Barefield and thousands of other Alabamians, gathered from many sources at the Alabama Department of Archives and History is now available on the ADAH web site (http:// www.archives.state.al.us/civilwar/search.cfm). Through the efforts of department volunteers, students, and staff, genealogists and historians have unprecedented access to a new resource.     ADAH volunteers are creating the Civil War Database from an 8 x 5" card file maintained by ADAH from the early 1900s until 1982. As staff found information in muster rolls, governors’ correspondence, veterans’ censuses, manuscript collections, newspapers, and pension records that documented the military service of Alabama individuals during the American Civil War, they created a “Service Record Card.” A new card was created each time staff discovered additional information about an individual, so multiple cards often exist.     The Civil War Service Card file contains approximately 200,000 cards. Volunteers enter the data from the cards into the database. They have completed data entry for all surnames beginning with “A” and “B.” These are available over the internet. Information for individuals with surnames beginning with other letters will be added as they are completed. If you cannot wait for your surname to appear in the database, names starting with

any other letters are available on microfilm at the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery.     If you cannot find an entry for an ancestor, do not despair. The Civil War Service Card file is not comprehensive. Because much of the documentation relating to the Army of Tennessee was lost, soldiers that served in that army are poorly documented. Other resources available at ADAH, or many of the local libraries and archives across Alabama, may hold the information you seek. State Records Commission Approves New RDAs     A t its meeting on July 26, 2001, members of the State Records Commission approved the following records disposition authorities (RDAs): State Records Commission Alabama Public Library Service - new Alabama Senior Citizens Hall of Fame - new Office of Prosecution Services - new     Because several local agencies requested more time to consider their draft RDA, and due to the lack of sufficient other business, the July meeting of the Local Government Records Commission was canceled.     The commissions will next meet on Wednesday, October 24, 2001, in the Milo B. Howard Auditorium at ADAH. Meeting times will be10:00 a.m. (state) and 1:30 p.m. (local). Clay, Clarke Counties Receive Loose Records Microfilm     A DAH continues to work with the Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU), county government officials, and local historians and genealogists to microfilm unbound historical probate and circuit

court records (estate case files, marriage licenses, divorces, Confederate pension records, etc.) in Alabama counties. Two more counties completed loose records projects during the past quarter.     On July 10, Government Records Division archivists Frank Brown and Tom Turley presented 31 rolls of microfilm to Clay County probate judge George Ingram and volunteers from the Clay County Historical Society. The volunteers prepared loose estate case files, divorces, marriage licenses, and Confederate pension records covering the years 1872 to 1950. Over the past two years, they have also carried out an extensive “clean-up” and reorganization of old county records stored in the courthouse annex. Judge Ingram, ADAH staff, and Clay County volunteers     The next day, Tom and Frank traveled to Grove Hill, where they presented 56 rolls of loose records microfilm to volunteers from the Clarke County Historical Society. This project prepared estate files and Confederate pension records covering Clarke County’s history from 1810 to 1930. Also attending the presentation were Clarke County probate judge Becky Presnall and county commission member Paul Bradford. Eventually, GSU staff will microfilm more Clarke County loose records (marriage licenses from 1918 to 1937) held at ADAH.

Clarke County's Project Receives its Microfilm     Loose records microfilming has just been completed in Limestone County and is currently proceeding in Dallas, Morgan, and Tallapoosa Counties. Five other counties have their loose records ready to be filmed. Records preparation continues in another 20 counties, and seven more counties are recruiting volunteers. Although only seven of Alabama’s 67 counties have completed their loose records projects so far, the program has already produced 626 rolls of archival-quality microfilm–over one million images of county records documenting Alabama’s history from 1800 to 1954. Ask the Archivist     Question: How do I select a conservator to preserve or restore items from my collection?     A professional conservator may be trained at a graduate-level conservation training program or by lengthy apprenticeship with experienced colleagues. Because of the increasingly technical nature of modern conservation, conservators usually specialize in a particular type of		object, such as: paintings; works on paper; rare books; photographs; textiles; sculpture; furniture; or archaeological, decorative, or ethnographic materials. Conservators tend to work in private practice or for museums, libraries, or historical societies.     A list of qualified conservators is available from the American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works, 1717 K Street, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20006 (202)452-9545 or http://aic.stanford.edu.     An agency in need of conservation work may wish to interview various potential candidates, obtaining information on their training, length of professional experience, scope of practice, experience in working with the kind of object for which the agency seeks help, availability, previous clients and references, security, and insurance.     Generally, the conservator will want to examine the object before suggesting a treatment. Prior to beginning work, the conservator should provide a written, preliminary examination report (describing the proposed treatment, the expected results, and the estimated cost) for the agency’s review and approval. If any serious deviation from the initial proposal becomes necessary during treatment, the conservator should contact the agency before proceeding further. The conservator should also provide a final report after treatment is completed.     Conservation treatment of records or artifacts is time-consuming and expensive. Costs are based on the time and materials required to perform and document the treatment, not the object’s value. If an agency has a large collection of objects needing conservation treatment, it may wish to have one treated as a “test case” before contracting for treatment of the whole collection.     If your agency has questions about professional conservators or other records conservation issues, contact Linda Overman at (334)242-4452 ext. 229 or by e-mail at loverman@archives.state.al.us