Sturdy Vaults Kept Lincoln County Records Safe

‘The courthouse burned!” is a phrase sure to strike terror in the heart of every genealogist.

Genealogy researchers, particularly those working with Southern records, are often frustrated to discover many of the records they need were destroyed in a courthouse fire.

Reasons for a courthouse burning in America’s early history are often quite different from today’s causes.

Southern courthouses, constructed mostly of wood, were vulnerable to fire with their open fireplaces and iron heating stoves. Georgia particularly suffered during Gen. William Sherman’s notorious “March to the Sea,” when he burned every courthouse in his path.

The Lincoln County Courthouse in Davenport was burned last December by an arsonist.

Whatever the cause, or whenever it occurs, fire is a tragedy. But, county business didn’t cease when a courthouse burned in 1896, nor is it in Lincoln County in 1996.

An arsonist set fire to Ohio’s Brown County courthouse in 1977. While some records were lost, the resulting new courthouse has much better storage facilities.

Pre-fire records had been stored under the counters where clerks conducted daily business, in old-fashioned tall cupboards with their doors painted shut, in the damp basement, the leaky attic. Some were even in the bell tower!

Luckily, most of the water-logged records were salvaged. Let’s hope that this “phoenix phenomena” happens in Lincoln County.

The stylish 1897 stone building that was the Grand Old Lady of Lincoln County, sat high on a hill overlooking Davenport, the county seat. Inside was the paperwork generated from nearly 100 years of county business.

Fortunately, sturdy turn-of-the-century vaults kept most of the county records safe. Surely, some departments lost everything, but old, heavy metal desks and cabinets, once the butt of office jokes, saved the day in many cases. Backed-up computer records helped, too.

Genealogists understand the disaster courthouse fires can cause. We understand the destroyed papers concerned our ancestors, our forebears - and even ourselves.

One of my genealogy students summed it up when she said, “My first thought, when I heard about the fire, was that I was so glad I’d gotten copies of my divorce papers from there.”

Within a day, some semblance of business-as-usual could be seen in Lincoln County. Temporary offices were set up everywhere, papers were handwritten and justice was served in an auditorium at the county fairgrounds.

Spokane County donated a truck load of office furniture.

This same thing happened when courthouses burned in years gone by. Folks pitched in, temporary offices were fashioned, records were salvaged or reconstructed and life went on.

Today we have computer backup tapes. Yesterday, folks visited sources all around the community to reconstruct their records.

As a working genealogist, be aware that, yes, county courthouses did burn down regularly in decades past, but don’t let the phrase “The courthouse burned!” be a major roadblock in your research. With a little deeper digging, you’ll find that all was not lost, after all.

Parsons Technology has developed some new genealogical software that is truly exciting. They have two new programs, Family Origins and Family Atlas, which work together to create something fantastic.

Family Origins is a simple genealogy program: just fill in the blanks with the names, dates and places of your forebears, and then play with that information a dozen different ways.

There are designated places for anecdotes, important facts, personal information and all other documentation for your data. You can even personalize your entries with scanned photos and then print out quality charts for the family’s enjoyment.

Family Origins is fully GEDCOM and PAF compatible.

Using Family Atlas requires that you transfer in the data from Family Origins or a compatible program.

This program then uses the data to automatically plot a map with the places of importance to the user’s family. Important events in your family’s lives or migration routes can be highlighted on the maps, and finished maps can be printed in full color.

Family Atlas also provides more than 700 historical articles of important locations throughout the U.S. and gives historical context to family settlement areas.

Both programs, running together, require an IBM compatible PC, Window 3.1 or later running in enhanced mode, 4 MB RAM and 8 MB hard drive space. Both come with full support and a 30-day money back guarantee. They cost $29 each.

Call Parsons Technology at 800 223-6925 to order these programs and have some real fun with your genealogy.

Today’s trivia

The bond is strong between one whose life is all tomorrows and one whose life is all yesterdays.

, DataTimes MEMO: Donna Potter Phillips welcomes letters from readers. Write to her at The Spokesman-Review, Features Department, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. For a response, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Donna Potter Phillips The Spokesman-Review