Benefactors to humanity - pt. 2

The previous post singled out Herman Ferguson of the Olde Mecklenburg Genealogical Society for praise as one of the army of genealogical researchers who transcribe local records, making them more accessible to researchers. Mecklenburg County is lucky to have other diligent researchers compiling and abstracting records of marriages, wills, deeds, and court minutes. We are lucky that one of them - Margaret Hofmann - has agreed to give a talk as part of the library's annual Novello festival of reading in October. Her participation in this high-profile event reflects her importance as a genealogist and researcher and the importance of genealogy as an area of interest among library users. The formal announcement of the Novello line-up will be August 3. Stay tuned.

Benefactors to humanity

The Carolina Room relies on book donations more than other branches of the library. Works of history at the town and county level and works of genealogy attract small groups of loyal readers. Extra copies become available infrequently. Over the years, we have received gifts of manuscripts, out-of-print, and rare books that have broadened and deepened the collection.

One type of historical/genealogical work never fails to impress me: the transcription of local records. Diligent researchers have indexed years of old newspapers, combed through handwritten books in county courthouses or ventured out to find and decipher old tombstones. Thanks to such work performed over the past century and more, the Carolina Room has at least partial transcriptions of records from every county in the state, and many in South Carolina as well. A noteworthy recent addition came from Herman Ferguson of the Olde Mecklenburg Genealogical Society, who has expanded his transcription of Mecklenburg County Court Minutes. The most recent volume extends the transcription back to 1764. These records exist in the original form and in microfilm, but reading them is an incredible chore. Herman Ferguson and others like him are benefactors to humanity.

Librarian Jane Johnson

Back from New Hampshire!

Our own Jane Johnson has recently returned from the New England Regional Genealogical Conference in Manchester New Hampshire. She was the only public librarian among the 58 speakers at that event. So, in addition to representing the Carolina Room and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library, she represented the whole branch of public librarianship among these professional researchers, archivists, and professors.

Jane's talk was entitled "It Took a Village". She explained to genealogists what kind of information could be gleaned from orphan records. In addition to her point about genealogical research methods, she was also making a historical point about the way early American communities dealt with the problem of children without parents. A court-appointed guardian would agree to be responsible for the care and education of the child - for boys this meant until the age of 21, for girls until marriage. They accepted responsibility for the children in return for reimbursement of expenses. Thus did families - with the guidance of the court - share burdens and insure children's welfare. Orphans had it hard, no doubt. Jane explained that they were prime candidates for dangerous careers that took them far away - like sailor, soldier, miner, or Pony Express rider. (One wonders what life choices female orphans could make if they felt the need for escape.) Even so, an imperfect life within a community was much better than neglect.

For genealogical purposes, Jane explained, orphan records contain a wealth of information - more than the census or even a will might offer. The orphans themselves do not figure as prominently as the guardians and all the tradespeople whom they deal with. From reading the records over the years one learns the names of store owners, cobblers, blacksmiths - anyone who provided goods or services for which the guardians requested reimbursement. Early censuses do not link name to professions, but orphan records do. A genealogist may use them to uncover information about someone who was neither an orphan nor a guardian, but who appeared on account of services rendered.

Thank you, Jane!