{"id":11085,"date":"2012-08-17T09:40:26","date_gmt":"2012-08-17T13:40:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=11085"},"modified":"2012-08-17T09:30:53","modified_gmt":"2012-08-17T13:30:53","slug":"words-deeds-and-misdeeds-make-county-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=11085","title":{"rendered":"Words, deeds, and misdeeds make county history"},"content":{"rendered":"

Archives celebrating 30-year partnership that has assisted thousands of researchers<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By Kathleen Brady Shea<\/strong>, Managing Editor, The Times<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Laurie A. Rofini, director of the Chester County Archives and Records Services, checks a document in the climate-controlled storage area.<\/p><\/div>\n

Confronting the likelihood he would not survive the Civil War, a Chester County native stationed near Hampton, Va., penned a \u00a0detailed letter to his fianc\u00e9e intended as a makeshift will \u2013 \u201cas binding as the sternest tribunal in the land.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fact that William Latta\u2019s fears were founded \u2013 although he died from dysentery, not combat \u2013 secured his legacy since the letter anchored his estate file. However, the illumination of Latta\u2019s ill-fated background \u2013 such as being orphaned young and exiled to a Philadelphia boarding school by his grandparents \u2013 owes its existence to an uncommon partnership.<\/p>\n

On Aug. 27, Chester County and the Chester County Historical Society will celebrate 30 years of combined efforts to assist thousands of \u00a0researchers a year: scholars, agencies, municipalities, and residents.<\/p>\n

\"\"The Chester County Archives and Records Services, the only such partnership in any county government statewide, has been recognized by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission as a model for others to follow, county officials said.<\/p>\n

Created in 1982, the Archives was established to preserve and make available the historic records of Chester County, which include such lively litanies as a dog registry. Where else can descendants of Joseph L. Pennock of Valley Township learn about Don and Sam, Pennock\u2019s two prized setters, who are described in painstaking detail, liver spots and all?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Cliff Parker, an archivist, prepared an online guide to researching a home\u2019s history.<\/p><\/div>\n

Laurie A. Rofini, the Archives director, said the registry existed from 1855 to 1912. \u201cIf people registered their dog and it was stolen, someone could be prosecuted for larceny,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

Besides canine rosters, the Archives houses deed books, estate files, civil and criminal court records, taxes, and marriage license applications – over 2,940 volumes and 1,823 cubic feet of original public records. The oldest? A 1681 court docket.<\/p>\n

The treasure trove of county lore has produced revelations such as the location of the first meeting of the commissioners after the Battle of the Brandywine: the “Sign of the Ship” in East Caln Township. East Fallowfield tax records from the late 1700s – prepared by a surveyor named Hugh Jordan – \u00a0are so specific that they include notations about the physical condition of animals on a property.<\/p>\n

The records also spotlight the quest of John W. Odiorne, a late 1800s daguerreotyper, to benefit from his wife\u2019s estate; however, acrimonious letters the two had exchanged \u2013 she ran away to become an actress \u2013 doomed his cause. An equally grim outcome likely befell Flora Deery: the Directors of the Poor apprenticed her in 1803 at the age of 4 months, 21 days.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetween our records and the library at the Chester County Historical Society, researchers can really explore a wonderful range of sources,\u201d said Rofini.\u00a0 \u201cBecause of the partnership, the reference staffs are familiar with each other\u2019s collections and can make recommendations to researchers about potential sources to check.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another benefit, Rofini said, is that the records have been well-protected and centralized, sparing researchers from having to visit multiple venues. \u00a0In 1993, the office moved from basement space framed by chicken wire in the Mosteller Annex of the historic courthouse.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

A dog registry shows that Valley Township resident Joseph L. Pennock owned two male setters in 1854 with ears that were 6 1\/2 to 7 inches long.<\/p><\/div>\n

The collection still resides in the basement, now at the Government Services Center on Westtown Road. However, its present digs provide ample space for researchers as well as environmentally-controlled, acid-free document storage \u2013 with no risk of ultraviolet damage.<\/p>\n

The Archives has seven full-time employees, three from the Historical Society and four from the county, Rofini said. Most of the citizens who visit are would-be genealogists or house historians, Rofini said. Since the society\u2019s employees are trained archivists, they can assist the public with putting records in perspective, she said. For example, laws in the 1800s required the wife\u2019s name on documents related to the sale, but not the purchase, of a couple\u2019s property.<\/p>\n

Because of the high interest in researching historic homes, Cliff Parker, one of the society\u2019s archivists, prepared an online primer, Rofini said. In fact, the office\u2019s own meticulous records \u2013 such as logging 622 email and 346 snail-mail inquiries in 2011 – show a decrease in foot traffic for the past several years, which is offset by an increase in online visitors.<\/p>\n

“We’re putting more records online and will continue to do that,” said Parker.<\/p>\n

He said most of the people committed to researching their ancestry are prepared for wherever the documents lead. One visitor discovered that he was a descendant of the illegitimate child of an indentured servant. \u201cHe was thrilled to learn that,\u201d Parker said. \u201cThe people who don\u2019t want to know that sort of thing probably won\u2019t look.\u201d<\/p>\n

The court records make it clear that people \u201cbehaved badly in the 1600s,\u201d much like they do today, Rofini added.<\/p>\n

Some of Parker\u2019s research on William Latta\u2019s history will find its way into an upcoming Civil War exhibit at the Chester County Historical Society.<\/p>\n

Latta\u2019s fianc\u00e9e, Julia Smiley, seemed to inherit her betrothed\u2019s misfortune as well as a sliver of his worldly fortune, which included \u201ca large trunk containing among other things some photographs and a large handsome sash.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parker said Smiley remained single for 10 years and married a government worker about 10 years her senior in 1871. She died in the 1920s in an insane asylum. \u201cWhat happened to all of her things?\u201d Parker asked.<\/p>\n

One of Latta\u2019s final wishes was to bid his loved ones farewell: \u201c\u2026If my blood is shed in my country\u2019s cause, pray for me that I may meet you in the land where partings are unknown,\u201d he wrote – words that have become part of Chester County history.<\/p>\n

For more information on the Archives or to search its online indexes, visit www.chesco.org\/archives<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Archives celebrating 30-year partnership that has assisted thousands of researchers By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times Confronting the likelihood he would not survive the Civil War, a Chester County native stationed near Hampton, Va., penned a \u00a0detailed letter to his fianc\u00e9e intended as a makeshift will \u2013 \u201cas binding as the sternest tribunal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11088,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,7],"tags":[1336,1773,1776,1380,1775,1778,1774,1777],"class_list":["post-11085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-featured","tag-battle-of-the-brandywine","tag-chester-county-archives-and-records-services","tag-chester-county-government-services-center","tag-chester-county-historical-society","tag-east-caln-township","tag-east-fallowfield-township","tag-laurie-a-rofini","tag-valley-township"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11085"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11085\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}