Preserving local historical documents

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Since late last October the Fayette County Genealogical Society along with other volunteers from the Fayette County community have been working to preserve the historical documents belonging to our county at Fayette County Records Center, 201 S. Fayette St. in Washington Court House.

The building is better known as the old Armory. The Genealogical Society has partnered with Family Search based in Salt Lake City, Utah and the Fayette County Probate Court in this project, which is estimated to preserve over 500,000 historical documents for Fayette County by digitizing and storing these records. A free digitized copy of these documents will also be made available to the county besides making these records available for research online.

The importance of this preservation lies in the prevention of the loss of these records from disaster and from aging. Records being preserved during this project include birth, death, estates, church, cemetery, land, military, naturalization, slavery, marriage, divorces, voter, tax, and schools which date from 1940 back to 1810.

As a volunteer you will help prepare the records to be scanned. However, while doing this you will get to see how the early citizens and possibly even your ancestors were born, married, lived, and died in your county. Some of them were judges, lawyers, mayors, but most of them fathers, mothers, grandparents, sons, daughters, but mostly they were people.

People who were and are our history. It can be quite an experience and an excellent way to earn volunteer hours for the various organizations in which you may belong. This is a long-term project which will take nine months to a year to complete but any time donated will be very much appreciated. Volunteers are welcome to donate time as they have available.

For volunteer information and further information about this community project contact Cathy Massie White, project coordinator for the Fayette County Genealogical Society at 740-333-7227 or [email protected].

Volunteers in front of the scanner at the old Armory are left to right: Mary Sue Spengler, Ron Lott, Don Moore, Peggy Lester, Sue Gilmore, Jane Ford, and Cathy Massie White. Those not shown are Glenna Parsley, Jill Roberts, Gary Mickle, Karen Healy, Helen Brown, and Diana Febo.
https://www.recordherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2020/02/web1_FGS.jpgVolunteers in front of the scanner at the old Armory are left to right: Mary Sue Spengler, Ron Lott, Don Moore, Peggy Lester, Sue Gilmore, Jane Ford, and Cathy Massie White. Those not shown are Glenna Parsley, Jill Roberts, Gary Mickle, Karen Healy, Helen Brown, and Diana Febo. Courtesy photo

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