Heritage, Volume 16, Number 1, Winter 1998 Page: 22
30 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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New Publication Offered by
National Trust
Help is on the way for preservationists
in need of a clear and concise explanation
of the laws and principles protecting historic
resources. "A Layperson's Guide to
Historic Preservation Law: A Survey of
Federal, State and Local Laws Governing
Historic Resource Protection" is a 44-page
booklet from the National Trust for Historic
Preservation that provides an overview
of the laws that govern historic resources.
The publication also includes several
other laws that can enhance or restrict
historic resource protection efforts and provides
resources on preservation law and
related issues.
Order the booklet, which costs $10,
including postage and handling, from the
Information Series, National Trust for Historic
Preservation, 1785 Massachusetts
Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20036,
or call (202) 588-6286.
Essay Contest Announced
The Sons of the Republic of Texas have
announced their 1998 essay contest on "La
Salle and French Exploration in Texas".
The competition, which is open to
graduating seniors in any Texas high school,
offers prizes of $3,000, $2,000, and $1,000.
Award winners will be honored at the
annual San Jacinto Day celebration in
Houston. Deadline for entry is February 3,
1998, and only one essay from each high
school may be submitted.
For more information call (409) 2456644
or write to 1717 Eighth Street, Bay
City, TX 77414.
On-Line Index Helps
Genealogy Researchers
Researching old county records for genealogists
has just gotten a little easier,
thanks to a new online index.
Texas State Archivist Christoper
LaPlante announced the completion of a
comprehensive online index to microfilmed
records from 160 Texas counties.The index, which is available at
www.tsl.state.tx.us/lobby/local was developed
by the Texas State Library and Archives
Commission. It provides a searchable
list of the local county records that
have been microfilmed and are available
for research through Interlibrary Loan.
County records are useful to genealogists
and other researchers because they
contain such information as deed records
and vital statistics, as well as naturalization,
tax, and school records.
Each county listing describes which specific
records series (such as district clerk
records or school superintendent records)
are available and for which specific years.
From these county listing, users can determine
if the record series they are seeking is
avilable on microfilm, and if so, which
particular reel or reels of microfilm they
need to request through Interlibrary loan
to view them. The web site also includes an
introduction to county records and how to
use them.
Researching old county records can be
a time-consuming process, LaPlante said,
since users often have to sift through several
years of data to find what they are
looking for. "But because many of the
county records are in extremely fragile
condition, it is often preferable to consult
microfilmed copies rather than originals",
he added. It is also more convenient.
While some records listed in the index
were microfilmed by the Texas State Library,
most of the microfilm was obtained
by the library through an agreement with
the Genealogical Society of Utah, which
provided microfilming services free of
charge. While keeping the master copies of
the microfilm for their own use, GSU also
provided copies of each reel to the State
Library for the purpose of public access.
LaPlante cautioned that the best microfilming
methods were employed, but that
they did not always result in a product that
is easy to read. Some records are in such
poor condition that producing high-quality
microfilm images of them was very difficult.
Especially troublesome were recordsthat were created in the 19th century using
iron-based inks. Over the years, the ironbased
inks have chipped away, leaving behind
a faint reddish-brown "ghost" script
that is extremely difficult to read.
In addition, filmers were sometimes
forced to sacrifice sharp legibility to avoid
damaging a record. In some counties, for
example, record books have been rebound
in a manner that prevented them from
being opened fully, making capture of a
legible image of an entire page difficult. But
hard-to-read microfilm is the exception,
not the rule, according to LaPlante.
For more information, contact the Texas
State Library and Archives Commission at
(512) 475-2254.
Foundation Awards Two
Preservation Grants
The members of the Board of Directors
of the Texas Historical Foundation approved
two grants at its quarterly meeting
in Nacogdoches on November 1.
The Genealogy Friends of the Gladys
Harrington Library in Plano will use their
grant, from the Foundation's Historic Photography
Fund, to present a day-long workshop
on dating family photographs in order
to identify the people, places, and events
that are depicted in them. The session will
also deal with management and preservation
of family photographs as a vital part of
person, family, and regional history.
The Stockdale Museum Association was
also awarded a grant to help renovate the
Stockdale Museum, which preserves the
history of the community and the area.
Stockdale is a town of slightly more than
1,000 people and is located in Wilson
County; the THF grant monies came from
the Jeanne R. Blocker Fund, which is directed
at promoting preservation efforts in
rural communities.
For information about the grants that
the Texas Historical Foundation administers,
please contact the office at (512) 4532154.
Smaller grants are in order at this
time, and the foundation is especially interested
in rural preservation projects.22 HERITAGE *WINTER 1998
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Texas Historical Foundation. Heritage, Volume 16, Number 1, Winter 1998, periodical, Winter 1998; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth45396/m1/22/: accessed May 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Foundation.