Guest Blogger Series: Words From Our Intern, Lauren – Post 1

Since starting my internship at the Warren County Records Center and Archives early May, I have already been involved in a few projects. I have alphabetically organized over seventy boxes from Child’s Services with the other intern, Autumn; cleaned documents and placed them into folders; read through various ledgers and documents from the early 1800s and mid-1900s; indexed information from the ledgers (one of which is the Black and Mulatto Record Book that is now online); also researching and looking through microfilm reels of the Western Star while preparing for two upcoming exhibits. Yet, I know this is just the beginning of what it means to work in an archive.

This internship is not my first experience in an archive. I have also worked at Wright State University’s Special Collection and Archives, back in 2016. Having completed my first year in the Public History program at Wright State, I already had an idea of what skills I would need to be an effective archival intern. Getting to apply those skills at the Warren County Records Center and Archives has been a completely amazing experience! It is a very humbling experience to work with such important documents, such as the Black and Mulatto Records Book. This is because I am learning about people who lived in a very different world than what we live in today.

Also, we are currently researching the Board of Elections and Foster, Ohio for upcoming display cases. I have lived in Greene County all my life and have never heard of Foster, Ohio. Learning about the history of that town from its beginning as Foster’s Crossing in the 1800s to what it is today, even actually taking a field trip there, is incredible. Foster is not a place that, with a simple Google search, people can learn everything about. Therefore, after looking through old newspapers, like the Western Star, and finding something fascinating about Foster’s history is a very rewarding feeling and I am so excited for this exhibit!

I am very thrilled to have my internship here and I cannot wait to see what else I will be able to work on and where this experience takes me in the future!

*Guest blogger: Archival Intern, Lauren Lyon

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#ThankfulThursday at the Archives

Today is #thankfulthursday at the Warren County Records Center and Archives.

 

We are thankful today for having our Common Pleas Record of Black and Mulatto Persons (1804-1840) index and images available to researchers online and House Bill 139 passed the house!

 

Recently the Warren County Historical Society was kind enough to loan us the original Common Pleas Record of Black & Mulatto Persons book to scan. Because Ohio was never a slave holding state, freed people of color were required to register, which is the origin of this book. Their registration would have been of extreme importance due to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 and 1850. We want to make researching these historic, and often difficult to find, records as easy as possible. Please go over and check out the index and images, if you have any questions please feel free to reach out to us directly.

 

Warren County Records Center and Archives Indexes

 

House Bill 139 will help our Archives and other county Archives to make historic records available to the public, whereas now they are closed. For more reading be sure to go over and check out The Ohio Legislature website for the most recent version as passed by the house.

 

The Ohio Legislature

Unsolved Mysteries from the Archives

While processing miscellaneous Clerk of Court State cases, our Archives Technician Tori Roberts came across these beautiful house drawings. We wanted to see if we could locate this house within Warren County, so we put the information out to our Facebook page to see if the community might know. Unfortunately no one recognized the house but we did get some great feedback about where to share the image and a suggestion about the fact that the house may have never been built!

Upon further review of the case of Hartman vs. Lindsay we determined that Charles Hartman was contracted to perform work to the foundation and cistern on the property to be paid by the architect Joseph R. Lindsay. There  was a dispute of whether the work was completed and money still owed to the plaintiff. Unfortunately the case went on for almost 2 years and there is no mention of the property address or owner. We are looking for any clues or suggestions for where this house could have been. The case dates from November 1910 through 1912.

Hartman vs. Lindsay – Clerk of Courts State Case – November 1910

Hartman vs. Lindsay – Clerk of Courts State Case – November 1910

Hartman vs. Lindsay – Clerk of Courts State Case – November 1910

Hartman vs. Lindsay – Clerk of Courts State Case – November 1910

Hartman vs. Lindsay – Clerk of Courts State Case – November 1910

 

Broken Down: Our Biggest Preservation Project

Continuing our discussion of preservation during Preservation Week 2018, we would like to highlight the biggest preservation project we’ve taken on to date, our Estate Records. This is an ongoing project that includes multiple step rehousing, removing materials that will further deteriorate the records, and finally scanning what we can so that we no longer have to physically access the oldest records.

What we’ve done is broken down each step in the images below:

Step #1 – Rehouse the files from wooden shelving units to cardboard boxes. This step was done years ago. It is always best to store like items together, so moving paper records from lacquered wood boxes was the first step of preserving them in their current condition.

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Step #2 – Refile the records from their original accordion style non archival quality folder to new flat archival quality folders. This doesn’t seem like it would make much of a difference but the ideal way to store paper is flattened and in paper based folders that are designed to absorb some of the acidity of the paper to keep it from deteriorating further. While we are transitioning the documents we are also flattening them as best we can, we let time and the environment they are stored in do the rest.

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Step #3 – Digitize as many of these records and make them available to search online. This is the final and most time intensive step in the process because of the fragility of the records and we don’t want to expose them to more light than necessary. This step helps people who are unable to visit the archives access these historic records and if they are needing copies of the record all we have to do is hit print, as opposed to copying it and exposing it to light multiple times.

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I refer to this as the largest project based on the sheer volume of records we have. We are duplicating these efforts for many of the other records we house including our historic court records and smaller collections within each county department.

If you would like to view the digitized images we have uploaded thus far, go over and check out our website. We will be uploading additional images as they become available, so if there is a record you would like to view and there are no images please contact us direct. Warren County Old Common Pleas Estate Packets Index

 

 

Preservation vs. Conservation

These words are often used interchangeably. Here at the archives we use these two methods together to provide the best future for the records that we maintain. To preserve would be to keep the records in their current state and prevent them from further deterioration, which is the primary method of maintenance that we use. To conserve many of these items to their original state is unfortunately just not time conducive and it’s costly. Our department, along with other county departments have taken on some large scale preservation and conservation projects.

I wanted to provide you with examples of both so you can see how the two can be different.

Preservation Efforts to Protect Original Volumes

Here are examples of original volumes that we have that have had no preservation efforts vs. volumes that have had a cover applied to them. Unlike conserving a book and taking it back to its original form, the cover simply preserves the book so that no further harm comes to it.

Conservation Efforts to Restore 1856 & 1867 Historic Warren County Maps

The Records Center received the two wall maps pictured below in deplorable condition. Had we tried to utilize them for any purpose we would only have done further damage. Due to their historic significance, it was important to hire a conservator to come in and try to restore the maps to their original condition (or as close as the damage would allow). Unfortunately we do not have any images of what they looked like prior to work being done, but we have been told that they were filthy, folded up, and falling apart in pieces. All of the work done on them meets archival standards, including the framing.

1856 Warren County Wall map

1867 Warren County Wall map

pre·serve 1. maintain (something) in its original or existing state.

April 22nd – April 28th is National Preservation Week 2018! We obviously take preservation very serious as archivists, so this week we will be sharing some of the projects we have worked on or are working on. These projects reflect how our department helps to contribute to keeping past and future Warren County records around as long as possible. In addition we will have a special edition of our blog post Friday that will help you learn how to better preserve your personal records!

It’s Records and Information Management Month!

Did you know that April is Records and Information Management (RIM) Month? Here in Warren County we promote proper records management all year long, not just in April. Now, if you’re scratching your head trying to figure out what that means, don’t worry! You’re not alone.

RIM month was started nationally in 2002 to promote records management standards and best practices while also emphasizing the importance of organized information. The archives and preservation side of the Records Center is much more visual to the public, whereas records management is much more behind the scenes, but just as important! As the county records manager*, outside of managing the department, records and information management is a big part of my responsibilities.

Records storage temporary storage for records

 

We keep all kinds of records for county departments. A record is defined as any document, device, or item, regardless of its form, that serves to document the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other activities of an office.  Each record is recognized on a retention schedule, commonly known as an RC-2. This schedule then determines how long a record should be kept depending on whether it has administrative, fiscal, legal or historical value.

The county follows a general retention schedule (GRS) and each department has their own RC-2. These are especially important because not every record should or needs to be kept long term. By staying current with departments’ retention schedules, we save valuable tax payer dollars through the proper destruction of records after they have hit their retention period. In turn this reduces operating expenses and cuts back on the cost of unnecessary storage of inactive records.

Certificate of Destruction for Sheriff’s Department Records in 2017

Once records are ready for destruction, a certificate of destruction (RC-3) or court order for disposal  is required to be submitted to the Records Center for most items. Once this happens, then proper destruction of records can happen, which we conduct onsite.  All of these steps are instrumental in order to keep the flow of records and information management moving.

 

Onsite Records Destruction in March 2018

 

*Guest blogger: County Records Manager, Jen Haney Conover

Justice for Father O’Donoghue

Today’s post is a teaser for a future “Based on a True Story” story. We recently had a patron in who is writing an article about a murder case from Morrow that took place in the 1880’s. He was trying to tie up loose ends on the story following his extensive research using newspapers and other outside sources, unfortunately their stories just weren’t adding up. What we would like to present to you today is a preview of the article that we will be sharing with you as it comes available. We rarely get the chance to share the research that our patrons have completed, so it’s a big deal to make sure we highlight all of his hard work!

Characters:

• Timothy Greene: Railroad Worker & Murderer
• Father J. B. O’Donoghue: Reverend of the Morrow Catholic Church & Victim
• Mrs. Greene: Murder’s Wife & Victim

Synopsis:

When his wife is publicly shamed it pushes Timothy over the edge. In this thrilling story of a local railroad worker turned murderer we find out if there is any justice for Father O’Donoghue. This tale is full of intrigue, thievery, murder, and plot twists that will keep you wondering!

Release Date:

• To Be Announced

State Record, Volume 10, The State of Ohio vs. Timothy Greene

 

 

A Wickedly Kidnapping

Even the mention of the Ullery boys would generate distaste to the citizens of Warren County in the early 1800’s. This wicked and notorious band of brothers had a string of illegal gaming, horse racing rings, and illegal taverns scattered throughout the area, capitalizing on the locals’ need for entertainment and socializing. Some may have even referred to them as local “gangsters”. Beginning in 1816, the law had put together enough evidence to formally charge them with causing an affray. The local law were going out on a limb that this brief stint with the law would rid the community of their dastardly business. They were very wrong.

The Ullery boys continued to plague Warren County. Petty charges were brought against them over the next two decades, resulting with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. It wasn’t until the spring of 1836, that the law finally got them on something they couldn’t get out of. The youngest Ullery boy, Stephen, was desperate to prove himself to his older brothers and to bring in revenue to their illegal endeavors. He had spotted a young mulatto boy passing through the area and he hashed a plan of capturing him and returning him to his home state of Kentucky with the claim that he was a runaway slave. Little did Stephen know, the local law enforcement had been tipped off to his plan. On May 30, 1836, Stephen and two of his friends took Commodore by force and were able to transport him through Cincinnati across the Ohio River to Kentucky.

This is when their foiled plan came to an end. Instead of being greeted by a local slave catcher, Stephen was greeted by law enforcement. The trial of Stephen Ullery vs. The State of Ohio was wrapped up within a year where he was found guilty of “unlawfully and wickedly kidnapping Commodore Perry, a free mulatto person in the state of Ohio and attempting to extradite said Commodore to the state of Kentucky.” This was the end of the Ullery boys ring of crimes that spanned over 20 years within the county.

Unlike many individuals, Commodore Perry managed to escape the fate that many people did not. He is found in later census records as a Tin Laborer in Troy, Miami County, Ohio, and he even served in the Civil War.

The State of Ohio vs. Stephen Ullery, October 1836

The State of Ohio vs. Stephen Ullery, October 1836

The State of Ohio vs. Stephen Ullery, October 1836

The State of Ohio vs. Stephen Ullery, October 1836

The State of Ohio vs. Stephen Ullery, October 1836

The State of Ohio vs. Stephen Ullery, October 1836

 

 

Those Who Bootleg Together, Stay Together

Ever heard that age old saying “Those who bootleg together, stay together?” No? Okay we made up this saying,  but there have been a number of historic criminal couples whose stories have stood the test of time. Did you know Warren County has their own historic crime couple? The hard evidence we have for today’s short historical fiction story are the court documents, marriage license, and death records for Andrew Dudley and Rhoda Dudley (Lynch, Linch).

Andrew and Rhoda’s story begins in the progressive town of Harveysburg. These two love struck individuals were struggling to make ends meet. Andrew’s wife had died not long before he met Rhoda and he was desperate to find someone who could fill her shoes when their fateful relationship began. The two hashed out a masterful plan of how they could provide for themselves and Andrew’s family. Posing as a happily married couple, they began selling bootlegged liquor in their “house of public resort” that they smuggled in from contacts in their home state of Virginia.

Struggling to reach their target audience and a store room full of illegal alcohol, Andrew and Rhoda became desperate. This is when their criminal activity turned sloppy. The two were blinded by their ambition and began selling to minors and known alcoholics in the area. This is when their brief stint with the law began. The State of Ohio was able to put together a substantial list of clients in order to charge the two and ultimately their criminal activity came to an end.

Although Andrew and Rhoda didn’t make a life long career bootlegging and keeping a house of public resort, their story didn’t end there. They did go on to get married and raise a family together. They can be found in the 1880 census as married and living with their adult children, nieces and nephews, and even a grandson. The couple died in Harveysburg within a year and a half of each other, Andrew in October of 1889, and Rhoda in January of 1890.

State of Ohio vs. Andrew Dudley & Rhoda Linch (Lynch) – November 15, 1866

State of Ohio vs. Andrew Dudley & Rhoda Linch (Lynch) – November 15, 1866 (edited)

Marriage Record – Andrew Dudley & Rhoda Lynch (Linch) – December 15, 1866