Volunteers Accomplish Key Records & Archives Tasks

We would like to recognize our volunteer Neil Phelps for his excellent work.  Neil has been a dedicated volunteer with the Records & Archives Department since October 2010.  Under the supervision of Records Clerk Bill Markley, Neil has recently helped in salvaging several boxes of records from the Historic Licking County Jail on 3rd Street in Newark.  During the past few decades, records of various county agencies were stored in that building.  Those records are now being inventoried, re-boxed and moved to the Records & Archives Department facility, which provides better conditions for storage and access.  In addition to this large project, Neil has also cleaned the pages of 19th and early-20th century Jail Registers, which are volumes that provide information about the inmates.  Cleaning old records such as these helps preserve them for future use.



Neil is also currently working on a history of the Historic Licking County Jail as a personal pursuit.  If you have any information about the old jail which you think might be of interest, please contact us at tel. 740-670-5121.

In addition to Neil Phelps, we have been blessed with other volunteers who have devoted their time and efforts on behalf of Records & Archives projects.  In 2010, Robert Sizelove created a very useful index of the burials at the Licking County Infirmary Cemetery.  Robert found much of this burial information by carefully searching the Infirmary Registers and other items which are part of the Records & Archives collections.  The cemetery is located near the intersection of State Route 37 and Union Station Road.  The burial index can be viewed at: http://www.lcounty.com/records/PDF/Infirmary%20Cemetery%20Register%201.pdf

If you are interested in volunteering with us, we would be glad to talk with you.  Please contact Bill Markley at tel. 740-670-5121.

Popular posts from this blog

Researching the History of Your House and Property

Image
Learning about the history of your house and the land it sits on can be fascinating.  The characteristics of your house can offer clues about the times in which it was built.  You can also usually find out who owned your property, from the early years of Licking County onwards. Be advised, though:  it can be difficult and time-consuming to find a lot of information.  In many cases it is not possible to learn exactly when a house was built, but you can usually at least surmise an approximate date.  And when you learn the names of the people who lived on your property, you can often gather more information about their lives. Government records were not usually kept which specifically indicate when a house was built.  Sometimes, though, you can find a good clue about the construction date by looking at old tax records.  If a tax record from a certain year indicates a major increase in the value of a property, this suggests that a substantial new structure was built. For Licking C
Read more

Licking County Children's Home

Image
The Licking County Children's Home on East Main Street in Newark was built between 1886 and 1888.  Orphans and other children from homes that suffered major difficulties were sent to live there from 1888 to 1975.  Thousands of children lived there during that period--some for a few days, and others for their entire childhood.  The Home also hosted events such as "lawn socials" which were attended by many people of the community.  An adjacent farm provided much of the food that was consumed at the Home.  Boys from the Home worked on the farm, and girls worked indoors.  Individuals, businesses, churches and organizations donated large amounts of money and gifts to help support and brighten the lives of the children. This year the building must be demolished because it is not salvageable.  To add to the historic record of the Children's Home, the Licking County Commissioners are asking that anyone who lived or worked there be interviewed.  Recordings of these inter
Read more

Marriage Consents and Returns

Image
A marriage return is a document that officially records a wedding. It is completed by the person, such as a pastor, who solemnized the marriage.   It is called a “return” because it must be returned to the court that legally records marriages.   Returns in Licking County have typically indicated the names of the bride, groom and person who solemnized the marriage, along with the wedding date.   Sometimes the names of witnesses are also included.  Older marriage returns were called "Marriage Certificates" in Licking County, because they provided the Probate Court with certification that the couple actually got married.  Today, a marriage certificate is typically the document which the court gives to a couple after they are married. A Marriage Return, sent by the minister to the Probate Court.  Note that these records were called "Marriage Certificates" in the 1920's. Marriage consents are documents proving that a parent or guardian gives consent for a per
Read more