Historical Threads

 Record of the Month!

Last month we featured the Student Resources page from the Licking County Records & Archives website, along with a brief research/writing guide. As a follow up, for the month of September we are taking a look at how records from the Licking County Records & Archives collections can be used to tell larger historical stories.

Government records are not typically thought of as “juicy” sources of information for historical research in the same way as personal diaries, letters, etc. are, because the language often used in government forms is very tedious. However, government records can not only provide a wealth of historical detail, but also serve as a consistent source of data due to their propensity to change slowly over time.

Pictured here is a sampling of entries from the Historic Jail Registers dating between 1928 and 1932. A study of the Historic Jail Registers hints to several larger events in American history. Furthermore, the registers can be used to gather statistical data across several years.

 

Prohibition:

The fight for prohibition had been raging across the United States for decades on both the local and national levels prior to 1919. Licking County had voted itself “dry” in 1908, yet saloons, taverns, and other informal bars (speakeasies) continued to operate throughout the county. In 1920 the National Prohibition Act (better known as the Volstead Act) went into effect, providing for the enforcement of the 18th Amendment. A cursory study of the Historic Jail Registers shows a marked increase in individuals being arrested for intoxication, illegal possession of beer and liquor, and various forms of bootlegging. From 1910-1914 there were approximately 923 alcohol related arrests compared to the 1,741 alcohol related arrests from 1928-1932.

 


The Great Depression:

There were several factors that resulted in the Great Depression, and it was experienced in virtually every country in the world. Although the dates and level of impact differ between countries, in the United States the Great Depression was felt from late 1929 through 1939. It began as a seemingly ordinary recession in the summer of 1929. However, it would become clear that this recession was not normal on October 29, 1929 (remembered as Black Tuesday) with the stock market crash. From 1929 through 1933, industrial production plummeted by forty-seven percent; the gross domestic product declined by thirty percent; banking panics rocked the financial sector wiping out life savings; and unemployment soared to more than twenty percent, resulting in a rapid rise in poverty and homelessness. The Licking County Jail registers reflect the bleakness of the situation with a shift in what people were stealing: poultry, gas, batteries, apples, etc. Additionally, arrests for non-support (child/family), vagrancy, and train riding (riding as a stowaway) stand out among the abundance of intoxication charges.    

If this information interests you, please feel free to contact us by phone at 740-670-5121 or email archives@lcounty.com.

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