If no other organization, such as a historical society or local
historian,
did not want to take and preserve the original Surrogate Court records,
could they be placed at the NYS Archives?  I guess I am getting more
concerned the more I know of what is going on around NYS with the
records in courthouses and other public records. I know that all
municipalities have been given instruction about what they should or
could do but I have run into several situations where the town board
or supervisors have made decisions about many types of records
which was incorrect or not their right to do.

When they do not know what to do with old town records or DON"T
WANT THOSE DUSTY OLD THINGS around, they have decided to
dump them. I think a large poster should be mandatory in the
office of the town/city clerk, supervisor and any other people who
are in charge of records "BE SURE you know what you are doing
BEFORE disposing of ANY RECORDS!!"  How sad that I cannot
walk into many NYS Courthouses and find records but I can walk
into little or large courthouses and town halls in CT and MA and
look at the originals from the late 1600's - 1900's. There seems
to be more respect for caring for them than some in NYS have.

God Bless
Ruth Ann Messick
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On Wed, 15 Aug 2001 10:11:41 -0400 Suzanne Etherington
<[log in to unmask]> writes:
> Court records in NYS are governed by the Unified Court Administration
> and not the NY State Archives.  The UCA has very stringent microfilm
> specifications.  Disposal of court records has to be formally
> requested and approved by the UCA.
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Suzanne Etherington, Ph.D., C.A.
> Region 6 Advisory Officer
> New York State Archives
> Binghamton State Office Bldg., #1604
> 44 Hawley St., Binghamton 13901
> voice: 607/721-8428
> fax: 607/721-8431
> email: [log in to unmask]
> State Archives web site: http://www.archives.nysed.gov