Hope fading in search for 1639 deed tracking Milford's roots
Boston Globe - United States
... It was the first of nine deeds and treaties struck between
settlers
in the New Haven area and the Paugussetts. The other eight documents
all
are accounted for. ...
<http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2006/06/25/hope_fa

ding_in_search_for_1639_deed_tracking_milfords_roots>

This reminds me of something that happened to me in a past life when I
served as Regional Archivist for the Southeastern NY area. A local
historical society that owned several old houses had just been
reorganized. Previously, the archival material had been under the care
of one person who regarded it as his own private property. After his
death, the new administration was planning to hire a "real" archivist.
They invited me, as their regional advisor, and a local government
advisor on archives, who had an interest in this particular society, to
come and discuss their archives and its needs with them. 

The archives was then in the basement of an old stone church. We looked
it over, poked into various boxes, etc., and made some suggestions. On a
top shelf, we saw a box that I think was intended for storing things
under a bed: flat, cardboard, with fake woodgrain on the outside, and
asked what was in it. The person with us wasn't sure, so we took it
down. In it was the original parchment 1694 (I think--or near that date)
deed/patent that gave land there to the original settlers. They said,
"Oh, we've been looking for that!" Before this discovery, we had been
making suggestions, but saying that most things could wait until the
archivist was hired. However, we told them to take this item and
immediately put it in a safe and archivally correct place!

They did hire an archivist (MLS with archival concentration) who has
done an excellent job with the archival materials there.

Christine

Christine Crawford-Oppenheimer
Information Services Librarian
Conrad N. Hilton Library:
http://www.ciachef.edu/admissions/about/library.asp
The Culinary Institute of America
1946 Campus Drive
Hyde Park, NY  12538
(845) 451-1322
fax (845) 451-1092
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Learn more about The World's Premier Culinary College
at www.ciachef.edu

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