Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 11, 1995 TAG: 9503130048
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RON BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FINCASTLE LENGTH: Medium
Sharon Radford and Cathy Dickerson realize more than ever that one man's trash is another's treasure.
As the two deputy clerks of Botetourt County Circuit Court rummaged through file cabinets two weeks ago, they were confronted with an unanticipated find.
Tucked inside a drawer less than 10 feet from Dickerson's desk was a brown envelope containing a stack of 37 crumpled documents. Some contained the signatures of Founding Fathers, such as Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Benjamin Harrison and James Monroe.
Radford and Dickerson had no intention of delving into history when they opened the drawer.
``We were just looking in the drawer to see if there was something we could dispose of,'' Radford said. ``We had just gotten to the point that we needed more drawer space.''
Fortunately, the two women heeded clerk Tommy Moore's instruction to take care not to destroy old documents that may have historical value. The documents in the envelope seemed to meet that description.
``They were old and crumbly,'' Dickerson said.
With those factors alerting them, the two women called in Pat Honts, a record researcher in the clerk's office.
The first name that Honts spotted was that of Lord Dunsmore, the last colonial governor appointed by King George III before the Revolutionary War. Six of the documents were written on sheepskin - an indication of their Colonial origin. ``We could tell it wasn't the type of paper we use,'' Radford said.
And preserving old paper or parchment takes a special process, which removes the acid to keep the paper or parchment from deteriorating. The records are then laminated to keep them intact.
Botetourt County, founded in 1770, was perfectly positioned to be the repository of many Colonial records. It once stretched to the Mississippi River, encompassing parts of what is now seven states - Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.
Dottie Kessler, who also works as a record researcher in the clerk's office and is president of Historical Fincastle Inc., said the recent find simply deepens the county's reservoir of historical documents.
Records previously retrieved from the files include a 1775 real estate assessment on some of George Washington's land, a 1782 listing of soldiers who served in the Revolutionary War, deeds signed by Jefferson, and the appointment of a tobacco inspector by Henry.
A marriage license issued in 1808 carries the name of a groom, William Clark, who along with his partner, Meriwether Lewis, explored the uncharted lands from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean.
Of local interest, there are the wills of William Fleming and Andrew Lewis, two Revolutionary War generals for whom two Roanoke Valley high schools are named.
Jefferson's figurative fingerprints on the court records seem to be the most pervasive. He is believed to have provided a sketch that would give architects an idea of how to build the county's first courthouse. There's no question that he authorized the materials to build it.
That record is in the clerk's office.
``It's a treasure of valuable information,'' Kessler said. ``We are a hidden, valuable asset to the state. It shows how our county was closely tied to our country's new government.
``The pattern of the documents shows that someone was saving the signatures of former governors. It is unbelievable how well they were kept here.''
That care is a tribute to the vision of clerks of court throughout the years, Kessler said.
``They took care of our heritage,'' she said.
Clerk Tommy Moore is keeping up the tradition. He soon will spend about $9,000 to get old records preserved.
The value to researchers and historians can be seen in the steady stream of visitors that come weekly to the vault in search of vital clues to the country's or their family's history. Kessler and Honts help about 100 people each month with that research, while gleaning information from the visitors to round out their knowledge of the role Botetourt County played in the developing United States.
``These records show the way that our forefathers began governing us,'' Kessler said.
The files show the appointments of sheriffs and the appointments of judges. They even contain a logo for the company that developed canals on the James River.
The benefits of that knowledge can be seen in the eyes of schoolchildren, many of whom get their first taste of Virginia history when about a dozen classes visit the courthouse each year.
``It is fascinating work,'' Kessler said. ``Fascinating. I realize we have something unique in this county.''
by CNB