I Need Your Help - Give Me Just 1 Minute of Your Time

Over the past year I have witnessed many threatened closings or cutbacks to libraries and archives across the country. I've embraced them all as if they were my own. Signing petitions or writing letters or emails.

Now it's my turn. Now my research and my ancestors are threatened.

I want to reach out to you to ask you to sign an online petition to help make a difference. It will just take a minute.

And those of you from outside New York are even more important to include. We need these administrators to understand how much economic impact genealogical and family history trips have.

BACKGROUND

Thanks to Dick Eastman for alerting the genealogical community to the proposed cutbacks at the Montgomery County, New York Archives.  His post asked readers to sign the online petition.

Dick was alerted by Kelly Farquhar,  County Historian/RMO of Montgomery County, New York.  I have been personally helped through the years by both Kelly and Earlene Melious, who job they propose eliminating.

Montgomery County Board of Supervisors wants to reduce staffing at the Montgomery County which will in turn force reduced hours.  That will impact all of us who rely on this archive for important New York related materials.

My paternal lineage comes Montgomery County, New York.  My ties there start in the late 1700s.  Many of the local family names are found in my family tree - Edwards, Mount, Smith (Schmidt), Van Vechten, Vrooman, Schenck, Van Schaick, Fonda,  and Vorhees.

Reactionary Actions that are Poorly Thought Out
 
My feeling is that the Board of Supervisors likely does not understand the tremendous impact that historical and genealogical researchers have on archives such as these.  We turn out in droves spending money not only in the Archives but also in the local shops, restaurants, hotels etc.


By reducing access to the Archives the Board of Supervisors are in fact reducing revenue to the whole surrounding community. 


THE ONLINE PETITION

I ask for your help by taking a minute to sign the online petition. 

The petition asks for "Town" but doesn't list  a separate field for "State".  So on that one location field either list your town, state or just state if you prefer.  It's important that we send a message that the whole country is watching and is impacted by these cutbacks.

THE PETITION

THANK YOU!

Thanks for your help!  Your support means an awful lot to me.

Marian