A1416
-HE PREPARATION OP IF/ErTTORIES OP PUBLIC RECORDS
HISTORICAL RECORDS SURVEY PROJECTS
I
Preliminary - For Discussion Purposes Only -
Hot to be Reproduced
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SECTION I. GENERAL
SECTION II. COUNTY RECORDS
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FEDERAL WORKS AGENCY
WORK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION
Division of Professional and Service Projects
Research and Records Projects Subdivision
Washington, D. C.
August 19, 1940
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FOREWORD
This circular is designed to provide instructions for the
preparation of inventories of public records by Historical Records
Survey projects. It will be issued in two parts. Part 1 includes
Section I, with instructions for organization, legal research, field
work, entry-writing, and other matters pertinent to the preparation
of inventories of records of governmental agencies of all types,
and Section II, with specific instructions for the preparation of
inventories of county records. Part 2 will include specific instruc¬
tions for the preparation of inventories of state, municipal, Hew
England town, and other local records.
Sections of this circular which represent modifications
of earlier instructions are not mandatory for materials already in
draft. Procedures outlined for legal research and field work should
be followed as closely as practical, but are not mandatory in detail.
This procedure relates only to the technique of project
operation, nothing in this circular is to be construed as affecting
or modifying in any way administrative procedures of the Work Projects
Administration.
F. C. HARRINGTON
COMMISSIONER OF WORK PROJECTS
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TABLE OP CONTENTS
Section I. General Page
A. Organization: ' 1
Objects and Scope; Sponsorship; Advisory Committees;
Personnel; Products.
B. Legal Research: ®
Purpose; Sources; Abstracting; Local Legislation;
Selection and Training of Research Workers; Filing;
Products.
C. Field Work: 19
General; Field Force; Supervision; Use of WPA Form
10HR; Arrangement and Rehabilitation of Records;
Physical Inventory; Use of WPA Form 12-133R; Review
and Recheck of Forms.
3). Preparation of Entry Drafts: 42
General; Form of Entries - Title Line or First
Paragraph; Third Paragraph; Arrangement of Entries;
Artificial Entries and Cross References.
E. Typographical Form. 75
Section II. Inventories of County Archives: 82
A. Preliminaries. 82
B. Historical Sketch. 87
C. Essay on Governmental Organization and Records System. 90
L. Housing, Care, and Accessibility of Records Essay. 100
E. Abbreviations, Symbols, and Explanatory Notes. 102
F. Office Essays. 106
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Section II. (Cont'd.) Page
G. Entries. H2
H. Appendix. 113
I. Bibliography. 113
J. Indexes. 114
K. Abbreviated Essay Porn. 114
L. Key Volume. 120
A1416
PREFACE
The present circular is "based on more than four years'
experience of Historical P.ecords Survey projects. The procedures
outlined are those which have proved most effective in actual
operation.
In some particulars previously issued instructions have
"been changed, usually in the interests of greater simplicity and
more rapid production. Such changes will "be carried into effect in
work done herceforward, "but it is not required that material already
in draft should he revised in accordance with the changes. Attention
is particularly called to changes in paragraphs 114, 115, and 121
and to the instructions for the use of abbreviated essays.
In other cases an effort has been made to provide in¬
structions on such matters as the organization of field work and
legal research, upon which few specific instructions have been issued
heretofore. It is realized that projects in many states use some¬
what different procedures, especially in legal research, and an
immediate shift to the procedures outlined in the present circular
is not required if it will interrupt the smooth flow of work on
the project. We urge, however, that projects consider the suggested
procedures carefully and adopt them as rapidly as practical.
The material in this circular has been prepared by
Dan Lacy and George McFarland, Assistants to the Director and
Sargent B. Child, Director, Historical Records Survey Projects.
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Section. I. General
A. Organization
0"b.iects and Scone
1. The objective of the public records section of the Historical
Records Survey program is to produce inventories of records of
governmental agencies, including essays tracing the development,
analyzing the structure, and describing the functions of the agencies
whose records are inventoried. The inventories list each record
series of the agency, indicating its title, dates, quantity, labeling,
content, arrangement, indexing, location, and relation to other series.
The primary -ourposes of the public records inventories are to afford
keys to research materials for historians, economists, sociologists,
political scientists, and other scholars; to facilitate reference to
non-current records for administrative purposes; and to make available
data for planning records administration and research and records
projects. The introductory essay materials have also a substantial
by-product value as studies in local history and in the organization
and function of governmental agencies.
2. Within the scope of the public records section of the Histor¬
ical Records Survey program come the archives of States, counties, town
townships, municipalities, and other local governmental agencies. Ar¬
chives of Federal agencies outside the District of Columbia may also
be inventoried by Historical Records Survey projects, but the procedure
used differ from those described in the present technical circular.
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Sponsorship
3. If the official sponsor of a Historical Records Survey
project does not have legal authority over records of public agencies
in the State, each agency whose records are surveyed should be made
a cosponsor, delegating the necessary legal authority for the prose¬
cution of the work. In any event, officials of all agencies whose
records are surveyed should be informed fully and in advance of the
work of the project, and their active support should be solicited.
Advisory Committees
4. Since public records work is the principal activity in the
Historical Records Survey program and will be the major concern of the
full project advisory committee, it is inadvisable to create a special
advisory committee for this phase of the work. The full advisory com¬
mittee should, however, include members whoso position and interests will
enable them to be of special assistance in the inventory of public rec¬
ords. Suggested for inclusion are the State Archivist, if such an office
exists in the State, a representative of the bar, leading members of
the various associations of county and municipal officers, and, if an
inventory of State archives is being undertaken, one or more leading
State officials, especially those, such as the Secretary of State, who
are particularly concerned with records administration, and members
of university or college faculties with interests in archival or his¬
torical work.
Personnel
5. As the chief activity of the program, work in public records
will, of course, receive the close personal attention of the State
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Supervisor and of the field or editorial supervisors of each project.
If the project is sufficiently large, its supervisory staff should in¬
clude an editor-in-chief for public records, an entry editor, an essay
editor, and a legal editor. If work in municipal archives and State
archives is being actively prosecuted, a separate editor may be used
for each of these phases. The certified personnel will consist of
field workers, forms editors, entry writers, legal research workers,
essay writers, typists, proof readers, and indexers.
6. The editor-in-chief for public records should, if possible,
be a college graduate with advanced training in political science,
history, or law and with long experience in the work of Historical
Records Survey projects. For the entry editor, extended field exper¬
ience with the survey of public records is of more value than previous
academic training. The essay editor should be a person with training
in political science, history, or law, if possible, and should be able
to write clearly and succinctly without legalistic phraseology since
the essays are intended for general use. The legal editor should be
a person trained in law or political science. On small projects the
positions of entry editors, essay editor, and legal editor will be filled
by non-certified security wage workers or by especially competent
certified personnel. The qualifications of special editors for municipal
archives and state archives are the same in nature as those for the
chief public records editor. Field supervisors should be selected
primarily for administrative abilities in the line of securing sponsors'
contributions, selecting and training personnel, and establishing
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satisfactory relations with public officials. They should be thor¬
oughly familiar with county records and with editorial standards in
all phases of the project's work; but the detailed technical knowledge
required is not as great as in the case of a sivpervisory editor.
7. Certified persons assigned to the field survey of public
records should, if possible, have a high school education and familiarity,
gained in the practice of private business or otherwise, with the more
important types of public records. Personal familiarity with the
routine processes of local government, such as tax-listing, selection
of jtirors, conduct of trial, etc., is of definite advantage. Intelli¬
gence and capacity for painstaking care are more important, however,
than education and experience. The work is difficult and demands
personnel of a high type. Less competent personnel, however, may often
be used to advantage in the cleaning, arranging, and filing of records.
Entry writers should be drawn from among field workers, as actual
experience in the survey of records is almost indispensable in the
preparation of entries. Legal, research workers and essay writers
should have high school and if possible college training; legal ex¬
perience is helpful but not essential. Patience, thoroughness, and
meticulous accuracy ere indispensable in all personnel in the public
records program.
Products
8. The specific products of public records work on Historical
Records Survey projects will be as follows;
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(a) An Inventory of the County Archives o_f (name of S tate).
This will ordinarily consist of a separate volume for each county,
numbered in alphabetical order, each volume including an historical
sketch of the county; an essay on its governmental organization and
records system; an essay on the housing, care, and accessibility of
its records; a section on abbreviations, symbols, and explanatory
notes; a section on each office, including an essay on the structure,
functions, and records of the office, and a detailed inventory of
its records; a bibliography, a chronological index to the records;
and a subject index to the entire inventory. (For an alternative
pattern see page H4.)
(b) An Inventory of the Town Archives of (name of State).
This will be prepared for New England States only and will ordinarily
consist of one volume for each town with contents similar to a volumo
of the inventory of county archives. The volumes for the towns in
each county will bear the name of the county and a roman numeral indi¬
cating the place of the county in alphabetical order among the counties of
the State, together with the name of the town and an arabic number indi¬
cating the position of the town in alphabetical order among the towns
of that county.
(c) An Inventory of the State Archives of (name of State)■
This will ordinarily consist of one volume for ea,ch State department,
institution, or other agency, including an office essay similar to
the essays for individual offices in volumes of the inventory of county
archives; an essay on the housing, care, and accessibility of records;
a section on abbreviations, symbols, and explanatory notes; an inventory
AK.18
of the records of the office, a. "bibliography, and chronological
and subject indexes. Thero will also be a general introductory
volume- to the inventory of State archives which will consist of
an historical sketch of the State and an essay on its governmental
organization rut. record system.
(d) An Inventory of the Municipal Archives of (name of State).
This vill consist of a volume for each municipality whose records are
inventoried similar in content to a volume of inventory of county ar¬
chives .
(0) An Inventory of the Archives of (names of special districts),
such as drainage, irrigation, or school districts, in States in which such
districts are of sufficient importance to justify the undertaking.
(f) Key volumes on county government and on ITew England
town p'-ernmen t to be entitled County G-overnment in (name of State) or
Town Government in (name of State). These will consist of an historical
introduction, a governmental organization essay and office essays covering
all general legislation affecting county or town government in the state,
together with a subject index.
(g) transcriptions of public records. These will consist
of transcripts of records, usually minutes of county governing bodies,
transcribed for editorial use or as a measure of preservation.
■ • i*" nl ?r: s earch
Purpose
9. Leal research in order to determine the history, structure,
functions, and record keeping requirements of the agencies whose records
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are to be inventoried is a necessary preliminary to successful field
work as well as to the editing of records entries and the preparation
of essays. Insofar as practicable, legal research for any governmental
agency should be brought as near completion as possible before the survey
of its records is undertaken.
10. Che desired product of legal research is a. set of files which
will include an abstract, on cards, of every constitutional or statutory
provision, judicial decision, or Attorney General's ruling affecting
the legal status, structure, functions, or record keeping requirements
of governmental bodies whose records are to be surveyed. The completion
of this index-abstract is in itself an undertaking of considerable
magnitude and difficulty, but experience has demonstrated that it can
be successfully done by certified personnel if careful planning precedes
the work and adequate supervision is provided. In paragraphs 12-14 of
this circular, the relative importance of the ve.rious sources to be
included is indicated; by covering the more important first, a sub¬
stantially useful body of legal information can be accumulated which
can be satisfactorily used pending the ultimate completion of the
research.
Sources
11. The sources to be covered are constitutions, official codes
and compilations of statutes, and session laws of the State; if the
State in question was ever part of another State, constitutions, codes,
and statutes of the parent State for the period of inclusion; Territorial
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ordinances and Acts of Congress relating to the Territory, if the State
had a Territorial period; statutes, decrees, or other acts of the
mother country affecting the government of the Colony if the State
had a Colonial period; decisions of the highest court of the State and
of the United States Supreme Court; and rulings of the State Attorney
General. ?or the effective prosecution of legal research, it is neces¬
sary that the workers have easy access to these sources. If permission
can be secured, the legal research unit should be set up in the library of
the Supremo Court of of a law school; or an effort may be made to ac¬
cumulate an adequate legal library in the project headquarters. The
latter alternative is to be preferred if practical, as it makes the
original volumes available to the editors of the office staff for refer¬
ence in cases in which the index-abstract may prove to be inadequate.
Volumes of statutes and Supreme Court reports can often be secured from
counties by loan or gift. Transcripts of relevant acts or constitutional
provisions may be made to fill gaps in a library assembled at the project
headquarters, but extensive transcriptions should be avoided.
12. Of principal importance among the sources for legal research
are the State constitutions and the Territorial or Colonial and State
statutes. Supreme Court decisions and Attorney General's rulings are
generally only modifications or interpretations of the provisions re¬
lating to government laid down in the constitutions and statutes.
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Periodically", general statute law in force is compiled into codes
which are enacted ov the legislature as official codes and which
supersede previously enacted general laws. The makers of official
codes often go beyond the mere compilation of existing statutes, and
introduce new provisions or omit provisions previously in effect. In
most States unofficial codes not adonted by the legislature are compiled
at ".iore frequent intervals. These do not have the force of law, but
constitute a ver-r valuable tool in legal research, as they are often
nore carefully and fully annotated than the official codes. Codes,
both official and unofficial, almost always show by means of notes the
statute or statutes from which, each provision of the code is derived, and
the judicial decisions in which the --/revision has been interpreted.
15. It is obvious from the foregoing description that of the
mass cf legal source material, the constitutions and codes should be
first attacked. It is not possible to relv exclusively upon the codes
tc dots: .line statutory provisions affecting governmental agencies, how¬
ever, as local or other special legislation, which is of great importance
for the >ur oses of Historical Hecords Survey projects, is not ordinarily-
included in codes, and as a- statute repealed or declared unconstitutional
-111 not a "near In aa-r code unless one was prepared during the period
the statute was in effect. For this reason, extensive use of the original
session la; -"g is necessar-r. In working through the constitutions, codes,
and eess con It: s, it will be found advisable to consult the most recent
first, --or :i.c.,s V\c -ward toward the earlier materials, -his is true
V.co the -&.1 or it" of governmental agencies are of relatively recent
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origin; and if the research is "begun with current legislation and
extended to earlier material, a complete file will have been prepared
for each office when the date of its creation is reached.
14. It is suggested, therefore, that the sources be vrorkod in
the following order;
a. The latest constitution.
b. The latest code.
c. Session laws enacted since the latest code.
d. Constitutions preceding the present one, beginning with
the latest, including any of a parent State adopted while
it included the State for which research is being done.
e. Codes preceding the present one, beginning with the latest,
including any adopted by a parent State for the period of
inclusion.
f. Judicial decisions noted in the codes as affecting provisions
relating to governmental agencies within the scope of the
Survey.
g. Session laws, including those of the Territorial or Colonial
period ana those of a parent State for the period of in¬
clusion, prior to the most recent code. (Special legislation
should be checked through the indexes for counties and towns
whose inventories are in process of preparation although the
legal research may not yet have been carried to this stage.)
h. Supreme Court reports, for decisions which may not have been
noted in the codes. If the code annotations are thorough,
this step may be unnecessary.
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i. Attorney General's rulings. These are likely to contain
less material of value than the other sources described,
and a detailed search of them need not be made by projects
with only a small staff available for legal research,
j. Statutes and judicial decisions of the United States or,
for the Colonial period, of the parent country. No effort
should be made to give these a pagc-by-pagc examination,
but those statutes, decisions, end decrees which indexes,
annotations, or research in other sources indicate have a
bearing on the objects of the research should be checked.
Abstracting
1-0. Indexes and other keys to the sources enumerated above are
usually inadequate for the purposes of the Survey, as statutes, code
sections, and constitutional provisions are generally indexed only under
the one or two subjects to which they principally relate. Thus an act
requiring the clerk of a. circuit court to maintain a register of licensed
dentists will bo indexed under "Dentists," but probably not under "Clerk
of Circuit Court" or under "Circuit Court." For this reason it is neces¬
sary in working each of the sources listed above under "a" through "g"
to have the researchers go through the books page by page, scanning each
act. In every case the title and all marginal headings should be noted,
and the worker should run his eye carefully over the text of each act
or judicial opinion to note references to governmental agencies whose
records arc to bo surveyed. This is a time consuming procedure, but
it is the only way to assure adequate coverage.
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12
16. Data from the sources described, above should bo abstracted
on cards. The most convenient sizes are 4" x 6" and 5" x 8". A
any public office. In the upper left corner of the card should be printed
in capitals a file heading indicating the class of governmental unit
and the particular office to which the provision refers. In the upper
right corner a. subheading should indicate whether it is the structure,
the functions, or the records of the office to which the provision applies,
and the particular aspect of the structure or the type of function or
record. The body of the card should include a concise summary of the
provision, as brief a.s practical but, insofar as possible, sufficiently
full to make unnecessary further reference to the original source. This
should be followed by a full citation to the source. Examples follow,
reduced in size:
separate card should be prepared for each provision of each act affecting
Structure
Bond
Bond of $10,000 required, to be approved by
ccunty ^udge.
Pub. Laws, 1827, ch. 82, sec. 3
C0TO7TY
COUITTY JUDGE
Function
Auoroval of bonds
To approve sheriff's bond.
Pub. Laws, 1827, ch. 32, sec. 3
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STATE
BOARD OB CHARITIES
ADD PUBLIC WELFARE
Functions
Inspection of
institutions
Secretary of Board or his deputy to
inspect every prison, prison camp, or other
place for the detention of prisoners at least
twice a year and to file a written report with
Governor on conditions as to sanitation, food,
bedding, and care of prisoners.
Secretary of State Board of Charities and
Public Welfare to file written report twice a
year or oftener on conditions as to sanitation,
food, bedding, and care of prisoners in each
prison, prison caemp, or other place for the de¬
tention of nrisoners.
Local Legislation
17. On treating special local legislation applicable to only
one or a few counties or towns within the State, a somewhat different
form is needed. The file heading in the upper left corner should in¬
clude the word "SPECIAL" and the name of the county or town to which the
provision applies, as follows:
Pub. Laws. 1935, ch. 4-12, sec. 8
STATE
GOVERNOR
Records
Reports
Pub. Laws. 1935, ch. 412, sec. 8
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COUNTY - SPECIAL
PASQUOTANK
SHERIFF
It is not necessary to give the subheadings in the upper right corner
for local legislation, except in the case of such counties as Cook, 111.,
or New York, N. Y., concerning which so much special legislation has
been enacted that their use of subheadings is essential to the orderly
filing and control of materials. Since the cards for such local legis¬
lation will, in filing, ordinarily be broken down only by the name of
the county and town and the office, it will not be necessary in most
cases to fill out a separate card for each provision of a local act
affecting a given office. That is, an act which increases the term
of office of the sheriff of a specific county and changes the manner of
his compensation could be abstracted on one card instead cf two. On
the other hand, if a special or local act affects two or more counties
or towns, a separate card must be filled out for each unit affected.
Thus, throe cards would have to be prepared for an act which provided
that the term of office of the register of deeds in Alamance, Craven,
and Nash bounties was increased from 2 to 4 years. The headings
of the three cards would bo:
COUNTY - SPECIAL
ALAMANCE
REGISTER OP DEEDS
COUNTY - SPECIAL
CRAVEN
REGISTER OP DEEDS
COUNTY - SPECIAL
NASH
REGISTER OF DEEDS
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It should, "be noted, that local legislation often does not mention the
names of counties or towns to which the act applies, but indicates
them by classification, usually according to population; for instance,
an act may apply to all counties having a population in excess of 100,000.
In such cases it is necessary for the worker, by consulting the censuses
or other sources to determine the counties or towns to which the act
applies. Often the classification device is used as a means of circum¬
venting constitutional provisions forbidding the enactment of special
or local legislation.
18. In the case of special local legislation or legislation
affecting State departments or agencies, the card abstracts will be used
only once; whereas those for general county or municipal legislation will
be used in preparation of each county or municipal inventory. Ror this
reason, if the project has easy access to an adequate legal library, it
may bo found advisable to substitxite a mere indication of the nature of
the act or bther provision for an abstract of its content on the cards
for special legislation and. legislation affecting State offices, thus
making the card file an index rather than an abstract.
Selection and Training of Research Workers
19. Great care will be found necessary in the selection and training
of certified personnel to be used in preparing the card, abstracts de¬
scribed above. Legal training is not a necessary prerequisite, but
patience, thoroughness, intelligence, and legibility of handwriting are
essential. The chief errors to be guarded against are the failure to
note or abstract acts or provisions of acts or to prepare a card for
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every office to which the provision relates, the distortion or mis¬
representation of the meaning of a provision in abstracting its contents,
and inaccuracies in citations. Every card prepared should be checked
by another worker against the act, decision, code section, or other
source upon which it is based to assure the accuracy of the abstracting
and the citation. The supervisor in charge of legal research should take
the volume to which each new worker is assigned and check after him to
assure that every provision affecting a public office is noted. This
checking by the supervisor may be discontinued as a regular practice
after he is satisfied as to the worker'3 thoroughness, but subsequent
spot - checking for completeness should be made on each worker from
time to time.
Filing
20. Cards should be filed promptly as soon as they are checked.
One file should be set up under STATE, one under COUNTY-GENERAL, one
under COUNTY-SPECIAL, one under MUNICIPAL-GENERAL, and one under MUNICIPAL-
SPECIAL. Files should also be set up for other governmental units which
may be covered in any given State. Within the "SPECIAL" files, the break¬
down should be by the county or municipality affected, then by office.
Under the other files, the breakdown should be by office, then by the
three headings "Structure," "Function," and "Records," then under each
according to the subheadings of the outline for office essays (see
paragraph 180). Within the smallest topical subheads, such as "Bond"
under "Structure" or "Power to Appoint Deputies" under "Functions,"
the cards should be arranged chronologically by the date of the act, de¬
cision, ruling, or constitution cited. Cards covering provisions relating
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v.r.i».
to the general nature, status, or scope of authority of a governmental
unit should "be filed at the "beginning of the file for that unit, "before
the subheadings for each office.
21. After the files are set up, it will be discovered that an
identical or substantially identical provision may appear in several
acts and codes or consolidated statutes. Thus, a provision that the
sheriff shall serve a term of 4 years may appear in acts of 1835,
1869, 1892, and 1907 and codes of 1840, 1875, 1919, and 1935. In such
cases, the citations from all the cards may be placed on one card and the
others removed from the file. Such a consolidated card would appear as
follows:
C OUM1 Y- GENERAL Structure
SHERIFF Term
Four years.
Acts. 1835, ch. 14, s.3
Acts, 1869, ch. 49, s.7
Acts, 1892, ch. 173, s.2
Acts, 1907, ch. 87, s.5
Code, 1840 s. 1879
Code, 1875, s. 2013
Code. 1919, s. 2249
Code, 1935, s. 2371
22. The procedure outlined above contemplates that legal research
will be prosecuted simultaneously for all types of governing bodies
whose archives are to be surveyed. This course is strongly urged, as
it will provide complete legal data for the survey of State, county,
municipal, and other public records at the expense of only one search
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through the constitutions, statutes, codes, decisions, end rulings, and
will result ultimately in a considerable saving of time. If, ho\i?ever, the
early initiation of the survey of State and municipal archives is not
contemplated, or if circumstances make essential the earliest possible
completion of the legal research for county government, the noting and
abstracting of provisions may be confined to those which affect the county
or county offices. If the legal research is restricted to county govern¬
ment, it is advisable to note or index in some form without abstracting
those provisions affecting State, municipal, or other governmental units
which are encountered.
Products
23. These procedures will produce a card file, topically and
chronologically'' arranged, which will present all available legal data
concerning the governmental units whose archives fall within the scope
of the Survey. It is expected, however, that in order to provide an
adequate background for its comprehension and intelligent organization
«
and presentation this information will be supplemented in tho case of
each project by extensive reading and research in secondary tests and
monographs relating to the governmental units covered; in works on public
education, taxation, internal improvements, or other functions carried
on by thoso units; in studies of governmental bodies ms.de by the Brookings
Institute or similar .'.agencies; in the archives of the agencies studied;
and in other types of sources.
24. As an additional legal tool, there should be compiled from
the card index-abstract a check list of all records which county officers
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arc required or specifically permitted by law to keep. This check
list should be arranged by office and should list each record under
the office, giving a brief summary of the legal requirements relating
to each record, with full citations.
C. Field Work
G-enoral
25. On the accuracy and completeness of field work in the public
records inventory depends the whole value of the published product of
this phase of the project. For deficiencies in the field work, no
excellence of editorial work can compensate. For this reason, the
special attention of the State Supervisor should be devoted to the
careful planning and control of field work, and exceptional care should
be exorcised at all times to insure and maintain its thoroughness and
accuracy.
Field Force
26. The size of the field force maintained on the project should
be determined chiefly by the production capacity of the editorial
office of the project. For instance, if a project can prepare, edit,
and publish an estimated 15 county inventories a year, field work should
not be carried on at a rate which will result in the completion of the
survey in 25 or more counties a year, as the consequence will be merely
that forms will accumulate unedited and will become obsolete before they
can be used, with resultant heavy expenses in rechecks and resurveys.
It should be recognized that half or more of the total man-hours of work
involved in the preparation of an inventory of public records are
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consumed in functions such as forms chocking, entry writing, legal
research, essay writing, indexing, typing, stencil cutting, mimeograph¬
ing, and assembling the completed inventory. A common error is to main¬
tain a field force several times as large as the State office staff on
whom these functions fall; experience has demonstrated that the public
records field, force engaged in the actual preparation of 12-13HR forms
should be only slightly larger than the staff of editors and typists
assigned to the public records phase of the project. This does not pre¬
clude, of course, the use of a larger number of field workers in the
arrangement and rehabilitation of records or in other tasks associated with
public records field work; extensive use of workers in careful arrangement
of records preliminary to their inventory is definitely advisable.
27. Many factors are to be considered in selecting field units for
opening and operation. The availability of adequate sponsorship and of
competent certified personnel will, of course, to a large extent determine
the particular counties in which field units can be opened. Within the
limits fixed by these considerations, the counties selected for operation
should, if possible, be geographically grouped for ease of stiporvision.
Within each county, if sponsorship arrangements allow, the records of
county offices should be first surveyed, then those of State agencies or
institutions which may be located within the county, then those of in¬
corporated municipalities, and finally those of special districts. In
New England this order may bo altered to give priority to town records.
An effort should be made to avoid working with records of several types of
governmental agencies at once, as it places an undue burden on the
research and editorial units to handle simultaneously forms on records of
A1416
- 21 -
28. The opening of field units should further be planned in se¬
quence so that a smooth flow of completed field work to the editorial
offices results. The bunching of counties with the result that a large
number are opened at about the same time and completed and turned over
to the editorial office at the same time should be avoided, as this is
a principal cause of editorial bottlenecks.
29. Field units should not be larger than the number of competent
certified persons available, as one competent worker alone can accom¬
plish more than one competent with two incompetent workers; nor should
they be so large as to crowd the working space available or to incon¬
venience officials in whose offices they are working. Large units also
have the disadvantage of requiring a large number of manmonths of training
in proportion to the number of months the unit will be in operation.
On the other hand, small units are more difficult to supervise and are
slower in their work. In general, it has been found that for rural
counties the optimum size for field units is from two to four workers;
in urban counties larger units will be needed. For qualifications of
field workers, see paragraph 7, above.
30. Each field worker should be supplied with a check list of
records as described in paragraph 24, above, and a manual, prepared
by the project, which will provide specific instructions covering all
phases of public records field work. Such a manual should cover pro¬
cedures as well as standards. That is, it should not only indicate
what is wanted on forms 10HR and 12-13HR and other reports of field
workers, but should give specific instructions as to how to get the
desired information and the best methods to use in meeting the various
A1416
- 22 -
concrete problems which actually arise in the survey of public records
in the particular State. Suggestions given in paragraphs 33 - 57 of this
circular may be incorporatod into such a manual. Manuals already in use
xirhich have been approved by the Director of Historical Records Survey
Projects and which have proven satisfactory in use may be retained. All
future manuals or technical instructions mimeographed or otherwise
duplicated for general distribution to project personnel should have the
prior approval of the Director of Historical Records Survey Projects.
Supervision
31. Supervision of field units should be maintained by one or more
field supervisors and by a certified foreman in each unit. On very small
projects the State Supervisor may act as field supervisor, but on larger
projects there should be a separate supervisor whose sole responsibility
is the proper conduct of field work. If the size of the project warrants
it, such a field supervisor may have one or more assistants who operate
from the State office, or a field supervisor may be appointed for each
district. Each field unit should receive from one to three visits of
2 hours or more a month, preferably without prior notice. Per qualifica¬
tions of field supervisors, see paragraph 6, above.
32. The best worker in each field unit should be appointed as fore¬
man and should be charged with the daily supervision of the unit and
with directing and reviewing the work of the other workers in the unit.
¥here it is administratively feasible, it is often desirable to use an
experienced worker from another unit as the foreman, at least temporarily,
A1416 - 23 -
of a new unit.
Use of WPA Form 1QHR.
33. When a unit has been opened, the first step in beginning the
survey of the archives of a governmental agency is to prepare Buildings
Forms (10HR) covering all the space occupied by the agency or its records.
The WPA Form 10ER with attachments should constitute an accurate and de¬
tailed report on the location and storage condition of records and is
basically important to the rest of the survey. Especial care should
be taken with its preparation, and a field supervisor should review
each form with its attachments by personal inspection of the buildings
covered.
34. Page 1 of WPA Form 10KR should be filled out for oach building
in which offices or records of the agency are housed. The form is
almost entirely self explanatory, but a few comments may be made. Under
item 1 should be listed all the offices or subdivisions of offices which
have office snace in the building regardless of whether they have records
housed there. If a carefully prepared and clearly marked floor plan
is included, item 3 may be omitted. Under item 3 the date of construction
should be taken from some authentic written record, such as the corner¬
stone of the building, the minutes of the board of county commissioners,
cr a contemporary newspaper account, and the source should be indicated
on the form. "Material of which constructed" means not the outer walls
alone, but also the materials used in flooring, stairways, roofing, in¬
terior walls, and all other parts of the building. Dimensions should
be taken from a blueprint or from actual measurement; they must not be
guessed at. Instead of describing the plan of the building, the worker
A1416
- 24
should attach a floor plan as described below. The statement as to
the degree to which the building is fireproof should not be based on
the worker's own estimate, but should be based on the fire insurance
rating or other authoritative source of information; the source used
should be indicated. If there lias been any serious damage to the
building, it should be described under item 4 in minute detail, with
special reference to any destruction of or damage to records; an addi¬
tional, attached sheet should be used if necessary. To WPA Form 10HB.
should be attached a floor plan of each floor of the building indicating
the name and number of each room and the office or offices using it.
These floor plans need not bo drawn to scale, but all measurements
should be indicated on them so that from them accurate scale drawings
can be constructed.
35. A separate page 2 of WPA Form 10HR should be filled out for
each room in the building for which page 1 has been prepared which is
used for office space or records storage. The room should be suffi¬
ciently described on the heading of the form so that it can be easily
identified on the floor plan. Dimensions and other measurements should
be precise. The linear footage of records called for in item 5 should
be measured with especial care so that they will check with the totals
of linear footage indicated on 12-13HR forms prepared for record series
in the room. If the records of more than one office are in the room,
the linear footages under item 5 should be broken down by office so
that the percentages called for under item 9 can be given accurately.
A1416
- 25 -
Any conditions such as those referred to in items 3, 6, and 7, or any
other conditions, such as fire hazards, silver fish, or direct sunlight
which impede the use of or endanger the records should "be described in
specific detail on an attached sheet; in the description the use of such
generalities as "The storage condition of the records is poor" or "The
records are in bad shape and dirty" should be avoided.
Arrangement and Rehabilitation of Records
36. As information is collected for the OTA Forms 10HR, storage
conditions of records remediable by project workers should be noted,
and before the actual survey of the records is begun, arrangements should
be made with the appropriate county officials for such work in cleaning,
arranging, and rehabilitating the records as may be needed to secure an
adequate survey. This work should have as its minimum objectives re¬
moving to safer storage space records which are subject to serious
hazards from fire, dampness, vermin, or other destructive conditions;
shelving in orderly series volumes which are not shelved; placing in
logical order in file drawers or other containers loose papers; end
cleaning records which are so dusty as to be difficult to use. The
separation into series and proper arrangement within series of unrelated
papers in "miscellaneous" files should be undertaken with the approval
of the custodian. If, as a result of any arranging and rehabilitation
6f records, the conditions described on OTA Form 10HR have been changed,
a revised OTA Form 10ER should be prepared.
37. The more detailed arrangement of records, as, for instance,
the arrangement of civil papers by cane number or the refiling of all
A1416
- 26 -
pfrobate papers "by estate, which is not directly related to the in¬
ventory proper of public records, can often be most economically operated
as a mart of the work in the rehabilitation of records undertaken by
Historical Records Survey projects. The prosecution of this type of
arrangement by Historical Records Survey projects is encouraged provided
that the placing of employees on this type of large-scale arrangement
of records constitutes additional assignments for that purpose, that
the employees are not diverted from the inventory of public records,
that adequate sponsors' contributions are secured, and that proper
safeguards are provided to insure the validity of the system of ar¬
rangement adopted and the accuracy with which it is carried out.
Projects in which detailed arrangement of this type is contemplated
as an important activity should include very thorough documentation
on this point in the project proposal.
Physical Inventory
38. After any arrangement and rehabilitation of records undertaken
is completed, the workers should make a preliminary physical inventory
of the records of the agency. This should consist of a list of the
number of volumes and the number of each different type of containers
of unbound records in each room. This should be made with great care,
and a field supervisor should check the physical inventory to make sure
that all records have been covered, including those in attics and base¬
ments of courthouses and other out-of-the-way places. This physical
inventory will be used as a check on the rate of progress of the field
workers and the completeness of the inventory. If no considerable
amount of filing and rearranging is to bo undertaken, the preliminary
A1416
- 27 -
physical inventory may "be iaad.0 at the same time that WPA Forms 10HR
arc being prepared.
Use of WPA Form 13-13HR
39. Field workers should then begin the preparation of a 12-13HR
form for each scries of records of the agency. A "series" is difficult
to define, but may be considered for the purposes of the inventory as
any group of volumes or containers containing records of substantially
similar content and use. A rough but generally workable mle-of-thumb
for determining whether two or more volumes or containers belong in one
series and should be reported on one form is to have the worker ascertain
whether two or more separate volumes or file drawers are used because
different records go in each, or simply because the quantity of the
record is too large for one volume or file drawer to contain it.
That is, if the records in two or more volumes or containers would have
been kept in one volume or container if it had been large enough to
hold them, the volumes or containers generally constitute only one
series and should be reported on only one form.
40. The succeeding paragraphs, 41-56, give instructions for the
filling out of 12-13HH forms. These instructions are intended only as
suggestions and, as long as essential information is secured, may be
modified to suit local situations.
41. The spaces at the top of each form shall be filled in with
the worker's name, the date the form was prepared, and the form
identification number. The first name or initials of the worker '
should be included as well as the last name.
A1416
- 28 -
42. Holding. In tlio bonding of a form should be given the county
and State in which the records arc located, the name of the agency or
office whose records they are, and the address of the head of that office.
If records were originally those of a certain office and were later trans¬
ferred to another office because of the abolition of the first office
or for other reasons, you should give under "Name of Agency or Office"
both the office which originally had the records and the office which
now has them, indicating which is which. Please note that this does
not apply to reports or correspondence written from one office to another,
as such documents are records of the office which received them even
though they were prepared in another office, but that it applies only
to bodily transfers of files of one agency to another. Eor large de¬
partments with separately organised subdivisions, give both the name of
the office and that of the subdivision. Examples: "Department of Rev¬
enue, Income Tax Division"; or "Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statis¬
tics." The address given as the last item in the heading should be that
of the head of the department, or, if a subdivision is indicated, of
the head of the subdivision. This mas'- or may not be the same as the
location of the records themselves.
45. Item 1. Title. If any volume or file box in a series has any¬
thing which may serve to identify the series written on the outside, the
writing which appears on the latest volume or file box shall be given as
the title of the series, and should be written exactly as it appears on
the volume or file box, even though there may be errors in spelling and
punctuation end even though it may not accurately describe the contents
of the series. Dashes to show where lines end will be the only punctuatior
A1416
- 29 -
change allowed. If the latest volume or file box lias no title on the
outside, enter that vhicli appears on the latest volume or file box which
docs have a title. This is known as an exact title and must always be
enclosed in quotations. If the exact title inadequately or inaccurately
indicates the contents of the series on explanatory title may be added
in brackets. The explanatory title may be an entirely new title or may
be merely words added to the exact title.
Examples: "Auditor's Reports" (Minutes of the Alcoholic Beverage
Control Board)
"Judgment Docket" (and Bills of Costs)
If none of the volumes or file drawers have any title on the outside,
assign a title which adequately indicates the contents of the series.
Such assigned titles must always be enclosed in brackets. If the title
on the outside of the volumes or file drawers varies at all, add the
words "Title varies" and indicate the title variations on the supple¬
mentary sheet which will be described later. If any of the volumes
or file drawers have no title, give the number which do not and their
dates.
44. Item 2. Dates. Give the beginning and ending dates of the
series, connected by a hyphen. If possible give month and day as well
as year of each. If there aro any gaps in the series, indicate then thus:
"Jan. 10, 1895-Aug. 15, 1910; Sept. 15, 1925-Aug. 17, 1936." If a record
is currently kept, use a dash instead of the closing date, thus: "1925—."
Some records have entries made in them only rarely and there may be found
some records which arc currently kept but which happen not to have had
an entry made or a paper filed in then during the preceding year. Suppose,
for instance, there is a record of appointments of Justices of the Supreme
A1416
- 30 -
Court which is currently kept, hut which has had no record entered
in it since 1935, because no Justice had been appointed since that
date. The dates of siich a series would bo indicated as follows:
"Jan 10, 1875—. Last entry made July 22, 1935."
45. Item 3. Quantity. Under this item give the number of volumes,
file drawers, file bones, bundles, or other containers in which the
record is kept. Distinguish carefully between file drawers, which fit
into a cabinet, and separate, detached file boxes. If the record is in
more than one type of container, indicate the dates of each. If the
record is unbound give a close estimate of the total number of indi¬
vidual documents as well as the number of containers. This estimate
should be made separately for each container, as two containers of
the same size may hold a widely different number of documents. Examples
of description of quantity follow:
5 volumes
1,135 certificates in 2 file drawers
5 volures (1861-99) and 200 reports in 3 file drawers
(1900—)
46. Item 4. Labeling. A label as distinguished from a title may
be most easily defined as any mark or device which is usod to distinguish
any volume or file box or other container from other volumes or file boxes
or containers in the sane series of records.. Labeling may be of two kinds
The volumes or file boxes nay be numbered or lettered in scries, the
first volume being no. 1, the second no. 2, and the third no, 3, and
so on, or the first lettered A, the second B, the third C, and so on.
In such cases, say "Lettered A-K," or "Numbered 1-5." If two or more
systems of labeling are used in the same series, be sure to indicate the
A1416
- 31 -
number of volunes or filo "boxes and tho dates covered "by each. If part
of the volunes or filo boxes are labeled and the others arc not, indicate
the dates for which they are labeled end the dates for which they are not
labeled as well as the number of .labeled and the number of unlabeled vol¬
umes or file boxes. Tho second method of labeling is used to indicate
the dates covered by a volume or file box in chronologically arranged
series or tho portion of the alphabet covered by a volume or file box
of alphabetically arranged scries. For instance, all of the filo boxes
nay have the title "Correspondence and Reports," but tho first file box
night bo labeled "January 1, 1915-June 30, 1919," the second "July 1,
1919-Dooonber 31, 1925," and so on. In such cases the labeling nay bo
described by the word "Da,ted," or, in case of an alphabetical labeling,
"Labeled by contained letters of alphabet." If the record is in nore
than one typo of container, indicate separately the labeling of each type,
thus: "5 volumes (1861-99), lettered A--E; 3 filo drawers (1900—), dated."
47. Itcn 5. Discontinued and Missing Records. Under this iton,
attenpt to explain why the record is no longer kept if it is not current
and why any gaps exist if gaps are found. Any one of several explana¬
tions nay exist for discontinued and nissing roocrds: tho offices nay
no longer carry on tho particular work which necessitated the keeping
of the record; the sane information nay now bo kept in another record;
the nissing portion of the record nay have been lost or destroyed.
Every effort should bo nadc by examination of the records and by con¬
ference with officials of the office to explain the discontinuance
11416
- 32 -
of any record or the existence of any gap. The source fron which the
explanation was secured should "be given. The explanations should "bo
full; the simple words "discontinued" or "destroyed" arc inadequate.
^8. Item 6. Contents: This is the nest difficult as well as the
most important item of the form to fill out properly. Sear always in
mind that a description of contents must answer the following four
questions:
a. What is the exact nature of the record? For example:
"Original "bonds," "duplicates of licenses," "duplicates of
certificates issued," "stubs of receipts issued," "register of,"
"journal of."
b. What typos Of things go in tho record? To say that a
record consists of minutes or ledgers or bonds means little
unless we know what classes of things are entered or filed in
it. For instance, vc need to say that the record is
"Minutes of sessions of the Council of Statoj1" or
"Aledger of funds appropriated for State prison camps." or
"Bonds of private -prosecutors of criminal actions."
c. What is the record used for? Example:
"Bonds posted by private prosecutors of criminal actions
to insure _payment of costs in event of acquittal of de¬
fendant ."
"Monthly summaries of sales of alcoholic beverages,
usod in compiling quarterly reports to Stato Board of
Alcoholic Control."
A1416
- 33 -
Often the purpose of such a record as the minutes of a "body
or a coxrespondence file is so clear that no indication of the
purpose is necessary on the form.
d. What does the record show? ^hat is, what information
does that record give about each item entered? Examples:
"Bonds posted by private prosecutors of criminal actions
to insure payment of costs in event of acquittal, show¬
ing session of court, name of defendant, offense with
which charged, amount of bond, signatures of "prosecutor
and bondsman, and date."
"Monthly summaries of sales of alcoholic beverages, Form
S-102, used in compiling quarterly reports to State
Board of Alcoholic Control, showing for each brand quan¬
tity sold and receipts from sales."
"Reports on sanitary ratings of barber shops, used in
compiling State-wide register, showing name of shop,
address, number of chairs, number of employees, name of
manager, number of license, name and registration number
of each employee, sanitary grade given by inspector."
If the record is written on printed forms or in columns with
printed heads, this information can often be given by copying
the columnar headings. Care should be taken, however, to see that
the record really does give the information indicated by the headings.
If the nature of the information given by the record has changed
from time to time, indicate the changes and their dates. For
example:
A1416
— 34 —
Rccord of marringos porformcd in Wake County, showing
namo and age of bride and groom, piece and dato of
marriage, and name of officiating clergyman or magis-
trato; aftor 1868 shows also names of three witnesses.
49. Contents: Suggestions for Special Types of Records.
Records on printed forms. In describing contents, give the
title and number of the form, list the questions or items on the form,
and if possible, attach a blank copy of the printed form.
Records arranged in columns. Include as a part of the descrip¬
tion the columnar headings, if these headings are actually used.
Minutes. Tell whether the body met daily, weekly, monthly, or
irregularly, and indicate in some detail the various business handled
by the body and the various types of information recorded in the min¬
utes. Minutes often include various ether kinds of records such as
reports of officers, recorded in full in the minutes, registers of
appointments made, and the like. Keep a careful lookout for such
separate contained records and doscribe them in the manner indicated
in paragraph 50.
Correspondence. Always indicate whether the file includes
incoming or outgoing correspondence; whether it includes all corres¬
pondence of the office, or only that relating to one or more specific
subjects; and the classes of persons with whom correspondence is
carried on, by an explanation such as "correspondence with heads of
State Departments," "correspondence with persons seeking adjustment
of tax assessments."
Reports. Always indicate the office making the report and
the office to which it is made; whether the report is made daily,
A1416
- 35 -
weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly, or irregularly; whether the report
is the original, duplicate, or triplicate; and the t7/pos of information
given in the report. Reports are usually made in more than one copy;
if possible, tell whore the other copies are located. For instance,
"Originals of reports from county "boards to the State Alcoholic Bever¬
age Control Board, made in three copies. The duplicate is filed in
the Attorney General's office, and the triplicate is retained by the
county board."
Account Books. Be sure to state whether they are ledgers,
journals, cash books, or some other type; tell what classes of trans¬
actions are included in the account books; and give the headings of
all columns.
50. Contents. Contained Records. Often two or more distinct
records will be kept in one volume or records container. Sometimes
there will be a basic record with secondary records incidentally
included. Examples might be the minutes of a board of county com¬
missioners containing a record of cattle marks and brands in the back
of the book, or a correspondence file which happened to contain two
or throe folders of carbon copies of receipts issued. In other cases
there is no basic or principal record, but merely a number of distinct
types of records kept together in one file drawer or volume. The most
common example is the miscellaneous or general file found in many
offices. When a series is encountered which contains two or more
different records, describe the principal record, if any, in the
usual way; then state "ALso contains:" and list the various other
records, assigning each a number and showing the date and content of
A1416
- 33 -
each. If there is no principal or basic record, simply give the
numbered list of records contained. Examples:
/With a basic record/
"Minutes of monthly meetings of board of county commissioners,
1890-1900, shearing date and place of meetings, members present,
and business transacted, including approval of annual budget,
fixing of tax rate, appointment of county officials, and
approval of appropriations from county funds. Also contains:
1. Record of marks and brands, 1895-1908, showing all
brands and marks for cattle registered in county, with date
and name of owner.
2. Record of marriages, 1893-97, showing names of bride
and groom, place and date of marriage, and name of clergy¬
man or magistrate performing ceremony."
/Without a basic record/
"General files, including:
1. Workers' weekly reports, Feb. 1, 1936—, showing
name and address of worker, hours worked each day, and
statistical summary of work accomplished.
2. Purchase records, July 1, 1938—, including re¬
quisitions, invitations to bid, purchase orders, and
receiving and inspection reports.
3. Field supervisor's weekly reports, Jan. 1, 1931-
Aug. 31, 1939, showing number of workers, number of man-
hours, and number forms received for each phase of project
operation.
4. Project time reports, Fob. 15, 1936—, showing
date; name, classification, and wage rate of each worker;
hours worked each day; total hours worked; and total
amount due.
51. Item 7. Arrangement. Be careful to describe the arrangement
of entries in a volume or papers in a file in detail. Do not say merely
that entries arc arranged chronologically, numerically, or alphabeti¬
cally, but also indicate by what, as,for instance: "Arranged alphabetically
by name of correspondent.» "Arranged chronologically by date of filing."
A1416
- 37 -
Frequently a record has two systems of arrangement, that is, papers
may he divided according to some principle of arrangement and then
arranged within the group hy another principle. Such double arrange¬
ments should he indicated thus: "Arranged alphabetically hy name of
correspondent and chronological1y under each correspondent." "Arranged
chronologically hy month in which filed and alphabetically by county
within each month." If the system of arrangement varies, describe
each system and give the dates for which it was used. If a set of files
has no arrangement which is apparent, say "No obvious arrangement."
See also paragraphs 85-88, below.
52. Item 8. Indexing. A record may contain an index within itself
or it may be indexed by another volume or volumes. In either case
describe the index carefully under Item 8. If the index is in another
volume or set of volumes, fill out a separate form for it and give the
title and form identification number for the index under Item 8 of the
form for the record which is indexed. Be sure to describe an index
exactly. For instance, a record of marriages might be indexed by the
name of the groom only, or by the name of the bride only, or by both,
and the description of the indexing should state clearly which is the
case. Indicate whether the arrangement is strictly alphabetical, or
by the first letter of the surname only. If there is no index, be sure
to state this. See also instructions for describing indexes in entries
in paragraphs 89-94, below.
53. Item 9. Writing. Indicate under this item the method of
recording used for the record as indicated in the instructions given
11416
- 38 -
in parentheses on the form under the lines for this item. Grive the
dates for which each type of recording is used. For instance, "Hand¬
written, 1875-1910, typed, 1910-." Carton copies may "be described under
this item simply as "Typed"; the statement as to whether the record is
an original or carton copy should te treated under Item 6. Distinguish
between printed forrns in which blank items are filled in by typewriter
or hand and printed heads which are columnar records with the column
headings printed.
54* Item 10. Size. Enter here the size of the volume or file box
in inches, giving the dimensions always in the following order: Top to
bottom, left to right, front to back. For the purpose of determining
the order in which to give the dimensions of a book under these in¬
structions, imagine that the book is standing upright facing the worker
with the spine to the left. Thus, for a book there will be given first
the height of the book, then its width, then its thickness, -t is im¬
portant always to show this order. In addition, give the number of pages
in the volume, exactly if the pages are numbered, as closely as can be
estimated, if they are not. If only a small part of the pages has been
used, indicate in addition the number that have been so used. If both
sides of each loaf are written on, or arc to be written on, count each
leaf or sheet as two pages; if only one side is written on, count each
leaf as only one page. If there is more than one volume, file box, or
other container in the series and they are all of approximately the same
size, give the average size. If they vary widely as to size, give the
A1416
- 39 -
average size of each group of volumes or containers of about the same
size, and then indicate the number of volumes or file boxes in oach
group as follows: "5 vols, average 8 x 10 x 3; 3 vols, average
12 x 14 x 2^."
55. Item 11. location by Dates and Quantities. Give hero the
building and room number and a sufficiently exact description of the
location within the room to enable anyone to find the record easily.
If all of the records are not in the sane place, give the location of
each group of volumes or file boxes and tho number and dates of the
volumes or file boxes in each place, as follows: "State Board of Health
Building; 5 vols., 1875-1910, in southwest corner of room no. 4, base¬
ment; 3 vols., 1910—, on shelf against north wall of room no. 312."
56. Item 12. Other Information. This item is used to describe the
condition of the record if not good and its relation to other records
and to give any other information necessary to get a completely accurate
picture of the situation. It is not necessary to mention the condition
of the record if it is good; but if tho ink has faded, if a binding is
loose, if the paper has been torn, or if the record has any other defect
wheih makes it difficult to use, describe this in detail. If no state¬
ment is made to tho contrary, the record will be assumed to be in good
condition. So far as possible describe tho record in relation to other
records in the office or to other offices. Bor instance, after a certain
date papers may be transferred from one file to another; one record nay
be a compilation or summary of another record; information similar to that con¬
tained in one record may be present in-another record] the same information
A 1416
- 40 -
for earlier or 3.ater dates may be given in other records. All such
relations should be described in detail. When referring to another series,
give the exact title and the number of the 12-1.3KR form if one has been
filled out.
Supplemental Sheets
57. It has been found highly advisable on most projects to have the
worker attach to each 12-13ER form which covers a series of more than one
volume or container a supplemental sheet giving a volume-by-volume or
container-by-container breakdown of certain items of information given on
the form. The use of this supplemental sheet, while not mandatory, is
strongly recommended. The sheet should be ruled into three columns. In
the first should be given all writing which appears on the outside of the
volume, whether title or label; in the second should be given the exact
dates of the basic record in the volume or container; in the third should
be noted any variations in the content of the volume or container from
that of the series as a whole and the dates of any variant or contained
records. Example:
1
2
3.
Variations from content
as shown by item 6 of 12-
Writing on volume or file box Dates of contents I3HR form
"FIELD REPTS, 1913"
"FIELD REPORTS, A-Z, 1910-11"
1913
1010-12
Includes also one bundle
of correspondence between
chairman of Alcoholic Bev¬
erages Control Board and
vhiskey distilling com¬
panies, 1015-16.
Same as item 6 of 12-13HR
form, except letters of
transmittal are not
attached to the reports
in this file.
"REPORTS FROM FIELD INSPECTORS"
1914
Ho variations from item
6 of 12-13HR form.
A1416
- 41 -
Review and Recheck of Forms
58. Various methods of form review and recheck are used in the
various States. Those described below have been found generally the
most satisfactory, but they may be modified if necessary. Forms should
be submitted at regular intervals, daily or weekly, by the unit foreman
to the field supervisor in the district office or the State office who
has charge of the unit. The field supervisor should review them
promptly end return those which arc unsatisfactory with comments and
explanations. This review should include checking the form against
data on the supplemental sheet. Adequate instructions should be given
to prevent the recurrence of types of errors encountered. As each form
is accepted by the field supervisor, whether an initially submitted or
after revision, the form should be filed and the number of volumes or
containers should be checked off against the physical inventory.
59. When all the forms for a given governmental a.gency (State
department or institution, county, or municipality) have been accepted,
the field supervisor (on some projects this has been made a function of
the chief public records editor) should review the entire file of forms
to determine'whether all legally required records have been reported
and whether nil records included in the physical inventory have been covered,
to combine forms and insert cross references when necessary, and to pass
on all the forms in relation to each other. This review of the entire
file should take place in the field if possible, where constant reference
can be made to the records themselves. If this is impracticable, all
forms which appear questionable after this review should be taken back
A1416 - 42 -
to the county or other agency and checked against the records. Also
9, number of apparently satisfactory forms sufficient to provide an
adequate spot-check should be taken back and checked carefully item-
by-item against the records. This should also be done with forms for
especially old or important records. It is recommended in the case
of county or municipal archives that this final review by the field
supervisor wait until all forms have boon received from all the offices
of the county or municipality; but some State supervisors may prefer
to give a final review to the forms for each office as it is completed.
60. When the field supervisor has completed the review of the
forms for a governmental agency and is satisfied of the completeness
and accuracy of the survey, the file of forms, arranged in the approxi¬
mate order in which thoy will appear in the inventory, should be turned
over to the public records editor for entry writing.
D. Preparation of Entry Drafts
General
61. Erom the file of forms turned over to the public records
editor by the field supervisors will be prepared the entries describing
the records of the governmental agency for which the inventory is being
prepared. These entries, properly arranged, numbered, and cross-referenced,
constitute an entry draft. The method of preparing an entry draft is
the same, regardless of whether the inventory is of county, State
municipal, or other public archives. The complete inventory is created
from the entry draft by tho addition of the essay and other material
appropriate to the particular type of inventory, as indicated in later
sections of this circular.
A1416 - 43 -
62. Certified entry writers should prepare the entries on
cards or slips, which should he clipped to their respective forms.
In drafting the entries, the entry writers should use not only the
form, hut also the attached supplemental sheet, as a check on titles,
labeling, and contained records. Instructions for the form of entries
follow, in paragraphs 53-101.
Form of Entries - Title Line or First Paragraph
The following items should be included in the title line, in the
sequence given:
63. Entry Ilurnber. The entry number is the first item in an entry
and is followed by a period and two spaces. For indentation, see para¬
graph 136.
64. Title. The current or most recent title of a record should
be used as the entry title. An exact title should be written in solid
capitals. In the absence of a record title, a descriptive title should
be assigned, which should be written in solid capitals and enclosed in
parentheses or brackets. In case an exact title is not descriptive or
needs e:xplanation, an explanatory title should be added, which should
be enclosed in parentheses and written with initial capitals. The ex¬
planatory title may precede, follow, or be given within the exact title.
Example: "ORDERS OF SHB(stitution) AlfD DISCOLT(inuation)." If a mis¬
spelled word appears in a record title, it should be retained in the
entry title, followed by "sic" enclosed in parentheses or brackets. If
in addition to the main title there are subtitles, this fact should be
indicated. See paragraph 80, bolow. A comma should follow the entry
A1416
- 44 -
title, with one space intervening between it and the date item.
65. Dates. The inclusive dates of all records in the containers
considered in an entry (or in the case of an artificial entry, the
inclusive dates of the records series) should be given as the date
item, which should be followed by a period and two spaces. On page
95 of the Government Style Manual (1935 and 1939 editions) the proper
form for writing dates is shown. When the beginning and ending dates
of a record are in the same century, the first two digits of the closing
year should bo omitted. If the first or last date is the last year of
a century, e.g., 1800, 1900, all four digits should be shown in the
closing date, as 1900-1930. Only a hyphen or dash without spaces should
separate the two sets of figures: -for example, 1856-95, not 1856 - 95.
If a record is ciirrent, the beginning date should be followed by a dash
or two hyphens, as 1875—. A period follows the dash (the "current"
symbol) only at the end of a sentence. If both the opening and closing
dates are within the first nine years of a century, only the last digit
of the closing year need be given, as 1901-5. In case some of the records
are missing, the dates may be broken down into inclusive dates of the
records which are not missing, thus "1835-46, 1872-93, 1897—." This
date item would indicate that the records for 1847-71 and 1894-96 are
missing. The concluding date even of an annual series should not be
stated unless the record has actually been discontinued. The exact
month and day should bo given in the date item when known, in the
following manner: "June 10, 1894-April 25, 1896." If the exact date
is given for either the opening or the closing date, it must be given
for both. When a record is undated and approximate dates are given,
A1416 - 45 -
the abbreviation, "approx." should precede the dates. When approximate
dates cannot be ascertained, undated should appear a,s the date item.
Such cases will be rare, however. The date item of an entry covering
transcriptions should cover the dates of the records transcribed, and
not the date or dates of transcription. For example, records dating
1850-1900 might have been transcribed in 1903. The date item of the
entry on the transcripts shxruld be 1850-1900, and the words "Transcribed
1903" should follow the labeling item. A period and two spaces follow
the date item before information on quantity is given.
66. Quantity. This item should show the number of volumes, file
drawers, file boxes, bundles, or other containers in which the record
is kept* The quantity of unbound records should be stated in terms of
file boxes or file drawers rather than file cabinets, since cabinets do
not contain a uniform number of drawers. If the number of individual
documents in a container is indicated, the quantity in terms of containers
should not be obscured. For example, the statement should be "14 papers
in 1 bundle" and not "14 papers, 1 bundle," unless one actually means
that there are 14 loose documents in addition to one bundle. If two
or more types of containers are considered in an entry, the portions of
the quantity item should be arranged in chronological order, insofar
as feasible. For example, if file boxes containing records for 1860-90,
1930—, bundles containing records for 1890-1900, and file drawers con¬
taining records for 1901-30 are considered in an entry, the quantity
item should be arranged in the sequence of file boxes, bundles, file
drawers.
A1416 - 46 -
67. If an office has two sets of the same record, one of which is
an exact duplicate for the entire period during which the record was
kept or for a part of that time, unless the two sets serve different
purposes, they should be combined in one entry, as "43 vols, and dupli¬
cate set." If a record is duplicated for part of the time, show this as
follows: "12 vols, and 1 duplicate vol., 1850-90." However, such
exact duplicates should be sharply distinguished from concurrent sets
of original instruments and the recording thereof, and between first
recordings and subsequent transcriptions. In other words, duplicate
records are records which arc made simultaneously.
68. A period follows the quantity item before labeling only if an
abbreviation is used in designating the container. Even then, only one
space intervenes between the period end the opening parenthesis of the
labeling item, as "6 vols. (l-6)"or "3 cartons (dated)."
69. Labeling. Labeling should always be given, even though the
scries consists of only one or two volumes. If none of the containers
in a series is labeled, no comment need be made. If the labeling of
a record series is so complex and difficult to describe that a break¬
down of the scries for this purpose would require an unreasonable
amount of space, it is sufficient to say merely "labeling varies."
70. Labeling may be of two kinds: Serial or by contents. The
containers may be numbered or lettered in series, as where the first
volume is numbered 1, the second 2, the third 3, and so on, or the
A1416
- 47 -
first lettered A, the second B, the third C, and so on. In such
cases, the labeling and quantity should he shown as follows: "6 f. b.
(1-6), 4 vols. (A-D)." The method of labeling by contents is used to
indicate the chronological, alphabetical, or numerical content of con¬
tainers. For instance, all of the file boxes in a series may have the
title "Correspondence and Reports," but the first file box might be
labeled "1915-19," the second "1930-30," and so on, the labeling indi¬
cating the chronological contents of the containers. In such cases,
the labeling should be described by the word "dated." If letters used
as labeling are indicative of the alphabetical contents of the various
containers, the expression "labeled by contained letters of alphabet"
should be used. Similarly, there might be labeling by contained subject
matter, as "16 f. d. (labeled alph. by contained subjects, Applications -
Zoning Permits)." Frequently numbers appearing as labeling indicate the
numerical contents of such containers as case files, order books, war¬
rants, etc. In such cases the labeling should be shown as follows:
"labeled by contained case nos." The quantity and ia.beling in an entry
might be shown as follows: "16 f. d. (labeled by contained check nos.)."
71. Labeling should always be given in chronological order, and if
two or more types of containers are considered in an entry, the informa¬
tion on labeling should follow the quantity to which it applies. For
example, if 5 bundles and 10 file drawers, all of which are dated, are
considered in an entry, the quantity and labeling should be given as
follows: "5 bdls., 10 f. d. (dated)," which means that ail containers
A1416
- 48 -
are dated. However, if there are different types of containers end only
one type is labeled, the labeling and absence of labeling should be
shown as follows: "3 file drawers (unlabeled), 2 bundles (dated)."
72. When one type of container has two or more different styles
of labeling, each style should be shown, in chronological order, as
"30 vols. (A-Z, 1-4)." If part of a series is labeled and part is not,
the labeling and lack of labeling should be shown in chronological order,
as "30 vols. (10 vols, unlabeled; 1-20)."
73. Where two or more types of containers are considered in an
entry and the labeling is complex, the information on tho quantity of
records should all be given together. The description of the labeling
should be placed in a separate paragraph in parentheses, with the first
line indented two spaces more than the initial letter of the record
title, and with the remaining lines indented the same as the initial
letter of the record title. In such cases, information as to missing
records and variations in title should precede the separate paragraph
on labeling. Where there is no such separate paragraph, this information
appears at the end of the title line.
74. A period and two spaces follow the closing parenthesis used
in the labeling item before additional information is given in the title
line.
75. Missing and/or Discontinued Records. When it is necessary to
explain the absence of records for a period antedating the beginning date
as given in the date item or subsequent to the closing date as given in
that item, the explanation should appear as a separate item in the title
A1416
- 40 -
line. Tor example: "Records prior to 1906 destroyed in courthouse
fire." This explanation should "be in addition to any required title-
line cress references. It may "be assumed that a record series should
cover the entire period between the enactment and the repeal of the law
requiring it to be kept. However, if it does not cover the entire period,
it should rot be stated that records are missing until it is definitely
established that the recoid was set up as soon as required by the statute
and continued until the repealing statute went into effect. In other
v/ords, "missing" should be used only to indicate the absence of records
which have actually existed. If a broken date item indicates the absence
of records for certain years, it is not necessary to repeat this informa¬
tion in a separate statement on missing records, unless specific information
can be given as to why the records arc missing, as, for example, "Destroyed
by fire," or "Destroyed by flood."
76. It should not be sta.ted that a record is discontinued if cross
reference is made to subsequent records. Only when you have definite
evidence that the series was discontinued at the closing date shown
for the extant records should the word "Discontinued" be used. If a
record is discontinued as a. county record and subsequently kept by some
State agency, such information should be shown, as, for example,
"Discontinued as county record 1904; subsequent records kept by Stc.te
Highway D xpartment."
77. In any case, where it is necessary to show that records are
inaccessible or closed to the public, the information should be given
A1416
- 50 -
in the title .line in the position which information on missing records
or discontinuance ordinarily occupies.
78. A period and two spaces should follow the statement on dis¬
continuance before subsequent title line information is given.
79- Last Entry. If a record is still open but has had no recent
entries in it, the information should be shown in the following manner:
"Last entry Feb. 11, 1927." In such a case, the date item of the entry-
should indicate that the record is current. In the case of unbound rec¬
ords, the expression "Last paper filed Feb. 11, 1927" should be used,
or a more specific term, may be substituted for "paper." A similar
situation is presented in the caso of a volume villich contains only one
or two entries, which situation should be called to the attention of the
reader. Such information might take the following form: "Ho entries
except on Jan. 30, 1935." A period ana two spaces should intervene be¬
tween this and subsequent title-line information.
80. Subtitles. If in addition to the main title records carry
subtitles, this information should be shown. For example, a record
titled "Contagious Diseases" might bo subtitled by names of diseases.
This means that one or more containers are devoted to one type of dis¬
ease, others to another, and so on. Instead of showing the specific
subtitles, it is sufficient to say "Subtitled by names of ."
81. Variant Titles. As stated above, the current or most recent
title of a record series should be used as the entry title. Significant
variations in title should also be indicated, with dates and Quantity.
A1416
- 51 -
Example:
170. ABSTRACT OF INDIVIDUAL LISTS AMD GRAND LIST, 1842—. 97
vcls. Title varies: Grand List, 1842-1910, 69 vols.;
Individual Lists, 1911-22, 12 vols.; Abstract List, 1923-30,
2 vols.
In case part of the records are titled and part are not, the reader
should be informed that such is the case. Example:
300. CASH 300K, 1890—. 16 vols. Untitled, 1890-1920, 10 vols.
There might be both variant titles and containers without titles, in
which case the information should be shown as follows: "Title varies:
Cash, 1890-1910, 4 vols.; untitled, 1911-20, 3 vols." Where the variations
in title are so minor as to cause no difficulty in identifying any part
of the series, it is sufficient to say: "Title varies slightly." A
period and two spaces should intervene between this item and any title-
line cross references.
82. Description of Records. The adequacy of this portion of each
entry will provide the most serious test of the utility of the inventory.
Adequate and proper descriptions of records are prerequisite to proper
classification of records, first by office and then by subject. A con¬
sideration of the nature, use, end content of records, given in the
body of an entry, is also essential in determining what constitutes a
series of records, when separate entries should be devoted to records,
and when entries should be combined. The description item of each entry
should show, in order, the nature of the record, its purpose and use
(if not obvious), and the information it contains. Entry vrriters should
be familiar with the instructions given in paragraphs 48 and 49 above
for filling in item 6 of WPA Form 12-13HR, as these are equally applicable
A1416
- 52 -
to the drafting of the description of the record in an entry.
83. Contained records. Entry writers should study the method
of reporting contained records prescribed in paragraph 50 above. The
distinction between series containing, one principal record and other
incidental records and general series of miscellaneous content made
up of two or more records should bo noted. The following principles
will apply to the reporting of contained records in entries (terns used
are defined in subsequent paragraphs):
a. Tf the series has one principal record, it will be described
separately followed by the phrase "Also contains:" and a description
of the contained records either in subentries or in body-of-entry
cross references as described below.
b. If the "contained" record (a component of a general record
of miscellaneous content or an incidental record in the series with
a principal record) has been kept for the entire period of its
existence in the one series, it is described in a subentry (see
paragraph 84), unless the contained record belongs properly under
another office than that under which the entrjr for the series is
being placed.
c. If the "contained" record has been the subject of a
separate series at any time, reference to it will be made in a
body-of-entry cross reference to the entry for that series.
d. If the "contained" record has never been the subject of
a separate series but has been kept as a "contained" record in
two or more different series or belongs under an office other than
A1416
- 53 -
that under which the entry for the series in which it is contained
is described, an "artificial entry" will be set up for the con¬
tained record and it will be described by a body-of-entry cross
reference to the artificial entry. Note that an artificial entry
is not used for a record which has always been contained in one
series unless it is necessary to place the record under its proper
office.
In preparing the initial draft of the entry from the WPA Norm 12-13HR,
however, the entry writer should describe each "contained" record in
a subentry, even though it may later be transformed to a body-of-entry
cross reference. Paragraph 84, below, describes the form of subentries.
Artificial entries and body-of-entry cross reference are treated in
further detail in paragraphs 111-122, below.
84. Subentries. Subentries set up for contained records as
described above show the nature of the contained record, its dates,
and the information it contains. Nor example:
Also contains:
i. Amortization mortgages on irrigation lands, 1921—,
showing date of instrument, names of grantor and
grantee, consideration, location and legal de¬
scription of property, agreement, signature of
grantor and notarial aclcnowledgement.
ii. Returns of writs of attachments, 1899— (Irregularly),
showing description and location of property, name
of owner, name of officer serving papers, name of
court by which issued, date returnable, name of
claimant, and amount of attachment.
iii. Tax collector's notice of, etc
A1416
- 54 -
Subentries are introduced by the phrase "Also contains:" which
follows the description of the principal record if there is one,
by some such phrase as "Miscellaneous instruments, including:" * -
if there is no principal record; they are arranged in alphabetical
order by a key or important word, inversion being used if necessary
to bring the key word to the beginning of the subentry, and are
numbered with small ronan numerals to facilitate cross references and
indexing. The first letter of subentries is indented 10 spaces beyond
the rest of the entries; the second and succeeding lines of subentries
are indented two additional spaces. If there is but one subentry fol¬
lowing a principal record no roman numeral is used and the second,
third, and succeeding lines are not indented. Letters of the alphabet
in lower case may be substituted for roman numerals if it is done con¬
sistently throughout the inventory. If there are more than 26 subentries
two letters may bo used for the subsequent ones, (example: aa, bb, cc,
dd, etc.).
85. Arrangement. A period and two spaces follow the descriptive
part of the entry before the arrangement item. Arrangement nay be
defined as the logical order or planned sequence by which items have
been entered in records; it means the internal arrangement of records
in volumes, file boxes, or other containers, and not the arrangement of
volumes on a shelf. It is important that editors carefully distinguish
arrangement from indexing. The index is located apart from the record
itself and is used as a guide in locating specific information contained
in the record. Arrangement should be clearly and specifically described.
It is not sufficient to say merely that entries are arranged chronologically,
A1416
- 55 -
numerically, or alphabetically; the kind of arrangmont should he
explained, as, for instance: "Arr. alph. hy name of correspondent."
Frequently recors have a dual arrangement; that3s papers may he
divided according to a primary principle of arrangment and then ar¬
ranged within each group hy a secondary principle. Such dual arrange¬
ment should he indicated thus: "Arr. chron. hy month in which filed
and thereunder alph. hy name of county" or "Arr. alph. hy first three
letters of defendant's surname and chron. thereunder." When the system
of arrangement of a record changes, the datos for each type of arrangement
should he indicated, as, for example: "Arr. chron. hy date of inspection,
1933-36; arr. numer. hy certificate no., 1937—." Sometimes it will ho
found that a record is arranged hoth chronologically and numerically;
one of these, however, will he hasic and should he considered as the
primary method of arrangement. For example, the docket of a court is
arranged chronologically and the cases are numbered as entered. In such
a ease, the arrangement should ho shorn as follows: "Arr. chron. hy date
of entry, with cases numbered consecutively."
86. The arrangement of all records in the containers considered
in an entry should he explained in that entry. This means that the
arrangement of all "contained" records, if there are any, should he
explained in the master entry and not in artificial entries.
87. The phrase "No obvious arr." should he used in preference
to "No arr." The latter expression precludes any sort of arrangement,
though there might he one which is not discernible to the field worker.
88. A period and two spaces follow the arrangement item before
information on indexing is given. Sec also paragraph 51, above.
A1416 - 56 -
89. Indexing. There are two types of indexing situations v/ith
which we have to deal, a self-contained index and a sepc,rate index. The
self-contained index is one which is included within the record which it
serves, in the volume with the records which it serves, or within the
file box or file drawer with the records which it serves. A separate
index is one contained in a volume or file box separate from the records
which it serves. For our purposes, a separate index should be considered
as a record series and described in an independent entry. A separate
index should be described as fully as any record; the description should
begin by citing the records served by entry titles and number; then
should bo shown the items of information which appear in the index. If
there are both direct and indirect indexes (for example, one by name
of grantor, one by name of grantee), they should be considered in separate
entries. The reference in a record entry to a separate index appears
as the regular index item of the records entry, thus, "For index, sec
entry . "
90. Indexes to records frequently have additions made daily.
This being true, a current index can not bo strictly alphabetical unless
kept on cards or on some similar device. It might be alphabetical by
first letter (first two letters, or first throe letters) of surname of
party and chronological thereunder. For example: "Indexed alph. by
first three letters of grantee's surname and chron. thereunder."
91. If a series is indexed only for a part of its existence, the
complete indexing situation should be explained. Example: "No index,
1850-70; indexed alph, by first two letters of groom's surname and chron.
A1416 - 57 -
thereunder, 1871-p" or "No index, 1850-70; for index 1871—, see entry
ii
—
92. There might be both a self-contained index and a separate index,
which -should be indicated thus: "Indexed alph. by first two letters of
groom's surname and crhon. thereunder; also separate index, entry ."
If there is a partial self-contained index and partial separate index,
complete information should be given as follows: "Indexed alph. by first
two letters of groom's surname, 18S0-90; for index 1891—, see entry ."
93. Cross reference should always be made to a separate index from
the record entry or entries served, even though the index entry immedi¬
ately follows the records entry. Also, the absence of an index should
be indicated by the use of "No index" as the index item of an entry.
94. The index item should give indexing information for all records
in the containers considered in the entry. An artificial entry does not
carry an index item.
95. A period and two spaces follow the index item before information
on manner of recording.
96. Character of the Writing. The manner in which records have
been recorded should always bo indicated, and if the manner of recording
has varied, this should be indicated, with dates. For exairrole: "Hdw.
1860-1910; typed 1911-19; typed on ptd. form 1920—." Some of the
more common types of recording are as follows: Handwritten; hand¬
written on printed form; handwritten under printed, headings; typed;
typed on printed forms. A period and two spaces follow the statement
A1416 - 58 -
on the character of writing before the next item is given. See also
paragraph 53, above.
97. Condition of the record. No mention is made in the records
entry of the physical condition of the record if the condition is good.
If it is not good, describe the physical condition of records as specifi¬
cally as possible by vise of such expressions as "Binding torn and writing
faded," "Damaged by water," "Damaged by termites," "Pages badly torn," and
"Paper brittle." If part of a series is in good condition and another part
is not, it is sufficient to show information regarding the records not
in good condition, as "Condition poor, 1862-69, 2 vols." A period and
two spaces follow this item before the dimensions are given.
98. Dimensions. If the quantity of records is expressed in terms
of volumes, the number of pages or average number, followed,by the di¬
mensions, given in the sequence of height, width, and thickness, should
appear as the dimensions item. Por example: "300 pp. 12 x 9 x 2" or
"Aver. 200 pp. 12 x 9 x lu." Attention is called to the fact that only
one space intervenes between the period following the abbreviation for
"pages" and the first digit of the number showing the height of the
volume or volumes. In giving the number of pages in a volume, the
actual number of pages, not the number of sheets or leaves, should be
given. For example, a volume might consist of 200 leaves but if both
sides of the leaves are used, this would mean 400 pages. If only one
side of the loaves is used, the number of pages would bo the same as
A141S
- 59 -
the number of leaves. If only a few pages of a volume have been used,
it is well to show this information, as, for example, "300 pp. (10 used)
14 x 10 x 2."
99. In giving the dimensions of file drawers and file boxes, the
sequence of height, width, and depth should be observed; the dimensions of
bundles should be given in the sequence of heighth, width, and length.
As stated above under Quantity, (paragraphs 63-68), the number of papers
in file drawers, or bundles, if given, should be included in the quantity
item instead of in the dimensions item.
100. Since measurements arc always given in inches, the quotation
marks used as a symbol for inches may be omitted. If the dimensions of
the volumes or containers vary greatly, the two extremes may be given.
If they vary only slightly, the average should be given. two or more
types of containers arc considered in an entry, the dimensions item
should bo arranged to correspond with the quantity item, and each set
of dimensions should be preceded by the type of container to which they
apply. Dimensions should be given for all types of containers considered
in the quantity item. Sample dimensions items: "200 pp. 12 x 8 x 2";
"300 pp. (25 used) 12 x 8 x 2-jr"; "Aver. 200 pp. 12 x 8 x 2"; "Vols. aver.
200 pp. 12 x 8 x 2; file drawers 11 x 5 x 14; bundles 4x6 x 4"; "100
to 400 pp. 12 x 8 x 2 to 16 x 10 x 4." A period, and two spaces follow
tho dimensions item before the location reference is given.
101. location. When all or the majority of the records of an
office have a common location, this information may bo given in a final
paragraph of the office essay. For example: "All the records of the
sheriff arc in his office"; or "All of the records of the sheriff are
in his office except as otherwise indicated in the entries." Only
A1416 - 60 -
entries covering records kept elsewhere should include location re¬
ferences. It is sufficient to indicate location by giving the room
or vault name or number. If a record is deposited at the home of an
official, the name and address of the official should be given. If
part of a series is in one location and part in another, the quantity
and dates in each location should be indicated, even though a common
location reference is given in the final paragraph of the office essay.
A subdivided location reference might read as follows: "1 vol., 1913-25,
strg. rm.; 1 vol., 1926—, cl. off.". The proper sequence of information
in subdivided location references is as follows: Quantity, dates, and
location.
102. Official records that have been transferred to some such
central depository as that of a department of archives or historical society
should be listed in the inventory of the records of the county, muni¬
cipality, or State Department to which they originally belonged, classified
by offices and combined in entries with other records pertaining to the
same series. The location note will show the actual physical location
of such records and indicate their custody by the archival agoncy.
Third Paragraph
103. The third paragraph will contain only third-paragraph cross
references, described below in paragraph 119.
Arrangement of Entries
104. After drafts of entries have been completed according to
the preceding instructions, they must be checked against the corre¬
sponding forms by the entry editor, arranged in proper sequence, and
A1416
- 61 -
those relating to the proper series combined. Subject heads and
subheadings will be prepared. Any necessary artificial entries
must then be written, the entries numbered, body-of-entry cross references
inserted in lieu of subentries when necessary, and other proper cross
references made. The succeeding paragraphs cover these operations.
105. The first step in the arrangement of entries is to be
sure that they are placed under the proper office. The office indicated
on the heading of the Form 12-13HR (sec paragraph 42, above) will be that
of present custody as determined by the field worker. This cannot always
be followed in arranging the entries within the inventory. Entries
should be placed under the office for which the records they describe
were created. The fact that an official is custodian of records does
not necessarily mean that they are archives of his office. For example,
the county clerk may serve as the clerk of several offices and keep
their records, but this does not. mean that they are the records of the
clerk. The records should be considered those of the offices for which
they wore made.
106. Reports made by one office to another should be listed under
the office to which the law specifies they should be made. However, if
the reporting office retains copies, they are the records of that office.
Records which originate in one office and whoso character is changed in
another office should be listed under the office which takes final action
on them or with which final deposit is made. An example of such records
is assessment rolls.
A1416 - 62 -
107. All records of a defunct office, for which a separate
section is included in the inventory (see paragraph 175, below),
should be listed under it except such items as wills, deeds, and
others which are not -per se records of proceedings of the defunct
office and which have been incorporated into the archives of the
office succeeding to the functions of the defunct office.
108. Within each office, records should be grouped according to
the function of the office or subject to which they pertain. The
functional groups will follow the order in which the functions of the
office are described in the office essay, with that group covering the
general activities of the office (including such records as minutes and
general correspondence) placed first. Within each functional group the
entries will be arranged, so far as possible, in the order in which
the records are used in the procedure of the office. The functional
grouping of court records should be by type of jurisdiction, e.g.,
civil, criminal, equity. Entries for general indexes serving all or
most of the records in an office or a functional group should be placed
at the head of the office or group. If an index serves only one record,
its entry should follow that for the record indexed. Entries for
original documents should precede entries for the series of volumes
in which they are recorded.
109. When the entries have been arranged properly, a subject-
heading should be placed at the head of each functional group, and
a subheading at the head of each subdivision of the group,iif
A1416 - 63 -
any are made. It is not necessary to use subject headings or sub¬
headings in case an office has only a few records. A single subject
heading should never bo used in classifying the records of an office.
Also, if any of the records under a subject heading are subclassifiod,
they all must receive similar treatment. Avoid use of generalized and
compound subject headings, insofar as possible. For example, "Financial"
should not be used in classifying records of the treasurer, and "School"
or "Educational" should not be used in classifying records of the county
superintendent of schools. When the entry draft is typed, subject
headings will be centered., written with initial capitals and not under¬
scored. Subheadings will begin at the left margin, written with initial
capitals and underscored.
110. This arrangement of entries in many cases will have brought
together two or more entries covering records which constitute parts of
one series (as defined in paragraph 39 above), even though they may have
been physically separated in the depository. Such entries should be
replaced by a new entry covering all the records in the series.
Artificial Entries and Cross References
111. The entry editor should next read through all subentries to
determine thoso from which artificial entries should bo constructed in
accordance with the rules for the use of artificial entries presented in
paragraph 83-d above. When artificial entries have been written, they
should be inserted in their proper place in the inventory, and all entries
should then be numbered. The subentries from which the artificial entries
A1416 - 64 -
were constructed may then "be replaced by body-of-entry cross references
to the artificial entries. Subentries describing series kept separately
for a time (see paragraph 83-c, above) will likewise be replaced by
body-of-entry cross references to the entries for the series as kept
separately. Title-line cross references will be made to cross with all
body-of-entry cross references, and any necessary third-paragraph or See
also cross references should be inserted. The following paragraphs, 112-
122, give instructions for the form and use of artificial entries and cross
references,
112. The purpose of cross-referencing is to show the relation of
the various records to each other and to integrate scattered parts of
a record series. There are three types of cross references, namely,
body-of-entry and title-line; third-paragraph; and Sec also the last
used with subject headings and subheadings.
113. Body-of-entry and Title-line Cross References. The purpose
of this type of cross reference is to free the inventories of the acci¬
dents of officials' recording or filing methods by showing in one entry
a complete series of records, oven though through careless filing or
recording the component parts of a series are found in two or more
records. For definitions of a series, see paragraph 39, above. Title-
line cross references always require corresponding body-of-entry cross
references, and vice versa. Neither title-line nor body-of-entry cross
references should be used in both entries in question, nor should cither
type be balanced, by a third-paragraph cross reference in the other. Title-
line cross references arc used in two types of entries: An entry on a
A1416 - 65 -
record which is kept separately for a period and in another record
for a different period, as explained in paragraphs 114-115, below;
and an artificial entry, as explained in paragraphs 116-118, below.
A title-line cross reference always appears as the last item of infor¬
mation in the title line.
114. Title-line cross references are used to complete a scries
when the record is kept separately for a poriod and in another record
for a different poriod, as illustrated in entry 16 below:
16. ROAD MINUTES, 1896-1900. 1 vol. 1875-95, 1901—, also
1897-98, in Minutes of Commissioners' Court, entry 1.
Minutes of commissioners' court when acting on road matters, covering
such matters as appointment of roo.d overseers, defining of road bound¬
aries, and changes in roads, showing date of meeting, subject of dis¬
cussion, disposition of matter, members present and absent. Arr. chron.
by date of meeting. Indexed alph. by names and subjects. Edw. 300
pp. 16 x 12 x 2. Comm'r off.
The description of contents in the above entry covers the road minutes
1875—, but the arrangement, indexing, and succeeding items cover the
record only for the period during which it is kept separately, that is
1896-1900. Note the form used in the title-line cross reference to
entry 1, in order to show the duplication of dates for 1897-98.
115. Entry 1, in which is found the body-of-ontry cross reference
corresponding to the title-line cross references given above in entry 16
might road somewhat as follows:
1. MBIUTES OF COMMISSIONERS' COURT, 1875—. 16 vols. (A-P).
1846-74, destroyed in courthouse fire.
Minutes of business transacted at commissioners' quarterly mooting,
A1416
- 66 —
showing term of court, names of commissioners and presiding judge, name
and nature of the order, and subject matter of the different actions*
Also contains: Road minutes, 1875-25, 1897-98, 1901—, entry 16; record
of election returns, 1875-95, entry 24; minutes of hoard of equalization,
entry 250. Arr. chron. by term of court. For index, see entry 2. Hdw.
1875-1917; typed 1918—. 640 pp. 17 x 11-g" x 3. Coram'r off.
It will be noted that the body-of-entry cross reference to entry 16
cites a descriptive title of the contained record and that the dates
in the body-of-entry cross reference are the same as those cited in the
title-line cross reference in entry 16, and that they cover the road
minutes only for the period which the minutes are contained in entry
1. It is not necessary that body-of-entry cross references cite exact
titles of entries to which references arc made. Instead, titles
descriptive of the records in question should bo used. The titles
cited in body-of-entry cross references, therefore, should not be
written with initial capitals, nor should tlicy be enclosed in par¬
entheses, even though parentheses are used in the titles of the en¬
tries to which references are made. However, it is perhaps advisable
to use exact titles in drafts until entries are arranged in final
order and numbered. The body-of-entry cross references are arranged
in numerical order by the numbers of the entries to which cross ref¬
erences arc made. Entries 24 and 250 referred to in the body-of-
entry cross references in entry 1 arc artificial entries, discussed
in paragraphs 116-118, below.
116. Artificial Entries. An artificial entry is an entry com¬
piled wholly from another entry (or other entries) and never has a
A1416 - 67 -
quantity item or other items descriptive of the physical aspects of
a record. This type of entry is used for two purposes: (l) To
assemble in one entry the component parts of a series when the record
is found in two or more records of miscellaneous content but is never
kept separately (see paragraph 117, below); and (2) to place a record
under the proper office (see paragraph 118, below). In either ease,
the titlo of the artificial entry is written in upper case and, since
it is an .assigned title, enclosed in parentheses. TitlP-linc cross
references arc necessarily used in all artificial entries. However,
the body-of-cntry cross reference to the artificial entry carries
the titlo in lower case, as illustrated above by the body-of-entry *
cross references in entry 1 to entries 34 and 250. If an artificial
entry is compiled from two or rnoro entries, the body-of-cntry cross
references should all cito tho same titlo in referring to the arti¬
ficial entry. Since this is an assigned title, it should be made a
descriptive one.
117. An artificial entry should show as its date item the complete
date span of the record under consideration, regardless of the number
of records in which the different parts of the scrios arc to be found.
The artificial entry carries only a title, date item, cross references,
and description -,f the record. Entry 24 below illustrates an artificial
entry set up for the purpose of assembling in one entry the component
parts of tho series when tho record of election returns is found in three
records of miscellaneous content but is never kept separately.
A1416
- 68 -
24. (RECORD OF ELECTION RETURNS), 1875—. 1875-95 in Minutes of
Commissioners' Court, entry 1; 1895-1900 in (Record of) Ab¬
stract of Votes Cast, entry 54; 1901— in Register of County
Ronds, entry 20.
Record of election returns, showing date and nature of election, names
of candidates and of offices sought, political affiliation, number of
votes for each candidate, total votes cast, and candidate elected.
Entries 20 and 54 would carry body-of-entry cross references to entry
24 just like the one above in entry 1 to entry 24, except that the dates
cited would be different; the dates in these body-of-entry cross references
would correspond to those cited in the title-line cross reference of entry
24 to entries 20 and 5-1 respectively. It should be noted that the title-
lino cross references in entry 24 are arranged in chronological order,
and that entry titles arc written with initial capitals.
118. An artificial entry set up for the purpose of placing a
record under the proper office woold take the form of entry 24 above
if parts of the series were found in tvro or more other records; however,
if the record is kept during the entire period of its existence in a
single record of miscellaneous content, as for example, the minutes of
the board of equalization in entry 1 above, tho artificial entry in the
section of the inventory devoted to the board of equalization should be
set up as follows:
250. (MINUTES OF BOARD OF EQUALIZATION), 1875—. In Minutes of
Commissioners' Court, entry 1.
Record of proceedings of commissioners' court sitting as a board of equali¬
zation for the adjustment of tax assessments, showing name of applicant,
date of hearing, and disposition of potition.
It will be noted that the date item of this artifical entry corre¬
sponds with the date item of entry 1, and that the dates have not been
shown in tho body-of-ontry cross reference in entry 1 to entry 250 because
they are the same as the date item of entry 1, tho master entry.
A1416 - 69 -
119. Third-Daragrai)h Gross References. This type of cross
reference is used to correlate records, which, though not parts of
the sarae series, are closely related. It appears as a separate para¬
graph after the "body of an entry, separated therefrom "by one space,
and is indented five spaces from the left margin of the page. *f two
or more cross references appear in the third paragraph, they are separated
"by semicolons. A third-paragraph cross reference should always indicate
why the reader is "being referred to another entry. The expression "See
entry 11 should never "be used alone as a third-paragraph cross reference.
Third-paragraph cross references should always cross (except in cases
of abbreviated descriptions as explained below); that is, if reference
is made from entry 40 to entry 60, entry 60 should also carry a reference
to entry 40.
120. Entry titles should not be cited in third-paragraph cross
references, though they should be used in the early stages of compilation,
for purposes of identification in case entry numbers are changed, and
then eliminated from the final draft.
121. Predicated upon adequate correlation of records in the index,
the use of third-paragraph cross references may be limited to two pur¬
poses: (l) To guide the reader to prior or subsequent records; and
(2) to guide the reader to the same record information in different form
or to other copies of the same record, as original instruments and re¬
cordings and duplicate copies of reports. However, third-paragraph cross
references are not needed between two entries listed under the same subject
heading or subheading.
A1416
- 70 -
122. Where two records series show the same information, in order
to avoid repetition of the description, an abbreviated description may
be used in the entry for one of them. For example, recordings often show
the same information as the original instruments from which the recordings
were made. In such a case, if the full description is given in the entry
on the original instruments, the description in the other entry might
be limited to some such statement as the following: "Recorded copies
of chattel mortgages, showing information as in entry 86." This entry
then would not need a third-paragraph cross rcferonco to entry 86, al¬
though entry 86 should carry a third-paragraph cross reference to the
entry wherein the abbreviated description is used if the subject relation¬
ship between the two is such as to require it. The abbreviated description
serves both as a description and as a cross reference. If one of the
records shows more information than the other, the abbreviated description
should note the variations, as, "Recorded copies of chattel mortgages,
showing information as in entry 86, and- also date of recording, notari¬
zation, and name of recorder."
123. See also references. This type of reference is used with
subject headings and subheadings, to guide the reader to record.s under
other headings in the same office section which might also have been
placed under the subject heading or subheading from which the See also
reference is made. See also references do not cross. A See also
reference from a subject heading should be placed in parentheses under
the subject heading. A See also reference from a subheading should
follow the subheading on the same line and be placed in parentheses.
Examples:
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- 71 -
Real Property Transfers
(See also entry 50)
Deeds (See also entry 80)
124. It is sometimes necessary to make a cross reference from
an office essay to entries listed "under another office, especially
when there are no records listed under an office or when there are
only a few without subject headings. For example, an office might
make reports hut keoi) no records. The ronorts would, of course, he
listed under the receiving office. In such a case, a cross reference
should he made from the section on the reporting office to the entry
under the receiving office; for example, "For reports of the poor com¬
mission to the quarterly county court, see entry 3." There may he other
instances when cross references from essay material to entries would be
desirable. Cross references in essay material should constitute the
last paragraph of the essay and should carry full explanation as to
why the reference is made.
1
125. Map Entries. An entry for maps requires a slightly different
treatment from that of the standard record entry. In the title line, the
title, date, and quantity are given. The description should include the
following information: Type of map; purpose of map; area covered; car¬
tographer or draftsman; place of publication or engraving, whether printed
or engraved, and publisher or engraver; nature of recording (blueprint,
for example); condition, if poor; scale; size; and location.
126. Instructions given above regarding titles should also be
applied in map entries. A title appearing on the map should be considered
A1416 - 72 -
an actual title. However, in the case of hound, maps, the volumes are
to be treated exactly the same as any other record in regard to titles;
that is, the title must appear on the outside of the volume before it
can be considered an exact title. There are sometimes two dates on
maps, the date the map was made and the date it was revised. The date
the map was made should be given in the title line followed by dates
of revision, if any. Example: "MA? MORROW COTJUTY, 1920, rev. 1936.
1 map." The "current" symbol (two hyphens or a dash) should not be used i"
in the date item of a map entry unless additions are being me.de to the
map from time to time. The description of a map entry should begin by
telling the type of map. The most common types of maps one the fol¬
lowing:
Cadastral - Maps which show in accurate detail the dimensions of lots
and buildings or the computations of land areas from which t cvXG S <3,37G
levied against the owners.
Communication - Maps showing railroads, telegraph lines, canals, rivers,
airlines, and other transportation or communication routes.
Contour - Maps showing the configuration of a surface by means of con¬
trol lines drawn at regular intervals of elevation.
Economic - Maps showing pictorially or in chart form the natural re¬
sources, the quantity of exports and imports, and the type of agricul¬
ture and manufactures of a region.
Engineering - Maps showing construction of dams, tunnels, bridges, high¬
ways, and the like, usually drawn to scale.
Ethnic - Maps showing racial distribution or migration.
Geological - Maps showing structure and fornication of the earth.
A1416 - 73 -
Hydrogra'ohic - Maps showing, usually in. chart form, the navigation
routes on "bodies of water and such details as water depths, shoals,
channels, harbors, and the like.
Historical - Maps portraying or describing events of a past time.
Land Tenure - Maps giving data on the change of title to a tract of
real estate.
Military- Maps showing troop movements, fortifications, campaigns,
"battlefields, and similar data.
Orographic - Maps showing by contour lines the various aspects of the
land such as elevations or depressions.
Political - Maps showing the boundaries of administrative and political
subdivisions of a region.
Soil - Maps showing types of soil. They are usually in chart form,
covering distinct sections of land.
Topographical - Maps usually compiled from engineering piano tables or
aerial surveys for the purpose of studying terrain.
Triangulation - Maps showing land in triangles according to accurate
measurements. Their chief purpose is to establish locations or stations
determined by astronomical observations.
127. One map may, of course, be of more than one typo, in which
case the chief use should determine the entry designation. After the type
of the map is indicated, the purpose should bo stated, and the area and/or
items which the map shows should then be given. Example: "Contour map
of the city of Los Angeles for the use of the Bureau of Power and Light
in extending service to districts outside the downtown area. Elevations
A1416 - 74 -
are carefully noted for variations of over 2 feet with the main
elevation at Seventh and Broadway as a Base; each variation in color
with accompanying legend in lower right-hand corner." Next should "be
given the name of the draftsman or cartographer if this can "be ascer¬
tained, It may "be necessary in some cases to give only an official's title.
If the map is printed or engraved, the name of the publisher or engraver
should next he given, and then the type of recording. The most common
types of recording are blueprint, photostat, black and white, shaded,
printed, engraved, and hand-drawn.
128. Nothing need be said about the condition of the map unless
it is not good. Where there is only one scale, it should be given
exactly as it is on the map. If there are a number of maps with varia¬
tions in the scale, give the smallest and. largest, as "1 in. equals
1 ft. to 1 ft. equals 500 ft." If the number of maps of one scale is
much larger than the number of the other scale, it is well to show the
number of maps in each class. If a map has both horizontal and vortical
scales,both should be specified, o,s, for example: "Horizontal scale,
1 in. equals 1 rod; vertical scale, 1 in. equals 1 mile." The size of
the maps should be given in the sequence of length and width aero ss
the face of the map. If maps are bound, tho size should bo given as
for any other volume. Since many maps arc in racks or on tho wall,
it is desirable to give more than room designations in showing the
location. Example: "P.oom 201, on oast wall," "P.oom 201, in map rack."
129. Only those maps or books of maps which arc considered official
archives or records of the office under consideration should be included
A1416 - 75 -
in an inventory. Such items as standard colored wall maps of the
United States or of the State should not he included.
130. The entry draft for each office may then "by typed from the
entries, with all subject headings, subheadings and cross references
included. The typed draft should be reviewed carefully by the chief
public records editor and should receive a final spot check against
the records in the field. After the entry draft has been finally
approved, essays and other material appropriate to the particular type of
inventory as described in subsequent sections of this circular arc added
to constitute the completed inventory.
E. Tyoographical Form
131. The following points of form should be observed in mimeographed
inventories. Rules for printed inventories will, of course, follow
standard printing rulos. For illustration of form in which a page should
be set up, see page 76.
132. Margins. One-half inch from the top of the page, give the
page number in the center of the page, in prefatory material and through¬
out the inventory. A 3/4-inch margin should be allowed at the bottom
of the page, insofar as possible. A final lino of a paragraph should
never bo carried over to a now page. Sufficient space should be left
on the left hand side of the page for binding (usually ]?;> inches is
sufficient) and a 1-inch margin should be left on the right.
133. Page Headings. Two spaces below the pago number appears the
page heading, which extends to the loft margin and consists of the title
of the essay or office. This should bo in initial capitals and not
A1416
- 76 -
Recorder of Deeds - Entry Books (82-83)
and Indexes
mortgage lists,1 leases,^ transpripts of judgment,"' affidavits,^
town plats,® chattel mortgages,0 chattel mortgage record,^ record
of bonds,® marriage licenses,® and record of military discharges.1®
Unless otherwise stated, records of the recorder of deeds are
in his vault.
Entry Books and Indexes
82. FILE BOOK, 1867—. 19 vols. (A-S).
Daily record of all instruments filed and recorded, showing register
number as filed, date, names of grantor and grantee, nature of in¬
strument, date filed for record, date of delivery and signature of
party to whom delivered or other disposition, and volume and page
number where recorded. Arr. num. by file number. Indexed alph. by
first letter of grantor's surname and chron. thereunder. Hdw., 1867-
1916; typed, 1917—. 640 pp. 18 x 12 x 4.
83. DIRECT INDEX TO DEEDS, 1837—. 20 vols. (1-20).
Abstract ofand index to Record of Deeds, entry 85; Warranty Deed
Record, 1866—, entry 87; Qpitclaim Record, 1875—, entry 89; Sher¬
iff's Deed Record, 1876—, entry 90; Guardians' Deeds, 1894-1912,
entry 91; Administrators' and Executors' Deeds, 1899-1919, entry 92;
Railroad Deed Records, 1869-1901, entry 94; Santa Fc Town Lot and
Land Company (Deed Record), 1888,1923, entry 95; Miscellaneous Deeds,
1867—, entry 99; Deed of Trust Record, 1866—, entry 100; (Mortgage
List), 1893-1902, entry 102; Release Deed Record, 1906—, entry 103;
giving names of grantor and grantee, date and nature of instrument,
consideration, description of property, date filed, and volume and
page number whore recorded. Arr. alph. by first two letters of gran¬
tor's surname and chron. thereunder. Hdw. on ptd form. 600 pp. 18 x
12 x 4.
84. INDIRECT INDEX TO DEEDS, 1857—. 20 vols. (1-20).
Abstract of and indirect index to Record of Deeds, entry 85; Warran¬
ty Deed Record, 1866—, entry 87; Quitclaim Record, 1875—, entry 89;
1.
R.
s.,
1835,
sec. 30, p. 525; R. S., 1929, sec. 1214
2.
R.
S.,
1889,
sec. 6041; R. S., 1929, sec. 1134.
3.
M.
L.,
1895,
sec. 1, p. 180; R. S., 1929, sec. 3097.
4.
M.
L.,
1881,
p. 161; R. S., 1929, sec. 2977.
5.
M.
L.,
1875,
p. 450; R. S., 1929, see. 1087.
6.
R.
S.,
1335,
sec. 10, p. 105; R. S., 1929, sec. 650.
7.
R.
s.,
1895,
sec. 10, p. 618; R. S., 1929, sec, 548,
8.
G.
s.,
1865,
sees. 23 and 24.
9.
M.
L.,
1870,
p. 250,
10.
M.
L.,
1900,
p. 650.
A1416
- 77 -
underlined. On pages where entries appear, the page heading should
show the subject headings used on the page, in addition to the title
of the office. In the page heading the first subject heading is
separated from the office title by a space, dash, and space, and the
subject headings, if there are two or more, should be separated by
semicolons. If there are no subject headings on a page, the subject
heading from the preceding pr.ge should bo carried over, unless a new
office begins on the page, in which case the title of tho new office
is used as the page heading. If two or more office essays begin on a
page, all of the office titles should be given in the page headings,
separated by semicolons. If more than one line is needed for the page
heading, the second and succeeding lines should be indented five spaces
from the left margin. In no case should the heading extend more than
halfway across the page.
134. Up to the page on which the first entry appears, the phrase
"(First entry, p. )" should be carried at the top right-hand margin,
on the same line as the page heading on the left. On pages where
entries appear, the inclusive entry numbers should be carried in
parentheses in the upper right-hand corner, on the same line as the
page heading on the left. After tho first entry, the pages on which
no entries appear should carry the phrase "(Next entry , p. )" in
this location. In the subject index, the first three letters of the
first key word on the page aid the first three letters of the last key
word on the page should bo carried at the top right-hand corner, as
"(Hec-Sch)."
135. Spacing. Three spaces below the page heading should appear
the first lino of the text. Three spaces should be left above a subject
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heading and two spaces below, or if there is no subject heading, three
spaces should intervene between the end of the essay and the first entry.
Two spaces arc left both above and bolow subheadings. If a now office
essay begins in the middle of a page, there should be three spaces above
the title of the essay and two spaces between the title and the text
which follows. There should be two spaces between paragrpahs and between
entries. Two spaces, a cross rule, and two more spaces should separate
footnotes from the text. The cross rule may oxtend across the page or
only halfway across.
136. Indentation. The first word in a paragraph and the entry
number should be indented five spaces from the left margin. This means
that the first letter, or number, appears in the sixth space. However, in
numbering entries, if both one- and two-digit numbers appear on a page,
indent the two-digit number only four spaces, so that the periods follow¬
ing the numbers are aligned. On the next page, the two-digit numbers
should all be indented five spaces. The same principle would apply in
case two- and three-digit numbers appear on a page.
137. Pagination. Small ronan numerals should be assigned all
pages through the table of contents but the numbers should not be shown
until the second page of the preface, which should be page "v." The
count of arabic numerals should begin with the first page of the
historical sketch, but "2" should be the first number actually shown.
Although partially blank pages between sections are not desirable, they
are permissible where such practice speeds up production.
138. Cross References. A See also reference from a subject
heading should be centered directly below the heading and enclosed
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in parentheses. A See also reforoncc from a subheading should follow
on the same line as the subheading, separated therefrom by two spaces.
Subject headings are centered, written in initial capitals, and are
not underlined; subheadings are carried at the left margin, written
in initial capitals and underlined.
139. A third-paragraph cross reference is indented five spaces
from the left margin, and is given one space below the main body of
the entry. If two or more cross references are made in the third
paragraph, they should be separated by semicolons and the second and
succeeding lines should be extended to the left margin.
140. Capitalization and Punctuation. Titles of essays should
be in solid capitals. The titles of State and Federal agencies should
be written with initial capitals. The Government Style Manual should
be used as a guide in matters of capitalization and punctuation, except
that we depart from the Manual in that we do not capitalize the titles
of county officials. The Manual should also be followed in the compound¬
ing of words, in spelling when there are two or more accepted spellings,
and in the use of numerals.
141. Entry Form. A standard entry is made up as follows: Entry
number indented five spaces from the left margin, followed by a period
and tv/o spaces; entry title, followed by a comma and one space; -dates,
followed by a period (in case of broken dates, use commas to indicate
gaps); quantity, followed by a period only if an abbreviation is used,
one space; labeling in parentheses, followed by a period and two spaces;
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information on missing records, discontinuance, date of last entry,
records inaccessible to public, or date of compilation of record, if
any such information is needed, followed by a period and two spaces;
information as to subtitles, if any, followed by a period and two
spaces; title variation and/or untitled records, if any, followed by
a period end two spaces; title-line cross references, if any, followed
by a period. These items constitute the title line, and if it comprises
two or more lines, the second and succeeding lines should begin under
the first letter of the entry title. Only one space intervenes between
the title line and the body of the entry. The body of the entry extends
to the loft margin and consists of a description of the contents of the
record, followod by a period and two spaces; arrangement, followed by
a period and two spaces; indexing, followod by a period and two spaces;
manner of recording, followed by a period and two spaces; condition of
the record if other than good or excellent, followed by a period and
two spaces; dimensions, followod by a period and two spaces (if volumes
are considered, only one space intervenes between the period follow¬
ing the abbreviation for p<agcs and the first digit of the number
representing the height of the volumes); location, followed by a period.
A third-paragraph cross reference may follow the descriptive part of
the entry, separated therefrom by one space, and indented five spaces
from the left margin.
142. hist of Publications. A complete list ef the Historical
Records Survey publications within a State should be carried at the
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end of each inventory, after the inde;c. This list should follow
regular bibliographical form. If the number of publications is
sufficiently large, subheadings should be used in grouping the pub¬
lications within each field of activity of the Survey. Reference
should be made in the preface and in the table of contents to this
list of publications.
143. Spine of Volume. If at all possible the name and number of
the inventory should be shown on the spine of each inventory. This
will facilitate reference to the volumes when they are placed on
shelves. If a particular inventory consists of several volumes, the
volume number should also be shown on the spine.
144. Footnot es and. Bibliography. Soo Research and Records
Series Technical Circular No. 4
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Section II. Inventories of County Archives
145. This section of the circular is designed to provide
specific instructions for the preparation of inventories of county-
archives. It proscribes the content of the inventories and supplies
instructions for the ^reparation of those parts not covered in the
general instructions for public records work in section I.
A. Preliminaries
146. Title Page. The title page should be set up as illustrated
on page 83 of those instructions. The name of the sponsor should be
given on the title page as illustrated only if the other information
does not exceed 11 lines. When it does exceed 11 lines, in order to
avoid overcrowding the title page, the name of the sponsor, and co-
sponsor, if any, should be shown at the bottom of the verso of the
title page. The verso of the title page should be set up as illus¬
trated by page 84.
147. Foreword. A copy of the foreword appears as page 86 of
these instructions.
148. Introduction. If the State Supervisor wishes to include a
special introduction written by a historian., local official, or other
person, it should follow the foreword. Special approval for inclusion
of such material should be secured from the Washington office.
149. Preface. The preface should cover such items as the following:
"Vitiation of the project in the State, its transformation in 1939 from
a ^^ral project to a locally sponsored project, and acknowledgment of
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INVENTORY OF THE COUNTY ARCHIVES
OF TENNESSEE
No. 35. HAMILTON COUNTY (CHATTANOOGA)
Prepared by
The Tennessee Historical Records Survey
Division of Professional and Service Projects
Work Projects Administration
Sponsored
by
The Tennessee State Library
Nashville, Tennessee
The Tennessee Historical Records Survey
July 1940
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The Historical Records Survey Program
Sargent B. Child, Director
John 1. Doe, Regional Supervisor
Madison Bratton, State Supervisor
Research and Records Section
Harvey E. Becknell, Director
Milton W. Blanton, Regional Supervisor
T, Marshall Jones, State Superxusor
Division of Professional ana Service Projects
Florence Kerr, Assistant Commissioner
Blanche M. Ralston, Chief Regional Supervisor
Betty Hunt Luck, State Director
WORE PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION
E. C. Harrington, Commissioner
Malcolm J. Miller, Regional Director
Harry S. Berry, State Administrator
Sponsor:
Cosponsor
(use when 11 or more
(lines are necessary
(on the title page.
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former directorship of the project, at discretion; objective of the
project, with mention of various fields of activity in which engaged,
and reference to list of publications of the Survey within the Stato;
general plan of arrangement of material in inventories; information
presented in record entries; initiation of the project in the county,
by whom the original inventory was done and by whom rechecked, date
of original inventory, date of rechcck, and indication as to whether
records covered extend to former or latter date; any assistance
rendered county officials in such matters as rearranging, reclassifying,
cleaning, and indexing records; acknowledgment of work performed in the
State office, with mention of forms editors, writers, entry editors,
essay writers, and any others; and .acknowledgment of assistance rendered
by the editorial staff of the National office, such as, "Holpful
editorial criticism of this inventor-/- in manuscript form was offered
by Mabel S. Brodic, Assistant Archivist in charge of public records
inventories, of the Washington, D. C., office." A final paragraph in
the preface should contain information about the numbering of inventories
to correspond with the alphabetical sequence of the counties of the
State, the distribution of published inventories to institutions, and
the individual to whom requests for information concerning particular
units of the inventory should be addressed. The name and title of the
writer should be typed in at the right, and, beginning at the left margin
directly below, the place and date of the writing of the preface should
be given.
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FOREWORD
The Inventory of the County Archives of Tonnessee is one of a
number of guides to historical materials prepared throughout the
United States by workers on the Historical Records Survey Program of
the Work Projects Administration. The publication herewith presented,
an inventory of the archives of Hamilton County, is number 35 of
the Tennessee series.
The Historical Records Survey Program was undertaken in the
winter of 1935-36 for the purpose cf providing useful employment to
needy unemployed historians, lawyers, teachers, and research and
clerical workers. In carrying out this objective, the project was
organized to compile inventories of historical materials, particularly
the unpublished government documents and records which are basic in
the administration of local government, and which provide invaluable
data for students of political, economic, and social history. The
archival guide herewith presented is intended to meet the requirements
of day-to-day administration by the officials of the county, and also
the needs of lawyers, businessmen and other citizens who require facts
from the public records for the proper conduct of their affairs. The
volume is so designed that it can be used by the historian in his
research in unprinted sources in the same way he uses the library
card catalog for printed sources.
The inventories produced by the Historical Records Survey Program
attempt to do more than give merely a list of records - they attempt
further to sketch in the historical background of the eounty or other
unit of government, and to describe precisely and in detail the organi¬
zation and functions of the government agencies whose records they list.
The county, town, and other local inventories for the entire country
will, when completed, constitute an encyclopedia of local government as
well as a bibliography of local archives.
The successful conclusion of the work of the Historical Records
Survey Program, even in a single county, would not be possible without
the support of public officials, historical and legal specialists, and
many other groups in the community. Their cooperation is gratefully
acknowledged.
The Survey Program was organized by Luther E. Evans, who served as
Director until March 1, 1940, when he was succeeded by Sargent B. Child,
who had been National Field Supervisor since the inauguration of the
Survey. The Survey Program operates as a Nation-wide series of locally
sponsored projects in the Division of Professional and Service Projects,
of which Mrs. Florence Kerr, Assistant Commissioner, is in charge.
F. C. HARRINGTON
Commissioner
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150. Table of Contents. The table of contents for inventories
compiled in regular form should be set up as illustrated on page 88.
The general plan of arrangement of offices should be as follows: Gen¬
eral administration, recording, administration of justice, law enforce¬
ment, finances, elections, education, health, welfare, public works,
agriculture, and miscellaneous.
3. Eistorical Sketch
151. The purpose of the historical sketch is to introduce the
reader to the records of the county by giving him information about
events and conditions which may have affected the nature and contents
of those records. Only the minimum of historical background and
general information about the county which appears necessary to an
understanding of the records should be presented. The essay is
designed to assist the reader toward an intelligent appreciation of
the inventory by familiarizing him in as few words as possible with
the county's physical characteristics, with the size and character
of its -oonulation, with important events occuring within the limits
of the county, and with the county's political, social, and economic
development. The sketch should be based, as much as possible, on
primary source material.
152. As items to bo discussed, the following are suggested:
Topographical description of the county; creation of the county and
early history, including defining of boundaries, origin of name,
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TABLE OP CONTENTS
General Page
Historical Sketch . .
(with or without enumeration of subject headings)
Map of County . . *
Governmental Organization and Records System
(with or without enumeration of subject headings)
Chart of County Government
Housing, Care, and Accessibility of the Seconds
Floor Plans (if included)
Abbreviations, Symbols, and Explanatory Rotes
County Offices and Their Records
Board of Supervisors , . .
Proceedings. Disposition of accounts: County budget
and appropriations; registers of county orders; cancel¬
led county orders; pension fund account and applica¬
tions. Management of county properties and roads:
Plans for county buildings; bond issues; insurance.
Reports to board. Jury lists.
County Clerk
(Subject and subheadings)
Recorder
(Subject and subheadings)
Circuit Court
(Subject and subheadings)
County Court
Sheriff
Etc.
Bibliography
Chronological Index
Subject Index .
List of Survey Publications
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establishment of first county government, creation of townships, voting
precincts, and road and school districts, first election, county seat
question, and erection of first courthouse; economic developments, cover¬
ing such subjects as industry and commerce, agriculture, and property-
evaluation statistics; transportation facilities; schools; organized
religion; political trends; and population statistics. In addition to
these, any items of peculiar importance in the particular county should
be discussed. Each separate discussion is to be developed chronologically.
153. The various discussions «ho;ild begin with the date of the
creation of the county; if events which preceded the creation of the
county appear to have a bearing on the county government and its records,
they may be presented but should be confined to brief, general statements.
Care should be taken to exclude from the essay all information which does
not serve the purpose of the inventory. Material should not be included
simply because it is interesting or tecausc it reflects credit on the
county, except when local conditions of sponsorship warrant inclusion of
such material. Where publication of an inventory is dependent upon
meeting a sponsor's demand for a lengthy historical sketch, the sketch may
be expanded but must be confined to a presentation of material definitely
relating to the county's history. Every statement should bo carefully
documented by references to primary source material or reliable secondary
works.
154. It is desirable to supplement the historical sketch by one or
more maps showing the evolution of the county boundaries. Among others,
a map of the present-day county should be included if possible, showing
townships (if any), towns, rivers, railroads, major topographical
features, names of bordering counties, and any other such information. In
the corner of the page on which this map appears, a small map of the State
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should be included with the county under consideration blocked out.
The map or maps should face the first page of the historical sketch.
C. Essay on Governmental. Organization, and Records System
155. The purpose of this essay is to present a picture of the
county as a governmental unit: Its legal status; its structural
organization and development; the evolution of its principal functions;
and its records system. The discussion should begin with the creation
of the county; only those laws in effect at that time should, be
considered, except when an understanding of the situation requires
reference to prior legal provisions.
156. The essay is to be comprehensive, but it is important that
the relevant material be presented in summary fashion rather than in
detail. Insofar as feasible, simple lay English should be used in
preference to legal expressions. Exact citations of all sources should
be given in footnotes.
157. The functional discussions should present a clear picture of
how the county works, rather than who does the work. That is, procedure
should be the primary consideration, with officials involved mentioned
only incidentally.
158. The following outline suggests a general plan of organization:
I. Ideological 3ackgrot*d of the County Organization
A. Ideas of local government brought in by the
first white settlers.
B. Different ideas brought in by lator settlers.
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II. Legal Status of the County
A. In relation to the State, subdivisions of
the county, and other special subdivisions
created by the State legislature,
B, In what way are counties created? Are there
any constitutional or statutory restrictions
upon the creation of counties, as regards area,
population, assessed valuation, or other quali¬
fications?
III, Structural Development of County Government
When was the particular county under discussion created?
What offices, boards, commissions and courts were
established in that county at the time of its creation?
Trace the evolution of this original structure to the
present, showing combinations, division, additions, and
abolition of offices brought about by changes such as
those produced by the adoption of a new constitution.
IV. General Administration
Indicate here what controls, if any, are exercised over
the various county officers, boards, and commissions by
an official body within the county. This would include
sixch things as approving the accounts of county officers,
the erection and maintenance of county buildings and
property generally, the power to sue and be sued, and any
discretionary power of a general nature vested in tho
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county by the State, such as the power to act for
the county as a wholo in emergencies.
V. Registration of Title to Property
Discuss the means used t.o record changes in title to
property and to insure adequate descriptions of bound¬
aries. In this regard, treat the recording of deeds,
mortgages, assignments, satisfactions and other instru¬
ments, as well as the preparation of plats and surveys.
Indicate what county officers have entered the process
since the date of creation of the county, and show what
functions were performed by these officers,
VI. Administration of Justice
Under each type of jurisdiction below, mention in chro¬
nological order from the date of the creation of the
county, all courts which have exercised that jurisdi-
tion, specifying the scope, indicating the period during
which it was exercised, and discussing the lines of appeal.
A. Criminal
1. Inquests
2. Arrests
3. Prosecutions
4. Execution of sentences
3. Civil
C. Chancery or equity
D. Probate
E. Juvenile
E. Naturalization
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G-. Federal (with regard to courts which as forerunners
of United States District Courts during the county's
Territorial period, exercised such jurisdiction in
addition to the jurisdiction exercised "by them as
courts of the Territory).
VII. Finance (county and school)
A. What early forms of budgetary control have there been?
What county agencies prepare, or have prepared, budgets?
How are they prepared? The expenditure of what county
offices are subject to budgetary control?
B. Be venue
1. Taxation
a. Classes of taxable and tax-exempt property
b. Setting of tax levies
c. Certification of levies to assessing officer
(Mention here trustees of special sub-county
taxing districts which may certify levies to
assessing officer)
d. Preparation of original assessment lists
e. Equalization and review
f. Preparation and disposition of tax rolls
g. Collection of taxes as charged in tax roll
h. Remittance of collected taxes to proper fiscal
■ agents
i. Sale of property for taxes
j. Remittance of redemption monies to proper fiscal
agents
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2. Licensing
a. Imposition of liconse tax
t>. Collection of license tax
c. Remittance of collected license taxes to
proper fiscal agent
3. Miscellaneous sources of revenue, such as income-
producing property owned "by the county or the
school "board, fines, and forfeitures, and State
and Federal grants
C. Expenditures
1. Presentation of claims
2. Audit of claims
3. Issuance of orders, warrants, or checks against
fund accounts (Discuss here also any practice
regarding the issuance of time warrants or
deferred-payment warrants)
4. Payment of warrants "by depository or treasurer
5. Return of canceled warrants to agency authorizing
expenditure
D. Audit of county officers1 accounts
E. 3ond issues
VIII. Elections
Discuss the following topics, organizing material under
each in chronological order, with reference to general and
primary elections, and with reference to other elections
held within the county, insofar as county officials, in an
official capacity, participate in the latter.
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A. Electors
1. Qualifications
2. Registration
?. Revision of registration lists
B. Candidates
1. Qualifications
2. Preparation of "ballots
C. Conduct of elections
1. Frequency of elections (including special
elections for unexpired terms)
2. Equipping of polling places
3. Appointment of election officials
4. Preservation of order at the polls
5. Absentee and absent voting
D. Canvass of elections
1. Precinct canvass or tally
2. County-wide canvass
IX. Education
Suggested topics for treatment are: Legislation on
sixteenth sections; the local trustee system; the county-
wide school system and its relation to the State; the
development of high schools; the development of rural
education, with a discussion of consolidated schools
and the transportation problems arising therefrom; exchange
of pupils between counties; teacher-training standards;
employment of teachers; education of Negroes or other racial
A3.416 - 96 ^
groups for which spocial provision is made; vocational
and adult education; and raontion of certain aspects of
school finance such as formation of special taxing
districts, Fodoral and State aid,
X. Public Health
XI. Welfare
A. Poor relief
B. Orphans
C. Defectives
D. Soldiers' and Sailors' relief
E. Social insurance
P. Work relief
XII, Public Works
A. Roads and bridges
3. Public buildings
C. Drainage
D, Miscellaneous
XIII. Miscellaneous Functions
Discuss here any other functions of government in which
the county participates, such as inspections, surveys,
and agricultural extension work.
XIV. Records System
Suggested topics for treatment o.rc: Laws pertaining to
care and destruction of records; tlieir form and content;
attempts by the State, county, or -'ublic organizations
or by means of W?A projects to improve local records
system; control of records by State officials; audit of
records by Stato or county officials; method of
purchase and supply of rocord forms or books; poli¬
cies regarding robinding and transcription; fines
and penalties for inqpropor keeping of records; typos
of volumes, file boxes and other containers used;
provisions for the Tjroscrvation of old records and
documents of historical importance with State depart¬
ments of archives, historical societies, or State
libraries,
159, A chart representing the present governmental setup in the
county should bo included in each inventory, facing the first page of
the governmental organization essay. It should show all regularly
elected and appointed county officials, as well as ex officio boards
and officials. Defunct offices should not be included. If an office
is provided for by law but does not exist in the county under considera¬
tion, it should not bo shown on the chart. It is permissible to
include charts showing the development of county government by having a
chart for each major or significant change in the form of government,
160. The chart should be diagramatic. It should be constructed
on a piano basis—that is, all elective officials should be shown above
a certain imaginary line and all appointive and ox officio offices below
the lino.
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161. A sample chart is included on the following page. Each
feature should be carefully noted. The large rectangle at the top of
the page should contain the words "County Electorate." ;Those officials
elected on a district basis, when the district consists of more than
one county, should have a separate rectangle, with the words "District
Electorate." Since there are usually only one or two such offices,
the district electorate box can generally be carried on the same line
as the county electorate and to one side of the page. Elective offices
shoiild be dropped perpendicularly from a horizontal plane connected
with the county electorate. Constitutional offices should be in circles
and statutory offices in rectangles. A constitutional office is one
provided for by the constitution now in effect, either in a mandatory
or permissive manner. A statutory office is one provided for by
legislative enactment with no subsequent constitutional recognition.
When an official or board appoints another official or board, a solid
line should be dropped perpendicularly from the appointing official to
the circle or rectangle for the appointee. Ex officio capacities should
be treated in this same manner, except that the line connecting the
elective and ex officio offices should be broken. Broken lines should
also bo used for the circle or rectangle enclosing the ex officio
official. If at all possible to prevent it, linos should not cross
each other.
162. The title of the official or board, rather than that of the
office or institution, should be written in the square or circle. The
number of members of boards, committees, commissions, or other
collective bodies, as well as the terms of all officials, should be
P-586
CHART OF GOVERNMENT—MONROE COUNTY
I 938
6 MAGISTERIAL
DISTRICTS ELECTORATE
COUNTY ELECTORATE
CLERK
OF CIRCUIT
COURT
6-yr. term
BOARD OF
EDUCATION
5 members
4-yr. term
CLERK OF
COUNTY COURT
6-yr. term
SURVEYOR
OF LANDS
PROSECUTING
ATTORNEY
4-yr. term
CIRCUIT
COURT JUDGE
8-yr. term
7 JUSTICES
OF THE PEACE
4-yr. term
ASSESSOR
4-y r . te rm
SHERIFF
-yr. .term
7 CONSTABLES
7-yr. term
COUNTY COURT
3 commissioners
6-y r. te rm
SUPERINTENDENT
OF SCHOOLS
Ind. term
ATTENDANCE
OFFICER
Ind. term
TREASURER
TAX COLLECTOR
2 COMMISSIONERS
OF ACCOUNTS
Ind. term
6 OVERSEERS
OF THE POOR
Ind. term
SUPERINTENDENT
OF INFIRMARY
Ind. term
BOARD OF REVIEW
AND EQUALIZATION
BOARD OF BALLOT
COMMISSIONERS
Clerk and
2 members
2-yr. term
COUNTY PUBLIC ASSISTANCE COUNCIL
Appointed by Governor
and State D.P.A.
5 members
3-yr. term
FARM BUREAU
150 members
Approves appointment of Farm and
Home Demonstration Agent
HOME
DEMONSTRATION
AGENT
Ind. term
HUMANE
OFFICER
1-yr. term
CRIMINAL
PROBATION
OFFICER
2 JURY
COMMISSIONERS
4-yr. term
COMMISSIONERS
IN CHANCERY
Ind. term
FARM AGENT
Ind. term
COUNTY
DIRECTOR
OF PUBLIC
ASSISTANCE
Ind. term
MENTAL HYGIENE COMMISSION
Composed of president
and clerk of county court
and prosecuting attorney
7 REGISTRARS OF VITAL STATISTICS
Appointed by State
Vital Statistics Registrar
4-yr. term
HEALTH NURSE
Appointed by State Dept. of Health
4-yr. term
DIVORCE
COMMISSIONER
Ind. term
HEALTH OFFICER
Appointed by State Board of Health
4-y r. te rm
GENERAL
RECEIVER
Ind. term
C3 Constitutional
□ Statutory
Appointive office
Ex officio office
ZT.
JUVENILE
I
PROBATION
OFFICER j
Ind. term '
J
WPA 3593
A3.416
- 100 -
given. The square or circle for the legislative body should be slightly
larger than that for the other officials in order to show its relative
importance. Sometimes it will be impossible to connect special boards
or agencies, such as those appointed by the State, with the proper
officials or electorate. Such officials should be given disconnected
boxes or circles at the bottom of the chart, with the manner of appoint¬
ment indicated within the box or circle.
163. The caption above the chart should include the name of tho
county and the year, A legend should be "included to explain the symbols
used. Abbreviations should bo avoided as much as possible. With the
exception of the largo circle or square for the legislative body, it is
suggested that the squares and circles in each plane bo kept as uniform
in size as possible. The chart should be numbered in the regular page-
number sequence of the book.
D. Housing. Care, and Accessibility of Records Essay
164. This section is to be included in all inventories. It should
begin with a discussion of the courthouse now in use. Courthouses
preceding that now in use are to be discussed in the historical sketch.
Tho discussion should include such items of information as the
following: Location, date of erection, cost, general dimensions, and
number of floors. A floor-by-floor description should then be given,
showing the arrangement of offices and other rooms in relation to aach
other. This should be followed by descriptions of individual offices,
arranged to correspond with tho arrangement of offices in Part B of
tho inventory. All extant offices should be considered in these
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individual discussions, regardless of whether the;' have separate
offices or keep records. A vault should be considered only in
connection with the office of which it is a part. Offices not in
the courthouse should also be considered here, and, though it is
not necessary to discuss as a whole the building in which such an
office is located, it should be indicated whether or not the build¬
ing is fireproof. Information on temperature, ventilation, and
lighting may be given in a general statement if the facilities arc
more or less uniform, otherwise such items should bo discussed in
each of the individual office paragraphs.
165. The discussions on the various individual offices should
show such information as the three dimensions, linear feet of shelving,
cubic feet of file space, percentage of the records of that office kept
therein, location of the remainder of that office's records, and
information as to records of other offices deposited in that office.
A brief statement should be made regarding the adequacy of the housing
and shelving and general care of the records. Particular emphasis
should be placed on the measures taken to protect the records from
the various hazards to their preservation. Attention should also bo
given to the matter of accessibility of the records and accommodations
for their use by the public. Furniture should not bo itemized; it
is sufficient to state whether the furniture is adequate, with
particular mention only of unusual equipment.
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166. It is suggested that floor plans drawn to scale "be included
if feasible. Dimensions of offices and vaults then need not be given
in the individual discussions, nor need a floor-by-floor description
be given.
167. In addition to the material suggested above, recommendations
for improvement of the care and housing of the records might be given
in a final paragraph. The recommendations should be well-considered
and specific. A new vault, for example, may be proposed or the need
of certain additional shelving indicated. It may be in order to
suggest that the records be made ioro conveniently accessible to the
public. If the records arc not logically arranged, a now system may
be recommended. There may be occasions when recommendations should be
made favoring the removal of records to the custody of State agencies.
This paragraph should bo included for publication only after consulta¬
tion with the county officials.
E. Abbreviations. Symbols, and Exolano.torv Dotes
168. All inventories are to include this section. Every abbrc-'-
viation used in the inventory should bo listed hero, but only those
used. As far as possible uniform .abbreviations should be used
throughout the volumes,
169. The use of abbreviations should bo limited in the entries
to such items as the following: Quantity, labeling, arrangement,
indexing, manner of recording, average number cf pages, dimensions,
and location. Abbreviations should not be used in the descriptions
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of records or in essay material. Abbreviations of foreign words
or phrases, such as ibid.. should be underscored (italicized in
printing).
170. In the matter of legal citations, there is some
variation in the abbreviations \ised among the States, Local
practice should determine the form except in the abbreviations of
legal works included below.
171. The following list comprises most of the abbreviations
which will be needed. However, excessive use of abbreviations
detracts from the usability of the inventories and it is suggested
that they not be used except in those cases whore considerable
space is thereby saved.
adm'r - administrator
ag't - agent
albh.— alphabetically
amend. - amonded
anon. - anonymous
app. - appendix
arr. - arranged
art. - article
ass'r - assessor('s)
att'y - attorneyOs)
aud'r - auditor('s)
aver. - average
bbl. - barrel
bd. - board
bdl. - bundle
bldg. - building
bsmt. - basement
bur. - bureau
ca. - circa (about)
c.c. - county courthouse
cf. - confer (compare)
c.h. - city hall
ch. - chapter
chan. - chancery
chron. - chronological(ly)
cir. t circuit
elk. - clerk('s)
co. - county
coll'r - collector
comm. - commission
comm'r - comraissioncrs(' )
Const, - Constitution
con. - controllcr('s)
or: compt. - comptrollcr(1s)
corp. - corporation
crim. - criminal
ct. - court
deft. - defendant
dem. - demonstration
clop' t ~ department
dist. - district
od. - editor, edition
e.g. - exempli gratia (for example)
eng. - engineer
est. - estimated
ct son. - ot soauentcs. ct scauontia
(and the following)
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et al. - ejt alii, et alias (and
others)
etc. - et cetera (and so forth)
ex'r - executor
ex rel. - ex relatione ("by or on
the relations, or information,(of
f.h. - file boxes
f.d. - file drawer(s)
f(f). - and following page(s)
fl. - floor
fro. - form
ft. - foot, feet
Gen. Laws - General Laws
Gen. Stat. - General Statutes
haw. - handwritten
hdr. - handdrawn
hwy. - highway
ibid. - ibidem (in the same place)
i.e. - id est (that is)
in. - inch(es)
incl. - inclusive
infra - below
j.p. - (justice('s) of the peace
misc. - miscellaneous
ms(s). - manuscript(s)
munic. - municipal
n. - note (referring to a footnote)
n.d. - no date
no(s). - numer(s) (only preceding
figurcs)
n.p. - no place of publication
given
numer. - numerically)
off., off'r - office, officer('s)
on. cit. - onere citato
(in the work cited)
p(p). - page(s)
par(s). - paragraph (•s)
•passim - here and there
pkg. - package
pltf. - plaintiff
prob. - probate
pt. - part
ptd. - printed
)) rd. - road
rec., rec'1 r - record, recorder
reg'r - register
Rev. Laws - Revised Laws
Rev. Stat. - Revised Statutes
rm. - room
sch. - school
sec(s). - section(s)
ser. - series
sess. - session(s)
sher. - sheriff(1s)
st.street
TJ. S. Stat. - United States Statutes a;
Large
strm. - storeroom
supra - above
sup't - superintendent(1s)
surv'r - surveyor('s)
t. - town
T., Tps. - township, townships
treas. - treasurer('s)
U.S. - United States; United States
Reports
v. - versur (against)
vide - see
viz. - videlicet (namely)
vol(s). - volume(s)
wolf. - welfare
WPA ~ Work Projects Administration, or
Works Progress Administration
yr. - year
— — to dato and continuing
x - by (in dimensions)
AIL 416
- 105 -
172. The explanatory notes given below will in general apply
to all inventories, hut additions or deletions may have to be made
in some cases. Appropriate examples will have to be substituted in
the note on cross references. The notes should be included in the
inventory immediately following the list of abbreviations.
Titles of Records. Exact titles of records are
written in solid capitals without parentheses. In the
absence of titles, descriptive titles have been assigned,
which are written in solid caps and enclosed in paren¬
theses. If a record title is not descriptive of the
contents of the record, an assigned explanatory title
(or explanatory words), 'written with initial caps and
enclosed in parentheses, has been added. The current or
most recent title of a record is used as the entry title
and title variation is indicated.
Dates. All dates used are inclusive. Missing records
arc indicated by broken dates.
Quantity. When two or more types of containers arc
considered in a single entry, the quantity is shown in
chronological order, insofar as possible.
L3.beling. Figures or letters in parentheses, follow¬
ing the number of volumes, file boxes, or other types of
container, indicate the labeling. If no labeling is indicated,
it may be assumed that there is none.
Discontinuance. Where no statement is made that the
record was discontinued at the last date shown in the entry,
it could not be definitely established that such wo.s the case.
Whore no comment is made on the absence of prior, subsequent,
or intermediate records, no definite information could be
obtained.
Description of Records. The description of the contents
of a record applies only to the current or most recent record
unless change in contents is actually shown in a record entry.
Indexing. All indexes to records, unless otherwise stated,
are self-contained.
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Condition of Records. Records are in good condition
unless otherwise indicated.
Dimensions. Dimensions are always given in inches,
unless otherwise indicated, and, therefore, the symbol for
inches (") has "been omitted.
Location of Records. When all or the majority of the
records of an office have a common location, the location
is indicated in the last sentence of the office essay
instead of in each individual entry.
Cross References. Title-line cross references are used
to show tho continuity of a record series which has "been
kept separately for a period of time and with other records
for different periods of time. An example is that in entry
46: "1861-30 in Miscellaneous Record, entry 56," They are
also used in all artificial entries, those set up to cover
records which must bo shown separately under their proper
office even though they are kept in files or records appearing
elsewhere in the inventory, as, for example, the title-line
cross reference in entry 250, "In Commissioners' Minutes,
entry 1," or in those set up for a record which is never kept
separately but is found in two or more records of miscellaneous
content, such as entry 68, In both instances, the description
of the master entry shows the title and entry number of the
record from which the cross reference is me.de as, for example,
these words in entry 1 do: "Also contains board of equaliza¬
tion minutes, 1890—, entry 250." Dates shown in the descrip¬
tion of tho master entry or entry of miscellaneous content are
only for the part or parts of the record contained therein,
and arc shown only when they vary from those of tho master
entry.
Separate third-paragraph cross references from entry to
entry, and See also references with subject headings or
subheadings are used to show prior, subsequent, or closely
related records which arc not parts of the same series.
J, Office Rssays
173, A separate section in the inventory is to be devoted to
each county office and its records (if there arc any), with an essay
on the legal status and the functions of the office preceding the
entries covering the records.
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174. Every office which servos as an integral peart of the
government of the county calls for treatment in a separate section,
hut it is somotimcs difficult to identify an office as such, as it
frequently happens that what appears to he a separate office is simply
a part of the personnel of another office. An entity which, carries out
its duties in pursuance of authority legally vested in a county office is
properly considered in connection with the latter. However, if it
functions in its own right, it should he given separate treatment; the
fact that it has "boon appointed hy, or is subject to the control
of, a county office docs not necessarily nullify its status as an
independent entity.
175. Only those offices that exist or have existed should
he considered in the inventory. An office which, though provided
for hy law, has never been filled in the particular county under
consideration should not he included in the inventory for that
comity. A separate essay is set up for a defunct office unless
after its abolition another office is created to continue its
activities; in such a case the succession is simple, direct, and
unconrolicatod, and can readily he handled in the essay on the
superseding office. If an office is abolished, however, and its
functions arc assumed hy an agency which had been in operation
simultaneously with the defunct one, or if the functions of the
defunct office are divided upon its demise between two or more
new or continuing agencies, it is suggested that the defunct office
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"be given a separate essay in which cross references to its
successor or successors are made. Otherwise important facts
about the defunct office are likely to be obscured'by the
complications of subsequent changes. Similarly, if several
formerly separate offices are succeeded on their demise by one
office combining the functions of all of them, each of the
defunct offices as well as the successor should be given a
separate section.
176. Agencies partially State and partially county or
partially Federal and partially county to the support of which
the county government contributes or the officers of which are
in any way responsible to the county administrative board should
have sections devoted to them in the county inventory of oach
county in which they operate. If the actual inventory of the
records of such an agency has not boon included in the inventory
of Federal archives or the inventory of State archives, it should
be included in the inventory for the county in which the hoad-
quarters of the agency arc located. From the county inventories
in which the inventor" of the agency's records is not included,
cross references should be made to the inventory in which it is
published.
177. If issuance of a separate scries of district inventories
is not anticipated, such district offices as, for example, district
drainage boards and district irrigation boards, should be con¬
sidered in the county inventories. A section may bo devoted to
the particular office and the records of the various districts may
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be listed under identifying subheadings. In case a district
overlaps another county, the records of that district need be
listed only in the inventory of the county in which the central
office is located.
178. Justices of the peace, constables, and other precinct
officers should be treated in county inventories, unless definite
plans have been made to issue inventories of the subdivisions of
the county in which such officers have functioned or unless the
survoy is impracticable.
179. When the clerk of a court, board, or other body has
independent duties apart from those in connection \irith his
position as recording officer of the agency, he should be given
a separate numbered, section.
180. Each office essajr should include a treatment of the
structural organisation of the office followed by a discussion of
its functions (powers and jurisdiction in the case of courts)
together with the records required to be kept by the office in
the exorcise of these functions. The following outline for a
county commissioners' essay will serve to indicate in a general
way the vroper development of an office essay.
I. Structural Organization and Evolution
A. Creation of office and any necessary background
33. Number of commissioners
C. Qualifications for office
D. Manner of selection
E. Oath
E. . 3ond
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G. Term of office
H. Conpensation
I. Mariner of removal
J. Manner of filling vacancy
K. Frequency of meetings
L. Clerk (state who serves find, has served as clerk,
and discuss, in this essay under II below, his
duties in that regard)
M. Legal counsel
II, Functions and Records
A. Administration
3, Law enforcement
C. Finance
1. Preparation of "budgets
2. Taxation
a. Levying of taxes
b. Assessment of taxes (consider commissioners'
power to appoint assessors and designate
assessment districts)
c. Equalization or revision of assessments
(either as a body or through one commissioner
as an ex officio member of a board of
revision)
3. Other sources of revenue
4. Expenditure
L, Elections
E. Education
1. Libraries
2. Civic centers
3. Historical research
F. Health and sanitation
1. Tuberculosis
2. Sewage disposal
G. Welfare
1. Relief
2. Orphans
3. Lefcctives
4. Social insurance
H. Public Works
1. Roads
2. Public buildings
3. Bridges
I. Miscellaneous
181. Records requirements should be discussed along with the
functions outlined above. Arrange entries under subject headings to
correspond with discussion of subjects under II, insofar as feasible.
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182. While the various offices call for individual treat¬
ment, the plan of organization under two general headings should
be observed in all cases.
183. If an office carries with it ex officio duties, as
when a sheriff is esc officio tax collector, the ex officio capa¬
cities should be indicated in the essay on the principal office;
but the actual duties exercised in such an ex officio capacity
should be reserved for discussion in the essay on the office which
is held ex officio. Thus, in the escample indicated, the essay on
the sheriff would point out that the sheriff was ex officio tax
collector, but the discussion of his duties as tax collector would
be given in the essay on the latter office.
184. When all records resulting from tho performance of certain
duties have been transferred along with those duties from one office
to another, the particular duties concerned need not be discussed in
the essay on the office formerly charged with performing them.
However, appropriate cross reference should bo made from tho latter
to the relevant discussion in the essay on tho office now performing
those duties. A discussion of all duties which have produced records
still retained by its office should be included, however, even
though their exorcise has been transferred to another office. Cross
rcforences may bo used to avoid any repetition of long discussions
of the same duties brought about by the application of this rule.
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185. Complete information should he given about records
required, whether by specific provision or by implication, in
connection with the function of the office. Information should
be given about records required, whether by specific provision
or by implication, in connection with the function of the office.
Information should be included also on records formerly required.
If there is legal provision for keeping of newspapers, the
newspapers should be included in the inventory, in the follow¬
ing form:
62. HA.TTIESBUP.Gr AMSRICM. 1908—. 39 vols.
Copies of daily newspapers procured by the clerk
of the chancery court at the direction of the
chancellor, containing publications ordered by the
court. Arr. chron. by date of publication. No
index. Ptd. 27 x 18 x 2.
186. If an office does not keep records, this fact should be
made clear. Also if for any reason the inventory of the records
of an office is incomplete, a statement to that effect should be
included. If the records of an office antedate the existence of
the office under its present title, it should be explained who
previously kept them. Reasons for significant gaps in the records,
such as a fire in the courthouse, should be given.
187. All material included in the essay should be documented
with exact citations of original acts end the most recent compila¬
tion of laws.
G-. Entries
188. The entry draft for each office, prepared according to
the instructions in section I, D, above, will be inserted, following
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the essays for each office. The entries will he numbered in
serial order throughout each inventory.
H. Appendix
189. To "bring out special features, it is sometimes necessary
to carry an appendix to the inventory. Individual items of particu¬
lar importance or historic value in the public records may he
highlighted in the appendix. If any items are clearly not public
records hut deserve treatment in the inventory, they should he entered
in the appendix. The last paragraph of the essay on the official
in whose custody such items are found should contain the following
statement: "For non-official records found in this office, see
App. entries ." If individual documents which are part of a
series of public records are entered in the appendix for one reason
or another, a third-paragraph cross reference should he made from
the entry covering the series in the inventory proper, as, for example,
"For a special item (or special items) from this record see App.
entry . " The entry in the appendix would not repeat the size and
location of the series hut would take the following form:
3. (WILL), month and day, 1836. In Will Book,
Will of John Bates: vol. A, pp. 74-78, entry 103.
Heal estate of 85,000 acres, chattels including two
carriages, etc. Entries in the appendix should ho
numbered serially, beginning with 1.
190. If the manner of writing varies from that shown in the
entry on the series, this should he shown in the appendix entry.
I. Bibliography
191. See Research and Records Series, Technical Circular i\io. 4.
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J. Indexes
19?. See Professional and Service Letter, No. 56, April 5,
1940. Chronological indexes may "be included at discretion. It
is suggested that the local advisory committee "be consulted in
this matter.
K. Abbreviated 5ssay Form
193. In general the pattern of local government varies
relatively little from county to county within a State, as it is
determined for the most part by constitutional provisions and
general statutes applicable to all the counties of the State. For
this reason, the material in the governmental organization essay
and in the office essay is very largely duplicated in successive
county inventories. This duplication has certain advantages in that
it provides a background for the inventory of each county's records
within the volume itself, and full essays in each volume were
required of ever3r State at first so that the progress of legal
research could be reflected in the improved essays of each successive
volume. Legal research is now, however, sufficiently far advanced
in almost every project so that it is possible to prepare for
publication a key volume on county government in each State, embracing
all the legal material of general applicability. The essays in each
inventory would then be confined to local variations from the
general State-wide pattern of county government, plus a very brief
introductory statment based on the general law.
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194. The use of this alternative form, introductions for
which are given in the succeoding paragraphs, is optional with
each State. However, as it will mako possible a considerably
more rapid production of inventories, lesson the cost of publica¬
tion, and allow the preparation, in the key volume, of a more
thorough study of county government than it would be possible to
make in any single county inventory, its adoption is strongly
urged. It is understood that the adoption of abbreviated essays
commits the project to the preparation of a key volume, which is
discussed in Section C below. All States wishing to adopt this
system should notify the Director of the Historical Records Survey
Projects.
195. If the system of abbreviated essays is adopted, an
inventory should be published at 6-month intervals with full
essays so that the latest results of the legal research of the
project may be made available. If the key volume has been published
or is nearing completion, this need not be done. The preface of
each inventory with abbreviated essays should include a reference
both to the key volume and to the latest inventory with full essays,
in some such form as the following;
"The Survey is now engaged in preparing a comprehensive
statement of the general law regulating county government,
to be entitled County Government in (name of State), It is
expected that this book will serve as a handbook on the
organization, structure, and evolution of county government
and records in (name of State), and will make it unnecessary
to repeat in each inventory information applicable to all
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counties in the State. The office essays in this
inventory are, theroforo, limited to the creation
of the office and its present status, the manner in
which it is filled, the term, and special legislation
affecting County. Pending issuance of the
volume on County Government in , it is
suggested that the reader consult the inventory of
the County Archives of , No. , County
for more detailed essays than those found in the
present inventory."
196. The essay on the housing, care, and accessibility of
records should bo included in full, as should the floor plans
of the courthouse, the chart of county government, and the map
of the county.
197. The historical sketch should be included in regular
form but may be somewhat condensed. As a minimum it should
describe the geographical location and topography of the county
and should give its area and the date and circumstances of its
creation. There should be statements concerning successive county
seats and the erection of provious county courthouses as well as the
present one. Major events which directly affected the structure or
impaired the ordinary functioning of the county government should
be described. A brief account should bo given of population
growth or decline, distribution (urban - rural), the rise and
decline of important industries, important ethnic groups in the
county, and facts and history of a social and economic nature,
if any, which differentiate the particular county from other
counties in the State. If full historical sketches have already
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"been prepared for any countier they should be used without conden¬
sation along the lines outlined, above. Further, full historical
sketches should be prepared if necessary to meet the sponsor's
requirements.
198. The governmental organization essay should list only
those offices now existing and indicate their general functions and
their relation to each other. If a radically different organization
existed at an earlier date, that organization as well as the pre¬
sent one should be described but it is not necessary to portray the
general development of county government. This essay would have
only a very few pages.
199. The individual office essay should give the date the
office was created or began to function in the county. If the
office is defunct, the date of its abolition should also bo given.
Information as to the ma.ior function of the office, the present
manner of selection, length of term and composition, and whether
the office is a board or commission, should bo included. An
example follows:
The board of county commissioners, the chief
governing authority in tho county, has functioned in
Pipestone County sinco its creation in 1879.^ The
1. Gr, L., 1860, ch. 15, act. 2, sec. 1; G. L., 1879, ch. 63.
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board is composed of five members, each member being
elected by the voters in a commissioner district.^- The
term of office is 4 years.2 The county clerk serves as
clerk of the board.3 *
200. In addition to this minimum information, the office
essay should treat fully local variations from the State pattern
produced by special legislation. Example:
The register of deeds, who acts as recorder of
property conveyances, has functioned in Alexander County
since its creation in 1855.^ The register is elected by
the voters of the county5 and holds office for a term of
4 years, instead of 2 years, as in other counties.6
In addition to the duties placed upon the register
of deeds by general laws, the register in Alexander County
is required by a special act of 1917? to issue marriage
licenses, to file marriage certificates, and to maintain
a marriage register, all of which are duties imposed by
general statute on the county clork. Ey another special
act of 1937, the register of Alexander County is directed
to have prepared an index to the marriage register of tho
county from its beginning to date and to maintain the
index thereafter.®
201. All essays should be fully documented by direct refer¬
ences to the sources, except that the governmental organisation
essay may be documented by rofercncc to the abbreviated office
essays and to a full governmental organization essay. For tho
latter, rofcrbncc should bo made to tho most recont full inventory,
unless the key volume has been published, in which case tho refer¬
ence should be made to it.
1. G. L., 1907, ch. 45
2. G. L., 1885, ch. 6, sec. 96.
3. G. L., 1879, ch. 50, sec. 2.
4. Const., 1845, art. 4, see. 2
5. Ibid., see. 3.
6. Laws, 1897, ch. 43, see. 21.
7. Laws, 1917, ch. 27.
8. Laws, 1937, ch. 218.
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202. Extinct offices and offices which, keep no records shoold
"be handled separately in abbreviated-essay inventories as they are
in full-length inventories.
Am 6
- 120 -
L. Key Volume
203. If the system of abbreviated, ossays is adopted, it will be
necessary for the State Historical Records Survey project to under¬
take the ^reparation of a key volume on county government and records
systems in the state in question, to which the reader can be referred
from the abbreviated essays of the inventory volumes for more detailed
information. The title "County Government in (name of state)" is
suggested.
204. The key volume should be so designed that it is useful not
only as an introduction to the county archives inventories, but also as
a handbook or general reference work on county government of the State
in question. As a widespread demand for these volumes is anticipated
in view of the fact that they will in most of the States constitute
the most complete study of the functions and evolution of county
government available, every effort should be made to secure their
printing by the sponsor so that they will be available for use in
schools and colleges and for sale to the general public.
205. It should be emphasized that work of high technical quality
and finish is expected on the key volume. It should, be based on exhaus¬
tive legal research as outlined in Section I, B, above and on a thorough
study of other sources and of existing secondary material. The assis¬
tance of members of the project advisory committee and others interested
in county government should be solicited in planning the volume and in
locating sources and secondary studies. Much, of the necessary research
will, of course, already have been done in the preparation of essays
for the regular county inventories.
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206. Since the nature of county government and the problems to he
encountered in the preparation of the key volume vary widely from
State to State, no uniform detailed instructions can he given. In¬
stead, it is requested that'the State Supervisor of each Historical
Records Survey project wishing to undertake the preparation of a key
volume work out detailed plans in line with the general suggestions
given helow, which should he transmitted to the Director of Historical
Records Survey Projects for approval and criticism. These plans should
include a statement of the research completed and that planned, a tenta¬
tive bibliogrqhy, a list of consultants, detailed outlines of the
various chapters of the hook, and an estimate of the prohahle date of
completion. The actual writing of essays should await the approval
of these plans and their return with comments.
207. The organisation of the key volume will resemble that of a
county inventory in that it will include an historical introduction; one
or more chapters on county government in general, patterned after the
governmental organization essay; .and a chapter on each county office
which has existed, corresponding to the office essays of an inventory.
If possible a general description of the housing, care, and accessibility
of county records in the State should he included.
208. The historical introduction should not he a compendium of
single county sketches hut should attempt to indicate those facts in
the history of the State which have affected the development of county
government. Such topics as the following might he covered: The
existence of the State as an English, Dutch, Spanish, or French
colony, as a part of the Republic of Mexico, or as an organized Territory
A1416 - 122 -
of the United States; political issues and movements which have
affected the creation of new counties or the structure and functions
of local government; Civil War and Reconstruction in States in which
a supersession of civil government by martial law was produced in
the counties; controversies over the issue of local self-government
versus State centralization; movements and proposals for the reform
of county government; and the general topography and social and
economic complexion of the State as they have affected tho pattern
of powers delegated to the counties.
209. The governmental organization essay and the office essays
will follow the pattern of those in tho fall-length type of county inven¬
tories "but will be more nearly exhaustive. Laws and court decisions
affecting county government throughout the State should be used in
preparing tho text of the essays. However, footnotes should call at¬
tention to important special legislation modifying for specific counties
tho various general provisions. Care should be used in analyzing
special legislation for it will sometimes be found that so many special
acts of a certain type have been passed that in practice they con¬
stitute general provisions. In such cases the special legislation should be
portrayed in the text rather than in the footnotes. The aim should bo
to describe in tho text all the systems applicable to a considerable
number of counties.
210. Evolution and chango in tho functions and structure of
county government should bo carefully traced. An attempt should be made
to discover the reasons - political, economic, and social - for the
changes. Such background material will make the volume something more
A1416
- 123 -
than a digest of laws. Functions, formerly "belonging to the counties,
which have been contralizod in tho State government should "bo traced
to the State level. The relationship between the various county
offices and State agencies should be clearly shown. Collecting this
information will require research in laws which affect State, as we 11
as offices.
211. The knov.ledge of actual procedure used in the offices which
has been acquired by the Survey staffs should be used in prep-.ring the
office essays. This knowledge should be used particularly to explain
the arrangement of the entries in the inventory series. However, court
or other procedures which do not produce records series should not be
treated at any length.
212. The inclusion of an essay on the housing, care, and acces¬
sibility of county records is optional. Such an essay should be prepared
in those States which have accumulated first hand knowledge of record
housing conditions in all the counties in the State. In those States
which have accumulated such knowledge for but a few scattered counties
such an essay would be of little value. If the information is available,
statements regarding the uses to which tho various tyoes of records are
put may be included in this essay. It should describe any State-wide
policy of concentrating and/or destroying non-current county records.
Attention should be called to projects carried on by the Historical
Records Survey or by other agencies the purpose of which is to improve
the acccssbility of records by indexing, arranging, or transcribing.
Charts and tables giving an analysis of existing indexing may be included.
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