REFLECTIONS

Gee, that greeting turned somber on me.  I started out to write something light-hearted and wound up really reflecting on how life is these days. But irony seems to be lurking everywhere now.  Here's another example. 

In the last newsletter I shared one of those "People Do The Nicest Things" stories  -- about how Diane Colby and her husband (who gave her one of the world's most unusual anniversary presents ... a book of old poorhouse records!) donated those records to the Oswego County [NY] Genealogy Society for archiving in The Oswego County Records Center.  (Pssst!  The mystery couple in the photograph at the top right of this newsletter is The Colbys.)  

Diane and Barry had researched which facility would be the best one in which to archive the book -- a facility which was well organized and very accessible to the public with the services of competent professional staff to assist people in understanding the context of the records in which they were searching.  They felt very assured that County Historian Barbara Dix would be able to do an admirable job of that.  And so they made the donation which was celebrated on July 28, 2003. (See photos below)

Here's the irony!   Skip below the photos to read the rest of the story!

Barely two weeks later, on August 14th, Oswego County legislators voted to eliminate the job of County Historian as part of measures to offset a county budget deficit.  The announcement that this might be done elicited a HUGE protest ... much of which was carried out online (see e-mail list threads of protest) ... but to no avail.

The letters to editors, letters to county legislators, and e-mail posts gave ample testimony to the good job Barbara had done as well as the importance of that job.  (Read an outstanding letter reviewing her accomplishments which was published in the Oswego Daily News. It includes the fact that during the past seven years she has delivered more than $600,000 to the county through grants that she wrote and presented, and that she was recently told she was going to be honored with the title of "Historian of the Year" for New York State.) 

But never fear ... it ain't over 'til it's over.   Well, the county historian's job is likely over ... for the time being. 
Barbara's last day on that job is supposed to be September 30th.  But she may win a new one!  She is going to run against one of the board members who voted to eliminate her job. She has gotten the necessary signatures to have herself put on the ballot.  Way to go, Barbara!

Almost every aspect of this story (except for the entrenched attitudes of  "the establishment") has been facilitated by the ability of ordinary people who live in widely differing locations but who share common interests to be quickly informed of issues and to rapidly mobilize a response.  The internet shines a light into those former dark halls of closed deliberation and forces people with power to be more accountable to the public interest.

The Internet -- Ya gotta Luv It!  (or not ... but we sure do!)
  

WELFARE-TO-WORK
(Or Modern Indentured Servitude ?)

If you think everything is fair and equitable in our country right now, and that unemployment is only the fault of those too lazy to work, then you might want to skip this.  PHL

Now poorhouse history has made it into the mainstream -- 
a popular magazine at your local bookstore!

AND in a wonderful genealogy journal ...

But we still love seeing poorhouse history currently being told by local media!  

FEATURED PROJECTS
(based on readers submissions)

FEATURED ARTICLES
(We didn’t create them; 
we just show them!)

RECORD OF INMATES
OF COUNTY HOME

BELL COUNTY, TEXAS
1913-1969 

Compiled by:
Janet Clayton GARDNER
1995

How's this for irony!  

That pauper cemetery in Hudson County NJ -- remember?  Well, their attempts to do the right thing were further thwarted when they totally unexpectedly stumbled across unmarked graves -- not again! -- at the location where they were ready to place remains transferred from the old poorhouse cemetery. 

Thursday, August 7, 2003
By Pat. R. Gilbert
Staff Writer

We are now featuring another new state on our website. The PHL's own state!  TEXAS!   

In Texas there are Pioneer Days going on in an old poorhouse which has been preserved, a small local poorhouse museum being planned, a recently
rediscovered poorhouse cemetery being studied (with plans for a historical marker, very respectful treatment of the remains, and serious attempts to locate descendents), a great publication transcribing an old poorhouse record book (a rare find in Texas), an invitation for The Poorhouse Lady to speak to a local historical society ... and much, much more.  Last but not least -- current research into the location of former poorhouses progresses! 

We have now created separate pages for several of the counties in Texas.  

You will find that the counties for which we have substantial poorhouse information have been underlined and linked to a county page. 

There is also a full state map showing the pattern of establishment of poorhouses in the state.

Be sure to check out BELL, CASS and KAUFMAN Counties!

"Two bewildered old ladies stand amid the leveled ruins of the almshouse which was Home; until Jerry dropped his bombs. Total war knows no bounds. Almshouse bombed Feb. 10, Newbury, Berks., England."
Naccarata, February 11, 1943.

Photo is reprinted from original United States government photographs provided by the US National Archives located in Washington DC.

Some things never change.
War is hell -- especially for the helpless.  PHL
 

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(Note: Some of our most enthusiastic supporters came up with the idea of giving their friends
gift subscriptions to the Poorhouse Story Newsletter!  E-mail to let us know if you would like to do the same.)