xt74j09w3h34 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt74j09w3h34/data/mets.xml Tennessee The Historical Records Survey, Nashville, Tennessee 1939 UK holds archival copy for ASERL Collaborative Federal Depository Program libraries books  English  This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed in accordance with U. S. copyright laws. Tennessee Works Progress Administration Publications Instructions for Using the County Records as Source Materials: Manual of Instructions for Preparation of Forms SP21, Revised text Instructions for Using the County Records as Source Materials: Manual of Instructions for Preparation of Forms SP21, Revised 1939 1939 2015 true xt74j09w3h34 section xt74j09w3h34 J Q—E5TRUCll`lON;S FOR USINQ   QQ_UNTY REGORDL;
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v Second Edition
A Manuel of Ins’truci;ions for Prep;-zreticn of Forms SP2l Revised ~
{
_ The Historical Records Survey {
Nashville, Tennessee 3
1939 j o
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,  ’”

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Preface to the Second Edition
The first edition of the manual of instructions for the prepa-
ration of Forms SP2l was issued in May, 1938, with the expectation
that both the manual and the form might require future revision.
Since then the work has proceeded far enough in several counties to
bring to light certain imperfections in the original manual and
form. It is believed that the second edition of the manual will .
remove some of the difficulties now existing in the preparation of
Forms SP2l. This manual will introduce a new form, SP2l Revised,
which replaces the old SP2l•
Even with due regard for the imperfections of the first manual,
the State Office is convinced that practically all of the errors
(4 which have occurred in the preparation of Forms SP2l may be
°t‘ assigned to the failure of the workers to study the manual and to
· follow faithfully the instructions. By "studying" the instructions,
’¤ considerably more than a casual perusal is implied. The manual
should be read, and re—read if necessary, with the purpose of Forms
I - SP2l Revised kept in mind.
Supplements to this edition will be issued from time to time.
Nashville
January 20, 1939
ja,. ‘

 V INSTRUCTIONS QQR USING QEQ COUNTY RECORDS
gg SOURCE MATERIAL
To facilitate the preparation of the historical sketch and legal
sections of each county records inventory and to show that the county
records are a valuable source for historians and writers, vorkers in
each county are being instructed to go to the public county records to
obtain information vhich may be used. It should be clearly and definite-
ly understood by both workers and county officials that this phase of
the work is aimed at improving and making more adeguate the historical
and other essay sections of the published inventory and in no ray what-
soever is directed at viewing, examining, auditing, critically inspecting
or otherwise touching any records an official may regard as personal,
private, not open to inspection, or which in any any could not serve any
public purpose if such information were made public. As a matter of fact,
we are interested as much, if not more so, in historical and non-current
records as we are in current or active records.
The Haywood County Inventory represents an approach to the goal of
using the county records to supplement and illustrate the development of
the various county offices. By showing many vital phases of life in the
county, both of the present and earlier times, we are able to give that
county more adeguate treatment than has been done heretofore. Although
only the surface was scratched in Haywood County, we are convinced that
• the possibilities of such usage of the county records are almost limit-
°’ less.
s To attempt to state here all the possible valuable and interesting
items that could be obtained from the records in each county would be
• hopeless, since there are hidden in the records literally thousands of
items which we could use, and in accomplishing the purpose of this
phase of the work, gg ygll pgtgrally have tp ggly tg g ggggt degree gp
thg initiative, imagination, interest gnd industry gf thg vorker as-
signed to this undertaking in each county. In addition to proceeding
directly in an attempt to gather such material, the worker should
maintain a constant vigilance, while making HR Forms, for items of his-
torical and legal interest.
It is imperative to state exactly, clearly, and unmistakably any
information submitted. Unless permission is obtained beforehand from
the State Office, no sources except the records are to be used. Par-
ticularly is Goodspeed's History pf Tennessgg to be avoided. This rule
against Coodspeed does not imply any reflection on that vorthy book, but
. it is available to this office and use of it in the field would consti-
tute duplication. The tendency of the workers in several counties to re-
sort to this History has made it necessary that it be specifically pro-
hibited. The officials, of course, may be of great help, but the workers
should rely on them only to the degree that they may make valuable sug-
gestions as to what records may contain the desired information. In
other workd, gg gr; using thg pecords, not the officials. This does not
J. mean that we could not rely on the officials, but merely that ve want the ,
citations so sound that anyone, now or fifty years from now, could go
. ~ I

 il, -2-
', directly and without delay to the source you cite in stating, for
example, that the tax rate for the year 1930 was $1.60 per one
hundred dollars. In making your citations, therefore, you must state
the exact title of the record containing such information so as to
eliminate completely any possibility that, if any one desired or de-
cided to recheck a statement we may make, he could not find the record
cited by us.
The fundamental principal, then, upon which the making of Forms
SP2l Revised is based is to gain a clear picture of the historical de-
velopment of the county and its offices. To that end, we emphasize get-
ting material from the earliest records and the most recent ones to show
the amazing complexity and diversity to which the county has grown. For
example, we are able to embellish our Haywood County Department of Edu-
cation essay somewhat by illustrating, in terms of expenditures, the
growth of the department during the past century. In 1845 expenditures
for public education in the county amounted to $1199.41 ("Revenue Dock-
et", "A", "l82B", pp. 4-6, entry 14 in the Haywood County Inventory),
whereas during the fiscal year ending September 1, 1938, educational
expenditures amounted to $123,590.57 ("Annual Report of Haywood County
Trustees, Period Sept. lst, 1937 to Sept. lst, l938", in "hiscellaneous
Papers", entry 1, "Minute Book", "l7", pp. 70, 150, entry 4). "M are
, further able to show that seventy-three cents of the total tax levy of
$2.20 is for school property ("Minute Book", "l7", p. 156, entry 4), and
• to give enrollment and statistical matters relating to the department
e ("Annual Statistical Report for the School Year Ending June 30, l938,"
in "Annual Statistical Report", entry 239). By no means, however, are the
• intervening years between the beginnings of the county and the present
time to be overlooked. They, too, contain a rich store of facts which
should prove a valuable contribution to the published inventory.
The information should be gathered from the records of the county,
and from the records only, and to assure correctness and accuracy, the
citation to the record must not be defective. To facilitate this effort,
a form has been drawn up to provide for all the necessary information.
Not only must the record be identified, but the particular volume, the
page number, and the date when an item was recorded are all necessary for
a complete and exact citation. lf you were looking, for instance, for a
report of the chairman of the quarterly county court in 1930, you would
first look in the minute book of the court. lf so, then your citation
might readr exact title "guarterly Ninutes," series or HR title "Minutes
of Quarterly Court," labeling "A", covers dates "l92l-l935", entry date
` "Jan. 1, 1930", page "345", HR number "C-6", located in "County Court
Clerk‘s office." All of this information is essential in order that it
may be used for reference at any time.
0r you might discover that the Trustee collected $100,000 in 1860.
lf this information came from the minutes of the quarterly county court,
. you might give as your citation, Annual Report of the Trustee, as re-
- corded in "Minutes of the County Court", Book "2", Jan. 3, 1861, page 2. '
L But, assume you did not get this information from the "Minutes", but
“ xw, from a far more trustworthy and valid source, the trustee's original

 V. · 3 ··
S _ report, which is filed among the papers in the County Court Clerk‘s
° office. Your citation might be, if the original report bears a titles
"Annual Report of the Trustee for l86O to the County Court", "Jan. 3,
l86l", in "Original Papers", file box "l34", "County Court Clerk's of-
fice", or something similar. The attached form below illustrates the
manner in which information will be entered and the sources cited.
To repeat, not only must the information given from the record be
absolutely correct, but the citation must be accurate and adequate.
This vork will be rechecked from time to time by a representative of
the State Office and the worker and local supervisor will be held
strictly accountable.
Abstracting and digesting certain records will be permitted when
a certain vital fact could otherwise be gleaned only from long and
tortuous entries, pg; direct eee peeef eeejations eee preferable when
there could be any doubt about the meaning of any entries in the records.
lf long attachments must be made, they should be made on separate sheets
and attached to the forms so they may be properly filed. The space at
the bottom of the form and the reverse side of the form should be exhausted
before you resort to attachments. Notes quoted word for word gee; pe ee-
eleeeg py guotation marks eee eee; pe eeeeee exactly ee teey appear gp
, ghe records regardless of whether they are understandable or make sense
to you. Changing the wording, punctuation, spelling, capitalization,
· grammar, or what have you, of any ducted statement is a form of dishonesty
Q that will not be tolerated. If Andrew Jackson misspelled a word, said
"ain't", did not capitalize his own name, or committed any other offense,
. it is not up to us to correct him. Certain usages in capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling at certain periods are well known to this office,
and any changes of statements, remaining enclosed by quotation marks, will
soon be discovered.
For example, the very first entry in the oldest surviving Nilecu
County Court kinute Book is. "Samuel Calhouns list of taxable property
for the year l803 to-wit, two black poles and paid taxes for same ———-— ".
New this sentence is incomplete, it has no period at the end, and it is
almost meaningless. Nevertheless, the clerk made the entry this tay and
under no circumstances has anycne license to state, "Samuel Calhoun pre-
sented his list of taxable property for l803 to the county court in
December of that year, and paid taxes on two black slaves." A circuit
court minute book may state. "John Smith vs richard roe." It says that
and does not say "John Smith versus Richard Roe."
‘ lf any word is illegible, faded, badly written, or otherwise not
clear, you indicate this situation by leaving the word out and substi-
tuting a dash enclosed in parentheses. lf you think you can read a
cloudy or faded word, but are not quite certain, put vhat you think it
is but fellow the word with a question mark enclosed in parentheses,
. thus: (?
In many instances it will be impossible to make direct guotations. V
`_( For example, if you tell us there were 5OO marriage licenses issued in

 . - 4 -
 
, 1937, all you can do is count them and let it go at that. One whole
' record series may be needed to prove soo merchants' licenses were issued
in 1930. Here the whole series may have to be cited on one form. There
rill, of course, be many less obvious situations and in these the worker
must use his own judgment.
Moreover, caution should be exercised lest you assume too much from
a record. For example, you cannot safely state there were l000 births in
your county in 1937, for the good reason that you have no way of knowing,
since there is not a county in the state in which all births are regis-
tered, and births may be registered at any time. Neither would it be of
any value to state that "there were 1000 births registered in l937", un-
less to illustrate something of the volume of business transacted by the
county court clerk during a single calendar year. The gply yglid state-
ment, assuming it is true, that you may make is that "one thousand births,
occurring in 1937, have been registered thus far."
The first instrument registered in "Deed Record", Book "A", may
bear a half dozen dates but none necessarily means that the instrument
was registered then. It may be important to know the date that an in-
strument was executed, but that date cannot be represented as the date
the instrument vas registered in the register‘s office. The same situa-
, tion may prevail in circuit and chancery courts, where the dates of
action and filing must ppt bg confused with the dates of entry in the
• record at hand. Papers for a case may be brought up one year, but not
, enrolled until two years later — so the distinction is very important.
· As already mentioned, it is impossible to list all of the items we
could use, just as it is impossible to suggest a complete list of re-
cords which probably contain valuable and usable information. The
following standard records, however, should prove to be valuable sources
in any county: ·
Minutes and Enrollment Dockets of the County (Quarterly and Probate),
Circuit, and Chancery Courts, Appropriation Dockets, Cash Books, Revenue
Dockets, Birth and Death Records, Marriage Records, Deed Books, Entry-
Taker's Book, AAA Contracts, Juvenile Dockets, Reports to the yuarterly
Court, Scholastic Census Records, Superintendent's knnual Statistical
Reports, Tax Books and Records of all descriptions, Audit Reports,
Trustee's Reports, Poll Tax Receipts, Automobile Registers, Vital Sta-
tistics Records, Professional Registrations, Privilege License Duplicates,
’ and Poll Tax Receipts, to mention a very few.
The minute books should prove to be the most prolific source. The
reports to the quarterly county court (or court of pleas and quarter sos-
sions or county court) should supply much information on the finances of
the county, and on roads, education, health, and agriculture - subjects
in nhich we are deeply interested. The trustla's records will give a .
. further insight into the receipts and expenditures of the county. Like-
` wise, the records of the road commission, superintendent of schools,
health dipartment, and farm agent should supplement material obtained
_f from the guartcrly minutes. lf one record is not available, try another

 9. -5-_
_ record. The quarterly minutes, for example, will mention the poor com-
' mission and we may gain some insight into the administration of poor
relief even though the minutes of the poor commission have been lost or
discontinued. A deed book might give the first register‘s name and
could be cited, instead of allowing the uuestion to go by in the absence
of the first minutes of the quarterly court.
The two samples below show Form SP2l Revised before and after it
has been filled out by a field worker. Somewhere, in the attached list
of suggested questions, there may be a question. "What was the tax rate
in l930? (Show Breakdown, If Any)." And this question was found to be
fully answered in a book entitled "Quarterly Minutes", which was a vol-
ume labeled "3l", and a part of the record series which on the HRl2—l3
has the title "Minutes of juarterly County Court." In addition to giving
directly and concisely the information desired, the worker filling out
the form made a few additional notes that may or may not prove valuable
at some later date.
The worker should experience no difficulty in filling in the blanks.
· In the upper left corner, there is the name of the county, the date the
form is mailed to the State Office, the name of the worker, and the
bureau to which the record belongs. The proper bureau is determined in
v exactly the same way as in making HR Forms, that is, you do not neces-
sarily assign a record to the bureau to which the question and answer
. relate but you assign it to the bureau of custody as if Form SP2l Revised
E were HRl2—l3. The space marked "File" in the upper center of the form
must ppt be filled by the worker.
I
_ The "Source of Information" column is equally simple.
The "Exact Title" rule is the same as in HRl2-l} except that "Exact
Title" means the exact title of the volume or other record used and not
necessarily the title of a series which in making HR Forms is controlled
by the title of the most recent volume. The exact title must be enclos-
ed in quotation marks.
The "Series or HR Title" line is used if the "Exact Title" is not
the same title which is used on the original HR Form for the whole record
series. In other words, on Form SP2l Revised the "Exact Title" line
becomes the place to show variations of title, if the title of the in-
dividual volume or other part of a record series cited varies from the
record series title on the original HR Form. "Series or HR Title" must
be in quotation marks, as on the original HR Form.
Assigned or explanatory titles for volumes are shown in "Series or
HR Title" lines, in parentheses, as on the original HR Form.
Difficulties will arise in citing unbound material. If a report or
, other paper cited has a title, such as "Annual Report of Trustee", or `
' "Annual Statistical Report of Superintendent", this title should be
placed in the "Exact Title" line. If, however, the paper is hopelessly
_5 lost in a group of file boxes and has no title, an assigned title, in

 II I- 6 _
_ parentheses and not enclosed in quotation marks, should be placed in the
° "Exact Title" line, with the "Series or HR Title" line bearing the ser-
ies title which appears on the original HR Form.
The rules governing "Labeling" are well known, on the forms give the
exact labeling of the individual volume, file box, or other container
used. "Exact labeling" does not mean "by years", or "alphabetically",
but the actual labeling which appears, such as "A", "l937", "District
15:1, OI. n45·u
"The Page Nos." line must be filled when citing a volume. In most
instances, the information given will come from one page. If more than
one page is used, and this is done only in giving the same or very close-
ly related information, all pages used are given. Individual page
numbers are separated by a comma, inclusive page numbers by a dash. How-
ever, if only two consecutive pages are used, the numbers should be
separated by a comma. The following examples are illustrative. one page
is cited thus. 547. Individual page numbers are cited in this manner.
547, 550, 560, meaning that three different pages were used. Inclusive
numbers are indicated. 547-560, this meaning that all pages from 547 to
560, inclusive, were used. Two, and only two, consecutive pages are
cited as. 547, 548.
s
The "Entry Date" calls for the month, day, and year when a record or
. the entry in an extended record ras made. If an answer covers an entire
1 year, it would be impossible, of course, to give a single day and month
in the "Entry Date", and in these instances give the inclusive dates,
. such as "6-l3-1937 to 3-25-l938." The "Entry Date" must be as complete
and exact as possible. In the "HR No." line you should write in the
identification number of the HR Form covering this record. In this man-
ner, we shall make a check on the accuracy of the forms. This
requirement, of course, can not apply to counties which have been re-
opened by new workers for the express purpose of making Forms SP2l
Revised and who were loft no notes by the makers of the original inven-
tories, but there are no other exceptions.
The "Volume Covers Dates" line, used when volumes are cited, calls
for thc_inclusive dates of the single volume at hand, and not the dates
of a record series of more than one volume. This should be don; without
regard for the labeling, even though the two entries are identical.
The "Yo. of Question" blank should contain the number of the ques-
tion, as listed below, asked and answered. If a revision of a question
is made, follow the number by "R". In the "Question" line, the question
asked and answered should be stated clearly. The matter of questions
and answers is discussed at a later point.
It is absolutely essential that an answer be clear and sensible, so
, that the editor may be able to judge and =.·. reigh it. It is not sufficient
` to answer "yes", but a concise explanation drawn directly from the re-
cords is expected. Additional pertinent information is to be urged. If
5 it is impossible to answer the question, the worker should frame one as

 . ·7‘
nearly related as possible to the ones asked in this manual. These
" questions and suggestions from the State Office are made with a view to
obtaining certain information which is basic to the preparation of the
T sketches for the inventory. This does not preclude any salient fea-
tures which the worker may submit, but it does mean that the basic
information requested should serve as a guide to further research along
those lines indicated.
There are certain features of the history of your county which you
should uncover. We expect this to be done. The State Office, of
course, cannot be thoroughly familiar with the local situation in each
county, but the suggestions made should point out possibilities for re-
search by the worker. Thus, the evidence and notes gathered by the
worker along the lines suggested should bring additional information at
our command. From time to time specific questions will be supplied to
verify or substantiate the facts already at hand. Several Forms SP2l
Revised should be accessible while the actual inventory of records is
under way so that valuable and interesting items may be recorded at the
time of their discovery.
The State Office, through its use of the public and private acts of
the legislature, knows the general set up of the government in each
‘ county. "hat we need is specific examples and information to supplement
that general view. If, for instance, we can show that the quarterly
, court actually elected a certain commission on a certain date, that makes
_ the presentation of the county government that much clearer. The mere
presence of a law on the statute books is not conclusive proof of a com-
— , pliance. An office essay built entirely on constitutional, statutory,
and other legal provisions is rather futile unless we can state definite-
ly whether the unadorned law presents a true picture. Only by
examination of the records, and by citations to them, may we view the
county government as a functioning organism. Then toc, we are able
to reveal interesting sidelights in the development of offices and the
differences which a certain county might have. The ranger is a consti-
tutional officer, yet only a handful of counties still elect one. The
failure of the quarterly court to record the election of a ranger is
prima-facie evidence that the office has been allowed to become de-
funct. In l879 the legislature, by general law, authorized the
quarterly court to revive the office of entry—taker or to confer the
duties of the entry-taker on the surveyor or the register (§.§. l§12,
ch. 46, sec. l). Whereupon the legislature forgot the entire matter.
Only by examination of the records can we determine what then took
place in each county. lf the job was handed over to the register, then
automatically, an entry—book became a required record of the register.
The success of this undertaking will largely depend on the adoption
of an historical point of view on the part of those who are closest to
the sources of information, that is, the workers in the field. Not only
_ do we want the historical sketch for each county to be distinctive, but
· we want the office essays to be essays of each office and bureau in each
county and not general essays on the offices throughout the state. For
J example, when we write the legal essay on the circuit court in a

 . · 8 ·
_ particular county, we want the essay to be descriptive of the circuit
‘ court in that particular county. It will be of interest to know that
Cordell Hull was circuit judge in Smith County, and in the Smith
County Inventory we will state that he was judge of the circuit court
for many years. This fact, although it is well known, can be easily
proved by any of hundreds of entries in the records of the circuit court
clerk of that county. We have found records relating to Davey Crockett
in‘7ashington, Crockett and Lawrence Counties. And in Lawrence County,
the record is a Justice of the Peace docket kept by him. It will be
of interest to know that he was at one time a Justice, and ~e will, in
the Lawrence County Inventory, note the fact, either in the county
historical sketch or in the office essay on Justice of the Bence. It
will also be of interest in the historical sketches of several counties
to be able to state, as we will, that one of the largest land-owners
was the register of the land office.
We know that the Haywood County Court of pleas and quarter sessions
paid $600 for its first temporary courthouse ("Day Book", page 16, in
"Minute Book", entry 4, in Haywood County Inventory), and paid 6185 for
its first jail (ipid., pp. 89, l06). We can show that the first court
of pleas and quarter sessions of Haywood County met at the home of
Richard Nixon on March 8, 1824 and that the first action taken was to
elect Nixon chairman ("Day Book", pp. l, 2, in "Minute Book", entry 4).
° And we know with a fair degree of certainty, that the circuit court in
, Haywood County is almost as old as the county itself or that it dates
_ from 1824, for at that same first session of the court of pleas and
cuarter sessions sitting at Uixon's home, twenty-five residents of the
, county were ordered to serve as grand and petit jurors in circuit court
(ib1d.,p. 8).
we also know that the first instrument registered in the Wilson
County register's office tas a North Carolina land grant certificate is-
sued at Fayetteville, H. C. in 1789, in pursuance to an act for tle
"relief of the officers and soldiers of the continental line..."
("Deed Record," "A", p. 3, entry 77 in the Wilson County Inventory).
"e may state that Wilson was badly in need of a law court in 1810 for
the first circuit judge, Thomas Stuart, ordered the first case transferr-
ed to Sumner County, September 24, l8l0, because all parties agreed that
a fair and impartial trial was impossible in "ilson County ("Tinute Book
1810-l82l", page 2, entry 97). It is interesting that the first final
decree handed down in Wilson County Chancery Court was in a case, Barker
et al. vs. Fields et al., involving the right of property in some slaves
named Kate, Rachel, Amy, John, Jim, Buck, ind Mingo ("Minutes", "A",
Wilson Chancery Court", page 3, entry l}O, "Enrolling Book" (l), pp. 1-9,
entry 131).
Some idea of the volume of business transacted by the county court
clerk, and also an insight in the trend of affairs in "ilson County, may
_ be had by showing that in I937 the clerk issued 269 mlrriage licenses
· ("Marriage Bonds and Record", "l0", pp. $05-440, entry 63 in the “ilson
County Inventory), that he has registered 357 births occurring in 1937
_ ("Record of Births", "l", entry 66), and 296 deaths ("Record of Deaths",

 F. ..9-
_ No. "l", entry 67). The net total collections by the trustee was
t easily determined by consulting his four uuarterly reports to the
r guarterly county court.
Scores of similar items have been uncovered and used in the
preparation of the Inventory of the Archives of Haywood County.
Likewise, items of this nature will be used for each county. It
must be kept in mind, however, that complete reference to the
location of the information is essential to enable it to be used.
Generally speaking then, there are two lines of approach. direct
searching for specified types of information, and a constant
vigilance, in the examination of records and preparation of forms,
for significant items. You should realize that this is the first,
and probably the last, opportunity your county will have to get its
history adeguately and accurately written from such authoritative
sources as the county records.
A list of the counties and the date of their creation is included
in the back of this manual. Usually the county was organized
within a year after the date of creation. If a county vas created
after the beginning date given for an office, the assumption is that
the office in that county began when the county was organized. The
_ court of pleas and quarter sessions (after l835 the quarterly county
court) always existed from the time of the organization of the county.
. Therefore, its records should date from the beginning of the county.
_ Circuit court ras first created in l809 and counties organized before
that date should have circuit court records dating from l8lO.
‘ . Chancery court first appeared in 1824 and its first records in a
county may date from some time between then and l868.
The constitutional officers, the trustee, ranger, constable, jus-
tice of the peace, coroner and county court clerk all date from the
organization of the county. Poor laws should be found at early dates,
and the poor commission itself should be mentioned after l826.
Educational efforts should be revealed some time in the early eighteen-
hundreds. The office of superintendent of schools made recurring
appearances between l867 and l873. There should be records of highways,
road orders, and the appointment of road overseers dating from the begin-
ning of the county‘s history. The full time county health departments
may date from l92l, and in a few special instances earlier. However, if
by accident, previous mention of health is found, it is highly possible
that such mention may be in the year 1877-78. Mention of the county
jail physician may bc found as early as l859, or again in l37l or l877,
but in most counties the first definite mention of county physician will
be found in lSB5. The workhouse commission should date from 1891. The
agricultural agents, that is the county agent and home demonstration
agent, are not likely to be found earlier than l9l3. This office may
have been created and abolished several times over a span of years.
, The only solution is to examine the indexes of the quarterly court‘s
‘ minute books. This department will require considerable research, since
it will be necessary for us to know the dates the offices of county agent
-, and home demonstration were created, abolished, re-created, and so

 3 - lO -
i _. on. Many counties had a county agent those office was abolished
_ and then re—created. Juvenile records should date from l9ll, except
in those counties with juvenile courts created by private acts. It
is possible that in some counties optional agencies antedate the
general law, as in the case of Blount County where the health depart-
ment anticipated the general law hy two years.
This outline of the development of county offices should be used
by the tmrker as a reference in searching for a particular agency. Yith
the date of the creation of the county as a guide, the general set—up
at the time of the organization of the county may be roughly sketched
out, and should be used to facilitate the making of forms.
In general, there should only be one fact, or a closely related
set of facts making an item all from the same source and location, on
a form. If the same fact is indicated by separate records, make separate
forms. Do not worry about making too many forms.
I
 
I
}

 _ · ll -
SP2l Revised. Fi1e___ _ Source of Information:
0 _ County Exact Title_
Date_ ___ Series or HR Title__ __
Worker______ Labeling______Page _Entry Date
Bureau__ ____ Vol. covers dates HR No. _
No. cf Question_ Location ______ _________
Questioni_______________________________________________________________
; SP2l Revised. File _____ Surce of Information:
. Wilson County Exact Title "Quarterly Minutes"
Date December 15, 1258 Series or HR Title"Minutes of Quarterly Court;
Worker_£oe Doakes_______ Labeling AA Page_54I,548nmmry Date [-6-1Qgj
Bureau_CountyCourt Clegg Vol. covers dates_12g?-1251 HR No. __C-Q
Nc. of Question_ QQ ___ Location__County Court Clerk's Vau