Kathy Mullen wrote:
> ... I wonder what historical information will be lost.<

In the past courthouse fires were common, and many records collections have
gaps because of them.  Some fires were accidental, some not so accidental
(it was a good way to get rid of pesky ownership records in the 18th and
19th centuries).  I remember my grandmother having to take a more elderly
relative with her to apply for social security.  The woman was present when
my grandmother was born and had to "swear witness" to her identity and date
of birth, because the courthouse containing my grandmother's birth records
had burned in the 1920's.

Ginny Jones
(Virginia A. Jones, CRM)
Records Manager
Information Technology Division
Newport News Dept. of Public Utilities
Newport News, VA
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