celebrates 200th March 30 with day of events GCC students One upon a time Genesee County's proud reach encompassed every square mile of land from the west bank of the Genesee River to the western boundary of New York State. A footloose felon in Ontario County on the east side of the river, need only swim across into Genesee County to end chase. Few lawmen were willing to muddy their boots pursuing an errant lawbreaker through the murky river water into the neighboring county's jurisdiction. Besides, bridges were hard to come by in those days. But populations grew, communities coalesced, and those wielding a badge began to see the wisdom in rounding up criminals on both sides of the Genesee River. Monroe, Livingston and other counties broke off - one by one. Genesee County was whittled down and its eastern shore shoved westward to its final resting place at the edge of present day Bergen. "The (Genesee) brewery got the name, but we got the county," boasts County Historian Sue Conklin. But along with the name came a slew of history, archives, newspapers and other historically significant first hand documents. "I started to realize that there were quantities that I'd never live long enough to index, organize and make publicly accessible," Conklin says. That's where the GCC students came in. Conklin approached the school and was directed to Professor of Political Science, Paul Schulte. The two got the ball rolling and began to involve the students enrolled in political science and government classes to help with organizing and indexing the county's records as part of their class research projects. "I am very, very proud that our students could help the historian's office do this. It's a chance for the students to give something back to the county," says Schulte. About 150 students per semester help out with the project. Some have come back a second or even a third time to help out on their own, or as part of another course they are taking at the college, Conklin explained. The students are given files such as felony records or oaths of office and are required to transfer the information to prepared forms. These are then proofread by the historian's office staff and entered into data bases. Conklin says the county is fortunate to have actual hard copies of newspapers from the late 19th century up until 1974. The students adopt one months' worth of papers and must determine the top three stories of that period. "It's interesting how (the students) perceive what is important and what they pick out as unique and interesting. That tells a lot about who we are today," Conklin says. Some of this information will be included in a book the historian's office is publishing for the county's bicentennial celebration coming up at the end of this month. The county was established on March 30, 1802. For perspective, at that time, Thomas Jefferson was in his second year as president. Students have also been tapped to document oral histories with county residents. These include veterans of WWII and individuals who had attended one-room school houses. In one case, students interviewed three generations of women from the same family. While of great benefit to the county, this project is also a great opportunity for the students since they usually only have experience researching on the internet or with text books, Conklin says. "This gives the students hands-on experience with primary resource documents." The students' work has turned up interesting details of the past. One found records of the first hanging in Genesee county, which took place in the early 19th century. Another student discovered that most fatal traffic accidents 80 years ago were railroad related. Neither Conklin nor Shulte know of any other county that is putting forth this type of cooperative effort. "I think we are unique," say Conklin. "I saw a need that wasn't being met. We didn't have enough money in the budget to hire additional staff to do it. We wanted to get these records out so the public can access them." Genesee County's grand bicentennial party will be held March 30, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn, 8250 Park Road in Batavia. Admission is free. A variety of bands will be playing throughout the party. Area vendors and restaurants will be providing a "Taste of the Genesee." There will also be a cake over 20' long (which will be closely guarded prior to cutting by Boy Scouts to prevent premature finger-dipping). There will be antique dealers, works of area artists, and a bicentennial time capsule will be put together. All children will receive an old fashioned paper party hat, courtesy of the Daily News, as well as a balloon. For more information call the Genesee County History Department at 585-344-2550 extension 2613. |
