The Georgia Archives has been forced by severe budget cuts to close an additional day each week.
Effective July 1, the archives will be open for public research from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays only, closing on Thursdays.
This will be a severe blow to historians and genealogists using the state's vast records dating back to the 18th century.
The archives, under the office of the secretary of state, has had its budget whittled away over the past several years. The staff has been reduced to less than 20.
It's a sad state of affairs that our state's lead heritage agency is forced to suffer continuing cuts.
Many people this past winter contacted their state legislators about the value of keeping the Georgia Archives open a reasonable number of hours, especially in this era of heritage tourism. Let's hope this latest announcement of a cut in hours will bring the situation to the attention of someone who might be able to restore funding to earlier levels.
Unclaimed money
The Georgia Department of Revenue has on its website a place where you can search to see if you have money waiting for you in the department's unclaimed property area.
If you go to www.unclaimed.org and select Georgia on the map, it will lead you to the Revenue Department, and to the search area for unclaimed property. You can also use the map to check other states.
While you may think this does not apply to you or your family, I have found my family business there, two cousins and two members of a good friend's family. So give it a try.
There are other sites online to check for lost U.S. Savings Bonds. Search Google for "treasury hunt." Another site, www.missingmoney.com, includes many states, but not yet Georgia.
Handwriting analysis
"Read It Write: Interpreting Early Styles of Handwriting" will be the Lunch and Learn Seminar topic at noon July 15 at the Georgia Archives.
Sandra Boling, historian and genealogist, will cover the difficulties of deciphering handwritten documents.
The seminar is free; bring your own lunch. For further information, check www.georgiaarchives.org or call 678-364-3700.
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