I don’t customarily single out for public acclaim individuals who volunteer their time for the benefit of the Massachusetts Trial Court. This is due primarily to the sheer number of attorneys, counselors and mental health professionals and private citizens who volunteer their time each day in courts throughout the Commonwealth.
I depart from that policy today to highlight the extraordinary contribution made by Easthampton resident Barbara Fell Johnson, who is putting the finishing touches on a two-year court project to restore, preserve and make accessible to the public thousands upon thousands of historic estate and probate documents maintained at the Hampshire Probate and Family Court.
Johnson has spearheaded and overseen the efforts of communty volunteers as well as volunteers from Family Search (Geneaological Society of Utah), in sorting, refilling, and digitizing probate court records dating from 1660 through 1889. Nearly 20,000 fragile and deteriorating probate files containing innumerable historic court documents have been “cared for” by this team of volunteers over the course of approximately 2,500 volunteer work hours.
The work is exacting and tedious. As the result of their tireless and uncompensated efforts, the court’s records have been revitalized and will soon be available online, for free, at americanancestors.org and familysearch.org.
On behalf of the Massachusetts Trial Court, as well as the citizens who will benefit from the availability of these records for years to come – thank you Barbara!
PAULA M. CAREY
Chief Justice of the Trial Court
Boston