Probate Court Gets Governor?s Award for Archives

Posted on: Apr 27th, 2009 | News and Announcements

On behalf of Mobile County Probate Court, Judge Don Davis will receive a governor?s award this week for a key area of his responsibility little known by the general public: the safe-keeping of some 300 years of records telling the story of Mobile. The governor?s Certificate of Appreciation will be presented to Davis and other representatives of the county at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 29, at the State Archives Building in Montgomery. ?We have admired your records preservation efforts for nearly 20 years and recognize that Mobile County?s probate court has one of the best local archives in Alabama,? said Dr. Ed Bridges, director of the Alabama Department of Archives and History and chairman of the Alabama Local Government Records Commission. Probate Court is responsible for managing and preserving a huge volume of paperwork and other records, including historical photos. The archives include maps, Civil War pension and widow records, indenture statements, patents, deeds and mortgages and more. Mobile County?s probate court has had a records microfilming program since the 1950?s. In 1989, the court discovered the county?s oldest records in a courthouse attic, leading to the creation of a probate court archives. Coll?ette King, of the Probate Court?s archives section, has overseen the indexing and microfilming of hundreds of rolls of probate records, including the translation of French and Spanish colonial documents that date back to the founding of Mobile. The court has made many of these photos and records available for viewing at public functions. The Probate Court has responsibility for four key areas: family court, elections, marriage licenses, and custody of public records of the county. ###