Book holds York Co. history

YORK, Neb. — “This is the official record of the beginning of the county,” the clerk said, as she ran her hands over the aging pages of the large, ornate hard-bound book.

Cynthia Heine says she’s worried about the condition of the original deed index, which contains hundreds of pages displaying handwritten property transactions dating back to the mid-1800s.

“This is the oldest deed book, the very beginning, the first one,” Heine said as she looked at the impeccable penmanship, chronicling homesteaded properties being deeded by the federal government to local pioneers. The book is a guide, of sorts, listing the transactions. The actual deeds are stored separately.

The entries include legal descriptions, numbers of acres and the names of grantors and grantees.

“This,” Heine said, “is our history.”

The problem is that time has taken its toll. Pages are coming loose from the antique binding. Heine’s concerned about its integrity.

“This book is used quite often, by people who are doing genealogy work and research,” Heine said. “It needs to be restored. It would be absolutely horrible if we lost any of these pages.”

Heine took the matter to the county commissioners this past week because of the expensive price tag that comes with the book’s restoration. The estimate came in between $500 and $600.

“It’s a lot of money,” she told the county board members, “but we have to realize what we have here. This is a very important book, it’s part of the county’s history. It’s very valuable.”

The commissioners agreed that the money needs to be spent toward the book’s physical restoration, as well as to have it microfilmed. The unique cover will be maintained while the pages will be rebound.

Heine noted that there are other important artifacts, such as large, very old plat maps, that need to be preserved, as well. These items are in storage at the courthouse.

“We have one that shows the six different railroads that once ran through the county,” Heine said. “I’m worried that if we don’t have them properly cared for ... they won’t last forever. But of course, that all takes money. It would be a tragedy to lose these important pieces — pieces that could be displayed here in the courthouse for people to see.”