The DeKalb Daily Chronicle, 20 October 2011
County to start website for genealogy searches
DeKALB – DeKalb County Clerk John Acardo has reached into the county’s past in an attempt to help its future.
Acardo’s office is set to launch a genealogy website by early to mid-November that will allow anyone to search and download birth, marriage and death records that date back to the county’s inception in 1837. The search is free, but a $10 fee – the same price it costs to pick up documents at the clerk’s office – will be charged to print or save a copy of an original document.
Acardo said the website should increase the revenue generated from the genealogical records fee by 40 percent because of the global reach. He said the county already receives requests from people around the world, and the ease and accessibility the website will deliver along with a partnership with Ancestry.com should increase the demand.
“People are excited to see their history come alive,” Acardo said. “I think it’s not only going to be a great resource for the county but for genealogists and just people who want to know more about their own history.”
The project has been in development for three months while Acardo’s staff digitizes the county’s vital records. The total cost will be roughly $20,000, all paid for from service fees the office collects and not tax money, Acardo said.
DeKalb County’s genealogical website will offer birth certificates starting from 75 years ago, marriage certificates from 50 years ago and death records from 20 years ago – in line with many counties’ genealogical records. Acardo hopes to expand the site in the future to include military and land records.