The Brown County Clerk’s office, under the direction of County Clerk Sharon Ferguson, is preserving its oldest books of County records. Brown County was formed in 1854, but a fire in 1880 destroyed all the records up to that time. The record books from 1880 onward still exist, but many are in poor condition. Last year Ferguson decided action was needed. “I’m focused on restoring books that are so fragile you can barely lift them off the shelf without them falling apart. Preserving those is a top priority.”
Sharon Ferguson has spent 39 years in the County Clerk’s office, 22 years as a Deputy, and 17 years as County Clerk. Years ago she began digitizing some of the older record books that were in better shape. “The office was constantly full. That’s when I began scanning and indexing records – just a little at a time. Once we got some of those records online, I noticed fewer people coming in, because they could access what they needed from home.” But the project was bigger than she could handle herself, and the older books were so fragile that they needed special care.
In November 2024 Ferguson hired Revolution Data Systems in Dallas to help. They have since successfully restored and digitized a valuable collection of historic records from 1880 to 1911. The books were carefully taken apart. Each page was cleaned and repaired, scanned for digital versions of the records, deacidified, encapsulated into plastic sleeves, and then re-assembled into a new leather binder.
Now the original records are in better condition, can be handled with more ease, and are available online in digital format. “It made a huge difference. My staff could focus on other important tasks, instead of just helping customers search through physical records,” Ferguson said. “Many people have told me how much they appreciate having the records online — especially our appraisal district.”
This restoration project is paid for with funds from the Records Management and Archive Fund, money that comes from fees assessed at the time that property deeds are filed. “We use the funds we’re given strictly for that purpose. You have to be a good steward of those resources — don’t let them sit there. You’ve got to spend it wisely and get those books repaired before they rot away,” said Ferguson.
Revolution Data Systems has also been hired to modernize some criminal court records. In the 1960’s and 1970’s lots of court records were saved on microfiche, a modern technology at the time, but now obsolete. Revolution will take microfiche from 1970 and 1980 – which cover two decades – and digitize over 315,000 images. This information is frequently requested by the FBI’s “NICS” system, which is used when working a background check on a firearm purchase application.
Both of these tasks are big projects, but very much needed. “My goal before I retire is to have all the land records scanned and indexed,” Ferguson commented. “That’s been my mission — and I’m proud of the progress we’ve made.”