R-CA Historical Documents
Roark-Conner Historical Documents Collection
The Historical Documents Collection is now offered for sale on flash drive. It contains 4,617 documents pertaining to the Roark and Conner families. The records include: pictures, postcards, letters, receipts, newspaper clippings, and obituaries dating back to 1720. They comprise the contents of the Joseph Roark (1813-1876) trunk, with additional documents added by a number of family members in 2005. Efforts are underway to expand the collection.
Click the button above for a link to the Historical Documents Collection Index. The index lists the names of all the individuals mentioned in this Collection. You can use it to search for names of your family members. If you find their names, that means there are documents that reference your relative. It could be a photo, letter, article, or some other document. If you find documents exist, you may want to consider purchasing a copy of the Historical Documents flash drive.
Purchase Information: The Collection, on flash drive, may be purchased for $30 (includes postage) by clicking the button below or through the website: Roark-Conner.org, go to “R-CA Documents,” then to “R-CA Books.” You can also email: BoD@Roark-Conner.org, or call 202-669-1802, to request purchase information. Please note, your purchase of the flash drive supports the important work of the Association including cemetery maintenance, the Newsletter, reunions, and the website.
Background Information: In the 1990’s, John J. Roark (Past President 1993-1995) undertook the extraordinary task of researching, categorizing, and organizing the contents of the Joseph Roark (1813-1876) trunk. In 2005, a number of family members added additional documents to the Collection. With considerable assistance from John J. Roark, a couple of years ago, the R-CA had the microfilm converted to flash drive. Recently, we enhanced the Collection by replacing poor quality copies with more legible ones. This was an extremely labor intensive project, but well worth the effort. Almost 1/4 of the contents, or over 1,300 photos and documents, were scanned and replaced. After Johanna Roark scanned the documents, Chuck Gross created the updated files. He then sent those who had already purchased a flash drive the updated files. Anyone who orders a flash drive now will receive the enhanced version.
Add Your Historical Documents: You can add your personal historical documents to the Collection. If you are interested, please email Terry L. Roark (Past President 1986, 2019 & 2020): TerryLRoark@aol.com, or call: 202-669-1802, to discuss and make arrangements.
Examples from Historical Documents Collection
Click below to view a video explaining how to use the Collection
and to see the types of documents that are available.
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