Archives offer portrait of history

The past catches up with people at the Placer County Archives. Most times, the surprises are pleasant. Visitors can find kernels of historical insight on who used to live in their houses. Or what their long-lost relatives did when they lived in Placer County. Or what the county Board of Supervisors decided at, say, their December 1862 meeting. But that search through the stacks can sometimes veer outside of people's comfort zones. If there are skeletons in a family's closet, the county's full set of court records going back to 1851, newspaper accounts dating from that same time period, and plenty of other leather-bound nooks and crannies can lead to some cringe-inducing revelations. About 70 percent of the people seeking archives information are researching their families. Curator Carmel Barry-Schweyer, who oversees the North Auburn archives, fields an average of seven inquiries a day. They come in the form of letters, e-mails, phone calls and in-person visits. She and a volunteer team that now numbers 20 use their knowledge of the archives collection and local history to dig up the answers - and a handful or two of dirt. Being the keepers to the key for the closet with all the skeletons in it can sometimes cause pain. With so much criminal history to work with, family legends like the one a woman in Hawaii was checking on don't necessarily stick to long-held beliefs. The way the woman had heard it, an ancestor from Placer County had gone to prison for eight years for stealing bread to feed his family. Digging into court records found a court case stemming from a Clipper Gap break-in that was far different that the treacle-drenched version going the rounds of the family circle.The man had stolen food but also dipped into the home's silverware and photo albums on his way out. He'd also brought along two sons - the youngest was 10 - and the three were all described as drunk at the time of the crime. Barry-Schweyer is diplomatic when she feels the information culled from the archives may be more than a family member can handle. She'll hedge her bets before opening the door on the truth. "I've had people break down in tears after finding out a relative had committed suicide," she said. Her way of avoiding unloading of unpleasant revelations is to ask whether they really want to know the truth and whether they think they can handle it. "For some it's hard," she said. Others welcome a black sheep or two - like the woman who was visibly disappointed when told that she was not related to a stage robber. "We dig up the mud as well as the nuggets," Barry-Schweyer said. Thousands of volumes await research, as do literally hundreds of millions of words. There are almost 1,800 photos catalogued and searchable on computer, with many more yet to come. Thousands of maps going back to the mid-19th century are being catalogued, adding to the resources available. "The treasures to me are the old mining maps from the 1850s and 1860s showing the claims," said researcher Ron Petersen of Rocklin. "They're hand-drawn and sometimes very colorful." Woodland's Bob Balmain is one of the archives' researchers who volunteers to help find information for others. With so much information available, Balmain and 20 other volunteers offer specialized assistance. Balmain and his wife, Sharon, have spent countless hours on their own research projects to provide fresh perspectives on the early days of Iowa Hill, the life of major league pitcher Bill James, and the site for Auburn's gold discovery. Probate records, tax rolls, even the rogues gallery from San Quentin Prison in the 1910s, bring out the best and worst of Placer County through the years. Rogues galleries are also available from Folsom Prison and the early 20th century's version of the California Youth Authority at Ione. The archives also hold some notable rarities. There's a page with the signature of jeans pioneer Levi Strauss from his time during the Gold Rush in Placer County - one of only four known to exist, Barry-Schweyer said. Another document is signed by Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, the son of Lewis & Clark expedition guide and interpreter Sacagaweya. Charbonneau lived in the Auburn area in the 1850s and worked for a time as a clerk at an Old Town hotel. One of the oldest documents on file is from 1844, pertains to a land dispute, and includes a signature from pioneer John Sutter. The archives is also the keeper of the coffin receipt for notorious outlaw Richard "Rattlesnake Dick" Barter. Barry-Schweyer, the author of recent books on area mining camps and Rocklin, said that as the county has grown in recent years, the archives has found itself pinched for space. Many days, all chairs are filled with researchers. With the building - initially part of the DeWitt Army Hospital psychiatric ward in the latter part of World War II - slated for demolition, Barry-Schweyer said the ideal situation for the county's wealth of records is a temperature and humidity-controlled building with triple the space of the current structure and a larger research area.