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Greetings,
How do you make history come alive in your life? We first received an email from Jeff in April of 2025. He was researching his Wilmington Cooper and Miller family roots and was looking for our assistance. He had in his possession copies of the Wilmington Transcribed Serial Records by Harold Hinds, Jr., but he was asking for more concrete details from the original records. We were able to clarify the identifications with comparison techniques and sent him copies of the originals he was seeking. Jeff said, “It really brings the history to life to see the original records. I really appreciate your help! This is very exciting and helpful.” In one of the volumes are pictures of livestock earmarks, all hand drawn by each current village clerk for the town records. At WHS we affectionately call them our “Cow” pictures! Jeff used the information we found to create a gift for his father’s 80th birthday— a crafted medallion with an image of a portrait of his oldest Wilmington ancestor and great-grandfather, Captain Pliny Miller, on one side with an image of Pliny’s accompanying 1826
“livestock” identification photo on the other! Jeff has shown one way to use our history to create a family memory. Our building is not just a building, it holds the gift of our past, ready to use in our present and future. We can help you find your life’s history passion, too!