DEAD END - ALMOST

While searching for a particular photograph in the old family photo tote, I found a frame that held my grandfather's real estate license from the year 1966. I decided to do some research. (I've really gotten into research this month.)

I found the website for the Department of Commerce, Real Estate and Professional Licensing Board and called them. The guy was helpful to direct me to the area of their site to find a form specifically made to request the history of a license. I printed it out and mailed it last Thursday to Columbus and waited for the results. Monday morning my telephone rang. A gentlemen said they would not be able to fulfill my request and he would be mailing my paperwork back to me.

Their researcher reported that no records were available anymore for anything over ten years old in the State of Ohio. He said they purged all their records within the last couple years. WHY? Why would the state destroy old records?

I recently learned that our county keeps records for civil, criminal, and probate at the Archives Building (formerly the Armory) as far back as the late 1800s. So if counties keep old records in archive, why can't the state? It sure was upsetting to learn. I wanted to research my grandfather's license to ascertain what year he got his original license issued to him. Unfortunately, due to circumstances in the political game of Ohio right now, nothing is available.

I followed in my grandfather's footsteps for a few years while living in South Carolina (for almost 20 years) by taking a real estate course, passing the state test, and acquiring a real estate license which I held for at least three years. I worked part-time with a realty company called Baymark during my licensed years. This is one more thing I can add to my legacy bucket list of 'mission accomplished' items. I'm just sorry my research on my grandfather's license hit a dead end. I can remember in my young years seeing his business sign hanging on the porch of the house until 1967 when he died.

My research found a bend in the road and I am now searching for someone else. When I removed the 1966 license from the frame to make a copy, there was another license behind it. Grandpa, being a real estate broker, had a salesman working for him and that employee's license was there. I went to the Archives and requested the probate file for this individual to locate a next of kin. Today, that request was fulfilled. The problem is that the son and daughter of this individual live in Washington state and Florida, respectively, and are now old enough that they might be deceased. I now have to turn to Ancestry.com to find a grandchild descendant to find a connection to the salesman. My quest is not yet finished as I forge ahead to complete this mission. Research. Research. Research - my new passion.