Ah, the mystery and the joy of searching the records at the National Archives.

For a few years, I mangaged an annual day trip to the Archives in conjunction with business trips.

I wasted much of the first trip by not being prepared for the basics of understanding the processes of accessing the records.

Then, I discovered just what you described. An overwhelming volume of material.

One of these days, I would really like to take the time to properly prepare myself, and then spend days sorting through all the records of interest. The absence of time constraints would certainly reduce the pressure of hurried note taking.

I sympathize with the transcription difficulties [and subsequent errors] that the original clerks encountered. Deciphering the handwriting style can really slow down the process.

I suppose making these rarely seen materials accessible by the internet is a hopeless dream, but oh how nice that would be. Even expanding the amount of material avaivlable on loanable microfilm would be a big help.

By the way, I have also utilized the contract services available through this board with good results. But, somehow, its just not the same as holding the original materials in your own hands.