MOVING TOWARD A MORE JUST FUTURE BY BETTER UNDERSTANDING THE PAST: HOLLY WATSON BRINGS PASSION TO THE LIVINGSTON COUNTY HISTORIAN’S OFFICE

BY SUZIE WELLS

Enter the Livingston County historian’s o ce in Mt. Morris and chances are you’ll see the friendly face of Holly Watson, County Historian since May 2022 and Deputy Historian for the previous ten years. Watson loves what she does and it shows. When I rst inquired with her about the Livingston County Heritage Tours for the County Business Directory, Watson was quick to assist and o er suggestions to lead me in a solid direction.

e County Historian’s role is anything but dull, she says. ey collect, preserve, and interpret county historical records for the public. Watson says she most loves helping researchers “develop a strong sense of place and move toward a just future by better understanding the past.” ese historical artifacts tell us today about the people, places, and events from Livingston County past, and Watson says the o ce currently maintains records from around the 1770s to the present.

format in the future.”

With Deputy Historian Madeline Friedler, Watson wants to continue to provide excellent customer service and information access to researchers. She plans to “harness new technology to increase the o ce’s reach, impact, and engagement with the public.” More immediately, she and the historian’s o ce have projects in the works to gather information, research, and educate the public about Livingston County, such as “bringing more dignity to those interred at the county poorhouse cemeteries, digitizing obsolete forms of media, and designing several permanent exhibits for county facilities.”

Watson grew up in Avon as a homeschooled farm kid with pet chickens, and says she’s grateful every day for that lifestyle. She says, “It allowed me to freely discover my passions, and I think it contributed to a commitment to lifelong learning and dedication to this area.”

Watson’s sta organizes collections so information is easily found, digitizes items to preserve them and increase access, and assists researchers in-person and virtually. “No request is silly or too big/small” to bring to the historian’s o ce, Watson assures, and she says the community o en comes to them with genealogy questions and local history inquiries of all sorts.

Each research request is di erent, and Watson compares studying history to detective work: “We gather information from many sources and perspectives so that we have as complete a picture of the past as possible. It’s exciting when new information pops up that helps us adjust our understanding!”

Watson loves her new role leading the o ce. She says that while “the learning curve of o ce and employeemanagement has been an interesting and satisfying challenge,” she pushed herself out of her comfort zone with professional development opportunities.

She anticipates that staying on top of changing technology will be “a constant challenge, particularly as more and more information is ‘born digital.’ e historian’s o ce must constantly reassess what information constitutes a historical record and how to preserve the information in a digital-only

Watson cannot imagine living and working anywhere but in the Genesee Valley. When she was young, her interest in local history was sparked when she found names carved in her family’s old barn, and she wanted to know more about who lived there before her. She says her passion for local history deepened working at the county historian’s o ce, and she feels “extremely fortunate to have found a rare full-time job in public history.”

Learning about events and people that shaped communities around her makes her appreciate what and who brought us to where we are today. She says, “Livingston County is a wonderful place to live and work, and my job reinforces that every day for me.”

In addition to her job as County Historian, Watson participates in community Trail Town events whenever she can. A hiker, she raves that regional trails connect sites and communities with amazing stories. She said it’s hard to choose, but she particularly likes the Greenway, Finger Lakes Trail, and the Phoebe Snow Trail (aka Groveland Secondary trail).

She also loves gardening (both vegetables and ornamentals) and generally spends as much time outside as possible, caring for plants and enjoying this gorgeous region. When it comes to events around town, she adds if there’s food and drink from new businesses to try, “I’m there!”

Nexttimeyou’reinMt.Morris,besuretostopinandcheckout the County Historian’s O ce and say hi to Watson and Friedler, who will happily share their passion for Livingston County history.Checkouttheirwebsiteatwww.livingstoncounty.us/162/ County-Historian for more information or to springboard your own research.

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