Dorothea Kratzer is one of 10 women who will be inducted into the 2010 class of Outstanding Women of Clinton County. The awards luncheon will be held Saturday, March 6 at 11:30 a.m. at the Roberts Centre in Wilmington.
After 24 years as an educator, career number four for Dorothea involves her love of genealogy and history. Locally, Dorothea transcribed microfilm records into books. This eight-volume accounting of census, birth, and the Children’s Home records spans 1850-1920. This meticulous venture has been a source of income for the Clinton County Genealogical Society (CCGS) as it has simplified ancestral research for people all over the country. The work won her the CCGS’s Genealogist of the Year in 2003.
Other history preserving projects include computerizing the burial records of the Westboro Cemetery and helping the CCGS create the First Families of Clinton County designation for members whose forefathers settled in the county on or before 1820.
One of her most special projects has been working with World War II veterans to preserve their stories for the Library of Congress’ Veteran’s History Project. To date Dorothea has recorded 18 veterans and has plans for five more.
You can read more in the Wilmington News Journal web site at http://www.wnewsj.com/main.asp?SectionID=49&SubSectionID=156&ArticleID=182564.
