We came to Amador County for a genealogical adventure on my husband's grandparents and found wonderful treasures in the resources you have at hand.
With the assistance of the incredibly knowledgeable Deborah Cook, we found in the county archives a list of mining accidents and deaths, as well as the date, place and cause of death of my husband's grandfather, Celes Varain, in the Argonaut Mine. She located the original Amador county news - www.boitano.net with the accident on the front page. Then it was off to the library where two fun and interesting librarians helped us access micro-fische files of the Ledger Dispatch. They also gave us additional insight into digging for information about an area in Amador County called Scottsville.
From there, it was on to the Catholic cemetery with the information we had gotten from the archives. We didn't have any luck finding Celes' grave, but we made plans to meet the person who can show us the exact location. Next, it was off to the Amador County Museum with a variety of exhibits that are so well put together. Hats off to Georgia Fox and her very talented and knowledgeable staff.
Finally, on to the county recorder's office where, again, we met some incredible employees who tracked down the actual death certificate. We shall continue to look for more regarding my husband's grandmother, Lena Bianchi-Gardella-Varain.
Amador County is fortunate to have these dedicated people both as volunteers and employees. What a great day we had. Burgers at Mel & Faye's topped it off.