SMA HEADING TOWARD IMC REQUESTS IFR CLRNC. ENTERS WX PRIOR TO RECEIVING; CLBS.

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I DEPARTED VFR FROM MORRISTOWN; NJ; TO ROCHESTER; NY; WITH MY WIFE AND SON TO ATTEND MY FATHER'S FUNERAL; SCHEDULED FOR THE NEXT DAY. AFTER THE FUNERAL ON OCT/XX/93; I CALLED BUFFALO FLT WATCH TO CHK THE WX FOR THE RETURN FLT. THE OUTLOOK FOR AN XA00 PM DEP WAS VFR IN THE ROCHESTER AREA AND MVFR IN THE WILKES-BARRE AND MORRISTOWN AREA. WHILE APCHING THE ELMIRA VOR AT 5500 FT MSL; UNDER VFR FLT FOLLOWING; I INDICATED TO THE CTLR THAT I WISHED TO FILE AN IFR FLT PLAN BECAUSE OF MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS. THE ELMIRA CTLR INDICATED THAT HE COULD NOT HELP AND SUGGESTED I CALL WILLIAMSPORT ON 122.2 OR 122.6. WILLIAMSPORT RADIO TOOK THE APPROPRIATE IFR INFO AND SUGGESTED THAT I CALL WILES-BARRE APCH IN APPROX 2 MINS TO PICK UP MY IFR CLRNC. AFTER WAITING APPROX 5 MINS; THE WILKES-BARRE APCH CTLR WAS ADVISED THAT I WAS CLBING TO 7000 FT MSL AND THAT I WOULD REQUIRE MY IFR CLRNC SOON SINCE CONDITIONS WERE WORSENING. AFTER SEVERAL MINS; I CALLED THE WILKES-BARRE CTLR AGAIN AND INDICATED THAT I WAS GETTING INTO IFR CONDITIONS AND NEEDED MY IFR CLRNC. I ALSO GAVE HIM MY VFR FLT FOLLOWING SQUAWK CODE AT THIS TIME. AT THAT POINT THE CTLR SAID THAT I MUST BE DECLARING AN EMER SIT. I RESPONDED THAT I WAS NOT DECLARING AN EMER; HOWEVER; THE CTLR INSISTED THAT I WAS DECLARING AN EMER. AFTER THIS CONFUSING DIALOGUE; I DECIDED TO CONCENTRATE ON FLYING THE AIRPLANE AND APPROX 10-15 MINS LATER (10 NM NW OF THE WILKES-BARRE VOR); THE CTLR CALLED BACK AND ISSUED AN IFR CLRNC WHICH WAS DIRECT WILKES-BARRE (111.6); DIRECT BROADWAY (114.2); DIRECT MMU (MORRISTOWN). DURING THE LAST 10-15 MINS PRIOR TO GETTING THE IFR CLRNC; CONDITIONS WERE; AT BEST; MARGINAL. THE CTLR SEEMED TO BE DECLARING AN EMER IN MY BEHALF. SINCE HE SEEMED VERY STRESSED FROM HIS TONE OF VOICE; I DECIDED TO CONCENTRATE ON FLYING THE AIRPLANE SAFELY AND NOT TO CONTINUE ANY FURTHER DIALOGUE UNTIL HE ISSUED THE IFR CLRNC.