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LIBRARIES IN GEORGIA WITH GENEALOGICAL HOLDINGS:
To help family researchers make better use of genealogical resources in Georgia, this series of articles will focus on several libraries with good genealogical collections and, thus, provide guidelines as to what can be found in different areas of the state. If there is a particular library that you would like to see reviewed, please provide the contributors with the name, address, and telephone number of the library and the name of the librarian to contact.
Rome-Floyd County Library, Rome, GeorgiaContributed by Ann L. Sherman and Jane L. Splawn Rome-Floyd County Library headquarters for Sara Hightower Regional Library) Directions to and Parking at the Library Coming from the east, take Highway 20/27 into Rome. Just before reaching the Oostaunala River Bridge, turn right on Reservoir Road and immediately bear left on Dogwood Drive, which dead-ends into Riverside Parkway. Turn left and go approximately 1/10 of a mile. The library is on the right at number 205. A free parking area is to the right of the building with access up a flight of stairs. Handicap access is available at the front entrance of the building with automatic door entry. History of the Area Floyd County was created in 1832 from Cherokee County, following the 1832 Georgia Land Lottery. Its present county seat, Rome, was created in 1834 and got its name because of the seven hills in the area. Five pioneers put into a hat five names, Hillsboro, Pittsburg, Hamburg, Warsaw, and Rome. The name drawn was Rome and became the name of the town. During the Civil War John Wisdom made a ride similar to, but longer than, that of Paul Revere during the Revolutionary War. His ride, credited with helping to save the city, was made to warn the inhabitants of Rome that the Yankees were coming from the direction of Alabama. Location of Genealogical Materials All materials of a genealogical nature are housed in the Special Collections Room, located on the first floor of the library to the left and behind the reference desks. Most microform materials are located in a separate room with access at the right rear of the Special Collections Room. Finding Aids and Internet Access DYNIX, the finding aid system used, is found on several computers located in various places in the library. Searches using key words may be made by either author, title, or subject. Although no computers with DYNIX are available for the public in the Special Collections Room, two are available for the use of library personnel, who will make searches when requested. There are twelve computers offering public access to the Internet in the Reference Department just outside the Special Collections Room. The Special Collections Room This room is very “user-friendly” with materials arranged to facilitate their location and helpful library personnel always available. The collection is quite extensive and well worth a research trip. Books: This collection includes a large number of books on Cherokee Indians, the Civil War, newspaper abstracts representative of the entire state of Georgia, and passenger records including the complete Germans to America series. Several books on Rome and Floyd County history and cemetery records are grouped for easy access. Family histories are grouped in alphabetical order by surname. Other Georgia county histories are shelved as a group by the Dewey Decimal Classification System, but a chart on an adjacent wall giving the Dewey Decimal number for each county makes location very simple. Material on other states, mostly of the southeastern United States, is arranged in two areas, historical and genealogical. Books for each state are shelved together, and the area labeled with its name. Periodicals: A huge collection includes bound volumes of Family Puzzlers,1967-1997; Footprints, 1968-present; Genealogical Helper, 1958-present; The Genie, 1972-1992; Georgia Historical Quarterly, 1917-1997 (GHS Index, 1917-1976); Journal of Southern History, 1947-present; Virginia Genealogist, 1957-present; DAR Magazine, 1913-1995; and several genealogical society quarterlies. Maps: This collection, housed in large drawers for flat storage, exhibits surprising variety. Included are several historical maps of Rome and Floyd County, topographical maps of mainly the northern area of Georgia, Civil War military maps, railroad and river maps of the area, and interesting historical maps of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and Upper East Tennessee. The maps are not all arranged by groups, and some of the drawers are not labeled, so a search through each drawer is necessary.
City Directories:
Telephone Directories: Manuscripts: Vertical files include information on the state of Georgia, donated family data, the George Battey Collection on the history of Floyd County, papers of John Harris (Floyd County Clerk of the Court), and collections on Margaret Mitchell and Ellie Lou Axson, wife of Woodrow Wilson. Lineage charts compiled by the Northwest Georgia Historical and Genealogical Society are kept in a notebook and indexed in a card file at the back of the room. Microfiche: Georgia death records, 1919-1994; marriage records, 1964-1992; and divorce records, 1965-1994, are available on microfiche, along with a reader, on a table at the back of the room. Copying Machine: One copier is available in the Special Collections Room. Both letter- and legal-sized sheets are 10 cents each, and 11x17-sized sheets are 25 cents each. Microform Room Annex This room is accessed through a door at the right rear of the Special Collections Room. It contains microfilm, microfiche, a CD collection, and Georgia federal census indexes. Some microfilm drawers are not labeled but contain film. CD-Rom Collection: A computer and printer with genealogical CDs are available in this room. Selected titles include Army Official Records; 1870 Georgia Census Index; Georgia Marriage Records; Civil War Roster; Complete Book of Emigrants; Genealogists’ All-in-One Address Book; Acadian Genealogies,14th-19th Centuries; and Marriage Records of AL, GA, and SC. Selected Microform Holdings: The following list is representative of the large collection that is available. Items are microfilm unless specified as microfiche.
Census Records, Federal
Georgia, 1820-1920 (Soundex, 1880-1920)
Kentucky, 1910-1920
North Carolina, 1800-1830
South Carolina, 1800-1860
Tennessee, 1900 and 1950
Some Agriculture, Manufacturing, Defective, and Mortality Schedules for Georgia
Cherokee Indian Records
Georgia Militia Campaigns Against Indians, Claims, 1792-1827
Family, Bible, and Diary Collections
Floyd County
Miscellaneous Estate, Deed, and Superior Court Records
Poor School Records
Rome City Directories, 1880-1940, 1947
Sanborn Maps
Newspapers
Atlanta Constitution, 1972-1995 (indexes in book form)
Cherokee Phoenix, 1831-1834 (English translation included)
Decatur Comet, DeKalb County, Georgia, 1837-June 1979
Rome News Tribune, mid-1850s-present
Perquimans County, North Carolina
Legislative Papers Tax List, 1771-1790 (incomplete)
Births, Marriages, Deaths, and Flesh Marks, 1659-1820
Post Office Locations for Evans, Fannin, Fayette, and Floyd Counties, 1837-1950
Revolutionary War Final Pension Payments for Georgia
Southern Claims Commission Records (microfiche)
Georgia Federal Census Indexes: Indexes for 1820-1870 are available in this room. Indexes for censuses for other states are shelved in the Special Collections Room in the appropriate state sections. Microform Reader-Copiers: Three microfilm reader-printers, one microfiche reader, and five microfilm readers are available in this room. Microfilm copies are 25 cents each. Other Library Conveniences To the right of the front entrance of the library is a gift shop managed by the Friends of the Library and a snack room offering soft drinks and snacks. Other Area Attractions Chieftains Museum: Located at 501 Riverside Parkway in Rome, this museum is housed in the home of the great Cherokee leader, Major Ridge, and presents the history of the Cherokee Indians of the area, the story of the Ridge family, and the development of Rome and Northwest Georgia. Oak Hill and Martha Berry Museum: Oak Hill, a fine example of a Southern antebellum house, is located a short distance from Rome in Mount Berry, Georgia. It is the home of Martha Berry, who founded Berry College in 1902 in a one-room log cabin. Nearby is the Martha Berry Museum with exhibits which interpret her life. Rome Area History Museum: This museum, located at 305 Broad Street in Rome, is devoted to the presentation of the history of the Rome area from the time of its Indian inhabitants to the present. *Ann L. Sherman, 1000 Winding Creek Trail, Atlanta, GA 30328, (404) 252-7938. E-mail: Ann Sherman ©1998-2005 by The Georgia Genealogical Society |