Sequoyah Regional Library System (Part One)
Gilmer County Library and Pickens County Library

Contributed by Ann L. Sherman and Jane L. Splawn

Sequoyah Regional Library System

The Sequoyah Regional Library System serves Gilmer, Pickens, and Cherokee Counties and consists of eight libraries. Four of these libraries will be surveyed--two in this article and two in a subsequent one.

Directions to and Parking at the Library

Take Highway 52 into downtown Ellijay. The library is located on the northwest corner of the Ellijay Square, next door to the Gilmer County Chamber of Commerce. At the Square take Broad Street, located between the Chamber of Commerce and the courthouse. Just after the Chamber of Commerce Building on the right is the library parking lot. Entrance to the library from this lot is through the rear lobby. Parking is free, and handicap access is available through this rear entrance. There is an entry to the library from Dalton Street, but no parking is available there, and steps must be maneuvered.

History of the Area

Gilmer County, named for former Governor George Rockingham Gilmer, was created from part of original Cherokee County after the 1832 Land Lottery. Its county seat, Ellijay, known as the "Apple Capitol of Georgia," is on the site of an Indian village and bears the Indian name meaning either "many waters" or "earth green there."

In the northern part of the county Whitepath Community, named for Cherokee Chief White Path, was the site of a small gold rush. The discovery of gold in northern Georgia precipitated the disenfranchisement and removal of the Cherokees in 1838 to Oklahoma along the famous "Trail of Tears."

Location of Genealogical Materials

All genealogical materials are located in the Special Collections Room at the rear of the library.

Finding Aids and Internet Access

There is one computer in the Special Collections Room giving access to the Internet and card catalog for the Sequoyah Regional Library System. Computers in other areas of the library also provide this access.

Special Collections Room

Although lacking certain types of genealogical material, this room contains other materials which will make a research trip worthwhile, especially for those with ancestors from Gilmer and surrounding counties. A friendly, helpful staff is a definite and welcome asset.

      Books: The collection is arranged by the Dewey Decimal System, requiring the use of the computer card catalog to locate books, as they are not arranged by category. Included are family histories, local church histories, books on Gilmer and mostly surrounding counties, Cherokee Indian books, some federal census indexes, Civil War books including the Southern Historical Society Papers series (23 volumes), a two-volume set of Baptists of Early America, a three-volume Obituary Book with newspaper obituaries of Gilmer County from the 1940s and a separate index, and some books on Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama.

      Periodicals: A miscellaneous collection includes issues of the Georgia Genealogical Society Quarterly, North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal, Northwest Georgia Historical and Genealogical Society Quarterly, Whitfield-Murray County Historical Society Quarterly, and North Georgia Journal. There is also a miscellaneous collection of newsletters including some family ones.

      Telephone Directories: Ellijay, 1960s-present (See librarian for access.)

      Manuscripts: A three-drawer file of donated family manuscripts is a boon for those with Gilmer County and surrounding area ancestors. There are also cemetery records with indexes of Gilmer, Pickens, and Fannin Counties.

      Research File: This file provides a means of contacting researchers of different area surnames, giving their names and addresses.

      Gilmer County Research Aid: A loose-leaf notebook entitled A Guide to Genealogical Research in Gilmer County, Georgia : A Compilation of Frequently Requested Information, compiled by the staff and volunteers of the library, is an excellent aid. Categories included are local information; birth, death, and marriage records; census records; Cherokee ancestry; land records; military records; research tips; addresses; and maps.

      Tax Digests: Bound tax digests of Gilmer County for the years 1914-1950 are available, although some years are missing. The 1924 digest includes a list of ex-Confederate soldiers living in the county.

      Vital Records: Available are marriage records for Cherokee County, 1841-1855; Dawson County, 1858-1883; Fannin County, 1854-1941; Gilmer County, 1835-1960 (indexed); and Union County, 1834-1862.

      Copying Machines: No copier is available in the Special Collections Room, but there is one at the front reference desk and one in the Reference Room. Copies are 10 cents each.

      Microfilm: Microfilm holdings consist primarily of census records and the local newspaper.

      CD-Rom Collection: Family Tree Maker CDs are available at the computer in the Special Collections Room.

      Microform Reader-Copiers: Two microfilm reader-copiers are available. Copies are 10 cents each.

Other Area Attractions

      Apple Festival: The annual Apple Festival is held in Ellijay the second and third weekends (Saturday and Sunday) in October under the sponsorship of the Chamber of Commerce.

      Carter's Dam: Carter's Dam was built in 1976 in southwestern Gilmer County. It created the 3200-acre Carter's Lake and is the largest earth and rock dam east of the Mississippi River.

Library (2)

Directions to and Parking at the Library

Enter Jasper on Highway 53, which becomes Church Street North. Turn right on Burnt Mountain Road. The library is on the right on a hill, fronted by Library Lane. Parking is in front of the building, and handicap access is available through the front entrance.

History of the Area

Although Hernando de Soto came through the area in 1540 looking for gold, Pickens County is today most widely known for its vast deposits of marble. Its white marble is highly valued and used in buildings all over the world.

Location of Genealogical Materials

Genealogical materials are located in the Henrietta and J. S. Darnell Room at the left rear of the library.

Finding Aids and Internet Access

Six computers giving access to the Internet and the card catalog of the Sequoyah Regional Library System are in the library, although there is none in the Darnell Room.

Darnell Room

This room houses all of the genealogical material in the library, and while not extensive, the collection contains items that may make a research trip worthwhile.

      Books: The books are filed by the Dewey Decimal System, making a search through the computer card catalog necessary when attempting to locate a specific volume. Some interesting acquisitions are the twelve-volume set of Library of Southern Literature, which includes biographies of Southern writers; Ghost Trains and Depots of Georgia (1833-1933); the eight-volume set Cherokee by Blood; and the twelve-volume set Our People and Where They Rest, which lists graves in the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. Books on various counties of Georgia and federal census indexes for 1820-1870 for Georgia are available.

      Periodicals: Included in this collection are Genealogical Helper, 1958-1997; Georgia Genealogical Society Quarterly, 1966-1997; Atlanta Historical Journal, 1977-1980; Atlanta History, 1987-1995; Georgia Magazine, 1960-1972; and Journal of Southern History, 1968-1973.

      Maps: Interesting maps include the land grant maps for Chester, Fairfield, Greenville, Laurens, Newberry, Spartanburg and Union Counties in South Carolina with index and a 1903 land lot map of Pickens County.

      Newspapers: This collection includes The Mountain News, 1884-1885; The Pickens County Herald, scattered issues from 1884 to 1899; The Pickens County Progress, scattered issues from 1899 to the 1920s and complete issues from 1926 to the present; The Ellijay Courier, 1877-1888; and the Marietta Daily Journal, scattered issues from 1874 to 1881.

      Copying Machine: Although there is no copying machine in the Darnell Room, there is one near the circulation desk. Copies are 10 cents per page for letter- and legal-sized paper. Sheets that are 11x17 cost 25 cents each. Payment is made at the circulation desk.

     Microfilm: Available are an extensive collection of Gilmer County Court Records (23 rolls); Pickens County Discharge Records, 1922-1957; Pickens County Church Records; Account Books of Andoe Store, 1826-1833 and 1841-1852; Lists of Indians in Tate and Hightower; Simmons Family Ledger Book, 1852-1858; Christian Index, 1851-1856; Militia Enrollment Lists for DeKalb, Gwinnett, Decatur, and Chatham Counties; Indian Records; and Civil War Service and Pension Records for Georgia. Census records for some Georgia counties are available, but there is no Soundex. Some drawers are not labeled, and some boxes are misfiled, making a box-by-box search prudent.

      Microfiche: A box on top of the microfilm cabinet contains the LDS Family Registry Index, which gives names and addresses of persons who have submitted information to the church.

      Microform Reader-Copiers: There are one microfilm reader-copier and one microfiche reader-copier in the Darnell Room. Copies are 10 cents per page.

Other Area Attractions

      Marble Festival: The Georgia Marble Festival is held in Jasper the first weekend in October in the park adjacent to the Chamber of Commerce Building. Marble sculpture and fine arts are exhibited, and marble quarry tours are available.

      Old Pickens County Jail: An elaborate building erected in 1906, this jail has one of the few working gallows left in Georgia, although no one has ever been hung using this device. The jail is open for tours on Saturdays and Sundays.

(To be continued in the next issue)

*Ann L. Sherman, 1000 Winding Creek Trail, Atlanta, GA 30328, (404) 252-7938. E-mail: Ann Sherman
*Jane L. Splawn, 3300 Clairmont North NE, Atlanta, GA 30329-1022, (404) 3225-0781. E-mail: Jane Splawn