Sequoyah Regional Library System (Part Two)
Woodstock Public Library and R. T. Jones Memorial Public Library
Contributed by Ann L. Sherman and Jane L. Splawn
Sequoyah Regional Library System (Part Two)
The Sequoyah Regional Library System serves Gilmer, Pickens, and Cherokee Counties and consists of eight libraries. This is the second and final part of the series on Sequoyah Regional Library System.
Library (3)
Woodstock Public Library
7745 Main Street
Woodstock, Georgia 30188
Telephone: (770) 926-5859; Fax: (770) 591-8476
Hours: Monday -Thursday, 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; Sunday, 2:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Web Site: (Sequoyah Regional Library System): www.gacounties.com/libraries
Contact person: Jody Simpson, Reference Coordinator
Directions to and Parking at the Library
From I-575, turn east at exit five (Towne Lake Parkway) to Main Street and turn left (north). Go approximately .8 mile. The library is on the right on top of a hill. Parking is in front of the library. Handicap access is available with automatic doors.
History of the Area
Located in the extreme southern part of Cherokee County, Georgia, Woodstock was chartered in 1897. The boundaries and organization of Cherokee County were established in 1831. Primarily Indian territory, few white people were there before the 1830s. Some records indicate that the first settlers arrived in 1833 and were mainly farmers. The community was basically self-sufficient until the advent of the railroad. Cotton was grown, and a rope mill was an important part of the economy of Woodstock until it was demolished. As early as 1827, the River Mill was in operation producing its own power and, much later, furnishing power for the first streetlights of Woodstock. Several gold mines operated in Woodstock, and mica and kaolin were also mined. By 1890, most of these mines had disappeared.
The removal of the Cherokee Indians in the early 1800s by the Trail of Tears and the promise of gold brought a rush of settlers into the entire area of northeast Georgia, including that portion known today as Cherokee County. Following the Land Lottery Act of 1832, many Baptist and Methodist preachers descended on the area organizing new churches and involving many residents, making religion an important part of the area. The original city charter stated, “. . . nor shall the sale of spirituous and intoxicating liquors ever be licensed in this town, but the sale shall forever be prohibited under this charter.” It was not until 1975 that a change in the charter allowed the sale of beer and wine-and there it remains.
Location of Genealogical Materials
The genealogical materials are located in the Elizabeth D. Johnson Room, better known as Special Collections, on the main floor.
Finding Aids and Internet Access
Two computers are located near the circulation desk to access the Internet and card catalog of all the libraries in the Sequoyah Regional Library System. This catalog is arranged by the Dewey Decimal System.
Books
Georgia Official and Statistical Register, 1961-1964 (two volumes)
Georgia Civil War Markers
Official Military Atlas of the Civil War
The Civil War Extra
Cherokee by Blood (eight volumes)
Cherokee Roots (three volumes containing many rolls of those Indians
who were possibly involved in the Trail of Tears)
DAR Patriot Index
Index to Georgia Tax Digests (five volumes)
The Dead Towns of Georgia
Georgia Confederate Soldiers: A Roster (four volumes)
A few county histories
Genealogy (how to) books
Some church histories
Annuals: Etowah High School, 1977-present; Woodstock High School, 1997-1998
Periodicals
Genealogical Helper (scattered copies)
Family Tree Quarterly (Cobb County Genealogical Society), 1991-1998
Crescent Chronicle (Cherokee County Historical Society) (scattered copies)
Whitfield-Murray Historical Society Quarterly, 1981-1992
Newspapers (bound)
Lakeside Ledger, 1995-present (in boxes)
Woodstock Star, 1962-1971
Woodstock Neighbor, 1968-1973
Manuscripts
Several scrapbooks of Woodstock Garden Club and a family exchange file are located in the Special Collections Room.
Copying Machine(s)
A copying machine is located just outside the Special Collections Room, with a cost of 10¢ per copy. Both sides of a document may be copied. (Honor System)
Other Area Attractions
Downtown is the Woodstock Centennial Park and Dean’s Store, a Coca-Cola Museum. Nearby is Lake Alatoona.
Library (Four)
R. T. Jones Memorial Public Library (headquarters of the Sequoyah Regional Library System)
116 Brown Industrial Parkway
Canton, Georgia 30114
Telephone: (770) 479-3090
Fax: (770) 479-3069
Hours: Monday -Thursday, 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Sunday, 2:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Web Site: www.gacounties.com/libraries
Contact person: Emma Ingle, Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Directions to and Parking at the Library
At the intersection of I-575 and State Road 20 East (exit ten), turn west. The library is the first building on the right. Parking is in front of the building with handicap access.
History of the Area
The Cherokee Nation, also known as the Principal People, lived in log cabins and had a confederacy of towns, each ruled by a supreme chief. In 1821, Sequoyah developed the first Indian alphabet in which each character represented a syllable. This system produced literacy and the printing of the first Indian newspaper, The Cherokee Phoenix, in 1828. Sadly, the state of Georgia passed a law that made the Cherokee Nation laws null and void after June 1, 1830. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of the Cherokees. President Andrew Jackson refused to enforce the ruling, leaving the Indians without any recourse. In the summer of 1838, Federal troops gathered up the Cherokees, resulting in the Trail of Tears, one of the saddest moments in the history of the United States.
The original Cherokee Nation territory was then divided into twenty-four smaller “counties.” In 1833, a permanent county seat was added and originally was called Etowah, then Cherokee Courthouse in 1833, and finally Canton in 1834.
Location of Genealogical Materials
The Special Collections Room is located at the left rear of the library.
Finding Aids and Internet Access
One computer is located in the Special Collections Room; no CD ROMs are available. This computer is not always “up” because of overload but does contain library catalog on the Internet at "library.solutions".
Books
A History of the Little River Mills Site, Cherokee County, Georgia
Archdiocese of New Orleans Sacramental Records (Volumes 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10)
Bible Records of Cherokee County, Vol. I and II
Cherokee County, Georgia, Land Records, Vol. 1-7
Cherokee County, Georgia, Marriage Records, 1841-1855
Cherokee Roots: Eastern Cherokee Rolls, Vol. I
Cherokee Roots: Western Cherokee Rolls, Vol. II
Cherokee Legion, Georgia State Guards
Etowah Presbyterian Church, Cherokee County
Foothills
Georgia Genealogical Workbook
Glimpses of Cherokee County
Heritage of Cherokee County, Georgia, 1831-1998 (history of county and family
genealogies)
Highlights of Sardis Baptist Church Minutes, 1848-1993
Hightower Baptist Association Georgia, 1835-1943
History of the First Baptist Church of Canton, August 23, 1833
Library of Southern Literature (sixteen volumes)
Minutes of Georgia Association Noonday, 1867-1957
Mt. Olive Baptist Church Cemetery
Pickens County, Georgia, Cemetery Records
Roster of the Confederate Soldiers of Georgia, 1861-1865, Vol. I-IV
Sixes Church Cemetery
The History of Cherokee County
The Story of a Man, a Town, and a Mill
Tracing your Civil War Ancestors
Tombstone Inscriptions: Ball Ground Community Cemetery
We Pay Tribute: The Men and Women from Canton, Georgia, Who Helped in the Victory
of World War II
United States Military Personnel Who Died in the Korean War, 1950-1957
United States Military Personnel Who Died in the Vietnam War, 1957-1986
Histories of various counties of Georgia, grouped in one section
Most 1864 militia enrollments (Joe Brown’s list) for Cherokee, Forsyth, and Milton
Counties
Some books on South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Maryland, and Louisiana (not
grouped)
Books on Cherokee Indians (not grouped)
Family histories, grouped
Yearbooks:
Canton High School, 1953-1954, 1955-1956, 1992; Cherokee High School, 1960-;
Etowah High School, 1977-; Reinhardt College, 1949-1986.
Periodicals
Georgia Historical Quarterly, 1966-1980
Georgia Review, 1967-1971
South Carolina Historical Magazine, 1959-1967.
Georgia Genealogical Society Quarterly (latest issue displayed, other issues behind display)
Confederate Veteran (latest issue displayed, other issues behind display)
Georgia Magazine, 1957-1973 (bound volumes)
Maps
Located in a file just outside of the door to the Special Collections Room are maps of Cherokee County, Georgia; U.S. maps; historical maps; and world maps. All maps are grouped and drawers labeled for easy access.
City Directories
Current issues for Cherokee County are available.
Telephone Directories
Current issues for Atlanta, Acworth, Woodstock, and other Cherokee County towns are available.
Manuscripts
Family history manuscripts are located in a well organized collection.
Copying Machine(s)
Only one is located just outside the door to the Special Collections Room, with a cost of 10¢ per copy (copies on both sides of paper).
Microfilm
Located in a file cabinet are the following:
Cherokee Indians East of the Mississippi (1835)
Records of Cherokee Indian Agency in Tennessee, 1801-1835
Records of the Agent for the Department of War in Tennessee, 1800-1815
Records of Joseph McMinn, Agent for Cherokee Removal, 1817-1821
(The last three listed above are on one roll.)
Census Records:
North Georgia Counties, 1830-1920 (incomplete); Cherokee County, 1840-1920; Old
Settler Cherokee Roll, 1835; Alabama, 1880, 1900, 1920; Mississippi, 1880; North
Carolina, 1800, 1810; South Carolina, 1800, 1810 (incomplete counties).
Cherokee County, Georgia, Land Records:
Volumes: I, Deed Book A; II, Deed Book B; III, Deed Book C; IV, Deed Book D.
Georgia Surveyor General Plats Land Lottery, 1832, Cherokee County
Surveyor’s Field Notes: Cherokee County
Valuations of Cherokee Property and Census Roll Taken as a Result of Treaty of 1835
List of Appraisements of Indian Improvements, Georgia and Tennessee, 1837
Newspapers: Cherokee Advance, 1880-1938; North Georgia Tribune, 1934-1922;
Cherokee Tribune, 1972-1986, 1986-; Cherokee Phoenix, 1828-1834; Hightower Minutes, 1835-1957.
History of Cherokee County
History of Pickens County
Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, A-F, G-Y (2 rolls)
Civil War Records: Consolidated Index to Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers (1 roll)
Soundex for Georgia, 1880, A-J (not complete)
Georgia Historical Quarterly, 1956-1962 (scattered)
Microfiche (located on top of family file cabinets)
Georgia: Death Index, 1919-1993; Divorces, 1965-1993; Marriages, 1964-1995
North and South Carolina 1870 Census Index Cards
Microfilm Reader/Printer(s)
A reader/printer is available for microfilm and microfiche. Copies are 10¢ per copy.
Other
On top of the family file cabinets is located a surname file for researchers to contact others researching the same name(s). Located in the file cabinets are Georgia loose records by counties (miscellaneous counties).
Area Attractions
Famous throughout the nation is the marble quarry nearby in Tate, Georgia. The Tate House (also in Tate) is made from pink marble. Tours are available throughout the year for the Tate House and only occasionally for the quarry.
The Service League of Cherokee County sponsors an annual fall event the last weekend of September called Riverfest, a craft and art festival, to raise money to assist children in need.
|
