2025 Baxter Street · Athens, Georgia 30606 · 706.613.3650
Genealogy
ARCHIVES, LIBRARIES & REPOSITORIES
Allen County Public Library, Indiana
Fred J. Reynolds Historical Genealogy Department of the Allen County Public Library contains the largest genealogy collection in a public library. Search obituaries online from Fort Wayne and Allen County (1841-1900).
Researchers from north of the border will find that the library has every Canadian census from 1666 to 1891. In addition, the department has over 100,000 microfilms, over 200,000 microfiches, almost 50,000 family histories, and almost 300,000 books for family research.
DAR Library
Search the catalog of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Library which now has 150,000 volumes. Good tips on how to successfully search the catalog.
Genealogy from the Heartland
Genealogy from the Heartland is the circulating genealogy collection from the Mid-Continent Public Library in Independence, MO. If you cannot get to that library to research, then see what their circulating collection may have for you to request on Interlibrary Loan.
Georgia Archives
A general description of the holdings and collections is available online. Site lists mail and e-mail reference policies. Other information includes lists of publications, microfilm sales, Georgia Historical Records Advisory, and lecture series schedule, related Georgia links, frequently asked questions about GA history, and "This Day in GA History."
Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library at UGA
Includes policies for use of the collection, notable collections, and vertical files subject list.
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is recognized as the national library of the United States. Site has information about the Local History and Genealogy Reading Room. Also lists Library of Congress publications.
Examples of the information to guide your research available at this site include Afro-American Genealogical Research: Introduction, Hispanic Local History and Genealogy in the United States: Selected Titles at The Library of Congress, and Sources for Research in Welsh Genealogy.
Library of Virginia Digital Collections
The Library of Virginia's Digital Library Project is a program whose mission is to preserve, digitize, and provide access to unique and rare Virginia materials. Online databases include Family Bible Records Project, Land Office Patents and Grants, and WWI History Commission questionnaires.
National Archives and Records Administration
This site administers a nation-wide network of facilities. Discover NARA's nationwide holdings, learn about family history and genealogy research. Also find an online exhibit hall and Federal Register.
Other examples of the information available at this site include African American Research: Introduction and Links to Resources and Native American Research: Introduction and Links to Resources.
St. Louis County Library Special Collections
Special Collections contains library holdings of the St. Louis Genealogical Society and the National Genealogical Society in addition to the genealogical and local history materials of the St. Louis County Library. The National Genealogical Society holdings are available on loan through ILL making this a great way to find materials that you can have sent to your local library for you to check out and read.
UGA Map Collection
Includes finding aids, air photos, and index to Sanborn Maps. Hours and contact information are also listed.
ONLINE DATABASES
American Memory
"It is a digital record of American history and creativity. These materials, from the collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions, chronicle historical events, people, places, and ideas that continue to shape America, serving the public as a resource for education and lifelong learning." The site is a wealth of "written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music".
Ancestry Databases
Ancestry.com is the largest online genealogical library. Available free searchable databases include Social Security Death Index, Ancestry World Tree (a collection of genealogical information submitted by users of Ancestry.com) Juliana's Links is a fully searchable database containing descriptions of thousands of genealogically-related sites on the Internet.
If you are in a public or academic library in Georgia, you can have access for free to many of the databases that Ancestry.com charges for. These are available through GALILEO in a database called Ancestry Library Edition (ALE).
Athens-Clarke County, Georgia Probate Court Records Finding Aid
Athens Historical Society and Clarke Oconee Genealogical Society worked as volunteers to inventory the records under the custody of the Probate Judge. The end product is this finding aid to the records in which it is explained what records there are and for what years, what information the records contain, and there is an index to the loose guardianship and estate papers since about 2/3 of these have not been microfilmed. There is also a listing of the places other than the Athens-Clarke County courthouse where these particular records might be found on microfilm.
BLM General Land Office Records
"We provide live access to Federal land conveyance records for the Public Land States. We also provide image access to more than two million Federal land title records for Eastern Public Land States, issued between 1820 and 1908. Images of Serial patents (land titles issued between 1908 and the mid-1960's) are currently being added to this web site. Due to organization of documents in the GLO collection, this site does not currently contain every Federal title record issued for the Public Land States."
Castle Garden
This is where immigrants coming into New York City entered from 1830-1890. You can do free "quick searches" but an advanced search costs $45.00. The Battery Conservancy is responsible for developing this site of 10 million names with more to come.
Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System
"The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System is a computerized database containing very basic facts about servicemen who served on both sides during the Civil War. The initial focus of the CWSS is the Names Index Project, a project to enter names and other basic information from 5.4 million soldier records in the National Archives. The facts about the soldiers are being entered from records that are indexed to many millions of other documents about Union and Confederate Civil War soldiers maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration."
Digital Library of Georgia
"The Digital Library of Georgia is a gateway to Georgia's history and culture found in digitized books, manuscripts, photographs, government documents, newspapers, maps, audio, video, and other resources.
The Digital Library of Georgia connects users to 500,000 images and pages of text in 57 collections from 40 institutions. Though this represents only a fraction of Georgia's cultural treasures, the Digital Library of Georgia continues to grow through its partnerships with libraries, archives, museums, government agencies, and allied organizations across the state."
Ellis Island
This database includes the contents of ship's manifests compiled by volunteers into this database of more than 22 million passengers, immigrants, and crew members that came through Ellis Island and the Port of New York from 1892 - 1924 and One-Step Search Tools. The One-Step Search Tools by Stephen Morse make it easier and more accurate to search the Ellis Island databases.
Family Search
Family Search is part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which is an international leader in genealogical research and has the world's largest collection of family history records. Searchable databases at this site include ancestors, census, family histories, military, surnames, family organizations, and vital records.
Footnote History and Genealogy Archives
Footnote History and Genealogy Archives combines original historical documents and personal histories. The collection features millions of digital images of records preserved in the National Archives and other regional archives. This archive features documents relating to the Revolutionary War, Civil War, WWI, WWII, U.S. Presidents, historical newspapers, naturalization documents, and much more. Some other very notable material includes the Matthew Brady collection of Civil War photos and UFO documents from 1947 - 1969. For Athens Regional Library cardholders only.
GAGenWeb: Clarke County, Georgia
This is part of a nationwide effort to get genealogical information online. Clarke County information includes general profile, historical background, Clarke County marriages, Clarke County churches, and Clarke County cemeteries. Subscribe to the email list called GaClarke; it is for the discussion of genealogy and history in Clarke County, GA. Users can post queries about Clarke County wills, bible records, pensions, etc....
US GENWEB
This site is the project of a group of volunteers working together to provide Internet websites for genealogical research in every county and every state of the United States. Site also has helpful research hints and information about caring for old documents, repairing old books, preserving old photographs, etc....
REFERENCE
Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet
Site contains over 103,350 links, of those, more than 99,550 are categorized and cross-references in over 150 categories. Contains a category index. This site has won many awards and is very useful to beginners.
Dear Myrtle
Here you can listen to the Dear Myrtle Radio Hour (which includes a variety of guests in the world of family history and genealogy), read lessons, or post a message on Dear Myrtle's Blog. This site is a wealth of good information.
DeathIndexes.com
". . . Directory of online death indexes listed by state and county. Included are death records, death certificate indexes, death notices & registers, obituaries, probate indexes, and cemetery & burial records. Also included is information about searching the Social Security Death Index online."
Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter
Here you can subscribe to an online newsletter; the Standard edition is free, the Plus is by subscription. Both are delivered to your e-mail box. In addition to the newsletter, there are a variety of articles and links to good information on a variety of products and databases. There is even a Soundex calculator for names.
Genealogy Software Reviews
Use this site to help you choose your genealogy software for PC's, MAC's and other platforms.
Georgia Newspapers
Click on the "Search the Unified Newspaper Database" link. This is a site from the University of Georgia Libraries. Contains:Should you have a question about Georgia newspapers or any newspapers at the University of Georgia, please drop a line to mainper2@uga.edu, and they will try to answer you as soon as possible.
- Information on over 4,000 newspaper titles.
- Updated weekly as new issues arrive.
- All Georgia newspapers are listed, plus papers from all over the world.
- Thematic searching, geared to help with popular topics.
- Links to many reference materials and guides, online resources, and archives.
Vital Records Information United States
"Directory of state, county and town offices that can be contacted. Photocopy costs, dates of records, addresses, phone numbers, and related websites are all listed."
SOCIETIES & ORGANIZATIONS
Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation
A-CHF is the local historic preservation organization and works to advocate and educate on the importance of preserving historic buildings and sites. The mission is to be a proactive force in developing community-wide understanding of the value of historic buildings, neighborhoods, and heritage.
Athens Historical Society
The Athens Historical Society was founded in 1959 and is dedicated to preserving the history of Athens, Clarke County and the surrounding area. Membership is open to all persons interested in documenting and preserving the history and heritage of the Athens area.
Clarke-Oconee County Genealogical Society
Members include people who live in Clarke and Oconee Counties who are interested in genealogy and researching other areas and for those who live elsewhere who are researching Clarke and Oconee Counties. The Society's mission, publications, projects, Membership form and other information available online.
East Georgia Genealogical Society
Serving the following Counties Banks, Barrow, Butts, Clarke, Columbia, Elbert, Franklin, Glascock, Greene, Gwinnett, Hancock, Hart, Jackson, Jasper, Lincoln, Madison, McDuffie, Morgan, Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Putnam, Rockdale, Stephens, Taliaferro, Walton, Warren and Wilkes. They have a great set of links and you can get the membership form online.
Georgia Genealogical Society
Site includes seminars, book reviews, Georgia library articles, cemetery guidelines, publications for sale, researchers for hire, etc... Also information about becoming a Georgia Genealogical Society member.
Growing up in Athens Facebook page
"A place to check out memories of Athens, Georgia in the 20th century. Memories of schools, neighborhoods, restaurants, hangouts, and whatever comes to folks minds. If you grew up here, tell your memories. If your parents or grandparents grew up here, get them to add to the information. Besides, they'll probably run into someone they knew. "
National Genealogical Society
Find information on membership, publications, conferences and activities, news and events, research help, how-to and access to the NGS online bookstore. NGS is a national organization that can help you become a better researcher. Standards for correct research are also available at this site.
IMAGES & GEOGRAPHIC TOOLS
Archive of Early American Images
This database is "intended to assist historians in their quest for contemporary images to illustrate their research findings and to facilitate the study of historical images in their own right and in proper context. It is also intended to be a unique resource for picture researchers, documentary filmmakers, and others looking for material for commercial use. The database, still in the process of compilation, will have ultimately about 6,000 images."
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
"The David Rumsey Historical Map Collection has over 11,000 maps online. The collection focuses on rare 18th and 19th century North and South America maps and other cartographic materials. Historic maps of the World, Europe, Asia and Africa are also represented. Collection categories include antique atlas, globe, school geography, maritime chart, state, county, city, pocket, wall, children's and manuscript maps. The collection can be used to study history, genealogy and family history."
Rare Map Collection, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library
The Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia maintains a collection of more than 800 historic maps spanning nearly 500 years, from the sixteenth century through the early twentieth century. The collection provides a graphic resource upon which scholars can draw in re-discovering the minds and movements of early American explorers, revolutionary statesmen, cultural figures and politicians represented by the library's book and manuscript collections.
Although not limited to a single geographic subject, the collection heavily emphasizes the State of Georgia and the surrounding region.
Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection
Located at the University of Texas at Austin, this library has a large collection of historical and modern maps. The online map files include almost 6,000 map images, many of which are in the public domain. Go especially to Historical Map Web Sites.