Did you just get a Genealogy DNA kit? Not sure how to research records to search for family members?
The Athens-Clarke County Heritage Room welcomes you to this free, informal session online via Google Meets. Getting Started with Genealogy will introduce you to the many resources available to you when researching your family history, no matter where your family might have originated or be today. The best part of Getting Started is our modern take using traditional genealogical skills. Heritage Room staff will introduce the basics of genealogical research, the resources available, and how to start your family tree project!
All attendees receive an information packet with resources and opportunities to ask questions during the session. Be sure to bring a pencil!
Participate in the Archive
Are you keeping a journal of your experiences during the coronavirus pandemic? Did you post a photo on social media of empty shelves at the grocery store? Whether you’re writing in an old school diary or recording voice memos, everyone's experience is unique. The Heritage Room at Athens-Clarke County Library wants to help preserve our community’s story of this unprecedented time in our collective history. Our goal is to collect stories and vignettes of community members’ daily lives in an archive to share with future students, historians and researchers.
We are interested in stories from everyday people. We want to know how you are keeping in touch with your friends and family during this time of social distancing, along with the challenges of working from home with no childcare. Have you or others lost income or employment? No story is too small! How you collect your thoughts is up to you: write in a journal, take photos or videos, record voice memos or even save social media posts. Full details are available here using a Google account. If you don't have a Google account, use this link.
Online Tutorials
Interested in learning more research skills? Check out our tutorials on Youtube!
Athens City Directories on DLG - This resource helps to find names and occupations of former residents of historic addresses.
Accessing Sanborn Maps - Sanborn maps were made for the purposes of insuring properties, researchers can learn many things about the structures built in Athens, Georgia.
The Heritage Room Staff has started a new blog, Athens: In Time! We will be sharing posts about our archival collections along with photos and interesting facts. Take some time to read Athens: In Time!
The Georgia Archives will present a free online symposium, From Field to Mill Town: Cotton and Textile Culture in Georgia. At 9:30 am Jane Burdette, Jamesan Gramme, and Chris Jackson will present "Silvertown: from the Center of Tire Cord Production to a Local Treasure." At 10:30 am Heather Meadows' presentation will be "Folk Architecture in Whittier Mills Village." At 11:15 am Dr. James Hoogerwerf will present "Huff Daland Dusters, Macon, GA, and the Move to Monroe, LA." The presentations at 11:45 am will be "Establishing the West Georgia Textile Heritage Trail" by Keri Adams and Dr. Ann McCleary. Following will be "Interpreting the Textile Industry" with Jarrett Craft, Jamie Bynum, and Alyssa Colquitt. The final presentation will be "Mapping the Textile Industry" with Jamie Bynum, Jessica Sinel, and Dr. Andy Walter. If you are viewing on a tablet or phone you will have to download the Teams app.
Also from the Georgia Archives is this April's Lunch and Learn program, Atlanta from Below: Exploring the History of Underground and the Railroad Gulch. This session will be presented by architect, author and photographer Jeffrey Morrison. Beneath the streets of Atlanta lies a mysterious realm of seemingly abandoned industrial spaces that are nevertheless rich with history. What is this place, how did it get to be this way, and what does it tell us about who we are as a city? Inspired by his popular Unseen Underground walking tour, Jeffrey will reveal the unexpected history of this often overlooked part of the city. If viewing from a smart phone or tablet be sure to download the Teams app prior to event time. If you have any questions please contact Penny Cliff prior to the event.
The Northeast Georgia History Center has a fantastic line-up of April events for all ages. Events such as: "All Aboard!" The Nutshell History of Railroads, What Happened to the Titantic?, and Doing Their Duty by Doing Without - Ration Recipes During WWII. All information can be found on their Facebook events page.
The Clarke Oconee Genealogical Society hosts It's Time to Climb Over that Pesky Brick Wall! Are you up against a genealogical "brick wall?" Often in your family history research we create our own brick walls because of the things we do not know or do not know how to find. The officers of COGS thought it would be a good time to collaborate virtually to help each other work through our research challenges. We encourage you to submit details for one of your brick walls using the Google Form sent to our mailing list. Selected brick wall problems will be discussed and a basic resource list will be created during the April 17th program, so everyone can benefit from identified strategies and might be able to apply these to their own genealogy research.
When: Saturday, April 17, 2-3:30pm
Where: online, email cogsgenealogy@gmail.com to register
Contact: cogsgenealogy@gmail.com
Funding from the National Historical Publications & Records Commission (NHPRC) has supported the digitization of 4,000 hours of public media in the Peabody Awards Collection. Brown Media is asking your help to expand access to these historic programs by helping correct computer generated transcripts at the Peabody Awards Collection Editathon! American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB) transcriptathons enlist a virtual community of volunteer transcribers who help correct the simple errors made in speech-to-text transcripts. the transcripts will be made available alongside the corresponding Peabody Awards Collection record, providing valuable keyword search access for scholars, researchers, students, teachers, lifelong learners and future generations.