No-Cost Library Resources

By Sarah Childers and Lisa Fowler

Researching your heritage can be a wonderful hobby to help better understand your family’s story. Have you ever wondered what life was like for your great-grandparents? What about their great-grandparents? Genealogy research can help you connect to your ancestors and feel closer to your family. The Sequoyah Regional Library System (SRLS) has a variety of no-cost tools available that can help you begin your genealogy journey.

Types of Genealogy Resources Available at SRLS:

Digital Resources

Community members can visit any SRLS library to use Ancestry.com - Library Edition. While this resource can only be accessed on site at the library branches, it provides many of the same experiences and features as a premium Ancestry website account. 

At home, community members can access HeritageQuest.com with an SRLS library card. Like Ancestry.com, this resource offers access to the United States Federal Census Collection, the United States Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files 1800-1900, Family History Books and Directories, the Canadian Census Collection, and the United States Freedman’s Bank Records 1865-1874. 

Additional digital resources available to you at home through SRLS include the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, which has introductory maps, 3D video reconstructions, timelines, and timelapses as well as many other databases to help you trace your ancestors. The Digital Library of Georgia includes multiple collections on various subjects including the Vanishing Georgia collection, which focuses on photography throughout the state over the years. Another digital database that can assist you in your research is Georgia Historic Newspapers, which allows you to search through the content of select newspapers in Georgia including some newspapers dating back to the 1800s. 

Other Library Resources 

Georgia Room Special Collections

SRLS has Georgia Room Special Collections at three of its branches: R.T. Jones Memorial Library in Canton, Pickens County Library in Jasper, and Gilmer County Library in Ellijay. These collections include genealogy and Georgia history as well as some resources from neighboring states. 

One of the most popular resources in the Georgia Rooms is the Heritage Books, which include details, information, and pictures about local families that were written and provided by members of the community. Other Georgia Room resources include microfilm readers, annotated obituaries, neighboring state histories, maps, and other documents. 

Handbooks and Manuals 

Some books available for checkout that can help you become more comfortable with genealogy research include Organize Your Genealogy: Strategies and Solutions for Every Researcher by Drew Smith, A Genealogist’s Guide to Discovering Your African-American Ancestors: How to Find and Record Your Unique Heritage by Franklin Carter Smith, and The Family Tree Problem Solver: Tried-and-True Tactics for Tracing Elusive Ancestors by Marsha Hoffman Rising. 

“Ask Us!” Sessions

These sessions allow community members to get genealogy help from a library staff member. To book an “Ask Us!” session, visit the “Contact Us” form that is available at SequoyahRegionalLibrary.org. From there, select “Ask Us!” as the topic of your question. Once you complete the form, a staff member will contact you to provide further assistance. 

The Sequoyah Regional Library System is your dynamic destination for discovery. To access these resources and more, visit one of the SRLS branches to sign up for a library card, which is available at no cost to anyone with a valid ID who resides or owns property in Cherokee, Pickens, and/or Gilmer counties. 

To learn more about all the no-cost services and programs available at SRLS branches, please visit SequoyahRegionalLibrary.org.

Genealogists Wear Many Hats:

• Researcher – Researching your ancestors requires looking through many resources to find information about your family’s history. 
• Historian – When you’ve discovered an ancestor that lived before you were born, you learn more about what the world was like during that family member’s lifetime. 
• Translator – Occasionally, documents can be written in a foreign language, requiring further research to translate them into your native tongue. 
• Cartographer – Studying maps of the places where your ancestors lived can help you understand more about their lives. 
• Archivists – Many documents can help tell the story of your family, so it’s important to collect and organize them for future reference. 
• Storyteller – Discovering information about your family and ancestry helps you tell and preserve your family’s history for generations to come.