County History Award Offered
July 17th, 1994COUNTY HISTORY AWARD OFFERED
The Georgia Historical Society has established the Lilla Mills Hawes Award honoring the publication of the most significant county or local history book pertaining to Georgia published over the previous two years. The award honors the society’s director emeritus who retired in 1976. The first award will be presented at the Spring 1995 meeting in Savannah and will cover works published in 1992 and 1993. The award itself is a $750 stipend. To be eligible, a work must be the history of a county or a town, but not a compilation of records, such as marriages or cemeteries per se. To enter, five copies of the book must be sent to the society. To enter or to receive further information, contact the Georgia Historical Society, 501 Whitaker St., Savannah, Ga. 31499 or call (912) 651-2125cq.
ATLANTA GUIDE
“Genealogical Resources in the Atlanta Area” by Gary M. Palgon has just been published. Compiled through questionnaires and personal visits, the book concentrates on a county by county approach to the various city and county records offices, such as Clerk of Superior Court, or voter registration offices, with some of the genealogy collections, such as the Georgia Archives, the Atlanta History Center, and the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library mentioned. But the author chose to omit many others such as the DeKalb Historical Society or the Decatur Public Library, except in lists in the appendix. He charts three (of the five) Mormon Family History Centers in the area. He also includes a section on Jewish oriented research centers . While a guide to Atlanta-area research places has been long needed, this book has not filled the bill because it concentrates on many places genealogists need not go first, while omitting many they should visit first. Professional researchers should find the book useful for it gives the hours and other details for many government offices they might not have used. The book is available for $14.95 plus $2 postage from Custom Enterprises, Ltd., 2700 Claridge Ct., Atlanta, Ga. 30360.
NEWTON AND JACKSON COUNTY RECORDS
Newton and Jackson Counties are the subject of two recent records compilations, both supported by the R. J. Taylor, Jr., Foundation and published through W. H. Wolfe Associates. “Jackson County, Georgia, Early Court Records, 1796-1831”, transcribed by Faye S. Poss, consists of wills and estates, 1796-1813 with all the annual returns, inventories and wills presented in the order in which they were recorded. Then the Inferior Court minutes for county purposes (1799-1800) a brief but rich source of the county’s workings, much like the later county commissioners. It includes such things as the construction of the jail and the laying out of roads. Then follows the minutes of the court of ordinary for 1800-1831, a rich source of probate and estate information. There are also some Revolutionary Soldiers’ oaths included as well. By presenting the information as it appears in the original court books and then following up with a full-name index, the compiler has given the reader the maximum use of the material without any interpretation. One can see what rich sources there are in a county’s minutes and should be inspired to read similar works in manuscript form for other counties not so fortunate to be in print. The book is $30 plus $3.50 from Faye Poss, 471 Mimosa Dr.,N.W., Tucker, Ga. 30084.
Note 2010: Ms. Poss’s address is now 2767 Centerville Rosebud Rd., Snellville, GA 30039 and she also has a website.
“Newton County Georgia Records: Marriage Licenses, 1822-1903” was compiled by John I. Bruno, although his name does not appear on the cover, or the title page. The marriages are presented in alphabetical order by groom, with the race and minister’s name included. There is a full-name index to brides and a brief discussion of ministers and their affiliations. This is a wonderful resource book for this county, as it would be for any county, since it opens up one of the most vital of all records needed by genealogists. I wish every county had such a volume done to this quality. It is available from John Bruno, 1427 Highway 138 SW, Conyers, Ga. 30208-2553 for $35 plus $4 postage.
RE-RECORDED DEEDS
One of the major losses for researchers in Georgia is the “burned courthouse”, that is where a courthouse was burned, often during the Civil War, and all or almost all of the records are lost. Many times after a fire, the deeds are often brought back in and recorded again. We often think that this occurs only shortly after the fire. In searching for information on my Revolutionary War ancestor Joel King who died in Wilkinson County in 1822, I found that he had lived for awhile in the part of Hancock County which went to Baldwin County in 1807. Even though he may never have lived in Baldwin County per se, his farm ended up there. His 1814 deed selling his farm was re-recorded in 1909 nearly a century later. So when you look in a deed index, the moral is, fire or no fire, a deed can be recorded at any time, so look through the entire index if the information is important enough for you.
ROSWELL HISTORY
“Roswell: A Pictorial History” is being reprinted in a second edition. This 272-page hardbound work will contain all the material found in the first edition plus additional photographs, revised text, an index, and a special section on the textile industry. Anyone familiar with the original pictorial history will realize what a valuable source it is and a wonderful way to tell the story of the City of Roswell. This revised reprint will again bring the book back into print. It is available for $45 plus sales tax (6%) and $5 postage, if mailed, from the Roswell Historical Society, P.O.Box 1636, Roswell, Ga. 30077. No doubt many of the new items added to this book come from the newly-opened archives of the Roswell Historical Society in the Roswell City Hall.
QUILT PROJECT
The Georgia Quilt Project is in its fifth year of documenting and compiling information related to the state’s quilts and quilt makers, having already documented 8,000 quilts. A book about quilts and an exhibit are planned. If you have quilts and would like to participate in the survey, write Anita Z. Weinraub, Georgia Quilt Project, P.O. Box 34, Norcross, Ga. 30091-0034.