18 January 1831: A Local Census Tally

On this day in 1831, the Athenian posted this breakdown of the population count for Clarke county and the city of Athens:

In 1831, Clarke county was significantly larger than it is today, including all of the land now in Oconee county, which cut Clarke in half when it was created in 1875.

The black population is almost equal to the white population, but most interesting is the 29 "free colored" people living in Clarke county in 1831. Georgia had some of the harshest laws for free blacks, including forbidding them from becoming masons or mechanics, skills that would likely lead to economic stability. Georgia and Virginia were the only two southern states that did not allow free blacks to vote.

The state also gave anyone who suspected their supposedly white neighbors of  only pretending to be white to take them to court to make them prove they had less than 1/8th "Negro blood," lest they continue to have the privileges of marriage, literacy, suffrage, and professional employment. However, despite such hardships, free African-American communities did exist, such as Springfield near Augusta, Georgia.

Learn More:

• Athenian, January 26, 1827 - March 13, 1832 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• A Story Untold: Black Men and Women in Athens History by Michael L. Thurmond in the Heritage, young adult, and general collections.
• Life Upon These Shores: Looking at African American History 1513-2008 by Henry Louis Gates in the new books collection.
• Freedom: Georgia's Anti-Slavery Heritage, 1733-1865 by Michael L. Thurmond in the general collection.
• Neither More Nor Less Than Men: Slavery in Georgia, edited by Mills Lane in the general collection.
• Black Heritage Sites: An African American Odyssey and Finders Guide by Nancy Curtis in the reference collection.
• Springfield: A Free African-American Community in Georgia website.
• "I Was Not Born a Slave, Nor in a Log Cabin" by UGA history student Daniel Jenkins.
• Antebellum African-American Resources from the free Archives.com Experts section.
• Before Freedom Came: African-American Life in the Antebellum South, a bibliography compiled by the Smithsonian Institution.
• Free Blacks in Antebellum America in the African American Odyssey exhibit of the Library of Congress' American Memory site.

9 January 1903: Nine-Month School Year and Night Schools Are Established in Clarke County

On this day in 1903, the Weekly Banner noted the changes to the Clarke County school year gave it the distinction of being "the only county in the state of Georgia...that can boast of a system of rural schools of nine months term each year."

 

(click to enlarge image)

Though the article comes across as more town bragging by the editors of the Banner, they were right that the nine-month school year was an outlier in American public education at the time. 

In the early 1900s, children in the United States encountered school years that were typically 4-5 months long (officially 147.2 days as an average), and attendance was closer to 3-4 months (101.7 days were average) every year. The low attendance is likely a side effect of the expectation that children had to help support their family, either with planting, harvesting, or other areas of the family business.

Also announced in this article were the night schools established at two of the primary factories in town. These schools were aimed at children who worked at the factories (and often lived close by) to make it possible for them to gain a basic education despite the economic demands placed on them. Children who worked elsewhere, such as making harnesses or buggies or being apprenticed to a blacksmith or another trade, were also welcome at these evening classes.

The National Child Labor Committee, a group advocating for child labor restrictions, formed in 1904, but federal regulations and oversight would not be passed in the United States until 1938.

Learn More:

• Weekly Banner, Aug. 1902 - Dec. 1905 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Transition to an Industrial South by Michael Gagnon in the Heritage and general collections. 
• History of the Princeton Factory and the Princeton Methodist Church by Horace G. Crouch in the Heritage collection.
• The New South: A Chronicle of Social and Industrial Evolution by Holland Thompson in the  Heritage collection.
• The American Dream and the Public Schools by Jennifer Hochschild and Nathan Scovronick in the general collection. 
• Possible Lives: The Promise of Public Education in America by Mike Rose in the general collection. 
• The American Spirit in Education: A Chronicle of Great Teachers by Edwin E. Slosson in the general collection.
• Among Schoolchildren by Tracy Kidder in the general collection.
• Mother Jones and the March of the Mill Children by Penny Colman in the children's collection.
• Kids At Work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child Labor by Russell Friedman in the children's collection.
• Child Labor: An American History by Hugh D. Hindman via PINES.
• 120 Years of American Education: A Statistical Portrait (.pdf) by Thomas D. Snyder on the National Center for Education Statistics website.
• Child Labor Public Education Project website, part of the University of Iowa Labor Center.
• Georgia Child Labor Work Hour Restrictions website.

Please Note Our Holiday Hours!

On this day, we want you to be aware of the holiday hours for the library and the Heritage Room collection. We will keep our normal hours most days during the season, but will have some changes.

For the Christmas holiday, the library will be closed on 

• Monday, December 24th, 2012.
• Tuesday, December 25th, 2012.
• Wednesday, December 26th, 2012.

The library will reopen at 9am on Thursday, December 27th, 2012. 

For the New Year holiday, the library will close at 6pm on Monday, December 31st, 2012, and be closed on Tuesday, January 1st, 2012. 

The library will reopen at 9am on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2012.

While we are closed, you can still do genealogy research using our GALILEO databases from home, such as Fold3 and HeritageQuest.  

You can also access the Athens Historic Newspaper Archive and the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps in the Digital Library of Georgia from the comfort of your decorated living room.

We hope you have a great holiday season!

Hark! Have You Subscribed to Our Newsletters?

On this day, we'd like to remind you about our two free Heritage Room newsletters. 

Our Genealogy and History Events newsletter covers everything from Christmas tours at state parks and plantations around Georgia to Census classes at the Atlanta History Center. We make sure you know about webinars that are coming up, such as Researching Your Irish Roots and lunch-and-learn series at the National Archives about using DNA for genealogy research. The events newsletter makes it possible to plan your schedule and ensure you don't miss a chance to learn, explore, and discover new things.

Our Genealogy News and Tips newsletter keeps you in the loop with the latest resources available for research, such as the expanded marriage records holdings by FamilySearch.org and primers on searching for your War of 1812 ancestors. It also includes tips on how to use general software apps for genealogy and lets you know about new sites for sharing what you find with friends and family.

Click here (or either of the above newletter links) to read the current newsletter and subscribe to have them delivered. It couldn't be easier, and is a great time saver, so sign up today!

2 December 1904: Love Locked Up

On this day in 1904, the Weekly Banner published news of a recent local marriage that required some persuasion of the bride's parents:

LOCKED

Up Young Bride, But Parents

Finally Give Blessings

to Happy Couple.

   Love laughs at locksmiths is true but sometimes love forgets and gets locked up again.

   The first part of the aphorism was proven true on Sunday afternoon when Mr. Pink Hilyard and Miss Ophelia Hughes were married at the home of a friend near Winterville.

   Mr. Hilyard brought his bride back to the city and they went to the home of the bride's parents. A stormy scene followed and the parents refused to let Mr. Hilyard see his wife.

   Later during the evening the refusal was still adhered to and not until yesterday morning did the parents of Mrs. Hilyard relent and give the young couple their blessing.

--Weekly Banner, 2 December 1904, p. 5, col. 7.

Alas, Mr. and Mrs. Hughes had good instincts. Robert Pink Hilliard was well known in town for being arrested as drunk or disorderly (or both) rather than for being an industrious young man with a bright future. He was also only 18 years old, and Ophelia had only turned 16 a month earlier. In the 1904 Athens City Directory, his profession is listed as painter.

(click to enlarge image)

According to the 1910 U.S. Census, Ophelia and Pink were living with his parents on Lumpkin Street, with Ophelia at home, caring for their two sons, Hughes, age 4, and Douglas, age 2, and Pink listed as now working as a "hackman," or public carriage driver. 

However, the 1909 Athens City Directory lists Ophelia as living with her sister on Oconee Street, indicating the marriage was already showing signs of strain. Pink continued to rack up fines from his frequent appearances the Mayor's Court, to account for his for disorderly drunken behavior, at a cost of $2.50 to $30.00 per conviction. In 1912, he and two of his friends were convicted of robbery and sent to prison. Pink was pardoned and released in 1915.

In the 1920 U.S. Census, Pink is found living in a boarding house in Augusta, Georgia, with an occupation of "painter" and marital status of "married." Ophelia and her boys are still living with her older sister, Alma, who worked as a bookkeeper for Bernstein Brothers Furniture Store and was active in the Y.W.C.A. Extension Club. Though Ophelia lists her marital status as "divorced," she would not officially file for divorce from Pink until August, 1928. 

Neither Ophelia nor Pink would ever remarry. Pink would live out his days in boarding houses and Y.M.C.A. rooms in Augusta, dying in 1958 at the age of 70. Ophelia spent her life in Clarke County, dying in 1965 at the age of 77.


Learn More: 

• Clarke County, Georgia, Ordinary Records. Marriages, Book K, 1901-1906 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Athens Historic Newspaper Archive collection in the Digital Library of Georgia.
• 1900 - 1940 U.S. Censuses in Ancestry Library Edition in GALILEO.
• Clarke County Marriages 1803-1909 by Faye Poss Stone in the Heritage collection.
• Athens City Directories, 1889 - 1927 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Georgia Death Certificates, 1919-1998 in Ancestry Library Edition in GALILEO.

Microfilm Scanning That Isn't a Hassle? Do Tell!

 
On this day, we'd like to ask for your help to make the dream of easy microfilm scanning a reality in the new Heritage Room.
 
The ScanPro 2000 is a cutting-edge digital microfilm scanner that offers a wide variety of viewing and editing functions while remaining easy to use. Clarke-Oconee Genealogical Society (COGS) has committed to providing $6500 toward this machine after seeing it demonstrated at national meetings and at the COGS EXPO. 

The Heritage Room must raise the remaining money ($6500.00) toward this machine before December 2012. A new version, ScanPro 3000 coming out in early 2013, has a much larger camera (21 megapixel instead of the 6 megapixel). The price will also be higher. 

However, if we can purchase and take delivery of the ScanPro 2000 before the end of this year, the company will upgrade our machine to the new camera when it comes out at no extra charge. This is too good to pass up!
 
Donations of any amount are welcomed from $5.00 up. Click here to download the donation form.  Please contact Laura Carter with questions at 706-613-3650 Ext. 327 or email.

We appreciate your past and future support of the Heritage Room and the Athens-Clarke County Library. 


Learn More:

• Overview of the ScanPro 2000 microform scanner.
• Video demonstration of the ScanPro 2000 microform scanner.
• Testimonials by users of the ScanPro 2000 microform scanner.
• The Wonders of Auto-Scan for the ScanPro 2000 microform scanner. 

3 November 1915: "At Once Delightful and Unique"

On this day in 1915, the Tuskegee Singers performed at the private Moss High School auditorium at 450 Prince Avenue.

 (click to enlarge image to read program)

According to the Athens Banner, the quartet had been brought to town by "leading educators of the city, University professors, public school teachers, and some of the leading citizens." The event was a fundraiser for the Model and Training School in Clarke County, started in 1903 by Judia Jackson Harris.

Booker T. Washington organized the Tuskegee Singers quartet in 1884 "to 'promote interest in the Tuskegee Institute' by acquainting benevolent audiences to the Tuskegee name and Washington philosophy. " Washington believed African-Americans should be self-sufficient, and philosophy shared by the Model and Training School, which taught basic academic subjects, but also offered vocational education. 

The Tuskegee Singers were reorganized in 1909, and actually involved seven or eight young men at a time. They recorded albums of their music, mostly spirituals. The Banner noted, in their story anticipating the November 3rd program, that "every store handling first class victrola records has selections from the very quartet to be here tomorrow night."

The program was reviewed in the paper the next morning as "excellent" and "a real treat."  To hear the songs sung by this particular group of singers in 1915, click here.


Learn More:

• Athens Banner, Sep. 1915 - Nov. 1915 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Athens Historic Newspaper Archive collection in the Digital Library of Georgia.
• Digital recordings of the Tuskegee Singers from 1914 to 1916.
• A Story Untold: Black Men and Women in Athens, Georgia by Michael Thurmond in the Heritage and general collection.
• Crossroads: Southern Routes: Music of the American South, compiled by the Smithsonian Institution in the AV collection.
• Gospel Music Encyclopedia by Robert Anderson in the Reference collection.
• The African-American Century: How Black Americans Have Shaped Our Culture by Henry Louis Gates in the general collection.
• Up From History: The Life of Booker T. Washington by Robert J. Norrell in the biography collection.
• Tuskegee Institute Choir website.

31 October 1844: A Youth Library Offered "at the New York Price"

On this day, Albon Chase began advertising a new set of books, available together or individually at his "Book-Store," for the impressionable young men and women of Athens. 

 

Primary education in 1844 was reserved for those who could afford both to pay to have their children educated and did not require their labor at home. Athens had a highly literate population, but there were no free schools. The cheapest schools in the 1840s charged $3.00 per quarter for basic primary education, akin to $93.10 in today's dollars. 

Those with more money could hire private tutors for their children, or send them to one of the local academies that taught basic English, grammar, writing, rhetoric, arithmetic, geography, history, chemistry, astronomy, Latin Greek, natural philosophy, music, drawing, painting, and French. Schools such as The Female Academy (which offered co-ed education), offered subjects on a sliding scale ranging from $4.00 per quarter for the most basic instruction to $8.00 per quarter for everything except more artistic pursuits, which could be purchased as separate lessons. 

Most education for girls focused on softer learning, such as arts, recitation, and French, rather than the speeches of Cicero or higher mathematics. It was this lack of rigorous higher education for women that caused the Lucy Cobb Institute to be founded in 1858, for Athenians believed their daughters should be as well educated as their sons, and did not want to send them away to school for the necessity. 

Albon Chase was a member of the class who could afford education for his children. He was born in New Hampshire in 1808. became the publisher of the Southern Banner 1832. He established with John Linton the Pioneer Paper Manufacturing Company located on Barber Creek, just southeast of Athens, a venture that cleared 60% profit in its first year.

In 1845, he moved the newspaper offices to a three-story wooden building at the corner of College Avenue and Front Street (now Broad), with his newspaper offices above the bookstore. Many newspaper publishers also printed books, ledgers, and other sorts of paper materials for sale other than news; Chase also offered colored wrapping paper for gifts.

He retired from the Banner in 1846 after 14 years of work, but his son, William, purchased part of it in 1858 and acted as co-editor. According to the book Antebellum Athens, "political opposition charged that regardless who was the editor, the Banner was controlled by Howell Cobb."

Chase was a founding and guiding member of other local business ventures, such as the National Bank of Athens, the Athens Building & Loan Association, the Georgia Equitable Insurance Company, and the Southern Mutual Insurance Company, where he served as Secretary until his death in 1867.

He was also active in the practical running of Athens, serving as one of the city's first commissioners, starting in 1839, and representing Ward 2 off and on until 1859. In 1852, Albon Chase served as Intendent of the city, akin to being Mayor today; Chase Street is named for him.  Two of his homes are still standing in Athens, at the corner of Hull and Clayton Streets downtown (now apartments), and at 243 Dearing Street. He is buried at Oconee Hill Cemetery.


Learn More:

• Southern Banner, Mar. 18, 1842 - Mar. 6, 1845 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Athens Historic Newspaper Archive collection in the Digital Library of Georgia.
• Antebellum Athens and Clarke County Georgia by Ernest C. Hynds in the Heritage and general collections.
• Annals of Athens: 1801-1901 by Augustus Longstreet Hull in the Heritage collection.
• History of Athens and Clarke County by H. J. Rowe in the Heritage and general collections.
• Historic Dearing Street by Frances Taliaferro Thomas in the Heritage collection.
• Oconee Hill Cemetery, Athens, Georgia, Volume I, by Charlotte Thomas Marshall in the Heritage and general collections. 
• Measuring Worth website.
• Digitized copy of Anecdotes of the Revolution.
• Digitized copy of Fables from Northcote and Others.
• Digitized copy of Hutton's Book of Nature.
• Digital copies of Beauties of American History.
• Digital copies of Lives of the Most Eminent Sovereigns of Modern Europe.
• Digitized copy of Juvenile Companion and Fireside Reader.

Are You Reading Our Heritage Room Newsletters?

On this day we'd like to remind you to subscribe to our two fantastic Heritage Room newsletters. They will be delivered to your email Inbox, and are a great way to keep up with all that is going on in genealogy and history throughout the year, and especially during the busy holiday season.

Our Genealogy and History Events newsletter covers everything from Haunted History tours in Athens and Macon to free webinars about Irish ancestor brick walls and getting started with Native American genealogy. Find out where to hear historians talking about their latest books, or when the dedication ceremony for a new historical marker will be held. Autumn is a busy time for cemetery tours, and with the newsletter, you can take your pick of tours in Athens, Cartersville, Atlanta, and McDonough. The commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War continues apace, with a variety of symposia, lectures, programs, and book-related events. Don't regret not doing something because you didn't find out in time--just read our newsletter!

Our Genealogy News and Tips newsletter makes sure you will not miss out on the information you need for your research, even as everyone's schedule speeds up this autumn. We cover practical information, such as the increase in copying fees at all National Archives locations and updates about the status of the Georgia Archives, to new resources online such as Mercer campus newspapers from 1920-1970 and Scottish post office directories. We even include information on how to fit your research into a busy schedule, such as Family Tree magazine's list of "Weekend Warrior" genealogy projects.

Click here (or either newsletter link above) to subscribe. It couldn't be easier, so sign up today!

20 October 1899: A Burglary by "Dastardly Miscreants"

On this day in 1899, the story of the burglary of the "bedding, furniture, crockeryware, and clothing" of Mr. Joe Brightwell was published on the front page of the daily Athens Banner as well as the Weekly Banner:

Unfortunately, no further news was published about the robbery, so it is thought that Mr. Brightwell's goods were never recovered, nor the guilty parties ever brought to justice.


Learn More:

• Weekly Banner, Aug. 1898 - Oct. 1899 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Athens Historic Newspaper Archive in the Digital Library of Georgia.
• The Mammoth Book of Unsolved Crimes by Roger Wilkes in the general collection.
• The Barefoot Bandit: The True Tale of Carlton Marris-Moore, New American Outlaw by Bob Friel in the New Books collection.
• Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief by Bill Mason in the biography collection.
• Crime Scene: The Ultimate Guide to Forensic Science by Richard Platt in the general collection.
• Best American Crime Writing, edited by Otto Penzler in the general collection.
• The Calamity Papers: Western Myths and Cold Cases by Dale L. Walker in the general collection.
• Malicious Intent: A Writer's Guide to How Murderers, Robbers, Rapists, and Other Criminals Think by Sean P. Mactire in the general collection.

7 October 1898: "Hansomest Coroner in Georgia...to Indulge in the Luxury of a Kiss."

On this day in 1898, the Weekly Banner published a strange story on the front page of the paper about "A Kissing Bee on Broad Street."

Despite much discussion amongst our library staff, we have no earthly idea why the coroner was raising money (and quite little of it) by kissing other professional men in town, or why the story ended when Tom Hunnicut, superintendent of the Athens Electric Railway, appeared. 

It seems to be yet another example of the different standards of journalism that existed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, where it was apparently not at all unprofessional to publish, on the front page of the weekly paper, inside jokes. 

If you have any ideas about this story and why the coroner would have had to kiss for coins, please let us know via the comment section below, or our This Day in Athens email address, Heritage.Room.Blog@gmail.com.


Learn More?

• Weekly Banner, Aug. 1898 - Oct. 1899 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Athens Historic Newspaper Archive collection in the Digital Library of Georgia.
• History of Athens & Clarke County, Georgia by H. J. Rowe in the Heritage and general collections.
• 237 Kissing books in various collections at the Athens-Clarke County Library.

5 October 1906: Mrs. Williamson Kills 5-Foot Rattler

On this day in 1906, it was reported that Mrs. G. D. Williamson was not a delicate flower but an adept and potentially dangerous lady, if you were a snake.

There are three types of rattlesnakes in Georgia: the Pygmy, the Eastern Diamondback, and the Canebrake or Timber rattler. It was likely one of the latter two, as both can grow to be over five feet long. 

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is currently evaluating the Eastern Diamondback rattler for inclusion on the Endangered Species list. There are no limits on the hunting of this snake in the Southeast, and they are losing their habitat of long-leaf pine forests. 


Learn More:

• Weekly Banner, Jan. 1906 - Dec. 1908 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Athens Historic Newspaper Archive collection in the Digital Library of Georgia.
• Clarke County Militia Districts on the Clarke-Oconee Genealogical Society website.
• Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses by James H. Miller in the general collection.
• Snakes of the Southeast by J. Whitfield Gibbons in the Reference and general collections.
• Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere by Jonathan A. Campbell via PINES.
• Looking for Longleaf: The Rise and Fall of an American Forest by Lawrence S. Earley via PINES.
• Rattler! A Natural History of Rattlesnakes by Christopher Mattison in the general collection.
• The Art of Managing Longleaf by Leon Neel via PINES. 
  
• How to Be Safe around Snakes by the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory's Herpetology Program.
• The Rattlesnake Who Went to School by Craig Strete in the children's collection.
• Animal Bytes: Rattlesnake on the San Diego Zoo web page.

 

Heritage Book Collection Reprieve!

On this day, we are happy to announce that during this last phase of construction, the available Heritage Room book collection will not be closed stacks, and you will have access to far more books than were noted in the last post.

The Heritage Room books are currently upstairs on two shelves that run along the far wall you'll see as you come to the top of the staircase. They are on the other side of the computer desks, on either side of the entrance to the new restrooms. The small cart for books that you are done using is next to the Athens-Clarke County books.

The temporarily smaller collection has a much closer focus on Georgia, including any Georgia county books that cover marriages, wills, cemeteries, deeds, or other abstracts taking priority in the collection. Some county histories have moved, if they provided this type of information. 

Also, all Georgia newspaper abstracts are available, as well as books with multiple counties of marriage or will records, land lottery books, the Pioneers of Wiregrass collection, Christian Index obituaries, U.S. Census indices, Georgia English Crown Grants, and Georgia Governor & Council Journals. 

For North Carolina and South Carolina, no county-focused books will be available for the time being, but there are U.S. Census indices, tax, will, marriage, deed records, as well as North Carolina Colonial Land Entries and South Carolina Royal Land Grants. 

For Virginia, you have access to Adventures of Purse and Person, Cavaliers & Pioneers, Colonial Abstracts, both sets of Genealogies of Virginia Families, Virginia Wills, and Wulfeck's Virginia Marriages. 

Still available for Civil War research are These Men Wore Grey, Rosters of Confederate Graves, Roster of Confederate Soldiers from the Official Records set, two rosters of Georgia Confederate Soldiers, and Sifakis's Compendium of the Confederate Armies. 

For the Revolution, we have Virgil White's collection of military pension and service record abstracts, Pierce's Register, the DAR Patriot Index, some Elijah Clark Chapter records, Helen Lu's Revolutionary War Period set, among other items. White's indices covering the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Indian Wars are also available.

There are also some general genealogy books for those who are getting started, need to know where to look for out of state or county records, or are trying to figure out where the heck the marriage record they need could be, such as the Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, and Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Census, 1790-1920. 

 
We are so happy we were able to make more available than anticipated, and in a way that allows you pursue your research at your own rate, picking the book you want or think you need from the shelf. If you find the book in PINES, we should have it available for you in the current Heritage collection. 


If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to call us at the Reference Desk, at (706) 613-3650, ext. 356, or email us at Heritage.Room.Blog@gmail.com or heritageroom@arlsmail.org. We are still here to help you with your research! 

Important Information about Heritage Room Book Collection!

While we had hoped to have the current Heritage Room book collection remain available as closed stacks during the final phase of renovation, space and furniture realities have made it necessary to greatly reduce the number of books that we will have available. 

We plan to have the following books available as closed stacks (i.e. you must request the books from a librarian) during this brief, final phase of construction:

• Clarke County books, including Athens city directories, but minus UGA history, much of which can be found in our circulating collection, the Digital Library of Georgia, and/or UGA's library;
• Elbert County books;
• Greene County books;
• Jackson County books; 
• Madison County books;
• Oconee County books;
• Oglethorpe County books;
• Wilkes County books;
• Much of our Daughters of the American Revolution collection, including the Patriot Index set;
• Loyalists in the Southern Campaign set;
• Pension Roll of 1835 set;
• Roster of the Confederate soldiers of Georgia, 1861-1865 by Lillian Henderson;
• Georgia Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 by Janet Hewett;
• Compendium of the Confederate Armies set by Sifakis;
• Federal and some state census index books for states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, spanning the 1780s to the 1870s;
• Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920 by William Dollarhide;
• Virgil White's pension and service books, covering 
• War of 1812, 
• Mexican War, 
• Indian Wars, and 
• American Revolution;
• Virginia Marriages and Wills books;
• Virginia Cavaliers and Pioneers set;
• Virginia Purse and Person set;

We may have more available; we just aren't sure yet what our space will allow. The microfilm collection that is currently available in Reference will continue to be available during this last phase of construction.


THIS WEEKEND, August 18-19, 2012, will be the last weekend for several months where the book collection currently available is still openly available to researchers. 

If you have research you have put off, please consider coming to the library this weekend and early next week to pursue it. 

Sometime in the next week, the books will start to be put into storage until the end of the library's renovation. We are happy to help you find what you need, and if we do not have it, can find out where you can get it. 


Please contact us if you have any concerns or questions, either by calling the Reference desk (706-613-3650, ext. 356) or emailing us at either Heritage.Room.Blog@gmail.com or heritageroom@arlsmail.org. 

We apologize for such a last minute announcement of this situation, but once you see the new Heritage Room, we hope you will agree that a few months of inconvenience were worth the wait. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding during this time!

Heritage Room Newsletters: The Fun Doesn't Stop When Summer Ends!

On this day, we'd like to remind you that our two Heritage Room newsletters are great ways to find out what is happening and what resources are available, all from the cool comfort of your own home!

In our Genealogy and History Events newsletter,  you can find out how to get started researching your Civil War ancestors by signing up for a webinar by the Friends of the National Archives-Southeast, or take a trip to Columbus to learn about Civil War navies at the Civil War Naval Museum. Plan an evening in Atlanta with a love stories tour of Oakland Cemetery, or pick up a Georgia State Park pass here at the library to plan an afternoon at Smithgall Woods State Park in Helen, learning about the 1828 Georgia Gold Rush. There are all sorts of events that make fun family trips before the school year gets too hectic, and our Events newsletter makes sure you have time to plan ahead.

In our Genealogy News and Tips newsletter, you'll learn about not just new content but improved filtering options in Fold3, a database all Athens Regional Library cardholders can access from their own home. Be heartened by the news that Ancestry.com has a name index for the full 1940 Census, months ahead of schedule, and how to buy CDs of webinars by Legacy Family Tree. Read reviews of new genealogy software programs, about the Free Guide to London Ancestors by FamilySearch.org in honor of the Olympics, and the latest additions to collections by local genealogical groups around the world. It sometimes seems impossible to keep up with all the new resources available to the genealogy researcher, but our News & Tips newsletter gives you a great head start.

Click here (or any newsletter link above) to subscribe. It couldn't be easier, so what are you waiting for? Sign up today! 

 

21 July 1911: "All chicks...are alike to her maternal heart."

On this day in 1911, the Athens Banner ran this adorable story on the front page of their daily newspaper:

(click to enlarge image)

Though it often seems odd to see animals caring for the young of different species, cross-species adoption has always been common in the animal world, even among animals that would otherwise be prey for the nurturing parent. According to an article in National Wildlife magazine, "even in the unsentimental calculus of natural selection, it may be better to err on the side of compassion."

Learn More:

• Athens Banner, Jul. 1911 - Nov. 1911 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Parenting Paradox by Sharon Levy, National Wildlife Magazine, Aug/Sept 2002.
• Unusual Animal Families photo album in Global Animal magazine online.
• The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin in the general collection.
• A Natural History of Parenting by Susan Allport in the general collection.
• Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding by Sarah Hrdy via PINES.
• Guess Who My Mommy Is by Ann Axworthy in the children's picture book collection.
• The Emperor's Embrace: Reflections on Animal Families and Fatherhood by J. Moussaieff Masson in the general collection.
• Mother Nature: A History of Mothers, Infants, and Natural Selection by Sarah Hrdy via PINES.