A local guide to historical research
♦ Past Calhoun Times editions have been well preserved for researchers.
At least once or twice a week, and sometimes more, we get a call at the Calhoun Times newsroom asking where a researcher can view past editions of our paper.
As I’ve answered those questions over the past two years, I’ve even learned a thing or two about local resources I also already didn’t know about, and as someone with a background in historical research, this subject is near and dear to my heart.
The Calhoun Times is Gordon County’s official legal organ, as well as its oldest business, so our past editors have been tasked with preserving over 150 years of daily life, business and government news, official notices, obituaries, and more.
It makes me happy to be able to report to callers that an impressive amount of Gordon County’s historic documents, public records, and newspaper editions have been well preserved and are made available for public viewing.
It’s not just newspapers that can aid in local history research, but also land deeds, court records, birth, marriage and divorce records — just to name a few.
So where does someone go to start research in Gordon County? There are several well-organized resources that are easy for the public to access.
LIBRARY
It shouldn’t be any surprise that the Calhoun-Gordon County Public Library, 100 N. Park Ave., is an excellent place to start any level of historic research.
Aside from the usual large collection of books and reference materials, the library has nearly a century of bound physical copies of Calhoun Times newspapers in large book format on the shelf. These books can’t be checked out, but can be viewed at the library during regular hours.
Calhoun Times editions are also available on microfilm in the library’s research room known as the Penick History Library. In addition to historic Calhoun Times editions on microfilm, the library also has parts of censuses from before 1930, as well as computers dedicated to microfilm scanning and research with genealogical records in print format, and a number of books relating to local and state history and genealogy.
Specifically, digital access on library computers includes the Ancestry Library Edition, Digital Public Library of America, Digital Public Library of Georgia, and Heritage Quest — each via Galileo. Also available are Genealogy and Federal records from the National Archives, a Surnames forum, USGenWeb Archives, and The Valley Forge Muster Roll.
Local library hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Patrons are asked to call 706-624-1456 in advance if in-depth assistance is needed. Patrons are encouraged to call ahead to check if certain historic collections are available. Visitors are also encouraged to visit the library’s website at ngrl.org/locations/calhoungordon online.
CLERK OF COURT’S OFFICE
Probably the most complete and best preserved collection of physical bound editions of the Calhoun Times is located at the Gordon County
Clerk of Superior Court office.
The Clerk’s Office is open Monday through Friday, from 8:30 to 5 p.m. in the Gordon County Judicial Building, 101 S. Piedmont St. Parking is available in the adjacent deck, and a pass through a security checkpoint is required to
enter the building, so leave those pocket knives and other prohibited items in the car.
Since moving into the newly renovated Judicial Building (formerly known as the Courthouse Annex), a large, state-of-the-art research room now holds a plethora of
physical records. The room is open to the public during regular hours and has large tables to view documents. Clerk’s Office staff members are available to assist visitors. If planning a visit, it is recommended to call 706629-9533 to make sure the documents they are looking for are available.
Also available through the Clerk’s Office online are real estate records through Kofile.
For more information about the Clerk’s Office, as well as the online resources available for research, visit gordoncounty.org/departments/clerk-of-superiorcourt online.
ONLINE RESOURCES
The Georgia Archives are a wealth of state and locally significant documents and photos.
Some of the collections available online at georgiaarchives.org are the Virtual Vault, Vanishing Georgia Photographic Collection, Georgia Historic Newspapers, Georgia Official and Statistical Register, Georgia Legislative Documents, Georgia Code, Georgia Government Publications, the Digital Library of Georgia, and access to the FamilySearch.org website.
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