Genealogy Society keeps ties to past
The Randolph County Genealogical Society has new quarters in the Randolph County Office Building, thanks to County Manager Richard Wells.
The society doesn’t have business hours, but it has a place to store a warehouse of information the county.
The Society was formed in 1976 to help people find their ancestors, when local records like wills, estates and deeds were just beginning to be cataloged, centralized and made available to researchers. Francine Swaim, Bobbie Grigg, Carolyn Hager, Dr. Joe Suggs and Frances Elkins, who served as first president, were among the founders. Bertha Fitzgerald, Ruth Anne Shaw and Lacey Lewis, Jr. rounded out the original slate of officers. Current president is Robert Hill, a genealogy and history buff but also a former race car driver with a cameo in the movie Red Dirt Tracks currently being optioned. Juanita Kesler, Don Bulla, Larry Cates, Jocelyn Barrett, Tommie Lemonds, Daniel Thornburg, Doris Brewer and Deborah Thomas comprise the society’s brain trust.
The first Randolph County Genealogical Society Journal was published in 1977. The Randolph Room, the county’s local history room founded by Charlesanna Fox, maintains copies of the indexed journals for research and purchase. Typical topics include transcribed letters, voter registration records, legal documents and diaries. Articles have been researched and prepared locally or sent in by members from around the country. Members, numbering around 400, are encouraged to contribute research and send queries in hopes that a fellow subscriber can add the missing piece to an ancestor puzzle.
Randolph County was formed in 1779 from Guilford County which, in turn, was formed from Orange and Rowan counties, which were formed in 1753. Many who migrated to this area, some before 1753, have descendants living in Randolph County today. Some settlers moved west from Randolph County, many to Randolph County, Indiana, and to other states. The Randolph Room assists researchers from all across the country who visit, write or call to find information like birth records, wills and estate papers and other records which would tie them to an ancestor.
Publications available from the Randolph County Genealogical Society in addition to the journal include the 1894 Randolph County Directory, tax lists, census records and the allimportant 10 volume set of cemetery records, researched and published by Jo Barrett and Doris Brewer, available as single volumes.
Many resources for genealogical research are available in the Randolph Room including the online database Ancestry.com (in-house only) and HeritageQuest, a feature of the NC Live database, available in-house or remotely with your library card.
For further information or to subscribe to the journal call 318- 6815.