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Georgia: Local History & Genealogy Resource Guide

Digital Collections and Resources

The digital collections and online resources of the Library of Congress contain a wide variety of primary source and educational materials related to the local history for each U.S. state and territory.

African American History

Library collections provide unique biographical records of African American families and communities.

Architecture and Historic Buildings

Part of the digitized image collections, these architectural and engineering records can be useful in researching local history and genealogy.

Bibliographies and Guides

These research guides provide additional digital and print state-specific resources.

  • American Folklife Center Collections: Alabama

    This guide provides access to ethnographic resources documenting expressive culture in the state of Alabama at the Library of Congress.

  • Caucasus: Address and Telephone Directories

    Telephone directories are used by genealogists and historians to identify people and businesses from a particular place and era. This guide lists the directories from the countries of the Caucasus in the Library of Congress collections.

  • Civil War Secessions: Topics in Chronicling America

    From 1860 to 1861, eleven states seceeded from the Union to make the Confederacy. This guide provides access to material related to "Civil War Secessions" in the Chronicling America digital collection of historic newspapers.

  • Georgia: Local History & Genealogy Resource Guide

    Compiled by reference specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide identifies key print and online resources for pursuing family history, as well as state, county and municipal historical research, for the state of Georgia.

  • Georgia: State Resource Guide

    This guide provides access to digital materials related to the state of Georgia at the Library of Congress, as well as links to external websites and a selected print bibliography.

  • Guide to Law Online: Georgia

    This guide, prepared by the Law Library of Congress, includes links to free online resources regarding the country of Georgia, focusing on its constitution; executive, legislative and judicial branches; legal guides; and general sources.

  • Guide to Law Online: U.S. Georgia

    This guide, prepared by the Law Library of Congress, includes links to free online legal resources regarding Georgia, focusing on its constitution; executive, legislative, and judicial branches; legal guides; and general sources.

  • Gullah/Geechee History and Culture

    After ratification of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, banning slavery in 1865, most of the African and American-born slaves along the southeastern coast of the United States remained, cultivating a rich culture.

  • Jimmy Carter: A Resource Guide

    Jimmy Carter served as the thirty-ninth President of the United States (1977-81). This guide provides access to digital materials at the Library of Congress, external websites, and a selected print bibliography.

  • Sherman's March to the Sea: Topics in Chronicling America

    In 1864, soldiers marched in a 20-day campaign across Georgia to cripple the Confederacy. This guide provides access to material related to "Sherman's March to the Sea" in the Chronicling America digital collection of historic newspapers.

  • The Caucasus: Cartographic Resources in the Library of Congress

    This research guide describes a wide variety of mostly uncataloged and informative primary cartographic resources, as well as related bibliographies and online resources for the study of the modern history of the Caucasus.

City and Telephone Directories

City and telephone directories allow you to look for individuals, families, or businesses to view such details as: addresses, occupations, and household residents. Observed broadly, they will also provide a community perspective. The following resources provide an inventory of the city and telephone directories available at the Library of Congress.

Images Online

For a convenient list of the digitized directories:

  1. Click on the Collection Items tab.
  2. Scroll down the sidebar until you see Location. On that list, click More Locations.
  3. On this page, you can select the option to organize the location list alphabetically.
  4. Now you can navigate all cities included in the digital collection. Once you select the city of interest, you can use the Sort By box in the top-right corner to arrange the directories for that city by date.

Lists of Available Directories in Print and Microform

Maps

The following online map collections include maps and views of cities, counties, battlefields, transportation, and general geography. Explore each collection using the search box on the upper-right. Type in city or town names to view related items. Search all digitized map collections to find additional local and state geographical documentation of communities from the colonial era to present day.

Military Papers

Documents created as part of a soldier's military service or by the government in time of war reveal details and historical context pertinent to family and local history.

Newspapers

Historic newspapers provide important content for historical and genealogical research.

Personal Papers of Georgia Residents

The Library's manuscript collections provide a wealth of research materials related to important individuals in state and local history.

Prints and Photographs

The Library of Congress has digitized a wealth of unique and historical visual materials important when researching local and family history. Search the digitized print and photographic collections to view images related to the state's history, locations, events, and people.

Collections

Research Guides

The Teacher's Page

The resources on this site are designed for teachers of elementary through high school teachers and students.

Today in History

These web pages highlight important events connected to particular dates in history.

Veteran's History Project

The Veterans History Project (VHP) collects and preserves the remembrances of American war veterans and civilian workers who supported them.