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TENNESSEE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

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Germantown Regional History and Genealogy Center Library

During the pandemic, please check the TNGS Home Page for current information on openings and closings. If you are traveling any distance, please call ahead to confirm the library will be open.

Normal Library Hours

Monday - 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Tuesday - 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Thursday - 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Saturday - 10:00 am to 4:00 pm   

HOLIDAY CLOSINGS - 2023

The library is closed on the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President's Day, Good Friday, Easter, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and the following Friday, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

The library is also closed during the Germantown Festival.

The library may be closed on other days. Those closings will be posted on the home page.


The Germantown Regional History and Genealogy Center (GRHGC) is the special collections division of the Germantown Community Library. It serves as a repository and research center for genealogical and historic materials, Southern culture and the Germantown History Collection.

The GRHGC was made possible in large part by generous funding and in-kind donations from the Germantown Civic Club and the Tennessee Genealogical Society.


GRHGC Library Resources

  • 16,000+ genealogical, family, and history books
  • Special Collections:
    • Germantown History
    • Civil War
    • Family Surname Vertical Files
    • Memphis Belle Records
    • Native American
    • Tennessee Bar Oral Histories
    • African-American
    • European Roots & Heraldry
  • Microfilms of census, tax lists, vital statistics, early newspapers
  • Vertical files of family charts, documents, and other papers
  • CDs of genealogical data
  • Databases (available on all library computers)
    • Ancestry.com Library Edition
    • Fold3 - Historical military records
    • Newspapers.com
    • AmericanAncestors.org
    • HistoryGeo
    • HeritageQuest
        • Research U.S. Census records (1790-1940)
        • US Indian Census Rolls
        • 1890 Veterans Census
        • Revolutionary War records
        • Freedman's Bank records (1865-1874)
        • Books and History articles and more.             

          Mem
          bers: Please call (901)757-7323 or (901)757-8480 for assistance when connecting remotely for HeritageQuest.

                 

                • FamilySearch microfilm and microfiche may be viewed in our library. Review the list of microfilm at GRHGC. FamilySearch Extended Films _ Fiche.pdf
                • Microfilm and microfiche reader with copier
                • A combination Copier/Printer, with copies at 20 cents per page (bring correct change)
                • Free wireless Internet access
                • Electrical outlets on study tables

                 

                How do you search the Regional History and Genealogy Center Catalog?

                GRHGC Online Catalog

                • For best results enter a keyword or phrase (not more than three words.)
                • If searching for a specific county, do not enter the word “county” or “Co.”
                  • For example, if searching for books on Shelby County, Tennessee, enter “Shelby TN” or “Shelby Tennessee.”
                • If searching for a state, try entering the state 2-letter abbreviation, then try entering the state name spelled out on a separate search. 
                • When searching for a family surname, do not enter the word “family” after the surname.
                • When you see the search results, click on the “Where is it” button on the right side to find the book location (Updating the item locations is still a work in progress — ask for help if you need it.)
                • To see the full display of the item record, click on the “Full Display” button on the right


                Family Search Service


                FamilySearch announced a new service to be provided by certified affiliate libraries for researchers. Up to the present time, most records with access restrictions could be viewed only at a Family History Center (usually located in an LDS Church building) or at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. The access restrictions are due to data privacy or due to contractual agreements with custodians of the original records. FamilySearch is working hard to ease these restrictions. GRHGC and other affiliate libraries now have access to nearly all of the restricted image collections for researchers to view. There will still be restrictions on a small number of records until those restrictions expire.


                Giving to the Library

                We welcome donations and we love our volunteers.

                Click here for more information about donating to the library --> Donation Policy 2014 (1).pdf

                Volunteers are a key to making the Germantown Regional History and Genealogy Center a success. They shelve and label books, assist the librarian with customers and special projects, and help customers with genealogy activities. When you volunteer at the Germantown Regional History and Genealogy Center, you are volunteering with the City of Germantown. 

                Click here for a Volunteer Application form --> Application Form _ Release Form- Volunteers 1-5-15.pdf

                 

                GRHGC Contact Information:
                Octavia Ashby – Librarian
                901 757-8480
                oashby@germantown-tn.gov

                               

                Contact us :
                Office: 901 754-4300
                tngs@tngs.org

                NORMAL SOCIETY OFFICE HOURS
                Tuesday - 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
                Thursday - 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
                 


                LIBRARY HOURS HERE


                Physical Address:
                7779 Poplar Pike
                Germantown, TN 38138

                Mailing Address:
                PO Box 381824
                Germantown, TN 38183-1824

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