On July 4th, our thoughts turn most naturally to the Declaration of Independence. We need to stop as well to contemplate another of our founding documents, the Constitution of the United States.
Setting out the forms and functions of our republic, the Constitution stands as one of the hallmarks of liberty and just governance.
Constitution Week (September 17th – September 23rd) draws our attention to this and other issues, and is celebrated by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). This important commemoration was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on August 2,1956 to celebrate the creation of this significant document.
Member of the Augusta DAR chapter have installed a display in the Georgia Room to highlight this important week. It is part of a continuing mission to educate the public about the significance of the Constitution. We encourage you to pay a visit to the Georgia Room to view the display which will be up until the end of September.
Beverly Roberts, Melanie Kent, and Janet Manning of the Augusta Chapter of the DAR
The purpose of the display is to remind us of three important points.
Emphasize citizen’s responsibilities for protecting and defending the Constitution.
Inform people that the Constitution is the basis for America’s great heritage and the foundation for our way of life.
Encourage the study of the historical events which led to the framing of the Constitution in September 1787.
A visit to your local library can provide you with resources to encourage the study of associated historical events. You can look at all sides of the present debate. Miracle at Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention, May to September 1787 and Six Amendments: How and Why We Should Change the Constitution are just two examples of the resources available for study through your local library branch of the Augusta-Richmond County Library System. Consult our library catalog to locate resources of interest to you at arcpls.org. or ask your library staff for assistance in locating relevant material.
Register now for the Georgia Room’s upcoming genealogy program presented by Greenblatt Library’s curator Renee Sharrock. Learn how to locate and use medical records to uncover clues about deceased loved ones. Genealogy databases like Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org are great for finding census records as well as birth, marriage and death records, but medical records can provide an additional avenue of inquiry when researching your ancestors, especially for those curious about how disease and illness travel along family lines.
Greenblatt Library at Augusta University preserves historical collections related to the history of the Medical College of Georgia, including medical artifacts, documents, manuscripts, and campus publications. Renee Sharrock manages the collections and assists family historians searching for information about ancestors with Augusta connections, particularly with regard to Augusta’s medical history.
The program is scheduled for Saturday, September 28th at 11:00 am. Registration is required, as seating is limited. Please call 706-826-1511 or email genealogy@arcpls.org to register.
A selection of funeral programs from the Eula M. Ramsey Johnson Funeral Program Collection at the Augusta Public Library
In 2005, the Augusta Public Library received an unexpected but significant donation from local genealogist and author, Gloria Ramsey Lucas. The donation comprised nearly 300 funeral programs of extended family and friends that her aunt Eula Mae Ramsey Johnson had collected over her lifetime. An avid genealogist and former president of the Augusta Genealogical Society, Ms. Lucas is known for her award-winning work, Slave Records of Edgefield County, an exhaustively researched index listing slaves and slaveholders in Edgefield County, South Carolina gleaned from probate, property, and tax records. The book is a boon to family history researchers with enslaved ancestors in South Carolina.
Understanding the challenges and brick walls many African Americans face when researching the lives of their ancestors, Gloria Lucas knew that funeral programs could provide valuable clues. While traditional genealogy records like birth, marriage, and death certificates give us critical information in terms of dates and locations, funeral programs paint a more personal picture of our deceased loved ones. We learn about a person’s relationships, community or religious ties, social circles they traveled in, churches they attended, as well as occupational information, and interests and hobbies. Sometimes the obituary found in a funeral program is the only biographical information that exists for a person, giving them an added significance.
Eula M. Ramsey Johnson Funeral Program Collection, Augusta Public Library
Eula M. Ramsey Johnson Funeral Program Collection, Augusta Public Library
Shown here are two images from the full-color program of Deacon Willie Murray, better known as Mickey Murray who grew up in North Augusta and went on to become one of the nation’s top soul singers in the 1960s. Mickey Murray’s recording of Otis Redding’s, Shout Bamalama in 1967, sold over one million copies and propelled him to stardom. While this program chronicles the life of a well known musician, the majority of the funeral programs in the library’s collection document the lives of lesser known folks who led equally remarkable lives. What comes to mind as one reads through the obituaries is how deeply personal they are, how they offer a window into the hopes and dreams of that individual, their many accomplishments over a lifetime, and how they are remembered by loved ones.
Eula M. Ramsey Johnson Funeral Program Collection, Augusta Public Library
Family members searching for clues about Cordia Ruth Moore’s life would be delighted at the details given in her funeral program. Like most programs, we learn when and where she was born, who her parents are, who she married, the names of her children, and her many grandchildren. But, Cordia’s beautifully written obituary also tells us her many hobbies, among them, horseback riding, candle and soap making, and gardening. We are also given her religious affiliations, educational history, and membership in organizations. While knowing a loved ones birth, marriage, and death dates as well as locations of these events is important, it’s the personal details that reveal the richness of their lives, and connect them with our own.
The two earliest programs in the library’s collection are of Lucy Craft Laney, founder and principle of Haines Normal and Industrial School, and the program of a woman who was born a slave and died at 113 years of age. Both programs contain valuable information about these two women. They also offer insight into the time period in which they were created. Examining several different funeral programs from a specific time period can reveal historical themes and trends, making them not only important for genealogical research, but a valuable primary source for historians as well. For example, Ms. Laney’s program lists other important figures in Augusta at the time of her death (1933) who were active in the political, educational, and religious arenas of Augusta’s African American community.
Eula M. Ramsey Johnson Funeral Program Collection, Augusta Public Library
Unfortunately, funeral programs can be hard to find, tucked away and sometimes scattered in personal collections or at local churches and funeral homes. Over the last twenty years however, libraries throughout Georgia have been inspired by the Augusta Public Library Funeral Program Collection-believed to be the first of its kind- to build their own collections. Tamika Strong at the Auburn Avenue Research Library has played an integral role in building their collection from the ground up. After reading an article written in 2009 by Dottie Demarest-former Local History Librarian of Augusta Public Library- in the Georgia Library Quarterly about the funeral program collection, Ms. Strong stated, “if Augusta can do it, so could Atlanta.” To date, Auburn Avenue has amassed over 3,000 funeral programs. Other libraries in Georgia with growing collections are, Thomas County Public Library System and Moultree-Colquitt County Library System.
Each above funeral program collection, including the Augusta Public Library collection can be found in the Digital Library of Georgia (DLG). The DLG partners and provides funding to libraries throughout Georgia to have their archival collections digitized and made freely available to a wider audience. Follow the links below to learn more about these collections.
The Augusta Public Library depends on the local community to donate funeral programs to our collection. The programs are housed in the Georgia Heritage Room on the third floor of the headquarters library at 823 Telfair Street. We currently have around 4,000 of which about 3,600 have been digitized. Corey Rogers, Director of the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History, and Diversity Scholar, Joyce G. D. Law have been instrumental in building the library’s collection and have our gratitude. Please consider donating. If you wish to keep your programs, Georgia Room staff will happily make copies and return the originals. To contact us, please call 706-826-1511 or email Tina Monaco at monacot@arcpls.org.
The Georgia Room is pleased to hold two manuscripts by the prolific, popular author Edison Marshall, the original draft of West With The Vikings as well as an editor’s copy of the same work. We’ve set up an exhibit on it, and we invite you to visit and take a look.
Despite being born in Rensselaer Indiana in 1894, by virtue of marriage to Agnes Sharpe Flythe and calling Augusta home from the 1920s until his death on October 29, 1967 Augusta laid claim to Edison Marshall. And Marshall laid claim to Augusta. Marshall was a figure in its cultural life, as a member of the Augusta Authors’ Club. He was constantly in the public eye serving on local commissions or as a speaker at local clubs and charity events. And his entertainments and gatherings at his home Breetholm were sure to be a snippet in the society news column.
Augusta didn’t mind being associated with success either. Marshall was worth claiming as a resident.
Marshall had published works in almost every conceivable genre. First writing short stories and serialized articles, Marshall branched out into historical novels. While these were the mainstay of his work, he also had a science fiction novel and screenwriting credits to add to his writing resume. Marshall turned his hand to so many genres and so many titles, because as he put it, “I write to be read.”
As a popular author, by 1964, Marshall’s books reached sales of 10 million in hardback alone and were translated into eight languages. Several of his titles, among them Benjamin Blake, Yankee Pasha and The Viking – not to be confused with West with the Vikings – were made into blockbuster movies with some of the most popular stars of the day.
So, why did the Augusta-Richmond County Public Library end up with the original manuscript of West With The Vikings?
The donation was part of a project proposed by a past president of the library board of directors, Rabbi Norman Goldberg. Goldberg hoped that the Augusta Public Library would come to house more manuscripts by Augusta authors resulting in a large collection. At the board meeting held in February of 1962, Goldberg announced Marshall’s intention of donating several of his manuscripts to the Augusta Public Library. The manuscript of West With The Vikings was considered the inaugural deposit and the celebration accompanying its donation was titled, “Foundation Day of Richmond County-Augusta Library’s Collection of Original Manuscripts.” At this celebration, the manuscript was presented to the library on April 20, 1962.
The Augusta Chronicle, in an article published on August 11, 1962, mentioned that the University of Oregon, considered Marshall’s alma mater, had approached Marshall over the donation of his personal papers and manuscripts to that institution. The paper reported Marshall as saying he could only comply with part of the request since his present and future manuscripts were committed to the Augusta Public Library.
Photograph of Edison Marshall reprinted from the Augusta Chronicle. https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/news/2018/10/29/way-we-were-augusta-author-edison-marshall-found-fame-and-fortune/9431518007/
And yet, the Georgia Room has only West With The Vikings in its collection. By Marshall’s death on October 29th, 1967, no further deposits had been made. Who knows where the breakdown in the gifting process occurred.
Could Marshall have done more to safeguard his intent to give other materials to the Augusta Public Library? A public declaration wasn’t enough to secure this. One thing Marshall should have done was to leave a formal deed of gift to the library. A deed of gift would have guaranteed that the relationship between Marshall, the library, and the items he wished to donate would have been preserved.
Have you, like Edison Marshall, considered leaving material that could be historically significant to a library or archives? What could you do to make this happen?
A good first step is to read through these two brochures by the Society of American Archivists:
If you decide to donate your materials, consider making the Georgia Room your first stop for more information. We are happy to talk over the donation potential of your collections and whether our repository is the most logical one to house them. We only ask that you call 706-826-1511 to arrange for a visit so we can give your donation the attention it deserves
An exhibit of mixed media collage preserving and honoring the memory of Augusta natives Arthur Bleakley, Mary Alice Pughe, and Josephine Sibley. Augusta artist Mel Cearley finds her inspiration in the collected ephemera discovered at local estate sales. Through historical research and artistic process, Ms. Cearley pieces together found materials in such a way that past lives are illuminated. In the case of Arthur Bleakley and Josephine Sibley and family, in a light of community and kindness. It is the artist’s aim that viewers are encouraged to carry the same kindness forward, as we endeavor to be “in kind” with one other.
To learn more about Mel Cearley and her art, please visit her website:
The exhibit can be viewed through August 2024 in the Georgia Heritage Room on the third floor of the Augusta-Richmond County Public Library at 823 Telfair Street. Hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Gather up your outdoor chairs, blankets, and picnic baskets and join us on the lawn of Appleby Branch Library this Tuesday, June 4th for the inaugural concert of the Appleby Concert Series, a free cultural event Augusta Public Library has offered the public every summer for almost 70 years!
The idea for the concert series sprang up shortly after the home was gifted to the city of Augusta by Scott B. Appleby in memory of his wife, Annie de Prairie Appleby. Mr. Appleby and his son James presented the home with the stipulation that it would be a library. The palatial Greek Revival residence was formally dedicated as the Annie de Prairie Appleby Memorial Library on May 30, 1955 and a month later, on Tuesday, June 12th “Evenings in the Appleby Gardens” was born. Nestled in the heart of Summerville, the grounds of Appleby are shaded by fragrant magnolias and old oaks draped with Spanish moss, a perfect venue for lazing under a darkening sky to enjoy music and theater. While the summer months can be brutal, Summerville is situated at a higher elevation than the rest of the low-lying city, so it offers breezy afternoons and balmy nights.
1956 Appleby Concert Series Program
For the opening program on that first summer evening, Augusta Public Library co-partnered with the Augusta Music Club to present a concert of recorded classical music and a musical film. According to the Augusta Chronicle, Appleby Library had just received a state-of-the-art “high-fidelity record player” on which the audience heard Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart, Haydn’s Symphony No. 54 in G Major and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. And to finish the night a musical film entitled, Trio was shown featuring a pianist, violinist, and cellist playing selections from Schumann and Mendelssohn. Promoting the event, the Augusta Chronicle noted, “The garden is ideally suited to outdoor concerts. The spacious veranda can serve as a stage in fair weather, while a grassy terrace and lawn will accommodate a large audience. In the event of inclement weather, the veranda can be used for the audience and the program given in the adjoining rooms which is reached by French doors. Informality will be the keynote, with those attending bringing their favorite cushion or blanket as a ‘reserved seat’.”
Concerts of recorded music quickly gave way to live performances, showcasing some of Augusta’s preeminent talent in the music, dance, and theater worlds, as well as visiting artists from around the country and sometimes the world. Another seven concerts were scheduled during the summer of 1955. The second concert of the series was performed by a group from the Augusta Civic Orchestra which attracted an audience of over 300. The images below show a program for the concert series in 1956 featuring a performance by The Madrigal Singers performing a program of early secular music and a ballet performed by Alexis Dolinoff who was a soloist with the Russian prima ballerina Anna Pavlova and danced with the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York before opening the Dolinoff Ballet School on Walton Way in Augusta.
1956 program showing Alexis Dolinoff’s “The Ballet”
The special collections department of the Georgia Heritage Room is the repository for Augusta Public Library history. Included within this archival collection is seventy years worth of material chronicling the Appleby Concert Series. Among the records are programs like the one below, offering a detailed look at the high level of cultural entertainment the Augusta Public Library was putting on display for the public. Over the years, summer nights on the lawn of Appleby Branch Library was the place to be and became a performance venue for such prestigious groups as the Augusta Choral Society, Augusta Symphony, Augusta Civic Ballet, Georgia Dance Theatre, and Augusta Players. The bar was set quite high and on any give Tuesday evening, folks might be regaled with a dramatic reading of Shakespearean monologues and on another night an academic lecture from a visiting scholar. The variety was endless.
1960 Appleby Concert Series program
In recent years, the Augusta Public Library has expanded the musical selections from solely classical performances to include jazz, soul, country, and rock, gaining a wider appeal. On the ticket for this summer season are The Dulcimer Guy (June 4th), De Ceadaoin (June 11th), Doug Flowers Band (June 18th), Goodnight Lizzy (June 25th) and AE the Cool (July 9th).
Please join us tomorrow, rain or shine, as Augusta Public Library kicks off another season of concerts on the beautiful lawn of the Appleby Branch Library.
Newspapers.com is offering free access starting now to millions of pages of newspapers through Mother’s Day (May 12th)! Newspapers are such a wonderful resource for family historians searching for information about ancestors. You never know what you might find! It could be a birth, marriage, or death notice, or social news about your family. Use this free access to Newspapers.com to surprise your mother, an aunt, your grandmother or another female relative this Mother’s Day with an interesting tidbit of information about her family! Follow the link below for free access. Happy hunting!
Did you know public libraries are the place to go when you are searching for information about your hometown history or tracing ancestors that may have lived in a certain locale. Most public libraries in Georgia collect and preserve unique, rare, and hard-to-find primary sources that reveal interesting facts about past events and the human beings who once called our state home.
The Georgia Heritage Room of the Augusta Public Library is one stop shop for all things local history and genealogy. Many of the resources we have cannot be found anywhere else! If you are curious to learn more about your family tree or hometown history, please visit us on the third floor of the Headquarters Library at 823 Telfair Street in downtown Augusta, Georgia.
During Preservation Week, staff in the Georgia Room are highlighting what we do to preserve our local history collections. Visit us this week or anytime to learn more about our collections and for free advice on how to preserve family records and other valuable materials. Please follow the link below to learn more about our special collections department.
If you are ready to dive deeper into your genealogy or explore the countless historical collections freely available in Georgia libraries, please check out the resources below.
Join us for our workshop Putting The Leaves On The Tree With Family Search May 2nd, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. on the third floor of the HQ Library in the computer lab. Email genealogy@arcpls.org or call 706-826-1511 to make your reservation, space is limited. Please set up your free account in Family Search prior to the class.
Join us for a presentation and discussion on Hamburg, South Carolina with historian and collector Milledge Murray, and author Barbara Seaborn. While your here view the exhibit on Hamburg curated by Milledge Murray.
