For Many Tennesseans, Historical Research is in Their Genes

Did you know that July is Tennessee Genealogy Month? That designation was created last year through an act of the state’s General Assembly. It’s a fitting time to recognize that genealogy – that is, family history research – attracts surprisingly large numbers of people.

The Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) gets about 10,000 visits to its offices in Nashville every year – plus millions more on TSLA’s section of the Secretary of State’s web site. Most of those visitors are genealogists.

TSLA houses the collections of some of the state’s well-known genealogists of the past. When these researchers donate their files to TSLA, they become available for others to mine for facts and details about Tennessee families.

If someone in your family has left behind a mass of family folders, consider donating them to TSLA where they can benefit not only your family, but others as well.

To read more about family history research at TSLA, please see the following article: http://tnsos.org/Press/story.php?item=561.

We also invite you to visit us at our location next door to the State Capitol at 403 Seventh Avenue North in Nashville from Tuesday – Saturday from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. If you cannot make it Nashville, or if you’re doing research on a holiday like July 4th, you can visit us online at www.tn.gov/tsla. You can also contact our Public Services staff by email at reference.tsla@tn.gov.

The State Library and Archives is a division of the Tennessee Department of State and Tre Hargett, Secretary of State.