GaRoom Project

$30,000 Raised through the Annual Campaign and Author Event.

The Georgia Room, located at the Cobb County Central Library in Marietta, Georgia, is a collection of over 14,000 resources devoted to genealogy and local history. With a primary emphasis on Cobb County, Georgia and the Southeastern United States, the collection also includes national sources and selected Northern sources. The room supports the informational, educational and research needs of library users and visitors from around the country.

Approximately 5,000 visitors come to the room annually to do research on family history or to complete educational projects. Many of those visitors come from other states and beyond the United States! Vanishing Georgia, maps, ancestry software, genealogy databases and city directories are just part of what makes this room special.

The Georgia Room was founded in 1970 through the generous bequest of Virginia Vanstone Crosby in memory of her father, Charles Mayo Crosby. Miss Crosby was an active member of the Marietta community and the first Marietta woman to run for mayor.

Quotes From Users of the Georgia Room: “The Georgia Room is one of the finest resources for genealogical research in North Georgia and we are fortunate to have such a facility so near. Our members often use the Georgia Room before and after meetings, and we always recommend that people seeking information about their ancestors stop by for help. The Georgia Room staff has also been an important part of our annual ‘Beginners Course’ by helping with internet searches and explaining how to effectively go about using the library. Although the bulk of material in the Georgia Room concerns Georgia, there is also material on the rest of the United States and some foreign countries, too. It's amazing how much relevant material is housed in that one room” Lee M. Tucker, Jr. President Cobb County Genealogical Society “For as long as the library has been on Roswell Street, I've been taking my research classes to the Georgia Room for Carolyn Crawford to tell us about the resources there. A number of students have used the vertical files, the city directories, the census data, the Vanishing Georgia photos, and other materials for their research papers. Of course, I used the same materials when I was working on my book on the 20th-century history of Cobb County. I have always found the staff to be extremely knowledgeable and helpful to me and my students. The Georgia Room also houses bound copies of the oral histories my students and I have done over the years for the Cobb County Oral History Series.” Thomas A. Scott Professor of History, Kennesaw State University		Room Arrangement: The Georgia Room collection is divided into state and topical categories such as: Federal Census; Heraldry, Pedigrees & Surnames; Military, Miscellaneous Northern and Southern Sources; Native American; Research Guides, Civil War; and miscellaneous Sources and Periodicals. Research Aids: CD-ROM Index; Cobb County Library Catalog; Map, Microfilm and Microfiche Catalogs; Online Internet Databases; Vertical Files for Cobb County and Georgia. Machines Available for Use: Computers, microfilm and microfiche readers; Readers/printers; and CD-ROM are available. Please check in at the desk to use these machines – they are available on a first-come basis. Photocopies are $.10 to $.15 each, depending on the machine.