Decatur County Public Library showcases genealogy room and community services

The Decatur County Public Library at 20 W. Market St. in Decaturville is foregrounding its Tennessee and Genealogy room and a suite of community services that make local history more accessible to county residents. The library occupies a 5,000 square foot building on Court Square that became the library’s home in 1993; the institution traces library service in the county back to October 1942, when the TVA sponsored the first service and the county joined a regional library system.

The genealogy room offers primary and secondary research materials that are central to family-history work in Decatur County. The library reports it holds newspapers on microfilm from 1893 until 1996, obituary records from 1878 to the present, marriage and birth records, census records, cemetery records, county history records, civil war and revolutionary war book records, county deeds and court minutes, and courthouse records that include wills and birth certificates. The library notes, "The Decatur County Library is very proud of the material found in the Tennessee and Genealogy room." The Local History Collection includes "thousands of searchable items" and digital versions of local yearbooks up to 1977.

For patrons requiring subscription databases, the library provides in-library access to HeritageQuest Online, Ancestry Library Edition, and Fold3. Materials available through HeritageQuest include U.S. Federal Census records, PERSI genealogical and local history periodicals, Revolutionary War pension records, and "25,000+ family and local history books." The library’s description of Ancestry Library Edition invites patrons to "stop in to the library and search more than 2 billion names, images, records, passenger lists, military records, immigration records, and much more." Fold3 is offered for military records and related documents. Several of these resources are labeled as "Library Access Only," meaning in-person access at the library is required.

The Decatur County Public Library also promotes user support: "If you are new to our databases and need a little help getting started, some of our databases have tutorials. Check them out now!" Decatur residents can obtain a digital library card online; for more information or to arrange access, call 731-852-3325.

The library’s history underscores the long-running community role of local access to books and records. Library service began in offices at the courthouse, moved briefly to a commercial building in the 1950s, returned to the courthouse in 1958, and expanded into the current Court Square facility in 1993. Bookmobile stations historically served the county and several are said to remain in businesses today.

Separate resources tied to Decatur County, Indiana are maintained through the Indiana State Library and Greensburg-area repositories; those holdings include court and probate records dating to the early 19th century with specific call numbers and film references listed at the Indiana State Library.

For residents seeking primary records or to begin family-history projects, the library is a starting point for microfilm newspapers, indexed obituaries, birth and marriage records, and restricted subscription databases. Call 731-852-3325 or visit the library to confirm hours, request access, and learn about reproduction or research assistance available on-site.