Hardeman County, Tennessee Genealogy

Guide to Hardeman County, Tennessee ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
Hardeman County was named for Thomas J. Hardeman (1788-1854), a veteran of the Creek War and War of 1812 and a prominent figure in the fight for Texas independence. He served as a congressman in the Republic of Texas. The county is located in the southwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Hardeman County Courthouse 100 N Main Street; Bolivar, TN 38008-2322 County Courthouse Phone: 901-658-3541 County Clerk Phone: 731-658-3541 Register's of Deeds Phone: 731-658-3476 Chancery Court Clerk Phone: 731-658-3142

County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1823. Register of Deeds has land records.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

History Timeline
Additional Information West Tennessee county. Established 1823.

The county is named after "Thomas Jones Hardeman, Creek War and War of 1812 soldier, later a member of the Republic of Texas legislature."

Biographies
All of the family biographies from the History of Hardeman County, Tennessee (1887) by Goodspeed are available online at My Genealogy Hound.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * West Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1821 to 1889. 2006. By Alan N. Miller. Baltimore, Md.: Clearfield Company. . Online at MyHeritage ($). Includes Hardeman County.

Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Resources
 * Tennessee Cemeteries - Hometown Locator

Census Records
1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal population censuses of Hardeman County are available online. For tips on accessing census records online, see Tennessee Census. If you're having trouble finding your ancestors in online indexes, try checking printed indexes. Created by local experts familiar with the area's families, these indexes are often transcribed more accurately than nationwide online indexes.

See Tennessee Population Schedule Indexes: Fiche, Film, or Book for more information about statewide printed indexes.

See Hardeman County, TN census assignments, including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project®

1810-1891


 * Tennessee, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1891 at Ancestry ($)

1840 Pensioners


 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. . 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. See Tennessee, Western District, Hardeman County on page 159.

1850-1860


 * Free African Americans Enumerated in the 1850 & 1860 Hardeman County, Tennessee Census. website.

1880


 * Cox, Harold R., Davidson, Faye Tennyson and Owens, Fae Jacobs 1880 U.S. census transcriptions, Hardeman County, Tennessee Tennessee R.H. Cox, 1993
 * Sistler, Barbara 1880 Census, Hardeman County, Tennessee Nashville, Tennessee B. Sistler and Associates, 2001

1891 Male Voters 


 * 1891 Tennessee Enumeration of Male Voters 1891 at Ancestry ($)

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records
Law and Legislation 


 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850: Index to Names. January 25, 2005. In addition to creating new laws, legislative acts were often required to obtain a divorce, grant legitimacy to a child, or for appointments to or grant payments for public service. The TSLA has created an index to names that appear in these acts covering the years 1796 to 1850. Online searchable index at TSLA.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African Americans
 * Free African Americans Enumerated in the 1850 & 1860 Hardeman County, Tennessee Census website available online, courtesy: Christine's Genealogy Website: Who are Your People?

Genealogies

 * Hardeman County Tennessee: Family History. 2 vols. Paducah, Ky.: Turner Pub. Co., 2001. . [FHL has Vol. 2 only]
 * Armour - Armour, Quinnie. Armour Genealogy: James Armour and His Descendants. Bolivar, Tenn.: Q. Armour, 1972. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 Ar55a.
 * Babb - Babb, Ernest Lloyd. Babb Families of Hardeman County, Tennessee. Memphis, Tenn.: E.L. Babb, 1988..
 * Bell - Lewis, Leroy Carlisle. William Samuel Bell of Tennessee, Texas and Arkansas: A Genealogical Survey and Historical Record of His Life and the Lives of His Descendants and His Ancestors. Searcy, Arkansas: L.C. Lewis, 1987. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B413LLc.
 * Brint - Jones, Louise Brint and Glenda Waters Harden. Our Brint Family History: Their Descendants and Allied Families. Murray, Utah: Roylance Publishing, 1993. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B772jL.
 * Chandler - Chandler, Annamae Barber, Philip A. Gowan, and John R. Rossell. Discovering Chandler Lines, 1474-1996, in Tennessee Death Records, 1908-1944. Seattle, Washington: ABChandler, 1996. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C361ch.
 * Cooper - Clark, Richard Charles. The History and Family Tree of Stephen Brannan, Thomas T. Cooper, and William Hughes, 1786-1993. Chino Valley, Arizona: R.C. Clark, 1993. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B735c.
 * Corley - McMaster, Phyllis Olewine and Gerald B. Corley. The Descendants of John W. Corley of Hardeman County, Tennessee: Including Allied Family Lines of Carl, Dick, Hudson, McMaster, and Thompson. Huntington Beach, Calif.: G.B. Corley, 1989..
 * Davis - Wiley Jarrett Davis - Mary Ann Tedford Family Bible Record: Pocahontas-Hardeman County Tennessee. Typescript..
 * Derryberry - Williams, John T. The John Wesley C. Derryberry Family, ca. 1800-1973. MSS., microfilmed in 1983. FHL US/CAN Fiche 6019288.
 * Derryberry - Graziano, Eugene Edward and Freida Mullen Graziano. The Andrew Derryberry, Sr., (bef. 1780) Family Line: A Genealogy Including Individuals Related through Marriage ... Goleta, Calif.: E. &amp; F.M. Graziano, 1999. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 D448g.
 * Fowler - Arthur, Glenn Dora Fowler (Mrs. James Joyce Arthur).Annals of the Fowler family, with branches in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, California, and Texas. Austin, Texas, published by the author, 1901. Free digital copy.
 * Gatewood - Gatewood, Timothy Arnold. The Gatewood Tree: A Newsletter of the Gatewoods of the Mid-South (Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas) &amp; Surrounding States, and Those Descended from Gatewoods of the Mid-South. 1993. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.27305 G223gt.
 * Hardeman - Wilson, Francis W. The Hardeman Impact on Early Texas History. Luling, Texas: F.W. Wilson, 1986. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H217w.
 * Harris - Timmons, Nancy Harris. Heritage of the Harris Family. St. Helens, Oregon: Star West Images Small Press, 1996. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H24t.
 * Holman - Holman Family Records. Unknown: Unknown, 2001. Available at Heritage Quest Online ($).
 * Hudson - McMaster, Phyllis Olewine. Hudsons of Hardeman County, TN. Albany, Ore.: P. McMaster, 1985..
 * Keller - Sherfey, Steven Keller. The Kellers and Teagues of Hardeman County, Tennessee. Scottsboro, Ala.: S.K. Sherfey, 1985..
 * Lawrence - Land, Barbara. The Descendants of Samuel Prevo: Six Generations: The Descendants of John Bryant, Four Generations: The Descendants of Abraham Lowrance. Ukiah, Calif.: B. Land, 2005. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 P929Lb.
 * Neal - Neal, William D. Descendants of J.C. Neal, 1800-1965. "Successor to the original volume: The Jesse C. Neal Family, compiled by Charles A. Neal, 1949." FHL US/CAN Film 2366276 Item 4.
 * Notgrass - Woodbury, Harry and Peter F. Woodbury. The John C. Woodbury and Thomas Notgrass Families of West Tennessee, 1830-1982. Gulfport, Miss.: H. Woodbury, 1982. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 W852wha.
 * Seaton - Katheder, Thomas. "Seaton of Fauquier County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 44, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 2000):83-102. Digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($)..
 * Teague - Sherfey, Steven Keller. The Kellers and Teagues of Hardeman County, Tennessee. Scottsboro, Ala.: S.K. Sherfey, 1985..
 * Wharton - Wharton, Richard. Richard Wharton papers, 1863-1906. Book contributor: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A diary, letters and other writings including his service in the Confederate Army, letters relating to family matters, a genealogy of the Wharton family, poems and speeches. Free digital copy.

Land and Property Records
Hardeman County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1820 and is located at Courthouse, 100 N. Main St., Bolivar, TN 38008-2322; Telephone: (731) 658-3541. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries. The Family History Library has microfilm copies of Hardeman County deed records 1822-1891, with indexes 1822-1902; Land survey and entry books 1820-1901; and petitions 1840-1900, with indexes 1849-1900.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Tennessee (1777-1985)
 * FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Revolutionary War The following Hardeman County Revolutionary War records are available online through TNGenWeb:


 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * 1852 Rejected or Suspended Pensions

Additional resources include:


 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. . 1841 edition digitized by the U.S. Census Bureau and Google books et. al. See Tennessee, Western District, Hardeman County on page 159.
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." Digital version at Ancestry ($) . Tennessee entries abstracted online at Tennesseans in the Revolutionary War, courtesy: TNGenWeb. Includes veterans from this county; Tennessee section begins on page 381.

War of 1812
 * Embry, Hermione D. "War of 1812 - Tennessee Pensioners on List - January 2, 1883," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 7, No. 3 (Jul. 1960):65-68. ; digital version at journal website. Includes Hamilton County pensioners (p. 66)

Civil War

Online Records
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865
 * 1891-1965 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Confederate Soldiers


 * 4th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Neely's) - CSA - Company B.
 * 7th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Duckworth's) - CSA - Company E.
 * 9th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies D and F.
 * 12th Consolidated Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company H.
 * 14th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Neely's) - CSA - Companies A and G.
 * 14th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry - CSA - Companies A, E, and F.
 * 16th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Logwood's) - CSA - Companies F and H.
 * 18th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (Newsom's) - CSA - Company C.
 * 21st Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company C.
 * 22nd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Companies B and C.
 * 22nd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (Freeman's) - CSA - Company C, formerly G, also called I; and Company B, formerly E, "the Hatchie Hunters."
 * 33rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry - CSA - Company B.
 * 154th Senior Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (1st Tennessee Volunteers) - CSA

Additional sources for Civil War soldiers from Hardeman County:


 * Lynn, H.M. H.M. Lynn Papers, 1858-1882. Southern Historical Collection, Manuscripts Dept., Wilson Library, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Free digital copy. 9th Tennessee Regiment, Company C.
 * USGenWeb Archives, Hardeman County Tennessee Archives. Civil War Records.
 * CWSAC, Battle Summaries, Hatchie's Bridge. Located in Hardeman and McNairy Counties.
 * Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Hardeman County. Includes soldier's name, county, pension #, unit or widow.
 * United States Pension Bureau, List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883: Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for ... (Washington Printing Office; 1883). Online at Internet Archive. Hardeman County, page 343.
 * Hardeman County Tennessee, Civil War Battlefields.

Civil War Battle The following Civil War battle was fought in Hardeman County:


 * October 5, 1862 - Hatchie's Bridge, also known as Davis Bridge and Matamora


 * Map showing Civil War battles fought in Tennessee.

Newspapers
Many Tennessee newspapers are filmed and available at the TSLA. Most of these newspapers may be accessed by interlibrary loan to libraries within Tennessee, although there are some newspapers which are not available in or outside of Tennessee. For further information regarding interlibrary loan policies and newspapers not available for interlibrary loan click here. For a list of newspapers available at the archives for Hardeman County click on the following cities:


 * Bolivar
 * Middleton


 * 1794-1851 - Lucas, Silas Emmett. Marriages from Early Tennessee Newspapers 1794-1851. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1978..

For deaths of Methodists in Hardeman County between the 1830s and the 1920s, try searching the following resources:
 * 1847 - 1851 - Smith, Jonathan K.T. Genealogical Abstracts from Reported Deaths, the Nashville Christian Advocate. [1847-1914] 10 vols. [Jackson, Tenn.]: J.K.T. Smith, 1997-2003. ff; digital versions at David Donahue Memorial: Tennessee Records Repository. Website expands upon the publications and includes deaths from the 1830s, 1840s, 1910s and 1920s. (Largely Methodist?)

Prisons

 * 1831-1850 Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1831-1850 at Tennessee State Library and Archives
 * 1851-1870 Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary 1851-1870 at Tennessee State Library and Archives

Periodicals

 * Ansearchin' News: Quarterly magazine of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. For a keyword search, go to the county index. Read previous issues on their website;
 * Family Findings: Quarterly of the Mid-West Tennessee Genealogical Society. For tables of contents and online access to issues, see TNGenWeb Project. Also try this specialized Google search..


 * Volumes 1-10 (1969-1978)
 * Volumes 11-20 (1979-1988)
 * Volumes 21-24 (1989-1992)
 * Volumes 32-35 (2000-2003)


 * Harde-facts: "Harde-facts is a genealogical newsletter devoted to research in Hardeman County, TN. Its purpose is to promote interest in Hardeman County family history by providing information from county records, church records, Bibles, and family genealogies."
 * Family History Library has Numbers 1 - 37 and 50 (1984-1993) FHL US/CAN
 * Indexed in the PERiodical Source Index


 * West Tennessee Historical Society Papers: Occasional publication of the West Tennessee Historical Society. . To view Table of Contents and complete articles from 1947 - 2005 see Shelby County Register of Deeds

Probate Records
The County Court has responsibility for the probate records of Hardeman County.

Online Records and Index


 * 1779-2008 Tennessee Wills and Probate Records 1779-2008 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1823-1920 Hardeman County portion of  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; handwritten indexes may be found at the front or back of some volumes.
 * 1824-1838; 1838-1843; 1843-1845 SourtheasternGenealogy.com Images of Wills ($)

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1823-1925 - Cox, R. Harold et al. Extract of Wills - Estate Settlements and Guardian Bonds of Hardeman County, Tennessee. Bolivar, Tennessee: R.H. Cox, 1993. Indexed. (FHL book 976.828/B1 P29c.)
 * 1824-1861 - Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. Index to Tennessee Wills &amp; Administrations 1779-1861. Nashville, Tenn. Byron Sistler &amp; Associates, Inc., 1990. . Includes an index to this county's probate records.
 * USGenWeb's Hardman County page has some wills and estate records.

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.


 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records
The original Hardeman County Tax Books 1824-1880 are kept at the County Courthouse. In 1975, TSLA microfilmed these records. FHL copies:.

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1824 Tax List, 1824, Harde-facts, Issue 29 (Oct. 1990); Issue 30 (Jan. 1991); Issue 31 (Apr. 1991); Issue 32 (Jul. 1991).
 * 1836-1837 - Nazor, Mary Louise Graham. "1836 Map of Civil Districts, Hardeman County, Tennessee" and "Hardeman County, Tennessee 1836 and 1837 Tax Lists," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 37, No. 3 (Fall 1990):105-110; Vol. 37, No. 4 (Winter 1990):187-192; Vol. 38, No. 1 (Spring 1991):27-32; Vol. 38, No. 2 (Summer 1991):84-86. For access, see Hardeman.
 * 1836 "1836 Hardeman County, Tennessee Tax List Addenda," Ansearchin' News, Vol. 39, No. 2 (Summer 1992):62-63. For access, see Hardeman.
 * 1836-1837 - Brown, Albert. 1836 &amp; 1837 Tax List, Hardeman Co., Tennessee. Bethel Springs, Tenn.: History &amp; Genealogy, 1994..
 * 1859, 1862 Thomas Camp Assessor's Book, 1859, 1862, Harde-facts, Issue 41 (Oct. 1994).
 * 1865-1896 - Holloway, Charlotte. "Hardeman County Voter Registers and Poll Lists," available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives. Not every year in the range is covered.
 * 1874 Taxpayers, 1874, Old Timer Press, Vol. 1, No. 9 (Mar. 1982).
 * 1879 Holloway, Charlotte. "Hardeman County TN - Misc - Taxes Collected 14 July 1879," available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.
 * 1888 Holloway, Charlotte. "Hardeman County TN - Misc - Late Taxes for 1888," available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.
 * 1889 Holloway, Charlotte. "Hardeman County TN - Misc - Taxes Due July 1, 1889," available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.
 * 1894-1895 - Holloway, Charlotte. "Hardeman County TN - Misc - Taxes Collected [1894-1895]," available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.
 * 1895 Holloway, Charlotte. "Hardeman County TN - Misc - Taxes Collected [on Businesses] 1895," available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.
 * 1903 Holloway, Charlotte. "Hardeman County TN - Misc - Taxes Collected 1903," available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.
 * 1924 Holloway, Charlotte. "Circuit Court Taxes Sept. 30 1924," available online, courtesy: RootsWeb.

Birth

 * 1828-1939 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1869-1909 Tennessee Delayed Birth Records 1869-1909 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1881-1885 - Hardeman County Birth Index 1881-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1908-1912 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Marriage
Online Indexes and Records
 * 1625-1966 Tennessee, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($)
 * 1780-2002 Tennessee State Marriages 1780-2002 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1780-2002 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1790-1962 [1790-1962] at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection. Covers all counties in Tennessee.
 * 1796-1950 (Indexes only) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1823-1870 Marriage records, 1823-1870, Hardeman County, Tennessee +++
 * 1823-1895 - Hardeman County Marriage Index 1823-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1838-1888 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1851-1900 Tennessee Marriages 1851-1900 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1980-2014 Marriage Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Book Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1823-1861 - Early West Tennessee Marriages. FHL US/CAN 976.8 V2 2 vols.

Death

 * 1874-1955 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1908-1933 Tennessee Deaths, 1908 - 1933 at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * 1908-1958 Tennessee Death Records 1908 - 1958 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1908-1912 Tennessee Death Records 1908-1912 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
 * 1914-1933 Tennessee Death Records 1914-1933 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
 * 1914-1966 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1949-2014 Death Records Index 1949-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index

Divorce
Online Records Online Titles
 * 1796-1850 Acts of Tennessee 1796-1850 at Tennessee State Library & Archives - index
 * 1980-2014 Divorce Records Index 1980-2014 at Shelby County Register of Deeds - index
 * W.P.A. Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Tennessee. Nashville, Tenn.: The Tennessee Historical Records Survey, 1941. FamilySearch Digital Library.

Family History Centers

 * Frayser Tennessee Family History Center
 * Jackson Tennessee Family History Center
 * Memphis Tennessee Family History Center
 * Memphis Tennessee North Family History Center
 * Memphis Tennessee Spanish Family History Center
 * Bolivar-Hardeman County Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Chester County Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Germantown Regional History and Genealogy Center - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Bolivar Hardeman County Library 213 N Washington St Bolivar, TN 38008 Phone: 731-658-3436 Website The Genealogy and Local History Room has cemetery records, census records, marriage records, minority records, newspapers, court records, etc. Grand Junction Community Library 530 Madison Ave West P.O. Box 751 Grand Junction, TN 38039 Phone: 731-764-2716 Website Facebook Lee Ola Roberts Public Library 140 W Main St Whiteville, TN 38075 Phone: 731-254-8834 Facebook Middleton Community Library 100 Bolton Ave Middleton, TN 38052 Phone: 731-376-0680 Website Facebook

Museums
Little Courthouse Museum 215 E. Market Street Bolivar, TN 38008 Phone: 731-518-7148 Website Shiloh National Military Park 1055 Pittsburg Landing Road Shiloh, TN 38376 Phone: 731-689-5275 OR 731-689-5696 Website

Websites

 * Hardeman County TN History, Photos, and Genealogy - Facebook
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.
 * Hardeman County TN Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
 * Hardeman County, TNGenWeb (USGenWeb)

Research Guides

 * Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Tennessee Counties: Hardeman County, courtesy: TSLA. (Identifies published county histories, published local records, census records, newspapers and local records on microfilm, and select manuscripts.)