Columbus Georgia FamilySearch Center

In the Columbus, Georgia, Family History Center (FHC)'', we focus our efforts on the marvelous work of coming to truly know our family history and those who were part of it - including their stories. Our facility and consultants are available to help provide you with the tools to expand your family tree, and more importantly, come to really know who those people were - not just their names, dates, and locations. We stand ready to assist anyone wishing to learn more about their family history.''

Center Contacts and Hours
Location Map:


 * Location Map

The entrance is located through a separate outside door halfway back on the south side of the building at:

4400 Reese Road

Columbus GA 31907

United States

1-706-563-7216

GA_Columbus@ldsmail.net

FHC Schedule:

Tuesday: 10:00am-5:00pm

Thursday: 10:00am-5:00pm

We may be available for special events, meetings, or other times. Please contact the family history center to schedule these with a Temple and Family History Consultant.

''Occasionally due to illness or other unforeseen circumstances, the FHC may need to close on short notice. Please call ahead to verify the Center will be open when you are planning to come, particularly if you are coming from a long distance.''

Local Community Events:
FAMILY HISTORY DISCOVERY DAY - Beginning Genealogy and Beyond

Saturday 10 November 2018

A full day of classes on a wide range of subjects from basic to advanced will be held at the Columbus Georgia Stake Center (the building in which the Family History Center is located). Further information and registration forms will be available by the end of August at the Family History Center and at the Columbus Public Library. This event is sponsored by the Family History Center in partnership with the Muscogee County Genealogical Society. It is open to the public and will be free of charge.

COLUMBUS PUBLIC LIBRARY:

Family History Preservation - Genealogy Department

Saturday 6 October 2018 - all day

Columbus Public Library will celebrate National Family History Month by providing the community with an opportunity to professionally preserve irreplaceable family history documents in a digital format. There is a three item limit and examples might be recipes, photos, and government documents. Space is limited and registration is required. For information or reservations contact:

kturton@cvlga.org or 706-243-2681

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Introduction to Family History - Rothschild Technology Room

Tuesday 25 September 2018 -- 2:00 - 3:30pm

Thursday 20 November 2018 -- 2:00 - 3:30pm

The instructor will cover basics on how to start your family history research, including forms needed, print and microfilm resources available to help, use of census as well as regional, state, federal, and religious resources. Space is limited and registration is required. For information or reservations contact:

kturton@cvlga.org or 706-243-2681

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Genealogy on the Internet - Rothschild Technology Room

Tuesday 2 October 2018 -- 2:00 - 3:30pm

Tuesday 27 November 2018 -- 2:00 - 3:30pm

This class will look at what's available on the internet with emphasis on the ancestry.com library edition and familysearch.org, and will include time for research during class.

Space is limited and registration is required. For information or reservations contact:

kturton@cvlga.org or 706-243-2681

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Ask Your Grandmother - Rothschild Technology Room

Wednesday 10 October 2018 -- 2:00 - 3:30pm

Wednesday 5 December 2018 -- 2:00 - 3:30pm

A simple genealogy program for those older adults who wish to leave a family history legacy for their children and grandchildren.

Space is limited and registration is required. For information or reservations contact:

mstarling@cvlga.org or 706-243-2681

FHC Class Schedule
There are currently no classes scheduled at the FHC (however, see above for classes at the main Columbus Library on Macon Road). However, planning has begun for a fall Family History Discovery Day - a full day of activities designed to teach, inspire, and assist as you discover more and more about your family. Stay tuned for more information as plans become more concrete.

Staff Training Meetings
Stay tuned! Training is in the planning stages for all consultants. When it is done, it will be done thoroughly and correctly.

Collections
There are many books and other resources available. However, they are NOT available for lending purposes. Sadly some important resources have disappeared from the FHC.

Please never remove any books, periodicals, films, etc., from the FHC.

Many people over the years have ordered a large number of microfilms on an indefinite loan basis from the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Beginning in September 2017, no further microfilms can be ordered due to the fact that a large percentage of them have now been digitized and are available on line through FamilySearch. This allows for home use and printing, rather than merely just viewing them with the rather old microfilm readers currently available in the FHC. There is no current plan for eliminating existing microfilms already available in our FHC collection, and adequate notice would be provided if that policy changes.

Databases and Software
The main Church database is FamilySearch. While this is available for free to anyone, anywhere, there is a distinct advantage for using FamilySearch in the FHC on one of our computers. Some collections are restricted by their copyright holders, for example, and the Church is therefore restricted in how it can provide those collections for use. Therefore, even for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, some collections cannot be viewed at home, but can be viewed on the FHC computers.

Additionally, there is a special FHC Portal. This center has access to the Family History Center Portal page which gives free access to premium family history software and websites that are only available outside the FHC for a fee (for example, Ancestry.com). While Ancestry.com is also available for free within Georgia public and University-system libraries, the FHC also has other web sites available without charge when using the FHC computers.

Center Services
In our center we have the following resources to help you reach your goals in genealogy:

Film Readers

Microfiche Reader

Computers

Films & Microfiche (note: Microfiche collections are being deleted from all FHC inventories, and some microfilm holdings may be eliminated in the future, though there are no immediate plans for doing so.)

Films & Microfiche Rental (DISCONTINUED effective 8 September 2017)

Scanner/copier

Temple and Family History Consultants

Resources in the Local Area
Be certain to become familiar with the Columbus Public Library and their excellent Genealogy Room on the 2nd floor. The resources are significant and of course free to use within the Genealogy Room. The Library is located at:

3000 Macon Rd

Columbus, Georgia 31906

Phone: 706-243-2669 or 1-800-652-0782

The Genealogy Department phone number is: 706-243-2681

Links

 * FamilySearch Research Wiki: What It Can Do For You!: A comprehensive video presentation explaining the Wiki, navigating it, and some especially useful pages. Case studies demonstrate using the Wiki for genealogical research. Editing and adding articles to the Wiki are covered.

Volunteer at the Center
If you would like to volunteer at the Family History Center, please contact one of the staff who will help you begin the approval process. The FHC welcomes both LDS and non-LDS volunteers. We only ask that you keep the schedule you agree to keep, or arrange for a substitute whenever situations arise that require you to miss your agreed-upon schedule.