Knoxville Tennessee FamilySearch Center

Center Information
Location Map:


 * Location Map

Address:


 * 400 Kendall Rd NW Knoxville TN 37919-6803 United States


 * Language: English

Phone:


 * 1-865-693-8252

E-mail:

Director:
 * TN_Knoxville@familyhistorymail.org


 * Jenny McKinney

AUGUST-DECEMBER 2022 OPERATING HOURS:
 * Sunday:      closed


 * Monday:      closed
 * Tuesday:     1-4pm
 * Wednesday:  6-8pm (by appt only*)
 * Thursday:    1-4pm
 * Friday:        closed
 * Saturday:    10am-1pm * APPOINTMENT CALENDAR

2022 CLOSURES:

April 2

ENTIRE MONTH OF JULY

October 1

Nov. 22-26

Dec. 20-31

IN THE CASE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER, SUCH AS SNOW AND ICE, THE CENTER WILL BE CLOSED.

Calendar and Events
"DISCOVERING YOUR ROOTS" WINTER 2023 CLASSES:

MONDAYS 9-11am | (2) 6-Week Sessions | Free Course | Accelerated schedule for Middle & High School homeschool students. See flyer for more info.

Session 1  Session 2

Jan. 23        Mar. 20      Discovering Your Roots (FamilySearch Basics & Adding Memories)

Jan. 30        Mar. 27      What Happened to Mary Jane? (Finding Vital Records)

Feb. 6         Apr. 3        Exploring Continents (Learning FamilySearch Wiki & Indexing)

Feb. 13        Apr. 10      Relatives Around Me (The Blessings of Technology)

Feb. 27        Apr. 17      All About Me (Discovering Storytelling and Activities)

Mar. 6          Apr. 24      Celebrating Your Heritage (Sharing Your Family Discoveries)

Session 3: TUESDAYS 7-9pm | 12-Week Session | Free Course | Slower-paced classes open to youth and adults

Jan. 24  Getting Started (FamilySearch Basics)

Jan. 31  What Happened to Mary Jane? (Finding Vital Records)

Feb. 7    Exploring Continents (Using the FamilySearch Wiki)

Feb. 14  Treasured Memories (Adding Photos, Stories, and More)

Feb. 21  Hooray for Technology! (Using Tech to Further the Work)

Feb. 28  Are You My Cousin? (Discovering Relatives Around Me)

Mar. 7    It's Family Time (FamilySearch Activities)

Mar. 21  A Simple Way to Make a Big Difference (Indexing)

Mar. 28  How to Tell Your Story (Effective Storytelling)

Apr. 4    All About Me (How to Write Your Story)

Apr. 11  Celebrating Your Heritage (Wrapping Up)

Apr. 18  Sharing Your Family Discoveries (Show and Tell)

REGISTRATION: To hold your spot and for complete information on classes, please see the REGISTRATION FORM.

Collections

 * FamilySearch Catalog: As of 7 September 2017, FamilySearch no longer distributes microfilms to FamilySearch centers. As of Sept. 2021, records are now digitized and most are available online. The Knoxville Family History Center is working towards returning films that are available online to the public. We will keep those films that are not digitally available.
 * We have hundreds of books on local geography, history of the area, and personalized family histories. We also have books on the British Isles, as well as reference books to help you learn more with family history work.

Databases and Software

 * FamilySearch Center Portal This center has access to the Family History Center Portal page which gives free access in the center to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions.Knoxville FHC Computers.jpg
 * Websites include:  19th Century British Library Newspapers  - Alexander Street  - American Ancestors  - Ancestry Institution  - ArkivDigital  - FamNet  - Findmypast  - Fold3  - Geneanet  - MyHeritage Library Edition  - Newspapers.com  - Paper Trail  - Puzzilla

Hardware and Equipment

 * The center has five computers and also wi-fi connection ability for those bringing in their laptops. One of the computers serves as the Server/Admin computer for running the FHC. The other 4 computers are open for public research usage.  The systems use Windows 10 programming.
 * We have a Canon 300II microfilm/fiche scanner that is also networked to one of the computers and a printer for scanning copies from film and/or fiche. There is no cost to use the scanner.
 * In the FHC, we also have a 'retired' Canon 90 scanner that many patrons prefer to use as a film and/or fiche reader along with one microfilm reader and microfiche reader. We no longer use it for scanning.
 * The computers are networked to two printers (Lexmark &amp; HP) for printing out items from the internet that you might require for your research. There is no cost for printing. We strongly recommend that you bring a USB drive so you can download any items you would otherwise want to print.

Staff Research Specialties
We have staff members that are knowledgeable in Jewish, Polish, Italian, and English records, DNA, and indexing.

Resources in the Local Area
East Tennessee Historical Society Mission: To preserve, promote, and interpret the history of Tennessee, with a focus on East Tennessee.

Links
McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture Mission: To cultivate and enrich the human mind and spirit through teaching, scholarship, artistic creation, public service, and professional practice.

Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association Mission: to preserve and educate the public about Oak Ridge’s unique and rich technical and cultural history, and to work to preserve selected historical buildings of the WWII city and nuclear installations.

City of Knoxville

Volunteer at the Center
Requirements to Volunteer:

A desire to serve the community. Our work in the FHC is entirely voluntary. You do not have to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. An interest in Family History is a great help, but not necessary. Once you get started learning the different Family History programs by teaching others and doing your own Family History, you'll see why it's so much fun!

An ability to work with computers. One of the main things we do is familiarize our patrons with how to use a computer in doing their Family History research.

A desire to learn and teach others how to do Family History and it's many facets. We have a wide spectrum of volunteers on our staff: Some who are professional researchers, and others who are just learning how to do Family History. We all work together to make sure we can serve as best as possible the patrons who come to the Knoxville, TN Family History Center.

The ability to come to the Family History Center frequently. The definition for "frequently" here means at least bi-weekly or more. The various shifts are 3 hours long. We are also required to maintain 2 people on each shift to keep the FHC open. We could definitely use your help!

If you are interested in joining our staff, please send us an email to tn_knoxville@familyhistorymail.org. Send us information about yourself (name, contact info, and preferred time(s) to work). The Center's director will get back with you as soon as possible. Thank you, in advance, for your willingness to volunteer at the Knoxville, TN Family History Center.