Rowan Public Library’s Edith M. Clark History Room concentrates primarily on Western North Carolina genealogy and history including all areas of old Rowan County. Our holdings include over 19,000 books, 5700 microforms, 268 manuscript collections, dozens of genealogical journals as well as a solid collection of civil war and civil war prison materials. Genealogy materials include abstracts, indices, and guides to primary source material used by genealogists as well as popular online databases – Ancestry and Heritage Quest. Book collections are comprised the Archibald Henderson Collection of books on drama, literary criticism, and American history; the Craige Collection of North Caroliniana including the two volume set of Mark Catesby’s The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, and the Christian Reid Collection of books by local author Francis Fisher Tiernan. Additionally Jo White Linn, noted genealogist recently left her collection of books and research materials to the History Room. Local and regional oral histories, films and maps supplement the collection.

You can read more about the genealogical records available, as well as types of genealogical materials.

	Try Ancestry Library Edition -- (available from within Rowan Public Library only) -- Family History Online by Ancestry.com
	Try HeritageQuest Online -- Search Census records and family histories.  (Also available from home with NCLIVE password:  to retrieve the NCLIVE password, have your library card and PIN number ready and click here)

Spanning the time from 1753 when the county was founded to the present day, this video series tells exciting stories and paints the portrait of the people residing in Rowan county.

Read 101 Years of Rowan Public Library History

Register of Deeds   (available only from within the library)

Questions?