Click Here for more information about the Research Center.
The Jefferson County Genealogical Society Library is housed in the Research Center of the Jefferson County Historical Society. In addition to the JCGS library described below, the Research Center also houses the archives and vast collections of the Jefferson County Historical Society. These include newspapers; vertical files on subjects and surnames; thousands of documents in the manuscript collection; information on buildings and houses; maps; thousands of photographs; city directories; maritime treasures and much more.
The Research Center is staffed by JCGS volunteers to help you.
Jefferson County Genealogical Society Library
The Jefferson County Genealogical Society Library has an ever-growing collection of materials available to the researcher. In addition to the data collections for Jefferson County residents, we have a wide array of books, CDs, audio tapes, microfilms and other references covering the US and foreign countries, “how-to” do genealogy research, directories, maps, family histories and other areas of interest to the family historian. Plus, we have subscriptions to Ancestry.com, the New England Historical Genealogical Society, Newspaper Archives, and Footnote.com. The Research Center has Wi-Fi internet access for visitor use.
Our Catalog is organized by the shelf label code, beginning with foreign countries, then US by state, reference, and families. Our list of holdings is updated semi-annually. Check the newsletter for recent additions. Members of JCGS can check out most books from our library for up to two weeks.
You can also contribute to the JCGS by helping to build our library. We are always grateful for donations of genealogy books that you are no longer using – donations can be made by dropping them off at the Research Center or calling us for pick up. If we are unable to use your donation, we will either return it to you or offer it for sale at our annual seminar, using the proceeds to help us purchase more books for our collection.
Volunteering
We have a variety of volunteer opportunities at the JCGS. As mentioned above, the Research Center is staffed by JCGS members who assist visitors with their research. Additionally, Jefferson County records are abstracted to create the indexes available on this website. The abstracting work can be done at the Research Center or at home.
50/50 Book Purchase Program
Another way to support our library is to participate in our 50/50 Book Purchase Program. You select a book you would like to use and then add to our library. If it is approved, you pay 50 percent of the cost and the JCGS pays the other 50 percent. You have use of the book for six weeks before it is added to the library shelves. A great deal for all of us. Click here for a 50/50 program form.