Southport Magazine

A genealogy research reference collection for public use is being assembled at Brunswick Community College (BCC) and the initial donated books are from Brunswick Town Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, which is coordinating the collection in conjunction with BCC.

“We’re very pleased about this collaboration with BCC,” said Brunswick Town Chapter NSDAR Regent Mary Sands. “Interest in genealogy has obviously grown exponentially. We see that in the increasing interest in joining DAR by locals as well as residents who have moved here from other parts of the country. We also want to thank BCC President Gene Smith for his endorsement of the effort and the library staff for their knowledge and enthusiasm.”

BCC Librarian Katherine Knibbs noted that the state community college system has encouraged the development of collections such as this to meet the public’s interest in genealogy. “It’s in our mission to meet the needs of the public,” she said.

Patrons will be able to view and scan pages from books in the collection. BCC has made available a large flatbed scanner, desks, chairs and bookshelves. Brunswick Town chapter is applying for an America 250 grant through the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution to purchase a dedicated computer, archival storage materials, flash drives and other materials for the room. Public contributions to the room are also welcomed.

Community members, especially genealogy buffs, are encouraged to donate their family genealogies and other materials to the library. Bible records, which are very valuable to genealogical research and proofs for lineage society applications, may be taken to the library where volunteers will scan the family records along with the Bible’s cover and copyright pages. The scanned records will be made available to researchers, and the Bible will be returned to the family. Should you have digitized copies of family records, you may email them to bcclrc@brunswickcc.edu or BTDARRegistrar@gmail.com or drop them off at the library on a thumb drive.

Collection of materials and assisting researchers will be done in part by volunteers. “We hope interest will be great among local history and genealogy buffs, and that these individuals will sign up to volunteer in the new library,” said Regent Sands.

Following is a partial list of the materials which may be accepted for the room:  family histories with complete citations (unsourced collections will not be accepted), local history books which include names and places (generalized histories will not be accepted), Bible records, cemetery records, obituaries (with the publication source and date cited), photographs with identifications, church records, loose family papers, maps, vital records and/or indexes, city directories, military records, land records/deeds, tax records, court records, diaries and journals,  and oral histories.

Complete guidelines for use of the collection are being developed, but will include the following: all materials must be used inside the room, personal items such as coats and bags must be left in a secure area outside of the room; laptops, scanners etc. may be used in the room to record research; only pencils – no pens – may be used in the room.

The collection is housed in a room within the college’s library on the second floor of Building A.  The Genealogy Research Room will be open Monday – Thursday 10 am to 3 pm, and other times by appointment. 

To donate to the collection, it is preferable that you call the library at 910-755-7331 to discuss your intended donation and a possible appointment time. Donations are limited to one container of items at a time. Accepted materials are limited to the items listed above, and DAR representatives have final say as to what can and cannot be accepted for permanent placement into the collection.