The room houses more than 5,000 volumes of histories of states, counties, families, and “how-to’s” from history – in particular Texas history, Walker County history, and surrounding counties’ histories.
Called one of Huntsville’s treasures, the Johnnie Jo Sowell Dickenson Genealogy Room’s story is a gem in its own right.
In 1965, the Walker County Genealogical Society was organized by 12 women. These ladies shared various book collections with each other – mostly books on local history and families from the area. In 1967, they decided to place the books in the newly opened Huntsville Public Library.
In 2004, the room was named the Johnnie Jo Sowell Dickenson Genealogy Room. Dickenson is a professional genealogist who specializes in court appointments in locating missing heirs in estate cases, serving courts all over the state—and she was, at one time, a president of the WCGS. Dickenson said she was humbled by the honor, and even to this day says there are many more people who deserve credit for their efforts in building the collection, like her fellow volunteers Janet Gardener and Janet Miller. She said, “We are all volunteers…Toni is the only paid staffer.” Toni Herrington is the genealogy librarian in Huntsville, and it is a position she has held, according to Dickenson, for 30 years or more.
Gardener reported more than 47,183 images are on file in the digitized section, and most of the images can be viewed from the computers in the genealogy room. Plus, she said, the vertical files at the library contain around 3,500 files. She added, “Patrons need to understand the material in this collection is not just for Walker County people.” Gardener continued, “The material covers other counties of Texas, and many other states, such as Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Louisiana, Georgia and Alabama and others.”
Dickenson said, “Every library is unique in its own right. Our library is, too. We are an old county, and we have Texas heroes and famous Texans– other than Sam Houston – from here. There were Revolutionary War soldiers who called Walker County home. Early citizens brought their culture, their heritage, their traditions, recipes, and so much more when they were here…and a majority of it is recorded here in this room. Browse the stacks…every shelf contains some jewel of a resource that you may have never thought about. The room is growing, and it is dynamic. If you can’t find something, check back later.”
The room has a new microfilm reader, making microfilm research easier. With the new reader, images are downloadable onto the patron’s flash drive. Dickenson continued, “You can tap international resources, like read a book on Irish genealogy, or borrow a microfilm from the world class Latter Day Saints Library in Salt Lake City. The Huntsville Public Library is an affiliate of the LDS Library through the Family Search Affiliate Library Program.” Dickenson also says there is an ongoing effort to acquire materials covering every county in the state of Texas, and every state in the Union.
Along with the numerous resources available, the library holds various classes and seminars on genealogy and history. August 8-9, the library and the Walker County Genealogical Society will hold its annual genealogy weekend at the library. Called the Francis Sprott Goforth Memorial Genealogy Weekend, the event will include lectures on various history from the area, seminars on how to research and document genealogical studies and what types of resources are available, and a silent book auction. Held at the Huntsville Public Library at 1219 13th St. in Huntsville, the Francis Sprott Goforth Memorial Genealogy Weekend will also have Marian Hunter (an expert FamilySearch.org instructor) and her co-trainer on hand to share their expertise in navigating the multiple layers of the FamilySearch.org website.
For more information about the Johnnie Jo Sowell Dickenson Genealogy Room, call the Huntsville Public Library at (936) 291-5472 or visit the website myhuntsvillelibrary.com.
For the Ultimate Beginners Guide to Genealogy click below: