Early Henry County Library

Beginning as early as 1829, Henry County residents could borrow books from a library housed at the Henry County Courthouse. At HCHS, we found a photocopied ledger of the people who borrowed books, the titles, dates, and any fines assessed. Volunteers Mary Price indexed all the names, and Jessica Shields scanned the photocopies so we could place the information online. The ledger was a 2-page spread: page A included the names and page B included extraneous information. Sadly, we are missing page 1A and 32A. For example, if you find your ancestor on page 6A check the corresponding line on page 6B for any additional information. Our next step is to compare the handwriting in the ledger with known signatures to figure out if the residents signed the books out themselves or if a clerk did that or if it was both practices. The index opens as an Excel spreadsheet, and the images open as a .pdf file. It may be helpful to rotate the images and then zoom in. We hope you enjoy this interesting look back at early Henry County history!