Past Events

2025 Annual Virtual Meeting with Sarah Campbell Drury of Case Auctions
Sarah Campbell Drury, vice president of fine and decorative arts at Case Auctions, presented “The Paper Chase: 20 Years of Book and Manuscript Discoveries”

Family History Day at the Library and Archives
Featured speaker MerryAnne Pierson presented “Researching Your Revolutionary War Patriot”

Member Reception and Tour of the New Library and Archives Building
Friends members and their guests attended a special reception and behind-the-scenes tours led by Library and Archives staff

Virtual Tour of the New Library and Archives Building
Hosted by State Librarian and Archivist Chuck Sherrill

Ribbon-Cutting and Grand Opening Ceremony for the New Library and Archives Building
A special ceremony celebrating the opening of the new Tennessee State Library & Archives building

Money, Power and Genealogy: How We Use the U.S. Census
Presented by Trent Hanner

Family History Day: Family Gatherings — Dragging Genealogy Information Out of Your Family
Presented by Melissa Barker

Runaways, Coffles and Fancy Girls: A History of Slavery in Tennessee
Presented by Bill Carey

The History of Tennessee’s Constitutions
Presented by Judge Andy D. Bennett of the Tennessee Court of Appeals

Cross-Connections to the Civil War
Presented by J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA

Navigating TeVA: The Tennessee Virtual Archive
Presented by Jennifer Randles of the Digital Workgroup

Old News Is Good News: Using Historical Newspapers in Your Research
Presented by Taneya Koonce, MLS, MPH

Family History Day: Genealogical Gold in Tennessee Supreme Court Records
Presented by Darla Brock

Glorious Victory: Election Records at the Library and Archives
Presented by Jim Long

The Ryman Diaries
Presented by Tom Dolan and Debbie Watts

It’s Not All Online: Researching in Archives
Presented by Melissa Barker, Houston County archivist

Locked Up: Finding Ancestors in Prisons and Asylums
Presented by Chuck Sherrill, state librarian and archivist

Discovering the Missing Threads and Patches in My Family’s History: A Prerecorded Webinar and Discussion
Featuring Deborah Abbott, Ph.D., and moderated by J. Mark Lowe

Genealogy A to Z
Presented by Gordon Belt, director of public services

Folklife Traditions
Presented by the Tennessee Arts Commission

Land Platting: State Grants and Local Deeds
Presented by J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA

From Farm Boy to Tomahawk Warrior: David Franklin Brock Korean War Photograph Collection
Presented by Darla Brock

Tennessee Sampler Survey
Presented by Janet S. Hasson

Andrew Jackson and His Legacy
Presented by Dr. Wayne Moore and Zachary Keith

Murder and Mayhem in Nashville
Presented by Brian Allison

Unfolding Tennessee History in the Tennessee Supreme Court Case Files
Presented by Dr. Susan Knowles, digital humanities fellow at Middle Tennessee State University’s Center for Historic Preservation

Women’s Suffrage: Tennessee and the Passage of the 19th Amendment
Presented by Genny Carter, staff librarian

Preserving Tennessee Folkways: Highlights of the Folklife Collections of the Tennessee State Library and Archives
Presented by Carol Roberts, conservation manager

Coffins and Gold Stars: The Story of American Remembrance in the Aftermath of the Great War
Presented by Lisa M. Budreau

Over Here, Over There: Tennesseans in the First World War
A Tennessee State Library and Archives project to digitize, preserve and present World War I memorabilia belonging to Tennessee families

Tennessee in the Great War: Finding Your World War I Ancestor at the Tennessee State Library and Archives
Presented by Gordon T. Belt

The Ghosts of the Green Grass: A Vietnam War Journey
Presented by J.L. “Bud” Alley

Using TSLA Resources to Turn Small Clues Into Big Discoveries
Presented by Jim Long

Finding Your Ancestors Through 19th-Century Photography
Presented by Lynda Massey

Surveying Tennessee’s Digital Resources: The Tennessee Virtual Archive and Civil War Geography of Tennessee
A program examining major digital resources available for Tennessee history research

Discovering the History of Nashville
Presented by David Ewing

Exploring African American Genealogy
A program focused on resources and methods for African American family-history research

Historic Maps of Tennessee and Beyond: Digital Maps at the Tennessee State Library and Archives
Presented by Dr. Wayne Moore, assistant state archivist

World War I and Alvin York: Tennessee’s Service in “The Great War”
Presented by Dr. Michael Birdwell, professor of history at Tennessee Tech University

County Connections: Researching Your Family History in County Records at the Tennessee State Library and Archives
Presented by Gordon Belt, director of public services at TSLA

Creating Order in the Midst of Chaos: Union Provost Marshal Records
Presented by Darla Brock, manuscript archivist at TSLA

Tennessee Ancestry Library Event
A full day of genealogy classes held in Nashville

Supreme Court Records
Presented by Chuck Sherrill, Tennessee state librarian and archivist

Rare Copy of the Declaration of Independence Shown in Nashville
A special public display of a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence

The Nashville Retrospect and the Library and Archives Collections
Presented by Allen Forkum, publisher and editor of The Nashville Retrospect

Beginning With Oral Histories, Finding Records and Compiling Stories: Building a Family Genealogy and History
Presented by John F. Baker Jr

Presidents Day Spotlight: George Washington’s Mount Vernon Account Book, 1776-1785
A special presentation highlighting George Washington’s Mount Vernon account book from 1776 to 1785