There is a library in
southwest Georgia where you will find information available no place else.
It is the Ellen Payne Odom Genealogy Library, founded on a million dollar
bequest from Mrs. Odom only about eleven years ago. At the Odom Library
you'll find the genealogical records of 114 groups, most of whom are
Scottish Clans!
This is the library where
the clan genealogists keep on record the information they have gleaned
from all the years of their work. That information is available Monday
through Saturday, 8:30 AM until 5:30 PM to you. The library is located at
204 5th St., SE in Moultrie, Georgia.
The Odom Library has a fine
collection of genealogical materials on the eastern seaboard of the United
States and the migration routes west and an excellent War Between the
States collection. The Scottish Collection is the icing on the cake at The
Odom Library.
Flags of America, Georgia, and
Scotland mark the entrance of the new wing housing the Ellen Payne Odom
Genealogical Library at the Moultrie/Colquitt County Library, in Moultrie,
Georgia. Located in a town with a population of 15,000, the facility is
quickly being recognized for its impressive genealogical collection,
seminars, and the research trips it sponsors.
What makes the Odom Library so
unique? A record number of Scottish clans have declared the Odom Library
as the depository of their genealogical archives since the library's
opening in 1990. The library was named in honor of a former member of the
Moultrie/Colquitt County Library's board of directors, Ellen Ashby Payne
Odom. Mrs. Odom, whose lifelong interest in genealogy was encouraged by
her parents, was an active member of the Daughters of the American
Revolution, The United Daughters of the Confederacy, and the Huguenot
Society. When Ellen Odom died in 1987, it was revealed that her will
directed that the proceeds from the sale of her estate be used to build a
genealogical library in Moultrie. Proceeds from the estate sale, nearing
one million dollars, were matched with state funds to construct the Ellen
Payne Odom Library wing at the Moultrie/Colquitt County Library.
Investments were made to earn operating expenses and for the purchase of
the Rev. Emmet Lucas Collection.
Elizabeth Palmer Gay played a
pivotal role in establishing the Odom Library as a center for Scottish
research when she learned Clan Donald, USA, of which Mrs. Odom had been a
member, decided to move its genealogical collection from Winthrop College
Archives, in Rock Hill, South Carolina, to another facility. After two
years of negotiations and visits by Clan Donald officials, the clan
archives was relocated to the Odom Library. Soon after, other Scottish
clans began naming Odom as the depository of their archives.
You might wish to
subscribe
to The Family Tree, published by The Odom Library. With a press run
of 80,500 and a readership of something like half a million, The Family
Tree carries news of interest to the Scottish community, the genealogical
and historical community and interesting news from everywhere. Columns on
Jewish, Spanish, Italian, Scottish genealogy appear in its pages as well
as many other ethnicities.
To subscribe, contact The
Odom Library, PO Box 2828, Moultrie, GA 31776. Call 912-985-6540 or fax
912-095-0936. There is no charge for a subscription, but postage
contributions of at least $6.00 or more are appreciated.
Some of the Tartan Banners at the Odom Library
We carry archival and genealogical
information for 120 Scottish Clans and genealogical groups. Each Clan has
it's own separate material - although the various materials from each Clan
are scattered throughout the collection according to the cataloging system
- and that may range from yards and yards of shelf space to maybe one or
two books.
The clan file index lists numbers of folders that have information on
various events and individual families relating to different Clans housed
in The Odom Library.
When you visit The Odom Library, you have access to both the materials
catalogued in the library and to materials archived.
Note, please, that although the materials from each Clan are all
through the collection, each book is clearly marked as to which Clan it
belongs. Most of the groups have a rubber stamp for this purpose.
The Odom Library contains much information on the Eastern Seaboard of
the United States plus the migration routes west.
The Scottish Collection is "the icing on the cake" at The Odom Library
as the Emmett Lucas Collection - the core collection - is extensive and
comprehensive. There are many sources for researching immigrants to this
country and many materials on The War Between the States and so much more.
While the book collection at the Odom Library is large, the collection
of microfilm, microfiche and maps is probably larger. We also have a good
collection of genealogical materials on CD-Rom.
