Explore Your Family Tree With Cumberland County Archives

Many people are exploring new hobbies while staying at home during the coronavirus. One of the most popular is genealogy.

The Cumberland County Archives and Family Heritage Center specializes in Cumberland County’s earliest records and genealogical materials. Cumberland County Archivist Joyce Rorabaugh said the number of people visiting has not increased, but studying heritage continues to grow in popularity.

“I think as we go on the curiosity of your past is increasing with DNA testing,” Rorabaugh said. “People are just looking for something to bond with family.”

Rorabaugh said during the coronavirus, people all around the country have called and emailed for questions about their family. The center is entering their second week of reopening and offer trained Genealogist to help you start.

“It is amazing,” Rorabaugh said. “Once they contact us and find what we have, a lot of them will plan a vacation around coming through this area.”

The center includes computers with ancestry.com, experienced genealogists ready to help and over 4,000 books on topics of genealogy for the states surrounding Tennessee. Before the coronavirus, the center taught classes on how to study your family heritage. Rorabaugh said the majority of their students have continued studying on their own during the pandemic.

Rorabaugh said the center will continue to follow state reopening guidelines. Eventually, the genealogy classes will return.

The Cumberland County Archives and Family Heritage Center is opened Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.