Manatee County Historical Records Library holds local genealogy workshop

The Manatee County Historical Records Library, supported by the Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, is presenting a workshop on local genealogy and historical research on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, from 9 a.m. – noon.

The Manatee County Historical Records Library staff will provide a tour of the library and discuss how to use the resources available for its visitors at 9 – 10 a.m. Following the tour, historians will be available to help participants research their own Manatee County family history or another local historical topic. All research must be based within the Manatee County region, which also included Desoto County, Hardee County, Highlands County, Glades County and Charlotte County from 1855-1887 and Sarasota County from 1855-1921.

“We are proud of the documents that we have collected within the Manatee County Historical Records Library and grateful to the historians and genealogists who worked to save them,” said Angel Colonneso, the Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. “There is nothing like holding the marriage license or the last will and testament of your ancestors to make you appreciate your family and your past. At the Manatee County Historical Records Library, we make stories come alive. During this workshop, we will help attendees make their own stories more relevant.”

Located at 1405 Fourth Ave. W. in Bradenton inside a 1918 Carnegie Library, the Manatee County Historical Records Library offers researchers governmental records dating back to 1855. Deed books, marriage licenses, probate files, court records, County Commission minute books, aerial maps, Sanborn Fire Insurance maps, historic maps, plat maps, tax cards, general directories, school yearbooks, school attendance records and voter registration books are among the items available to researchers. The library also houses the Herb Loomis Manatee County Postcard Collection and the Steve Belack Crosley collection.

“Our goal at the Manatee County Historical Records Library is to help people understand and appreciate the past,” said Cathy Slusser, director of historical resources at the Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. “We have a variety of documents on display and available for individuals researching Manatee County’s people and property. We even have old yearbooks that have some wonderful photographs, too.”

For more information, call 941-741-4070.