The Ware County Board of Elections and Registration recently donated a collection of historic voter registration books to the Waycross-Ware County Public Library, where they’ll be preserved and made available as part of the library’s genealogy and local history collection.
The voter registration books date t0 1910 and provide a unique record of Ware County citizens and voting history. The handwritten registers contain names and other historical voter registration information that offer a glimpse into the people and communities that helped shape the county more than a century ago.
“These books are more than old election records. They are part of Ware County’s history,” said Carlos Nelson, Ware County Supervisor of Elections. “We wanted to do everything we could to preserve them, but preservation shouldn’t mean simply putting them away somewhere.
“We wanted these records to be where people who appreciate genealogy and local history can actually see them, study them, and hopefully discover a piece of their own family’s story.”
Among the records are registrations of some of the first Ware County women to register to vote, dating to October 1920. These came shortly after the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which guaranteed the right to vote couldn’t be denied on the basis of gender.
The Waycross-Ware County Public Library maintains a genealogy and local history collection containing regional archives, family history records, and research materials relating to Ware County and southeast Georgia.
The historic voter registers will complement those resources and provide another valuable source for genealogists, historians, researchers, and local families.
“These books contain names of people who walked the same streets, lived in the same communities, and participated in elections generations before us,” Nelson added. “There is something special about opening a book more than 100 years old and finding a familiar family name written on the page.
“We’re proud these records will now be preserved in a place where the public can appreciate them for generations to come.”
Nelson said the elections board is pleased to partner with the Waycross- Ware County Public Library in preserving an important piece of the county’s election and community history.
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