The R-CA is dedicated to ensuring that historic documents and other materials
are sent to libraries, shared, and preserved for future generations.
Microfilm Scanning Project
In the late 1990’s John J. Roark, (past President 1993-1995) submitted Roark-Conner Family Records to the Library for archiving. The Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA), Restoration and Reproduction, scanned the Records. The collection was microfilmed as the Roark-Conner Family Papers, TSLA Mf. Acc. No. 1518 and the collection was stored in the Chattanooga Bicentennial Public Library. There were seven reels to the collection. Reels 1-5 contain the material filmed in 1997. Reels 6-7, which constituted more recent filming, were referred to as Addition 1 of Mf. Acc. No. 1518. Interested family members could purchase the microfilm from the Library.
The following describes the contents of the records: “Diaries, photographs, deeds, correspondence, tax receipts, financial records, postcards, court records, genealogies, biographies, newspaper clippings, memorials, church minutes, census data, obituaries, cemetery transcriptions, war service records, and various items copied from published sources relating to the Roark and Conner families who settled in northern Hamilton County, Tenn., during its early history. Besides family history the collection also includes references to the growth and development of Hamilton County, James County, and the communities of Birchwood, Georgetown, Ooltewah, Salem, and Chattanooga, and information about family members who migrated westward to Arkansas, Texas, and beyond with much of the later collection containing photos and documents pertaining to life in Texas in the early 20th century. Other families in the collection are Palmer, Carr, Shropshire, Moon, Talley, Witt, Stulce, Swaim, Honea, Gross, Glover, Killian, Eslick, and Wilson.”
These records consisted of the collection of Laura Roark Shropshire documents that William “Grover” Roark gave to her in 1952, while she visited him in Summerville, GA. Grover had explained to Laura that the trunk contained old records that no longer had any value. John J. Roark had researched, categorized, and organized the contents of the trunk, which had become known as the “Roark Trunk.” These records provided a historical record for the Roark and Conner families, beginning with the publication of “Joseph Roark, His Life and Times, 2001.”
In recent times, microfilm has become obsolete. So, in 2020, the R-CA had the microfilm scanned, and the records were converted to pdf files. John J. Roark organized the newly scanned records into a more searchable format. Once he has completed his work, the records were transferred to flash drives and are now available for purchase by R-CA members. More details on purchasing the collection may be found on this website, under “Documents” then “R-CA Books”.