Featured Resources
Ancestry.com Library Edition and Fold3 are available "in-house" only. Other history and genealogy resources are accessible from anywhere. Some may require you to have a library card or REAL2 student ID. If you need a library card, contact us at 336-318-6801.
Thousands of historical photographs from Randolph County, spanning generally the mid-1800s to the 1990s. For further information about the collection, and for guidance on copying and using the images, go here.
Search billions of records and discover your family's story with the library edition of Ancestry.com. Ancestry Library Edition is available only at one of the Randolph County Public Libraries.
Discover your military ancestors with Fold3, through over 670 million records from worldwide sources. In-library use only.
FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization and website offering genealogical records, education, and software.
With HeritageQuest find ancestors in U.S. census records from 1790-1950 (Canadian from 1825-1921); find information on people and places in over 28,000 family and local history books; search Revolutionary War pension and bounty land applications; and find facts in obituaries from the 1800s forward.
Newspaper.com's North Carolina Collection including content from over 1,000 North Carolina newspapers from 1751-1999.
Black Life in America — a unique digital archive of news media — presents the broad sweep of African American history in ways no textbook or other online resource can match, offering coverage from diverse sources published from 1704 through present day.
Fully searchable archive of full-text local stories from The Courier-Tribune from 2000 to the present, including news articles, obituaries, editorials, special sections and more.
Search obituaries from The Courier and The Courier-Tribune newspapers complete through 2023. The newspapers are on microfilm in the Randolph Room; additionally, these and other newspapers from 1903-1937 are available via the Digital North Carolina. We also have begun indexing and saving obituaries from area funeral homes and crematory providers. Give us a call or email us if you are looking for this type of information.
The Randolph Room's collection of files on hundreds of local families, compiled over the years by library staff and local genealogists, and contributed by visiting researchers. View the Surname List here.
Welcome to the Randolph Room
The Randolph Room, located on the first floor of the Asheboro Public Library, is Randolph County's treasure trove of historical and genealogical records. Because many items in our collection are one-of-a-kind, the collection is generally non-circulating but visitors are welcome to use materials in-house. Requests to check-out items will be determined on a case-by-case basis within the discretion of the staff. We are currently open Monday-Friday, 9:00 until 5:30, closed between 12:30 and 1:30 for lunch; also open Saturdays, 9:00 until 12:30.
Librarians are also able to provide specialized research assistance by email and by phone. Resources include family files, family histories, specialized books, newspapers, vital records, censuses, government documents, photographs, scrapbooks, maps and more. Online resources include Heritage Quest, Ancestry Library Edition and Historical North Carolina Newspapers.
We have developed a "starter packet" to help guide researchers before they come to the Randolph Room. Please take a look at it and print as much of it as you find helpful to you. We want to help you make your research time successful.
Guidelines, Policies and Resources
The Randolph Room contains a valuable and useful collection of materials for historians, genealogists, and all who have an interest in local history. We welcome visitors to come and use the materials here, and we are also happy to help with email requests for reference assistance. Some restrictions do apply: Due to time constraints, staff will answer only queries that are specific to one subject or name; Only questions concerning Randolph County will be answered; Copyright regulations are observed and if paper copies are requested there will be costs for a patron.
Please follow the links below for more detailed information about the Guidelines and Policies for using Randolph Room Collection materials, as well as links to important resources. We also have an email link for Reference Requests related to local history and genealogy.
Due to the rare and unique materials in the Randolph Room Collection, we have special guidelines to protect them and the area in which they are stored. Please be familiar with these guidelines prior to visiting the Randolph Room and call ahead if you have any questions or concerns.
Many of our materials are included in our online catalog, but some are not. This summary of selected on-site resources should help you plan your trip to the Randolph Room.
Memorials and Donations
The Randolph Room gladly accepts monetary donations and items of local historical significance. Checks may be made payable to the Randolph County Public Library - Randolph Room.
Learn in detail about Randolph County's historic landmarks and cultural heritage sites. Designated landmarks and heritage sites include buildings as well as natural areas.
