Age Group:
Adults- Registration is required for this event.
- Registration is no longer available for this event.
Program Description
Event Details
McClung Computer Classroom, Third Floor
East Tennessee Roots & Resources is free and open to the public; however, pre-registration is required for sessions.
Session Description
Over her 30-plus years serving as historian for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Patricia Bernard Ezzell has fielded numerous calls asking for help locating family history information. This session will discuss the many records that TVA has generated that might help genealogists flesh out their family histories, including family history survey forms that were completed by TVA caseworkers when families were relocated due to a construction project, cemetery relocation records, and TVA employment records.
Presenters
Patricia Bernard Ezzell served as the Tennessee Valley Authority’s resident expert regarding the history of the agency and was the primary contact person for information pertaining to TVA’s past. She is the author of several articles as well as two books on TVA history: TVA Photography: Thirty Years of Life in the Tennessee Valley and TVA Photography, 1963-2008: Challenges and Changes in the Tennessee Valley, both published by the University Press of Mississippi. Pat holds a Masters of Arts in History with an emphasis in Historic Preservation and a Bachelor of Arts in Honors History, both from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
About East Tennessee Roots & Resources
East Tennessee Roots & Resources is three days (November 7-9, 2025) of engaging lectures, hands-on research, and access to the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection and Knox County Archives. Whether you’re starting your genealogy journey or tackling decades-old mysteries, the East Tennessee History Center is where you’ll discover your story.
About the East Tennessee History Center
At the East Tennessee History Center, Discover Your Story isn’t just a tagline—it’s an invitation. Whether your roots run deep in East Tennessee or you are exploring a newfound interest, the History Center offers a gateway to the people, places, and events that shaped the region. With a family friendly museum, governmental archives, and a heralded special collections and genealogical library under one roof, the History Center is where personal past meets regional history.
The East Tennessee History Center is a facility of Knox County Public Library and is operated in programmatic partnership with the East Tennessee Historical Society. It is located at 601 S. Gay Street in the heart of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. For more information, please call 865-215-8899.