The Wilkes Genealogical Society is pleased to announce the completion of an extensive indexing project involving 34 volumes of handwritten family sheets documenting Dr. John Henry Scalf, Jr.’s research on the “Yankee” John Church family. The completed index contains an impressive 18,060 names and is now freely available to the public.

This project would not have been possible without Dr. Scalf’s dedication to genealogical research and the generosity of his wife, Dorothy Campbell Scalf, in donating his research to the Wilkes Genealogical Society. Their contributions have allowed us to preserve this valuable collection and make it accessible to genealogists, family historians, and anyone interested in discovering their family roots.

Making 18,060 Names Searchable

Indexing all 34 volumes makes it easier for researchers to locate individuals and explore family connections documented in Dr. Scalf’s work. Rather than searching through dozens of handwritten volumes, researchers can now search the index by name and use the page references to locate the corresponding family sheets.

The index is free and open to everyone.

You can begin your search here:

Search the John Scalf Files Index

Online access to the digitized family sheets is available to Wilkes Genealogical Society members. Those who are not members can also visit the Wilkes County Public Library to access the records and make free copies.

More Research Records Coming Online

Although the indexing of all 34 volumes is complete, there is still more work to do!

I am continuing to scan Dr. Scalf’s research records, with the goal of linking these materials to the individuals he researched. As this work progresses, researchers will have additional opportunities to explore the underlying records and supporting materials associated with the family sheets and his genealogical investigations.

This ongoing effort will make the collection even more useful to those tracing their ancestry and investigating connections to the “Yankee” John Church family.

Happy researching!

Wilkes Genealogical Society