The Savannah Historical Research Association was organized in April, 1934, for the purpose of gathering, preserving, and disseminating the history of Savannah, Georgia. Its constitution specified that the membership be confined to those only who were actively interested in these subjects. In May, 1934, the association agreed to supervise workers in the Civil Works Administration (later the Historical Research Project of the Work Projects Administration) in compiling data towards a history of Chatham County. This comprised indexing old Savannah newspapers, The Colonial Records of Georgia, The Revolutionary Records of Georgia, cemetery records, abstracting Chatham County wills, marriage records, etc. These indices were typed and bound and have become invaluable research volumes in many libraries. Members of the association also prepared papers on many phases of Savannah history which were presented at the meetings. Some of them were published in The Georgia Historical Quarterly; Savannah Historical Research Association Anniversary, XXVIII, No. 3 (Sept. 1944). The association also collected historical materials: photographs, pamphlets, newspapers, and papers on Savannah history. In 1940 the association began its annual custom of observing the birthday of General James Edward Oglethorpe with a dinner. The program was centered on various aspects of his life. The last dinner was held in February, 1977. Interest in active participation in the work of the association began to wane, and gradually it ceased to function as a research group. Around the year 1976, the association dissolved itself as a separate organization and became the Savannah Historical Research Committee of the Georgia Historical Society. The functions of the committee were to continue the Oglethorpe Birthday dinners and to have an annual reception honoring Savannah authors of the year. However, the committee never fully formed.
From the description of Savannah Historical Research Association papers, 1934-1979. (Georgia Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 157010772
