Historian Tommy Webb will be the speaker at the next meeting of the Auburntown Historical Society.

The Auburntown Historical Society is hosting historian and author Tommy Webb at its monthly meeting March 19 at 7 p.m. at the Auburntown Church of Christ Fellowship Hall.

“We invite the public to come and hear our special guest who has extensively researched many of the family names associated with Cannon, DeKalb and surrounding counties,” said Danny Nichols, president of the Auburntown Historical Society.

Nichols said that Webb’s newly published 384-page hardback book, Early Virginia Families with Middle Tennessee Connections, reflects more than 60 years of research. Most of the families have been traced to the 1600s in Virginia, then down to the present time.

“The book contains more than just a list of names and dates, and many of the people are presented in great detail, so that readers can better understand their way of life and their reasons for making the decisions they made,” Webb explained. “All research is thoroughly documented and footnoted, with references to the original documents.”

Among the families presented in the book are Bennett, Gribble, Robinson, Boykin, Harris, Rowland, Braswell, Jennings, Smith, Cathcart, Magness, Nicholls, Snow, Childers, Spoe, Mason, Cooper, Moser, Struthers, Davis, Tub, Downing, Parker, Washer, Flood, Power, Weldon, Frazier, Rich, Wilson and Yeargin.

Webb is a lifelong resident of DeKalb County, attending public schools in Smithville before earning a bachelor’s degree in 1952 and a master’s degree in 1955 from Peabody College. He has also attended Vanderbilt University, Brigham Young University, the University of Utah and the University of Tennessee. From 1952 to 1996 he was a faculty member in DeKalb County schools, including the high schools at Liberty and Smithville, primarily teaching English, History and German.

In his early teens, Webb developed a strong interest in family and local history and was appointed official DeKalb County Historian in 1965. He has published two books on DeKalb County history and assisted with a book about DeKalb County’s World War II veterans.

Nichols encouraged everyone interested in history or genealogy to attend the April meeting whether they are members of the Auburntown Historical Society or not.

“Of course, membership in the society is open to anyone, and we are hoping to see our organization grow,” Nichols said, explaining that the group has applied for a state charter and will be seeking tax-exempt status.

The organization has already published two books in its Treasured Memories and Recollections series and will be offering a new work, Treasured Recipes and Recollections, this summer.

For more information about membership in or projects of the society, visit www.auburntowntennessee.blogspot.com.