Lamar County Texas Genealogical Society

SOCIETY INFORMATION:

The Society meets the second Tuesday of January, February, March, April, May, September, October and November at 7:00 p.m. at the railroad depot at 1135 Bonham St. for genealogical and historical programs. Admission is free and open to the public to all interested persons.

The Society was formed in 1980 as a non-profit educational organization dedicated to the collection, preservation, and publication of genealogical and historical materials. If you have ties to Lamar County you owe it to yourself to become a member of this society.

Lamar County is rich with history. A common misconception is that vital records were destroyed in the great fire of 1916. This is not the case however, as little if any of the County Clerk's records were affected thanks to the foresight of County Judge Charles S. Neathery who in 1888 had a fire–proof vault built to house and protect such records at a cost of $15,000. By the way, he was voted out of office, as a result of such foresight which he took upon himself without approval of the citizenry concerned with tight monetary budgets and taxes. Were it not for his forbearance and seemingly illegal act, Lamar County would indeed be without much of its written history and heritage today.

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Texas State Genealogical Society Partner Society

ANNUAL PUBLICATION:

For several years the Society published its quarterly, LAMAR COUNTY GENEALOGY AND HISTORY, every May, August, November and February. The quarterlies featured historical items from local records and newspapers. We have now assembled these quarterlies into bound "sets" that will make these books a collector's item.

Instead of quarterlies we are now publishing a yearly ANNUAL book. We hope this will make the information more accessible to the researcher as all volumes will be together with the index. You will still receive a short newsletter periodically. We encourage and welcome anyone with stories concerning Lamar county residents to submit them. Pictures are also accepted. Queries are free to members and $2.00 to non–members.

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SOCIETY LIBRARY:

Depot/Library

The Lamar County Genealogy Library is located at 1135 Bonham St. in the old Santa Fe Depot.
Hours open: SUBJECT TO CHANGE - please call first!
Monday — Thursday, Noon — 4:00 PM;
2nd and 4th Saturdays, 9:00 AM — 4:00 PM.
Library is usually closed during school holidays.
The library has lots of information. Letter and e-mail requests are also handled. Library may be opened outside listed hours by appointment if a volunteer is available.

Created entirely from the donations and volunteer work of many individuals interested in preserving history, the Library has been in existence and continually growing since 1983. The Genealogical Library contains over 1000 books concerning the study of family history. In addition to hundreds of family group sheets and family pedigree charts, there are more than 130 specific family histories. There is a wide variety of "how to" books for the beginning researcher as well as the experienced. Books are also available for research concerning religious denominations, American Indian and Afro-American heritage.

Due to problems with items disappearing from the library, the Society board and Librarians have instituted a new policy, effective immediately:

No briefcases, tote bags, large purses, topcoats, personal research items other than notes, or food may be brought into the Library. Personal items are subject to be searched.

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MEMBERSHIP:

The Genealogical Society has many levels of memberships to suit prospective researchers and interested parties or businesses. All levels receive our award winning Annual publication titled Lamar County Genealogy and History (we no longer publish Quarterlies). Dues expire December 31, of each year. Donations and grants are always welcome. You can make a difference! Dues are:
Personal Memberships

You may pay your membership using PayPal. Get started. OR
For a printable membership form: Form in PDF format       

Mail your dues to:

The Lamar Co. Genealogical Society
1135 Bonham St.
Paris, TX 75460
Phone 903-784-5020

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PUBLICATIONS FOR SALE:

The Lamar County Genealogical Society has several publications for sale.
Indexes for some of those books are here!
You may view and print the current order form as a pdf file.
You can also order and pay for your books and CDs, etc. by PayPal!!

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