WESTERN TRAILS GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

The Western Trails Genealogical Society is a non-profit organization, founded in 1971, to encourage and promote the study and research of family history. WTGS actively promotes this study of Old Greer County Texas. We have located and collected many historical records and genealogical materials to preserve this heritage for future generations. There are family histories of the dirt farmers, business men, cowboys and ranchers, who moved into Old Greer Greer County during the 1880's, to graze the free grass, plow the land, build the towns, businesses and communities to tame this wild prairie.

We, all of us, are a part of this history and have the duty to preserve it. We are abliged to maintain these pioneer's legacy for our children. Western Trails Genealogy Society provides and supports a depository for family files, Bible records, (sometimes these are the only documentation of births and deaths), family histories, diaries, journals, letters and pictures. By contributing copies of your family information, you insure their place in our history, and they will not be forgotten. These histories are available for researchers to use. Our collection of materials is in the Public Library.

We share our records and library with our neighboring counties of Kiowa, Greer, Tillman, Washita, Beckham and Harmon counties in Oklahoma and Wilbarger, Hardeman, Childress, Collingsworth and Wheeler, counties of Texas.

Western Trails Genealogy Society encourages our readers and researchers to contact us at Western Trails Genealogy Society, P.O. Box 70, Altus, Oklahoma 73521, or email us at jdmartin@intellisys.net. All correspondence is answered if you contribute an SASE with your request, or list your email address. We encourage Patron contributions from our friends and volunteers, to be used for new books and technology.

Please contact us for information, as this is a public library and the staff will not honor mail or calls for requests. Sorry, but our materials are not available for interlibrary loan.

CURRENT OFFICERS

Currently there are no officers for the WTGS. These pages remain here for reference till a new set of members for the society emerge.

MEMBERSHIP

Membership in the Society is from January 1 to December 31 of any given year. Cost for membership is $10.00. Your membership entitles you to the Western Trails Genealogy Newsletter which is printed quarterly, January, April, July and October and mailed to all members. We print 12 pages of records from the four counties of Jackson, Greer, Harmon and Beckham Counties. You will receive four copies of the newsletter for the current year of your subscription. Back issues may be ordered by contacting WTGS

In 1995 we added one hundred rolls of Jackson County records and nearly two hundred rolls of Greer County Court house records on Microfilm. These may be used at the Library. Microfilm readers and microfiche are provided. We have a complete set of the 1880 Texas Census. We have 1900 Indian Territory, 1910 and 1920 Census for Oklahoma and many county Census from various counties and states. There are area Newspapers on microfilm dating back to 1900. We have a book collection of family histories, deaths, marriages, county histories and assorted research materials. In the fall of 1998, we received 300 additional rolls of microfilm. These are now in the process of being cataloged, then will be available for use.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

The Western Trails Genealogy Society is in need of volunteers to transcribe the census microfilm, bible records, wills, probate records, deeds, help to index the family files, and other information in our library. If you live in our area and can help out a few hours a week, please contact Jodean Martin in Altus. If you live out of the area, but have access to census films through your library, or a Family History Library and would like to transcribe for us, please let us know. Your help would be greatly appreciated, by us and by future researchers of our area.

FAMILY HISTORY CENTER

In 1995 we were designated as a Family History Center by the Mormon church. We received their complete Index from their Salt Lake City Collection. This Index makes the Mormon records in Salt Lake City available to our researchers. These are records from all over the world. We hope you will visit and learn to use this excellent source of research materials.

We were the only library in Oklahoma to be accepted into this program. This is a pilot program and most Family History Centers were awarded to the capitol city library in the state. We found out about the project and wrote asking to be one of the pilot libraries and were awarded the only Center for Oklahoma. There were only fifty libraries chosen in the United States. Computers are changing the world of genealogy. We would like to hear from any Library or Genealogy Society who would like to exchange computer disks of their books and records. We exchange quarterlies with fifty societies throughout the country.

We have printed many of the County records, with a full index of names and places, and placed them in our library for research use. We are not selling these books but do exchange them with contributing libraries.

OUR CONTENTS and RESOURCES PAGE

Research Service by mail is available for out-of-town members. Write to WTGS Box 70, Altus, Ok 73521.. SASE


Drop us a line and let us know your thoughts about our pages, who you are looking for, or just to say "hello".

Bookmark this site NOW and do come again to see what's been added since your last visit!

> Return To Jackson County Page

Web Page designed by Ethel Taylor

You are visitor number