Why You Should Join a Genealogical Society

In today’s digital age, many genealogists do not see the need for joining a genealogical society. Membership in most societies has fallen drastically in the past few years. COVID has made it worse. Sadly, some societies have closed their doors while others struggle to maintain viability. What should you join a genealogical society?

Here are my top 5 reasons:

1)     Believe it or not, none of us know everything about genealogy research. We cannot be an expert on every record source or every type of research methodology. In a society, you have the chance to network with others who may already have the experience you need to resolve your problem.

2)     Genealogical Societies have resources. Often they have libraries, archives, or other facilities which contain valuable information not available elsewhere. Yes, probably less than 10% of all records available have been digitized and (NEWS FLASH) they will not be digitized during our lifetimes. Genealogists collect things – who knows what the society might have available on your ancestor – a record that you never even thought of?

I cannot even count the number of things I have found on my ancestors over the years by belonging to a genealogical society!

3)     Workshops, Conferences, and Meetings. These are not only fabulous ways to learn about new resources, new methods, new technologies and other things that help us research, but…when genealogists get together, they network! Some of these are now held virtually, but there is really no substitute for sitting down over lunch and discussing your brick wall problem with a new friend (or even an old one!). Why re-invent the wheel? Learn from others!

4)     Publications. For decades, genealogical societies have been indexing and publishing records. Some of these are available for sale. Others are held in their facilities. Take advantage of what others have already done. Always check the original source, of course, but using transcribed records leads us to new clues we had no idea existed. Most societies have published journals and newsletters – there are mountains of records available. By the way, PERSI is a great resource for finding has previously been published by a genealogy society on a specific family or location.

5)     A Chance to Give Back. Genealogists are giving people. We help each other. Most genealogical societies will have ongoing projects you can become involved in. Or perhaps you can volunteer to help by serving on a committee or in another type of leadership role. Societies thrive on volunteers.

In addition to several local societies, I am a member of the following societies and encourage you to check them out.

1)     National Genealogical Society – www.ngs.org – Their publications are helpful and instructive. Case studies abound in their journals – you can learn how to trace your ancestry by studying how others solved similar problems. Their bi-monthly magazines are just full of how-to and other articles.

2)     Illinois State Genealogical Society – https://ilgensoc.org/ - If you have ancestry in Illinois, you should be a member. In addition to the newsletter on Illinois, they publish a quarterly and hold an annual conference. One nice feature for members is the ability to obtain death certificates for Illinois ancestors from Springfield for only $6. A large number of previous webinars are available on their website. Check out their Prairie Pioneer Certificate Database and program. ISGS holds an annual conference as well.

3)     Kentucky State Genealogical Society - https://kygs.org/ - I recently re-joined this society and have been very pleased with my membership benefits. They offer a series of webinars (sometimes two or three per month) on valuable topics related to research in Kentucky, DNA research, and other topics. The webinars alone are worth the price of membership as most members get to attend for no additional cost. In addition, they have a digitization grant program. In conjunction with FamilySearch, they are working with counties across the state to make records in courthouses, archives, and other facilities available in digital format. Their website also includes a series of databases available to members only.

4)     Genealogy Society of Southern Illinois - https://ilgssi.org/ - Anyone with ancestry in any of the southern 28 counties in Illinois should join GSSI. The Saga of Southern Illinois quarterly going back nearly fifty years is a fantastic resource. The resources available on their website include a tremendous series of newspaper obituaries from Alexander, Pulaski, and Union Counties. They have many publications of interest. The GSSI library on the campus of John A. Logan College in Carterville is a fantastic place to research. Don’t forget to check out the GSSI Archives at Cambria where files from professional genealogists and other researchers from years past are housed. Another valuable source on the GSSI website is the Richison maps which I use quite often when working in a county in southern Illinois. At the present time, GSSI holds quarterly meetings, typically at John A. Logan College and also publishes its quarterly (The Saga of Southern Illinois) and regular newsletters.



I hope I have convinced you to join a genealogical society. Get involved and help us preserve our history for posterity. The benefits always far outweigh the small costs.