By Caroline T. Hanson, Ed.D.
“You cannot travel far enough or live long enough to lose your heritage; you carry it with you in your blood.”
By Caroline T. Hanson, Ed.D.
“You cannot travel far enough or live long enough to lose your heritage; you carry it with you in your blood.”
Photo: Pat Weber, a volunteer, looks for a reference.
Kerrville, Texas, is the home of a fantastic resource for genealogy buffs. The Kerrville Genealogical Society Research Center and Library is located at 125 Lehmann Drive, Suite 102. It is open to the public Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 10:00 to 4:00. All services are FREE to the public, and knowledgeable volunteers are available to welcome and assist you with your research.
Today, researching one’s family tree is more popular, important, and easier than ever before. The internet has provided a wealth of information to carry out this task. Sources can be ferreted out of printed media as well. So you think, “Why would I want to undertake this project?” ‘
Photo: Volunteers chat in the main room.
Reasons are probably as numerous as those who research. Here are a few motives:
And many more.
Photo: A visitor staked out a computer room.
A visit to this gem of a Center and Library in Kerrville can get you started. The complete collection of the Kerrville Genealogical Society, founded in 1970, comprises over 3,000 books and genealogical periodicals from most States, with special emphasis on Kerrville, Kerr County, and Texas. There are four computers from which you can access, for free, the vast information available on the internet, including Ancestry.com, Fold3, (the military site), American Ancestors, (The New England Historic Genealogical Society), Find-a –Grave ( millilions of graves with information), Family Search, (the LDS website that is a wealth of information) and more valuable sites suggested by the experienced researchers. If you feel insecure with computers, or just want to get started, or maybe you have hit the preverbal ‘brick wall’, the friendly experienced volunteers are there to help. They are some of the most special “gems”. Their experiences include not only family geology and history, but knowledge about the process and available resources for (DAR) Daughter American Revolution, (SAR) Sons of the American Revolution,, (DRT) Daughter of Republic of Texas and others organizations you may be interested in joining. Many volunteers have obtained membership in these organizations and you can gain from their expertise.
Imagine yourself sitting next to and chatting with one of the warm and friendly experts with their wealth of life experiences. You will be enthralled.
Photo: Informative posters provide visual references.
As you enter the bright and inviting Center, the Main Room is filled with book shelves chocked full of Kerrville/Kerr County, Texas, and State resources, and more. There is a large table to accommodate larger volumes, plans and maps for researchers to peruse.
Photo: Pictured above is an influential Kerrville couple from early 1900s.
Four rooms surround the main room, each with a computer and desk. As a researcher, you can command the desk to spread out and pore over internet sites and printed tomes. The Society has access to the best internet sites for genealogical exploration. These rooms also house different collections – the military room, family stories room, periodicals, and special collections.
Over the years, Gloria Dozier, a volunteer, spent untold hours, thousands and thousands of hours in the dusty places where old records are kept and places only she may know. It was a labor of love, for a total of at least 52 historical books, recorded, bound and placed on shelves to be used by the public in the Kerrville Genealogical Society Research Center and Library collections.
Photo: Gloria Dozier shows off her books
Did you know that the U.S. Army once experimented with using camels in the South West? The camels were brought to Camp Verde, a location in Kerr County near Kerrville. The Kerrville Genealogical Society (KGS) Library has one of the only two copies of over 900 pages of official documents from the national Archives that tell this fascinating story. Only in the KGS Research Center can these files be found, organized and bound into six volumes. What a find for Texas history buffs! While in the area, you can visit the Old Camp Verde General Store to shop and eat lunch, but that is another story.
Photo: U.S. Army Camel Experiment
I cannot write enough nice words about this fantastic Kerrville resource in their new location. I have barely scratched the surface of what KGS has to offer. Best of all, it is FREE to use the resources. Everyone is welcome. Visit the Society website at rootsweb.ancestry.com . Check out the KGS blog: kerrvillegenealogy.blogspot.com . Email, [email protected] . Like the Kerrville Genealogical Society on Facebook. Visit the Center. You will be glad you did! Call 830-315-1836 for more information.
Sources:
Interviews with various members of KGS
Literature from KGS
Visiting the Research Center and Library
Internet article from genealogyintime.com, “Why Genealogy is Important.”