Site Update March 13, 2025

Joseph Cox

Wilkes Genealogical Society Updates

All Bulletins Now Uploaded

All Wilkes Genealogical Society (WGS) Bulletins are now fully uploaded to the website! The next step is to link each article to the Bulletin Index database search. This will take some time, but once completed, it will make finding articles for research much easier.

Special thanks to the late Hazel Roche, a dedicated WGS member, for creating the Bulletin Index — a tremendous effort on her part. Her index inspired the creation of this website. Also, a big thank you to Jason Duncan for transcribing Hazel’s work into a database, which made it possible to integrate it into the site.

Website Speed Update

Our website was painfully slow due to shared hosting — a “click and wait” situation. I’ve installed new software to improve loading times. Pages may load a little slower on the first click, but subsequent clicks should be nearly instant. Please let me know if you encounter any issues.

Before software update

After Software Update

Future Projects and Ideas

1. Help Wanted – Volunteers Needed

We need more people involved in the Society, especially those interested in publishing. Publishing has always been the foundation of WGS and is essential to keeping the Society thriving — it’s what has kept us going for over 50 years.

We would love to publish your book. We will publish it with no charge to you. Not only will this preserve your legacy, but it will also help sustain the Society for the next 50 years. If you have a family history or research project to share, we’d be honored to help you publish it.

2. Updating the Bulletin Index

Hazel’s original Bulletin Index covers issues through 2010. Once I’ve linked the existing articles, I plan to update the index to include all bulletins published since then. This will create a more complete and accessible research tool for members and researchers.

3. Heritage of Wilkes County – Volume III

It’s been 25 years since Volume II was published — essentially an entire generation. It’s time to collect new stories for Volume III.

➡️ Proposal to the Board:

  • Volumes I and II were created through extensive community outreach — board members canvassed Wilkes County for stories and photos, which were then hand-typed and prepared for publication. We need board members to take on this role again.
  • With the internet and social media, gathering material is much easier now. While we may not need to send volunteers door-to-door, we still need board members with strong community connections to serve as cheerleaders for the project.
  • We’ve considered hosting genealogy swaps at the library to collect stories and photos, but construction has delayed this. Hosting swaps at the library, local community centers, or schools could help revive this effort and align with the original WGS spirit of community engagement.

4. Reviving Our Publishing Efforts

Much of the work of selling old publications, I’ve taken on. I’ve digitized all WGS publications, but they still need to be formatted and listed for sale on the website. Here’s the list I’m working on.

➡️ Why Publishing Matters:

  • We’ve received donations of family research books, which need to be digitized and, in some cases, published to share with other researchers. Some of these could be made available to members through the website.
  • While the Bulletins are valuable, they don’t necessarily generate enough income to sustain the Society.
  • Our book publications have historically funded library acquisitions and Society operations — publishing remains a key part of our financial stability.

5. More Digitizing to Be Done

Some of our older genealogy books in the library stacks need to be digitized and reprinted. Many are single-copy editions and are at risk of being lost due to theft or overuse. Digitizing these books will help preserve their content and make them more accessible to members and researchers. We are thinking about making them available online to members.

Your feedback and participation are crucial to making these projects successful. Let’s keep WGS growing and thriving!