WGS is a legitimate 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization.  Please check our status on the IRS website.

About WGS

Please note that we are The Wilkes Genealogical Society. People often confuse us with The Wilkes Heritage Museum, Inc. or the Wilkes County Library, but we are a separate organization. If you donate to those other organizations, The Wilkes Genealogical Society will not receive any of the funds or materials.

We guarantee that all monetary donations go directly toward genealogical and Wilkes family history research. Any materials donated to The Wilkes Genealogical Society will be made available locally for public research—never locked away behind closed doors or restricted by an entry fee.

The Wilkes Genealogical Society, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization chartered in 1967 by a small group of individuals and later incorporated in 1974. The Society is totally non-profit and fully run by volunteers. The Society is a labor of love, and no one gets paid for the research they provide.

The intent is to preserve the family histories of Wilkes County. The Society is responsible for publishing a wide range of Wilkes County related genealogical materials and continues to collect and provide citizens with genealogical materials for family research endeavors. These materials are housed in the Wilkes County Public Library and the materials freely available for research.

The Past Meets the Future

In 2016, The Green Valley News Sun published an article titled Genealogy Today: Genealogy Societies—Dying or Thriving? This article perfectly captured the challenges faced by genealogical societies. With the rise of the internet and changes in publishing, some societies have disappeared, while others have adapted and thrived. The Wilkes Genealogical Society (WGS) has always been committed to thriving, rather than becoming obsolete.

When WGS was founded, bulletins were physically typed, assembled by hand, printed, and mailed through the post office. As technology advanced and the number of volunteers declined, this process became labor-intensive and costly. Membership dues barely covered the expenses of research and publication.

To address these challenges, WGS began producing e-Bulletins in 2016. These were sent via email, but issues arose—some emails bounced due to address changes, others landed in spam folders, and many members reported not receiving their bulletins. Considerable time and effort were spent tracking down members to ensure they received their copies.

At the same time, WGS continued producing hard copy bulletins, primarily for libraries and other genealogical societies. The burden of this work fell on just two or three volunteers. The Society struggled to keep up with publications, and then the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these delays.

Recognizing the need for a more efficient and sustainable system, WGS launched this website to centralize bulletins and other publications. This allows members to access and download materials at their convenience, making the process both cost-effective and manageable compared to mailing physical copies or distributing bulletins via email.

Of course, change is often met with resistance. WGS understands that some members may be hesitant about digital access. However, just as the Society’s founders once embraced new publishing methods for family history research, the current WGS board is committed to leveraging modern technology to keep the organization alive and thriving.

People have asked whether The Wilkes Genealogical Society is putting its materials behind a paywall. To clarify, the bulletins have always technically been behind a paywall in the sense that non-local researchers who rely on our local volunteers for lookups have been charged for the cost of copying and mailing. The same applies to internet access—maintaining a website incurs costs for the Society and requires volunteer time to keep it updated. A significant number of hours have been dedicated to digitizing materials and making them accessible online.

However, all bulletins and materials remain freely accessible in the genealogy room for the public to view and copy as needed—this policy has not changed. Additionally, WGS books and publications have never been free.

For the small membership fee WGS charges, the Society is not profiting—it is simply covering the costs necessary to continue its work. Thanks to the support of dedicated members, donors, and volunteers, WGS has been able to navigate the changing technological landscape while remaining committed to its mission.

Moving forward, WGS will continue to provide quality family history research related to “The Original Wilkes County” while keeping membership dues affordable. This website will also make it easier for members to pay dues and contribute donations, ensuring that the Society can carry on its vital work for future generations.

Mission

Our primary objective is to acquire, preserve, promote, and support genealogical research. We achieve this by collecting and preserving local records, maintaining a genealogical reference collection, and serving an active membership of individuals worldwide who have roots in or an interest in the genealogy of Northwestern North Carolina.

Meetings

Meetings of the Society are typically the fourth Tuesday of each month except for December. Please check our events schedule.

A business meeting is held at the Wilkes County Public Library, 215 10th St., North Wilkesboro, NC, in the Genealogy Research Room at 5:30 p.m. Research assistance is provided before and after each meeting, as time permits. Meetings may be modified to accommodate special speakers at times. For more information, click on the ‘Events’ link at the top of the page.

Membership

We offer a membership with different levels that can be paid for online. Click on the join button below.

If you want to pay by check, you can access our payment portal by clicking on the join button below and then select that payment option during checkout. Your account will remain on hold until we receive your check. Send your check to:

WGS

PO Box 1629

North Wilkesboro, NC 28659.

The Wilkes County Genealogical Society Bulletin

Our goal is to publish The Wilkes Genealogical Society Bulletin 4 times a year.  Members will be able to access all of our bulletins through this site. Note that we have been combining volumes annually and semi annually. There are currently only 2 people producing the Bulletins. We need more folks to step up to the plate and help.

Book donations and other data

We gladly accept accept books, periodicals, and any digital data that you want to share as donations. We may place some of this material in our bulletins and it will be made available the public and stored in the Genealogy Reading Room. If you have such material, please contact us by clicking on the ‘contact’ link above or stop by the library.

Queries

Genealogical queries are encouraged. Upon logging in, you will be able to see the form for queries on your member page. You have the option to contact us via email via the contact link at the top of this page.

The likelihood of other researchers responding to information exchange is greatly decreased by providing only surnames. Include as much detail as you can for your name searches to increase your chances of getting in touch with other researchers. Examples: family surnames plus birth/death dates or time frame of the search, given names of main family members, etc.

You may also want to join our Facebook group and post your query there.

The Society cannot guarantee that the contributions published in its bulletins are accurate. If any errors are detected in the genealogical data found in our bulletins, please send us any corrections and the source of your corrections via email on the contact page. Any typographical, spelling, indexing, or format inconsistencies and errors not explained at the beginning of an article are purely the fault of the editor for which pardon is begged.

Now A Word From Our Originators

The originators of the WGS are the ones who can best explain their motives for starting the organization. Below is the very first May 1967 WGS Bulletin.

This is just a glimpse of what you’ll receive when you become a member. Once you become a member, you will be able to access all the WGS Bulletins online.