Welcome to the Willamette Valley Genealogical Society's webpage!
Contact Address: 
Willamette Valley Genealogical Society 
PO Box 2083 
Salem, OR 97308 
Email: WillVGS@yahoo.com

WVGS Newsletters
  One of the major advantages of membership with the WVGS is access to our quarterly publication ‘The Beaver Briefs’.

    Go to our [Materials] page to see a complete list of the articles from all 55 years of this publication along with a master surname reference index covering the last 18 years.
More back issues are available on our Member Page
Society Dues for 2024
   As most of you know, the WVGS will be resuming annual membership dues in 2024 in order to reconcile our annual expenses. This decision was really unavoidable. Dues for one year’s individual membership will be $30.00 (formerly $25), and $40.00 for a Family (formerly $30). Individual Life memberships are currently $250.00 ($200.00 for those 70 and over).

   As always, membership includes an emailed color PDF copy of the Beaver Briefs and access to all the content on our Member’s page. Mailed B&W printed copies of the Beaver Briefs are available to members for an additional $10.00 ($20.00 for non-members). 

The Library Volunteer Research Help Program
  The Willamette Valley Genealogical Society at Salem Public Library once again has volunteers to help with your genealogy. Currently, our desk hours are: 11:00-5:00 Tuesday-Saturday (closed Sunday and Monday).
 
  Our very competent volunteers do research on family connections all over the country and world, not just in Oregon. And, don’t forget that the Ancestry.com Library Edition is available for free to Salem Public Library patrons.
 
   We are here to serve our library patrons, and our volunteers are very excited about being back at the library helping patrons with their genealogical questions and research.

The WVGS Member Help Program
   The WVGS has compiled topics from the membership application form into a list members can use to see what assistance is being offered. If after reviewing the topic list you see something you would like help with, use the request submittal form on the [Member Page]. You need only leave your name and a description of what you would like help with. All communication will go through the program administrator in order to protect the privacy of both you and the applicable member unless both parties agree to direct contact.


    If you are not currently a member of the WVGS, click the [Membership] buttton at the top of this page for details on how to become one. 

Special Notice:
  Statewide birth certificates are now available at the Oregon State Archives (OSA) for the first time from mid 1903 through 1922 (birth records are restricted for 100 years from the date of birth). They are sent from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) in Portland to the OSA.  Some of the earlier year's records aren't complete, because the counties didn't always send the records in to the state.

   The OSA is allowing the WVGS to publish their index of the Oregon 1916 birth certificates. This index was compiled by volunteers at the Archives and includes birth name, date of birth, county, names of parents and additional updates such as later name changes. A copy of the 1916 index in searchable PDF format is available on our [Member Page], and the birth certificates for 1903-1922 are available at the OSA.

   See the [Membership] page for information on how to become a WVGS member with full access to the 1916 index along with all issues of our 'Beaver Briefs' quarterly publication, many other WVGS documents, and publications from societies we exchange with. Members also receive discounted pricing on search requests (see the [Research] page for more information).

If you have difficulty locating the resources you seek, send us an email at the address above.
If you are having any difficulty with our site such as a broken link, please let us know at: webmaster@wvgsor.org
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