About DGS

About Dallas Genealogical Society

Our History

The Society was first known as the “Local History and Genealogical Society”. Its first meeting was held 26 October 1954 when 22 people meet at the downtown Dallas YMCA to discuss having a society with goals to preserve heritage and records.

Our first publication was a single page printed on both sides dated 21 February 1955. In 1957 we began producing a Quarterly publication that continued until 1996 when we changed to an annual Journal. Newsletters were published intermittently up to 1996 when 10 publications a year were started.

November 1955 is an important month in the history of the Society as that was the month the first night meeting was held at the library, the first clinic was held, and a Charter was obtained for a non-profit corporation domiciled in Texas.

Over the years meetings have been held during the day, at night, and alternating between the two. Today we hold the general meetings the fourth Monday of the month and added monthly meetings for some special genealogically related interest groups. We’ve had fall festivals, lecture series, and summer institutes to help educate and to raise funds.

Sometime over the years the Local History and Genealogical Society became the Dallas Genealogical Society.

We are a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation and a member of the National Genealogical Society (NGS) and the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS).

Our goal has changed a little over the years. It was the object of this society shall be to create, foster, and maintain interest in genealogy; to assist and support the genealogy section of the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library in Dallas, Texas, or to its legal successor; and to collect, preserve, copy, and index information relating to Dallas County and its early history. It is now the object of this Society shall be to educate, by creating, fostering, and maintaining interest in genealogy; to assist and support the genealogy section of the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library in Dallas, Texas, or to its legal successor; and to collect, preserve, copy, and index information relating to Dallas County and its early history.

Revised: May 05, 2008