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Excerpts
from
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An excerpt from the June 2001 Issue of
"Ohio's Last Frontier".
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Greetings WCGS members!
By the time you receive this newsletter our society will officially
be 20 years
old. We have much to be thankful for and proud of. We have a super
newsletter, which actually began as a quarterly loaded with lots of original
material.
One that stands out to me is the list of "wolf scalps" paid for by the
state government and listing the "old pioneers" of the county, who
took their rifles into the wilderness to rid the area of wolves that endangered
other settlers, their families and their livestock. Our chapter members
submitted their 5-generation charts and other info to start the publication
rolling.
Soon we had more material and the monthly newsletter became practical.
Vintage quarterlies and newsletters are still for sale and contain a wealth of
info. Next we decided to try a publication to preserve the county material
and generate much needed revenues for our treasury. Our first book, 1864,1874,1894
Atlases of Williams Co., OH plus Plat Map,
all fully indexed, was a winner and sold out almost immediately.
We began several publication projects, such as recording all 12 township cemeteries, marriages from 1824 to 1903, 1870 census books, the first volume of
county births, and other genealogical materials. With the money raised by
the volunteer compilers, we purchased books, microfilm CD's, a computer printer,
2 microfilm readers (one co-sponsored with the Historical Society and the
Library), and the IGI on microfiche. We spearheaded microfilming of
the early tax records and civil/criminal court records.
WCGS founded First Families of Williams County and encouraged both accurate
documentation and the history of Wms. Co's early settlers. We underwrote
the 4-H projects of our county's youth to begin and continue a life-long pride
in their families.
When we began our projects, the typewriter was our means of preparing
"camera ready documents". Along the way, we jumped into the
computer age and learned to live with the advent of the Internet and e-mail.
Yes, a lot has changed over these 20 years, but a lot has not.
We still enjoy our monthly gatherings for genealogical fellowship. We are
still committed to the preservation and publication of both county records and
our own heritage. Yes, we're a little older, more seasoned, more vigilant against slip-shod research and the inaccuracies this can reap.
We still need volunteers, 5-generation charts (now with your authorization to
publish), surname cards, etc. Won't you find it in your heart to share
either your talents or your time to make the next 20 years as successful as the
first?
Remember...it's your Society....
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