Who

The St. Louis Genealogical Society (StLGS) is a not-for-profit, all volunteer organization with members in almost every state and several foreign countries. Begun in 1968, it is now the largest local genealogical society in the United States, renowned for its excellence in programming, resources, classes, and membership services. The society is managed according to a set of bylaws and a mission statement: The society promotes family history research by providing educational and research opportunities, offering community services in related fields, and collecting, preserving, and publishing genealogical and historical records.

What

The society office houses a small research library, computers with genealogical software, and microforms for St. Louis area research. Society members help people research family history by teaching classes, making presentations, and answering questions via our Ask Louie service. Society volunteers preserve historical records and make the information available to researchers through indexing projects and publications. StLGS also sponsors several Special Interest Groups (SIGs) for those sharing a particular ethnic heritage. Current groups include German and Irish. StLGS has a comprehensive, professional website, continuously updated and easy to search and navigate. In addition to schedules of events and classes, the site contains information on hundreds of thousands of past St. Louis area residents. Our Products area offers family history books, CDs, and other publications for sale. An exclusive Members-Only section features many family history resources and unique databases. Society members also receive a scholarly publication, our Quarterly journal

volunteers 2016

When

StLGS offers free monthly genealogy programs at the St. Louis County Library Headquarters. Our annual Family History Conference, held each spring, is the largest single-day genealogical event in the Midwest. Attendees learn from quality speakers and presentations and can browse related exhibitor booths. Twice a year, the society sponsors a Speaker Series and, in the fall, a research trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

                     front entrance to office

Where

The society’s business office and classroom are located at #4 Sunnen Drive, Suite 140, St. Louis, MO 63143, between Big Bend Boulevard and Laclede Station Road in the Sunnen Business Park in Maplewood. Office hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, from 9:00 a.m. to noon. The office staff is a cadre of volunteers who are happy to share their genealogical expertise with visitors. Stop by with your research questions. Please call ahead (314-647-8547) to say you are coming. Our research library of more than 20,000 volumes is maintained under contract with the St. Louis County Library in the History and Genealogy Department at the Headquarters branch, 1640 S. Lindbergh Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63131. Phone: 314-994-3300

Why

As explained in our mission statement above, the reason for the society’s existence it to promote family history research through education and service. Reaching out to the community and collecting, preserving, and publishing genealogical and historical records help us to fulfill our mission. Because of the ongoing efforts of StLGS, thousands of people have learned more about building their family histories and a wide variety of records have been preserved and shared.

How

Throughout our history, society volunteers have preserved historical records and provided information access through microfilming, digitizing, and indexing projects. Many of these efforts have resulted in society publications: charts, books, and CDs, which are available to the general public. In recent years, scanning and digitizing projects have led to millions of names and actual records added to our dynamic website.

StLGS logo

woman browsing books

Last modified: 09-Mar-2023 10:29