A part of the 2025 TxSGS Family History Conference, this one-day Partner Society program is designed to spark ideas and provide practical strategies for sustaining and growing genealogical societies in the 21st century. Our speakers will share proven methods for engaging members of all ages, using technology effectively, creating meaningful learning experiences, and building stronger communities both online and in person. Together, we will explore ways to transform challenges into opportunities, ensuring that our societies not only survive, but thrive—becoming dynamic hubs where family historians connect, learn, and share their passion for discovering the past. Partner Society Day hosted by Texas State Genealogical Society

This event is open to any current or prospective genealogical society leader. Leaders from libraries, museums, or historical societies are welcome to attend as is anyone interested in helping their society thrive.

CTGS President Ron Barntett will participate with two others in a panel discussion featuring successful societies (one large, one medium, and one small). The three selected society presidents (from CTGS, Denton County, and Walker County) will field questions from webinar participants across the state.

For more information: https://www.txsgs.org/2025-txsgs-society-day

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KWTX Interview about 2025 Annual Lock-In

News 10's Ke'Sha Lopez speaks with Genealogy Reference Librarian Hannah Kubacak and Chief Genealogist Sherri Ahmadzadeh as they discuss the 24th Annual Genealogy Lock-In. This free, full-day event at the West Waco Library & Genealogy Center (with a virtual option) offers a unique opportunity to explore your family history, connect with experts, and discover new research tools.

Watch it here:

https://www.kwtx.com/video/2025/10/16/unlocking-your-family-tree-look-24th-annual-genealogy-lock-in/

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Monday, November 24

2025 Holiday Celebration (Monthly CTGS Meetings)

CENTRAL TEXAS GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

NOVEMBER 24, 2025 at 6:00 PM

WEST WACO LIBRARY & GENEALOGY CENTER

5301 Bosque Blvd.

Join us for an evening of genealogy games, food, and fun!

If you you’d like, please bring a dish to share.

Download: Download Flyer for Presentation

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What's Behind the "Members Only" Curtain?

The Members Only portion of this website is home to lots of interesting and helpful data. Join CTGS at a single membership of $25 to access these extensive online resources:

Exclusive Publications

CTGS Quarterlies - 1958 to current. Both the issues and a searchable topical index are available online.
Cemetery Records - 26 volumes
Funeral Home Records -

Boykins Funeral Home – Abstract from 30 volumes from 1920-1991

Fall & Puckett Funeral Home – 34 books from 1892-1912

Fall Funeral Home – 7 books from 1912-1917

Puckett Funeral Home – 25 books from 1912-1931

JC Stephenson Funeral Home – 2 books from 1895-1896

Marriage Books -

McLennan County Marriage Book 1 - 1850-1870

McLennan County Marriage Book 2 - 1871-1892

(Also includes short bios of many judges and ministers, history of the churches as they were being founded and names of founding members and leaders in those churches)

Early Waco Obituaries - 1874-1908
Katy Railroad Cards- This fascinating reference contains the personnel cards of the warden shop of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas (M-K-T or Katy) Railroad in Bellmead, Texas from the 1920's through the 1940's.
Index to 1870 & 1910 Census for McLennan County – 4 volumes
Index to Early McLennan County Deaths

Discounted Purchases at the CTGS Online Store

Program handouts from CTGS-hosted programs (with permission) [coming soon]

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Rich House Poor House Casting

Learning to "Read" a Cemetery

Would you like to learn to “read” a cemetery? It’s a genealogical adventure! On many older gravestones, there are pictures and symbols that tell stories about your loved ones and ancestors. If you can’t read “gravestone-language” you are missing part of the story. CTGS has posted this interesting trio of blog entries from the Billion Graves web site that will provide invaluable tools to unlock these symbols. You'll find it on our "Helpful Facts" Research Aids page.

Members, can you help with new queries?

Members - If you haven't checked lately we have NEW QUERIES! You could be someone's genealogical angel.

Visitors- We invite you to email your queries and requests for genealogical help to the CTGS Webmaster.

CTGS Needs You!!!!

Volunteers are the heart of CTGS! Would you consider several of the following ways you can help make CTGS a more effective, vibrant organization? Please contact our volunteer coordinator, for more information.

Enter data records into the website
Write an article for quarterly publication Heart of Texas Records
Volunteer at the annual Genealogy Lock-in
Submit articles for the website
Volunteer at the Genealogy Center
Lead or start a NEW Special Interest Group
Do research for others from home or the library
Monetary donations
Present a program on a topic you are interested in

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Do You Have Ancestor Information To Share?

Heart of Texas Records is the genealogy journal of CTGS, published quarterly. We are interested in publishing your submissions. "Heart of Texas Records Submission Policies & Guidelines" for authors are located on this website under "Publications/Quarterlies." Please contact the Quarterly Editor with any questions at editor@ctgs.org.

Search Engine Tips

Have you tried the CTGS Search Engine? It's a great tool to get the most out of your visit to CTGS.ORG, even if you are not a member! The whole web site is searchable by any user. However if you are not a member, the search engine may point to areas that require membership for full access.

To gain full access, just purchase an inexpensive CTGS membership. A "Research Membership" (for users from outside of Texas) is only $10 per year. That averages less than a $1 per month!

Members- If you will log in BEFORE doing your search, then the search will take you straight to the document or resource you need. Once in the document, press Ctrl-F to search for occurences of your information within the document.

The CTGS Search Engine is powered by Google, so all the search techniques (like wild cards) you normally use in Google Searches will work the same way here.

Proud Partner Society of

In Italian records you may find September, October, November and December shortened as 7mber, 8mber, 9mber and Xmber, respectively.

[Italian Research]

Have a smart phone? Look for a scanner app like Turbo Scan to take images of records and documents.

[Basic Information]

Book to consider for your personal genealogy reference library: Advanced Genealogy Research Techniques by George G. Morgan and Drew Smith.

[Books]