About Us--Who We Are
Mission
and Purpose | Non-Profit
Corporation | Board
of Directors
MISSION STATEMENT
Polk County Genealogical Society, Inc. promotes genealogical
research by providing educational and research opportunities,
offering community services in related fields, and collecting,
preserving, and publishing genealogical and historical
records.
The purposes of this Society shall be:
1) To encourage the interest in and study of genealogy and the
practice of genealogical research, particularly, but not limited
to, the ancestry of its members and individuals who now live in,
or formerly lived in Polk County, Missouri.
2) To encourage and educate members in the art and practice of
genealogical research, compilation and careful documentation and
otherwise promote scholarly writing; to maintain and elevate
genealogical standards.
3) To encourage the interest in and the expansion of the
resources, equipment, and physical facilities which will be the
private property of the Society. The gifts and bequests of
books, materials, manuscripts, photographs, and financial
contributions to the Society, would thereby enable the Society
to remain in a constant state of growth and progress.
The Polk County Genealogical Society Research Facility is open four days a week and staffed entirely by volunteers from the Polk County Genealogical Society, a non-profit corporation. The society and its facility is supported entirely by membership fees, research fees, book sales and donations. Over 60 percent of our membership is from areas other than Polk County, Missouri.
Collage
of PCGS Group Pictures (not all members were present)
Please visit our Facebook
album to see larger versions of each picture with names
included
Cay Sergent, President
Cay grew up where there were more cows than people.
However, she has lived in Polk County for over 40 years. After
32 years as an educator, she is happy now to volunteer her time
for causes that she believes are important. She loves to look
through old family photos, even if they are not hers and
delights in hearing stories from the past. She believes that
while the history books often tell the stories of the kings,
queens and popes – the real story lies with the ordinary men and
women who lived out each day in very common ways. She is
passionate about saving those stories and memories for future
generations.
Morris Westfall, Vice President
Morris
Westfall is a native Polk Countian. He has been many things
over the years, but he considers himself a self-employed
livestock producer, having raised cattle, hogs and sheep most
of his life. "Morris’ father was a storeowner, not a
farmer. His family didn’t own much land, only about 20 acres,
but Morris loved working with livestock. Upon graduating
from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a degree in
animal science, Morris became a field representative for the
Hampshire Hog Association for two years, then the farm news
director for KWTO in Springfield, Mo. It was during his time
at the radio station that Morris became a pioneer in the
Missouri cattle industry." It was
his and a colleague's suggestion to separate the Missouri
Livestock Association into two groups, one of which became
the Missouri Cattlemen's Association in 1968. For his work
in the cattle industry and his support of agriculture
throughout his career, the Missouri Cattlemen’s
Association presented Morris with its Pioneer Award in
2020.
(Ozarks Farm & Neighbor, March 11, 2020 written by
Julie Turner-Crawford Link:
https://ozarksfn.com/2020/03/11/an-industry-advocate/)
Morris is also a former member of the Missouri General
Assembly, serving both as a Senator and Representative for the counties of
Barton, Cedar, Dade, Greene (part of), Lawrence, Polk and
Vernon.
Morris has lots of stories to tell from all of his
adventures over the years and has presented several programs
for the society.
Leta Gass, Secretary
Leta Matthews Gass is a fifth-generation Polk
Countian and has documented her family back to the
beginning of the county, receiving the very first certificate in
the First Families of Polk County, Missouri program for her
descendancy from Matthew Glaves Campbell. Leta is married to
Charles and they have one daughter, Valary. Leta began
volunteering at the library in July 2003, after retiring from 30
years of teaching. She now serves the facility as the archivist,
creating finding aids for the collections and
preserving/repairing documents, photos, etc. that have been
given to the library. She has served the group as president,
treasurer, and is currently the secretary.
Julie Trout, Treasurer
Julie Wollard Trout is a sixth-generation Polk Countian. Julie is a charter member of the Polk County Genealogical Society, which was formed in 1994. She has been interested in genealogy her entire life but the start of her active research came after a visit to a family cemetery at age 13. She graduated from Bolivar High School and then Southwest Baptist University with a degree in History and Sociology. She graduated from the National Genealogical Society Home Study Course in 1995. She is married to Brian and has two adult sons and one daughter in elementary school. Julie tries hard to balance her time between being a wife, mom and genealogy. She spends lots of time on her computer late at night researching!
Betty Doyle, Director at Large
Betty grew up in the city but, during her high
school years, she moved to Polk County. She attended Southwest Baptist University
and studied accounting. She is a long-time member of the
Bolivar United Methodist Church and serves on the
Missions committee. Betty
is retired and busy doing volunteer work at PCGS and the
Polk County Christian Social Ministries, including the
Share Your Christmas program. She enjoys researching her
family history as well as helping others. Awards include
the Bolivar United Methodist Women’s group Special Mission
Recognition award in 2005 and, in 2013, the Bolivar Rotary
Club Civic Service Award.
The Polk
County Genealogical Society is a non-profit
organization |
Go to PCGS Home Page
Copyright 2003-2025, Polk County Genealogical Society, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Last revised: March 2024
Located on the southeast corner of the courthouse square in Bolivar, MO