You can
contact us at:
PCGS
PO Box 632
Bolivar, MO
65613
info@pcgsmo.com
417-777-2820
BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
President
Cay Sergent
Vice President
Morris Westfall
Secretary
Myra Pippen
Treasurer
Julie Trout
Director-at-large
Betty Doyle
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see this icon, click to leave our site and go to the
online map.
Visit PCGS to pick up your free commemorative map of
Bolivar!
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UPCOMING
MEETING:
December 1, 7 p.m.
Christmas
Fellowship and Member Share Time
Time of fellowship with snacks to share. The
program will be a member share time, so a story
and/or artifact is requested (not required).
We love hearing all of the stories.
The meeting, held at the PCGS Library on the
southeast corner of the square, will begin at 7:00
pm with a short business meeting. The meeting is
open to the public.
Society Business:
At the November meeting, the
following officers were elected by majority vote
for the 2023 year - -
2023 Officers:
• Cay Sergent, President
• Morris Westfall, Vice
President
• Leta Gass, Secretary
• Julie Trout, Treasurer
• Betty Doyle,
Director-at-large
President's
Corner
Gratitude is one word that comes to
mind frequently these days. In relation to PCGS,
we owe a great debt of gratitude to so many
individuals. Many people make the work here
possible and support the mission of the
organization. It is like a pebble thrown into a
pond and the ripple effect spreads out over the
surface area far from where the small pebble was
initially thrown. Perhaps Mother Theresa said it
best in her quote: "I alone cannot change the
world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to
create many ripples."1 Together we
accomplish so much. More than we ever could as
individuals. We are glad that you as members
choose to join with us and support our mission of
preserving history and supporting genealogical
research.
Our members support us first by paying membership
dues. Dues help to pay the bills from supplies
needed to the postage required to send out a
newsletter. Your support as members also tells us
that you care about the preservation of Polk
County’s history and genealogy.
Monetary donations are also given throughout the
year. All of these, no matter the size, help to
pay utility costs, insurance, repairs, and the
list goes on. These donations are essential to
keep the society operating.
Our volunteers work many hours on various projects
as well as helping those
who request help via email, telephone, or come in
the door. Without them, none of this would be
possible. Their faithful service makes all the
difference in the work of PCGS.
Some offer their support by caring enough to
preserve the history of the area.
When they see something that needs to be
preserved; they work to get the material into the
proper place. Others support by just caring about
the work and keeping informed about events and
activities.
Some provide needed supplies such as hand
sanitizer, paper towels and soap.
Each gift makes a difference and helps in some
way.
Gifts of genealogical research are made. These
might include family research or private papers.
All help in increasing the materials available.
Ultimately all of the above support our 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.
Gratitude - yes, we are grateful for all that
everyone does to make our mission possible.
Without the support of many, our work would not be
possible.
Cay Sergent, PCGS President
1 Goodreads. (n.d.). Retrieved April 6,
2021, from
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/49502-i-alonecannot-change-the-world-but-i-can-cast
Follow us on
social media for genealogy
hints, tips,
and ideas and PCGS updates.
https://www.facebook.com/pcgsmo
https://www.instagram.com/pcgsmo/
https://twitter.com/pcgsmo
https://www.historypin.org/en/person/65041
New
on our website:
Obituary Files
updated, March 2022
Tribute page updated
Ancestors page updated
Archived Newsletters updated
Requesting
research from PCGS:
Our Resources
page has been updated with a new
look and price chart.
*THE BEST WAY
to request a lookup is to email us
with your request before sending
payment and we will let you
know if we can help you with your
search. Remember to please be
specific with your request, giving the
full name of the person you are looking
for, with any relevant dates and Polk
County place locations. Email
info@pcgsmo.com
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Please remember to be patient
with the volunteers--at PCGS the volunteers
know the collection and have helped hundreds
of people just like you find that probate,
obituary or long lost family history. They
also have a love of the craft and travelers.
We have all visited those places where the
staff grunts and points to the genealogical
section. Not here at PCGS! You will always be
greeted with enthusiasm and helpfulness. Be
generous--share your data with the facility
and leave as large of a donation as you can.
Those donations and your support are what keep
our doors open and the lights on, four days a
week year round. We look forward to your
visit!
Susan Sparks, Past President
Did you know?
PCGS is 28 years old!
The PCGS Research
Facility (original Carnegie Public Library)
is 107 years old!
The
Polk County Genealogical
Society was established in
1994. Interested parties
first met for an
organizational meeting in
February 1994. The first
program and business meeting
was held in April 1994. At
the time, the Society was a
special interest group of
the Friends of the Polk
County Library and was
supported financially by the
Friends. The first name of
the Society was the Bolivar
Genealogy Group, but the
name was soon changed to the
Polk County Genealogical
Society.
In 1996, the Society
became independent of the
Friends of the Library. The
first publication for sale
by the Society was published
in 1998. There are now over
80 publications available
for purchase at the
Society’s library. The
Society incorporated in
August 1999 and became a
not-for-profit corporation
in January 2001. The Society
does not receive any funding
from local or state
entities. All money comes
from donations of
individuals, research fees,
and sales of society
publications.
In October 2001, PCGS
purchased the Carnegie
library building located on
the town square of Bolivar,
Missouri and completed
renovation of the ground
floor in the summer of 2002.
The Polk County Genealogical
Society Library was opened
to the public in July 2002.
The lower floor houses the
research collection. While
the Society focuses on Polk
and surrounding counties,
there is material from
across the United States,
including a large selection
from Tennessee and Kentucky.
Researchers also have access
to Ancestry.com, Fold3.com
(a military site), and
Newspapers.com. The only fee
charged is for copies. The
all-volunteer staff is
available to help at any
time.
The upstairs was renovated
in 2005 and houses the
collections that have been
given to the Society.
Finding aids are created for
these collections which
helps researchers find
information valuable for
them without having to go
through the whole
collection. Also, this floor
contains the old Polk County
records dating back to 1835.
Court docket books, probate
record books, and court
cases are housed on this
floor.
The Society continues
to promote and encourage the
preservation of local and
family history through
informative programs,
classes and special events.
The Polk County Genealogical
Society Research Facility’s
regular hours are Monday,
Wednesday, Friday and
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Monthly meeting are held the
first Thursdays of each
month at 7 p.m. (Exceptions
to our regular schedule and
open days are listed on our
website www.pcgsmo.com.)
PCGS has welcomed visitors
from all over the United
States and Canada and hope
to continue to do so for
many years to come!
INCLEMENT
WEATHER POLICY:
If Bolivar schools are
closed because of weather, the library will also
be closed. If Polk County is under a Winter
Weather Warning, the facility will be closed.
There will be no night meeting, either, if
school is closed on a Thursday.
If bad weather develops on a Thursday afternoon
before the regular monthly meeting, members can
call 417-777-2820 to find out the status of the
meeting. Winter Weather and Tornado Warnings
will mean automatic cancellation of meetings.
Click here for school closings
list at ky3.com
CLOSING DATES
FOR 2022:
Monday, May 30
(Memorial Day)
Monday, July 4 (Independence Day)
Monday, September 5 (Labor Day)
Saturday,
October 29 (Living
History Tour)
Monday
- Sunday, November 21 - November
27 (Thanksgiving)
Monday, December 19 through Sunday,
January 1 (Christmas break)
We will open at 10
a.m. on Monday, January 2, 2023
GEOCACHING--Geocaching
is an activity in which the participants use a
Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or other
navigational techniques to hide and seek
containers (called "geocaches" or "caches")
anywhere in the world.
PCGS is now part of the geocaching community.
For more information, please see
this website Grandma's Little Stash
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=48059b6f-fd44-4c45-88ae-07c7d0d0be53
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