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RESEARCH

Family Records and Genealogy

Genealogy, also known as family history, is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members. The results are often displayed in charts or written as narratives.

The pursuit of family history tends to be shaped by several motivations, including the desire to carve out a place for one’s family in the larger historical picture, a sense of responsibility to perserve the past for future generations, and a sense of self-satisfaction in accurate storytelling.

Research Wise County History for towns and communities that are gone but not forgotten. If you have a family, town, or community that you would like the Historical Society to research, you may send the request to Wise County Historical Society, Inc., 1602 S. Trinity St. Decatur, Texas 76234 or our email address: [email protected].

We provide professional genealogical research at $25 per hour. However, please feel free to contact us for any request, such as obituaries, marriages, deaths, school information, etc. at no cost if we can provide it via email.

You may also purchase an entire family file on a thumb drive for $25 plus $5 postage. Contact us now to find out if your family name is included in our family file list!

Help us preserve local history. DONATE Members are the core of the Wise County Historical Society. For only $20 a year you can become a member and help us keep local history alive. You'll also receive our monthly newsletter, early notice of events, and other benefits! JOIN As a nonprofit organization, we primarily rely on donations from individuals and businesses. Any donation, large or small, is appreciated and will be used to help us preserve history and educate the community about our shared past. VOLUNTEER Our volunteers are what keep us going. We are always looking for people willing to help with a variety of tasks, including lawn care, office filing, staffing events, and many other things. If you would like to help out please reach out by clicking below. DONATE MEMBERSHIP VOLUNTEER We can't do it alone. With the tragic loss of the Wise County Heritage Museum building in 2023, we need your help more than ever. We continue to move forward and are working to restore the site to house important local artifacts and historical documents. Fortunately, there are many ways you can support us in this effort.