Hi-Plains Genealogical Society
Plainview (Hale County), Texas
Information about the Hi-Plains Genealogical Society
Located on the balcony of the Unger Memorial Library,
the public library of the City of Plainview, Texas
Research assistance regarding Hale County obituaries, family histories, and newspaper articles is available.
Write: Hi-Plains Genealogical Society, Unger Memorial Library, 825 Austin Street, Plainview, TX 79072-7235
Phone: (806) 296-1148, E-mail: umllibrarian@suddenlinkmail.com Mariya Hapiy, Librarian, Unger Memorial Library
INDEX
• Mary Cox's History of Hale County, Texas
• Vera Dean Wofford's Hale County: Facts and Folklore, vol. 1
• Vera Dean Wofford's Hale County: Facts and Folklore, vol. 2
• Maisie Jones's Civil War Veterans Buried in Hale County
• Paula Evans's Hale County Marriage Records Index: 1888-1941
• HeritageQuest Online (in-library or password access only)
• Hale County Cemetery Records database: description or search
• Hale County Collection
• Holdings in the Unger Library
• Hale County Bibliography
• Hale County, Texas, Marriage Records Index, 1888-1941
• History of the Hi-Plains Genealogical Society
• Other genealogical resources
HeritageQuest Online for in-library use or for home use (get password from library)
HeritageQuest Online is designed specifically for patrons in public libraries who are
either just beginning their family research or who after years of work are still uncovering
their past. With over 25,000 books, the entire US Census, and other expanding
collections, HeritageQuest Online gives any library the chance to tap in to one of the
largest collections of genealogy material in the country.
- Complete U.S. Federal Census, 1790-1930. The page images and
corresponding indexes for the entire census, 1790-1930 are included in
HeritageQuest Online. These are completely new indexes created by Heritage
Quest. More than 1 million corrections and more than 25,000 additional names
have been added over competing indexes. In addition to the ability to search by
name, our census records can be searched by place of birth, age, ethnicity and
other variables making this the most versatile census searching available online.
For example researchers can quickly see all African-Americans or all persons born
in Ireland living in a state or county.
- ProQuest's Genealogy & Local History Collection of 20,000+ family and local
history books, every word searchable. Every page of each book is presented and
can be easily downloaded or copied. Few genealogical collections in the country
have this many titles. Now even the smallest library can instantly begin to offer the
information power of a large research library. More titles are added every week.
These titles have been digitized from ProQuest's microfilm collection, Genealogy &
Local History, which has assembled genealogies, local histories, primary source
materials, and genealogical and local history serials including material from all 50
states and Canada. Titles are included from libraries nationwide including the
Newberry Library (Chicago), the Widener Library (Harvard University), the New
York Public Library, the Sutro Library, the University of Illinois at Urbana, and
others.
- Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files.
(Coming late 2002) This HeritageQuest collection details records of 80,000+
individuals who served in the Revolutionary War and contains both genealogical
and historical information. Each veteran's file usually contains six or more pages
on each veteran and normally includes the veteran's former rank, unit, and period of
service, age or date of birth, residence, and sometimes-genealogical information
on other family members.
- Freedman's Bank Records. At the close of the Civil War, the Freedman's Savings & Trust Company was the primary bank for America's
freed slaves and others from 1865-1874. This HeritageQuest collection documents
more than 70,000 bank depositors and nearly 480,000 of their dependants and
heirs. It is considered one of the most important resources for African-American
genealogical research.
Hale County cemetery records - all 37,000+ of them! - are now available for online searching by clicking on the database link above. Approximately 15,000 of these records are cross-references from women's maiden names to their married ones (or, occasionally, from a man's well-known nickname to his full name). Cemetery records include birth dates, death dates, and marriage dates (and each of these dates shows a location, when recorded), spouse's name, military background, and which Hale County cemetery (block, lot, & space) in which the individual is interred. We are in the process of uploading full texts of obituaries for people who have died since 1996 along with photographs (since 1998) if they were submitted to our local newspaper, the Plainview Daily Herald, by the funeral homes. Twice a year the society prints out a list of the cemetery records for the entire county as well as the rolls for individual cemeteries with both lists stored in the "Genealogy and Local History" section of the library. A current cemetery records printout is also kept on file at the county clerk's office.
Hale County Collection
The Hale County collection consists of a complete run of the Hale County Historical Quarterly, the Hale County Facts & Folklore books, old city directories and telephone books from the area, some PHS and Wayland yearbooks, and other Hale County miscellanea. A major item of local historical note is the essentially complete run of the local newspaper, the Plainview Daily Herald, on microfilm. Issues dating back to 1908 are available and a microfilm reader/printer can make 8 1/2 x 11 copies of articles. Also, there are microfilm copies of several years of other Hale County cities - Hale Center, Abernathy, and Petersburg - as well as film of the Plainview Reporter News (which ran from 1969-1981 although the library currently only has the 1980 reel). Other books which make reference to Hale County are also included in the collection.
Holdings in the Unger Library
- 3000+ books (700 Texas, 350 Hale County, >2000 other states, 300 family histories)
- 1000+ rolls of microfilm
- 750+ sheets of microfiche
- 50+ indexes on CD-ROM
- Hale County Cemetery Records database
Hale County Bibliography
A bibliography of Hale County materials was published in 1987. This annotated list of over one hundred books was compiled from books housed in the Unger Library's genealogy collection, the Llano Estacado Museum (at Wayland Baptist University), the Mabee Learning Center (formerly the Van Howeling Memorial Library at Wayland Baptist University), as well as from holdings in private collections.
Hale County, Texas, Marriage Records Index, 1888-1941
Research was done by volunteers of the Hi-Plains Genealogical Society who transcribed the original index to the marriage records with the cooperation of the County Clerk. There are over 5,000 names included along with the spouse's name and the marriage date. There are separate indexes for grooms and brides. A spiral bound copy of this index is available for sale by the society for $20 which includes postage.
History of the Hi-Plains Genealogical Society
The Hi-Plains Genealogical Society was formed in 1967 with 29 charter members. The collection has grown from a handful of books to over 3,000 titles. The Society's collection houses over 50 GRS CD-ROM titles, a microfilm collection consisting of hundreds of rolls of census records, and a microfiche collection of hundreds of fiche containing card catalogs, pedigree charts, and miscellaneous information.
OTHER GENEALOGICAL RESOURCES
Unger Memorial Library Home Page
This file was last updated on 3/11/2009.