The West Florida Genealogocial Society (WFGS), a 501(c)(3) organization located in historic Pensacola, Florida, is the largest genealogical society in Northwest Florida.
WFGS was founded in 1982 to promote knowledge of and stimulate interest in the study of genealogy.
Monthly meetings are held on the first Saturday of every month (except July) at the West Florida Genealogy Library, 5740 N. 9th Ave., Pensacola.
All meetings are open to the general public and include a presentation on genealogical research or
relevant history.
Register for our Monthly Genealogy Chat:
We invite you to our monthly Genealogy Chat hosted by President Kristina Clever on the second Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. (Central) for an opportunity to chat with fellow genealogists. Catch up on what your friends are doing. Get or give help for a genealogical problem. Share your family research successes. Please use this link to join the meeting WFGS Genealogy Chat.
2021 West Florida Genealogical Society Conference with
The Legal Genealogist, Judy Russell
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2021
Registration for our 2021 Fall Virtual Conference featuring Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL, The Legal Genealogist will be open to members soon. She is a genealogist with a law degree who writes and lectures on topics ranging from using court records in family history to understanding DNA testing. On the faculty of numerous genealogy institutes, she is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, from which she holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist® and Certified Genealogical Lecturer℠. Her award-winning blog is here. This is a free event for WFGS members (register here). Registration will open to the public in July.
More details to come.
The West Florida Genealogical Society is a participant in Escambia County's commemoration of the 200th Anniversary of the changing of the flag. On July 17, 1821, a ceremony in downtown Pensacola marked the end of Spanish rule of Florida and the creation of Escambia County, Florida.
Join the Faces of Escambia County – 1821 AND 2021: Fill out the form here and upload your photo to represent a member of the 1821 community in a web-based mosiac (uncluttered background, show face & shoulders, no hats).
Footprints is here!
The 2020 edition of Footprints, the journal of the West Florida Genealogical Society, is now available. If you would like to access the digital copy immediately, click here. You must be logged in as a member to access this page.
If you are unable pick up a copy at the WFGL or live outside the area please contact Denise Mowery and a copy will be mailed to you. Remember, if you were a paid member of the West Florida Genealogical Society in 2020, your copy is free. Copies can be purchased for $3 (plus $3 for postage, if mailed).
West Florida Genealogy Library Hours
Currently the West Florida Genealogical Library hours are Tuesday through Friday: 10-7 and Saturday, 10-4. They will be re-opening restricted areas on the 15th of April. This means everyone can browse the stacks of books and pull out what they want to read. Remember not to re-shelve them; place them on the tables or the purple cart, so they can be quarantined for a few days. The library is still requesting everyone to wear a mask and use the usual COVID precautions.
Due to the current concerns regarding COVID-19 and to ensure the safety and health of our members and visitors, scheduled WFGS and Genealogy Library events are subject to change.
Please continue to check this website and the WFGS FaceBook page for updates.
Looking for materials held at the West Florida Genealogy Branch Library?
Here is a link to instructions on how to use the WFPL Main Catalog Advanced Search function to narrow your search results to materials specific to the Genealogy Branch.
Click here for a link to all the SURNAME FILES currently held in the West Florida Genealogy Branch Library's vertical files.
Local history Facebook pages of interest: Lots of photographs of old landmarks and stories from page members.
Be sure to set a timer when you get on these pages or you'll lose track of time!
