Genealogical society celebrates 30 years with open house

By Peggy Laizure

Thirty years ago Louana Bowker, Tressie Weathers and Katherine M. Matthews were tracing their ancestors and got together to brainstorm. They knew other people were doing the same and maybe they could help one another.

So they formed the Moore Pioneer Genealogical Society and the first meeting was held April 15, 1980.

The early meetings alternated between the member's homes in Moore and Norman. The 1980 Moore-Pioneer Genealogical Society officers were Matthews, president; Weathers, vice president; Bowker, secretary; Mollie Moore, treasurer; and Pat McFall, publicity chairperson.

The organization grew and members began to come to the meetings from around the county. The group reorganized in May 1981, changing their name to the Cleveland County Genealogical Society.

The first newsletter appeared in October 1980. By 1982, there were 52 members.

The society will host an open house 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the library, 1119 E. Main St. in Norman to celebrate 30 years. Current and former members are invited as are supporters of the society. Memorabilia from the early years will be displayed.

In September 1990, a library was formed. It continued to grow and it was moved around the county until finally coming to rest at its current location. It houses more than 6,000 titles as well as many original Cleveland County Records.

The society canvassed cemeteries and created indexes of early Cleveland County marriage records. The early marriage records was the first publication. The society now has produced more than 70 publications covering many areas of early county records.

Another service the group offers is workshops to help others who are just beginning to trace their family history. The volunteers are always willing to help a "newbie," as they call beginning genealogists.

Before computers President Mary Lewis said they looked forward to the latest issue of Genealogical Helper and scanned the index for their surnames.

"When we found an individual or a book that appeared to connect to our family, we wrote a letter, addressed an envelope, affixed a 15 cent stamp and waited weeks for a response," Lewis said.

She typed family history on a IBM typewriter and if she made an error, she retyped the page, sometimes many times, she said.

After an ancestral cemetery was found, she would take photos of tombstones and then send the film someplace to be developed and photos printed.

And what did we do before cellphones?

"If we needed to make a phone call to the folks at home, we had to find a telephone booth in a public place," Lewis said. "Once the number was dialed, we'd better have enough change to pay for the call."

Early members climbed to the attic of the courthouse to find records.

"This meant climbing to the attic of the courthouse -- a dusty, disorganized, poorly lit pile -- to abstract critical information," Jo Mustoe said.

And it was so hot in the summer, those records were put off until the weather cooled down. Again, they were typed, indexed and typed again without the benefit of the computer.

Marriage records are now indexed through 1943. The library has early probate files, divorce records, naturalization cases, civil court cases and funeral home records from Meyer -- Meyer, Primrose and Mayes.

All the cemeteries in Cleveland County except one has been canvassed, indexed and published.

"We owe a debt to our early members who led us by example," Mustoe said. "They continually pushed for the future, remembered the past and stayed busy in the present to get things done."

The Cleveland County Genealogical Society has depended on many volunteers who spend hundreds of hours to get the records indexed. And they do it with a smile.

The society is a non-profit organization and receives no federal, state or county funds. The programs are funded by membership dues, fundraisers and donations.

Drop in and see what they have to offer and those who need help to start their own family genealogy, there is no better place to start.

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