NOTICE! NOTICE! NOTICE! After long deliberation, we, Betty Miller and Patsy Vinson, have decided that we can better serve our visitors if we discontinue the practice of posting queries and requests on the Wood County, Texas web site only. This practice is very time consuming and very limited in it's audience. We prefer our visitors post their queries and requests for information to Rootsweb's message boards and mailing lists as listed below.
RootsWeb Surname List/RSL
RootsWeb WorldConnect Project
Index to all RootsWeb Mailing Lists
Surnames Message Boards at RootsWeb.
Localities Message Boards at RootsWeb.
Queries
Lookups
A Lookup is a request to have a person do a very specific bit of research for you. It has been said that, "Genealogists are among the most generous people on earth." We think that is true; we are proud of it and grateful for it. But please do remember that you are asking a volunteer to donate personal time. When you ask for a lookup, please be specific about the single piece of data that you need and where you think it might be found. It is most inconsiderate to ask a volunteer to take on large research projects involving travel, long time periods, or indefinite objectives. Also, please do not ask us to copy copyrighted material. Because of potential legal entanglements, we simply cannot and will not supply you with any portion of a copyrighted document.
Submit your Lookup request by e-mail. Please put LOOKUP REQUEST as the subject. Then I will do one of two things, depending on whether an on-line volunteer is available:
In either case, you will receive your answer by e-mail. Please be patient.
For lookups in a Marriage Index only, you may contact Marriage Volunteer No. 1. These indexes begin with the year 1879, and that is the earliest data available.
A volunteer with Cemetery Books No. 3 and No. 4 can be contacted at Books 3 and 4 Volunteer.
A volunteer with "Index to Probate Cases Filed in Texas No. 250 Wood County" (1857 - 1939) can be contacted at Probate Volunteer
A volunteer with listings of Smyrna Cemetery (1873-1972) and Old Mt. Zion Cemetery (1893-1973) can be contacted at Cemetery Volunteer
Volunteers Needed! If you own copies of un-copyrighted research material, please, share your information with others. Here is what to do:
Send a message to either Betty Miller or Patsy Vinson telling us what documents/materials you have available and whether you are willing to transcribe the information or whether we would need to transcribe the information ourselves. We will be happy to post any useful historical or genealogical information on this web site. If the information is not offered already transcribed in either Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, or Microsoft Excel, then it can be e-mailed to one of us and we will get the information transcribed as time permits. We would also appreciate it if you are willing to have your e-mail address added to that particular page for folks to contact for information from the original document.
If you are willing to receive e-mail directly from requestors, your address will be added to that page and a short description of the type and kind of material you have available.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: I want to get copies of birth, death, or marriage records. What do I do?
A: Certified copies of Vital Records are available from the County Clerk of Wood County (address Wood County Clerk, P. O. Box 1796, Quitman, TX 75783-1796). The prices are:
Q: I know (?) my ancestor is buried in Wood County, but they are not listed in your cemetery books so there must not be a headstone. Can't a funeral home provide burial information, or isn't there some other place where you can find my ancestor's burial place for me?
A: No, local funeral homes do not have records going back far enough to be of any help. And No, we don't have access to other burial records. Official burial records are kept in Austin and are available only after you prove your family relationship.
Q: I am willing to pay to have some research done. Don't you have a professional genealogist, or at least someone who will do research for pay?
A: Yes. Listed below alphabetically are the names and addresses of persons who have indicated a willingness to perform genealogical research for a fee. The Wood County Genealogical Society does not recommend a particular researcher nor is it involved in any of the negotiations between the person and the researcher which must be made directly with the researcher.
Austin, TX researcher specializes in the Texas State Library and the documents available to the public in the Capital.
Bonita Gray,4140 CR 3230,Mineola, Texas 75773 Email address: scubyhag@aol.com
Research: Wood County ONLY
Qualifications: Twenty plus years research experience on personal family and over four years research experience for other individuals.
Minimum Fee: $10.00 per hour of research with a minimum of 3 hours, in form of money order or cashiers check. No personal checks, unless advised. Clients must pay the flat fee up front and will be billed for the cost of copies when mailed. The client will not be billed for mileage, unless I have to travel outside the Quitman area, the charge will be $.30/per mile.
Census and Other Lookups: Instead of hourly research, you may request lookups in specific records, i.e., census records, obituaries, marriage, birth, death records, etc. I charge a flat fee of $10.00 per lookup to 4 additional lookups, plus cost of copies. New clients must pay the flat fee up front and will be billed for the cost of copies when mailed.
If you know of a person willing to undertake research for pay, please advise Betty Miller or Patsy Finley Vinson.