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Next Workshop Date

Saturday, April 18th  9:30 a.m. to noon

Getting the most out of Ancestry.
Location: Siouxland Downtown Library

Registration fee includes any or all of the remaining workshop series.

Member cost for series: $10

Non-member cost for series: $30, which includes a 1-yr SVGS membership with emailed copies of the Pathfinder Newsletter. For more info and to register, click the links under Special Events.

 

 

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Thursday, May 7th at Old Courthouse Museum

  • Courtroom on 2nd floor due to joint meeting with Minnehaha County Historial Society

Join us for social time at 6:30, followed by the program at 7:00 p.m.

From Russia to Dakota: The Amish, Hutterite, and Mennonite

Journey

by Marnette D. (Ortman) Hofer and Tim L. Waltner of the Heritage Hall Museum & Archives in Freeman, SD.

https://heritagehallmuseum.com/

  • Please note this is an in-person meeting

View Meeting Details

Special Events

In honor of America’s 250th Anniversary, SVGS will host a series of workshops beginning Thursday, April 2nd to help participants research their family history, preserve and organize what they find, and create meaningful ways to pass stories along to future generations. Interested participants will be guided in strategies to uncover their own personal connections to the American Revolution.

Info: Click to Download Workshop Details

Registration: Click to Download registration form

VIEW MEETING DETAILS

SVGS Library Info

Sioux Valley Genealogical Society
Old Courthouse Museum-2nd floor
200 W. 6th Street
Sioux Falls, SD 57104

(605) 991-0256

Tuesday – Friday 12 p.m.-4 p.m.

*Call to make an appointment for visits outside of operating hours. Note–If the Old Courthouse Museum is closed, we will also be closed.

We are now a FamilySearch Affiliate Library! Come into our library and access the FamilySearch records that are available through the library in Salt Lake City, UT. While the majority of their records are available to us, there are some that are only available at their location. Bring your laptop and start your research!

All-Access Ancestry.com is also available exclusively to our members for research purposes. This includes the records found on Ancestry.com, Fold 3 (military records), and Newspapers.com.

About Us

We Are The Sioux Valley Genealogical Society

Welcome to the Sioux Valley Genealogical Society (SVGS). This organization, located in beautiful Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was founded in 1972 and continues to serve the genealogical research and documentation needs of our members and community with ties to the Dakotas and surrounding area. The SVGS is a group of volunteers dedicated to the collection and preservation of information about families, past and present, and to help its families in our area obtain the information they need to document their family heritage.

  • Member info and genealogy news
  • Upcoming meeting information is posted
  • Research on family history books
  • Our members help each other
  • Often share notices of other meetings in the area
  • Research help is available

Why Join Us?

Benefits of our membership

Pioneer Pathfinder Newsletter

This 3 times a year publication comes to each member via email or postal mail. It is jam packed with updates about the society, member info, features on area history, and national genealogy news.

Collaboration with colleagues

Many of our members help one another for free when a brick wall seems impossible in research. You will meet up with folks who understand your genealogy research interest.

9 Meetings a year

We provide a variety of topics for our meetings which are held in person or via Zoom. The handouts, provided by the speakers, and the Zoom recordings are posted on our website in the member login area.

Sharing of other opportunities

Our members often share notices of area meetings, state conferences, national conventions, interesting resources and research tips during our meetings, on our website, or through our Facebook page.

Resources galore

Our library, open to all, contains a vast array of research materials such as atlases, family history books, old city directories, obituaries and other society newsletters. * Please keep in mind that we are a non-lending library.

Research help

Research help is available whether it is getting started or answering specific questions. To get started, email our research volunteer at research@siouxvalleygenealogicalsociety.org!

About Us

Serving South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa

Sioux Valley Genealogical Society
Old Courthouse Museum-2nd floor
200 W 6th Street
Sioux Falls, SD, 57104

(605) 991-0256

We are a 501(c)3 non-profit agency.

Our research library is open Tuesday through Friday afternoons from 12PM - 4PM. Best to call ahead to confirm as the library is staffed by volunteers.