Sioux Valley Genealogical Society

Next Meeting Date

Thursday, Oct. 1st
6:30 p.m. – Social Time in Library
7:00 p.m. – Presentation: Families can be Revolutionary!

Featured Speaker: Steven Waugh
Steven Waugh’s life journey started on the farm. He went to college thinking he wanted to work with animals. Graduating with a degree in animal husbandry, he spent his early career managing a pig co-op in Thor, Iowa. Then he realized that he really didn’t want to do this for the rest of his life. So, back to school. After receiving a degree in computer programming, he went to work for The First National Bank in Sioux Falls and worked his way up to assistant vice president in charge of computer operations.

About the Program:
Steve will share what he learned about the horrors one branch of his family encountered when they chose the wrong ship to bring them to America and the important role another branch played in establishing our government following the Revolutionary War.

Can’t be there in person?
A Zoom link will be sent to all members prior to the program. The presentation will be recorded and made available to members in the Members Only section of the website.

View Meeting Details

Resource of the Month

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

Come to our library and our staff will log you in and help you explore this treasure trove.

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!

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.