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Oklahoma Societies and Archives
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It is wise to acquaint yourself with any repository which you might visit by writing to the appropriate archive or library in advance. Every repository has published materials that introduce its collections and research policy. State archives and historical agencies also have Internet sites that provide the same information. Some even have downloadable databases for some or parts of their collections.
Oklahoma Public Libraries - In Oklahoma, within the entire library system, there is an interlibrary program that can be called upon for many printed materials. The reference librarian at the local library, for a small fee, can request assistance in locating a particular book through this system.
- Submit a website for Oklahoma Archives
- Oklahoma Department of Libraries, Division of State Archives and Records, 200 N.E. 18th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 75105
- The agency holds the original permanent records generated by state government including Confederate pension applications and transcripts of minutes of the boards of county commissioners for forty-seven counties for 1886–89. The Records Center, a few blocks away at 125 N.E. 21st Street, maintains the non-permanent records for state government and has some records for Cleveland County.
- The Oklahoma Territorial Museum, 107 East Oklahoma, Guthrie, OK 73044
- It has a collection of early Oklahoma microfilmed records as well as a small collection of histories of the area.
- National Archives; Southwest Region, 501 West Felix Street, Building 1, Fort Worth, Texas 76115-3405; E-mail: ftworth.archives@nara.gov. Mailing Address: P.O. 6216, Fort Worth, Texas 76115-0216
Oklahoma Historical Records - Databases include Oklahoma Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records; Oklahoma Birth, Marriage & Death Records; Oklahoma Voter Lists & Census Records; Oklahoma Immigration & Emigration Records; Oklahoma Obituary Records; Oklahoma Military Records; Oklahoma Family Tree Records; Oklahoma Pictures; Oklahoma Stories, Memories & Histories; Oklahoma Directories & Member Lists and much more....
Oklahoma Historical & Genealogical Societies
Because family history research relies greatly upon records found at the county level, many local societies represent counties. Organizations also form around shared interests. Ethnic or religious origins account for many groups, such as the Polish Genealogical Society of America and P.O.I.N.T. (Pursuing Our Italian Names Together). Societies also form around common locales of origin for members’ ancestors; hence, the Palatines to America and Germans from Russia societies. To locate these and other societies, consult Juliana Szucs Smith’s The Ancestry Family Historian’s Address Book. It lists addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and Internet addresses of thousands of organizations throughout the United States.
For almost every state there is a state genealogical society, a state genealogical council, or both. In addition to their own work, state-level groups sometimes help coordinate the efforts of local societies within the state. Their publications, newsletters and quarterlies, supplement those produced by the local societies.
- Submit a website for Oklahoma Historical & Genealogical Societies
- Oklahoma Historical Society,
Oklahoma History Center,
2401 N. Laird Ave.,
Oklahoma City, OK 73105; 405-521-2492
- The society has a museum and a library with several major collections that do not circulate. It has federal census records, nearly 50,000 books including, but not limited to, the extensive collection of printed volumes belonging to the State Library of the Oklahoma Society of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the collection of the Oklahoma Genealogical Society, and other standard genealogical reference materials. It has the largest collection of newspapers for the state, Oklahoma state records, and land records. The strength of its printed collections, however, concerns the counties formed from Oklahoma Territory. It maintains a surname file and a good collection of family histories. The Fred S. Bard Collection of genealogical material concerning pioneers and history is included. The Archives and Manuscripts Division houses some records for the counties of Comanche, Greer, Johnston, Kiowa, Logan, Muskogee, Osage, Payne, Potawatomie, and Swanson. The Indian Archives section of the division houses excellent resources for Native American research
- University of Oklahoma Library, 630 Parrington Oval, Monnet Hall, Norman, OK 73019
- Genealogical materials including histories and general reference materials for public use are among the accessions for the library. Special interests are history of the West, development of the Trans-Mississippi West, and Native American cultures. Its Western History Collection includes the WPA Indian-Pioneer Papers (see Manuscripts). It maintains more than 1,500 collections pertaining to Oklahoma, Native Americans, and western frontier history. The Manuscripts Division houses over 5,000 maps of Indian Territory, Oklahoma Territory, and the Trans-Mississippi West. It also has more than 1,000 sound recordings, including the Doris Duke Indian Oral History Collection and other interviews with Oklahoma's pioneers and leaders
- Oklahoma Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 12986, Oklahoma City 73157-2986
- Publishes a quarterly (see Periodicals)
- Oklahoma City Public Library, 131 Northwest Third Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73102
- The library has a genealogical collection. On request, the staff will check family histories free of charge, and materials are available through interlibrary loan.
- The Federation of Oklahoma Genealogical Societies, P.O. Box 2531, Ponca City, Oklahoma 74602
- Many county and city libraries have some genealogical collections, and most counties have genealogical or historical societies. The Federation of Oklahoma Genealogical Societiescan help locate currently operating ones
- Southwest Oklahoma Genealogical Society,Serving: Beckham, Caddo, Comanche, Cotton, Grady, Greer, Harmon, Jackson, Jefferson, Kiowa, Stephens, Tillman and Washita Counties
- Cherokee National Historical Society
- Oklahoma Pioneer Genealogical Society, Ponca City, Oklahoma
- National Genealogical Society, 4527 17th Street North, Arlington, Virginia 22207-2399; (703) 525-0050 or (800) 473-0060
- International Society of Sons and Daughters of Slave Ancestry, P.O. BOX 436937, CHICAGO, IL 60643-6937; Phone: (773) 238-2686
- Oklahoma Society of Daughters of the American Revolution
- National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution, 1776 D Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20006; Phone: (202) 628-1776
- Oklahoma Society of Sons of the American Revolution
- National Society of Sons of the American Revolution, 1000 South Fourth Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40203; (502) 589-1776
- Directories & Member Lists - Directories and member lists are typically compilations of information about people who belonged to various associations and groups or lived within city boundaries. They can be thought of as the predecessors to the modern-day phone book and usually list names, addresses, and sometimes the occupations of your ancestors.
