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Welcome to the Hopkins County Genealogical Society!
Sulphur Springs, Texas
On behalf of our board and members, we are delighted to have you visit our site, where history comes alive through our extensive resources and community of passionate genealogists. Whether you are just beginning your family history journey or have years of research experience, our society offers valuable tools, including access to a vast library, unique archival materials, and expert guidance. We invite you to explore our online records, participate in our events, and consider joining our society to connect with fellow researchers and support the preservation of Hopkins County’s rich heritage. Membership brings exclusive benefits, and we look forward to welcoming you to our growing community!
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HCGS is proud to be a Partner Society of the Texas State Genealogical Society. TIGR 2025 is June 16-20. |
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Join us for Lunch & LearnWednesday, April 23, 2025. More info. . . |
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Brinker born and baffled?
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Ready to dig up the past (without getting your hands dirty)? Join us for the 2025 HCGS Summer Seminar on Saturday, June 21, either in person at our library in Sulphur Springs or online via Zoom. Our guest speaker, the brilliant and bold Patti Huff Williams, will guide you through the twists, turns, and tantalizing trails of your family tree.
Whether your great-granny hailed from Hopkins County or your cousins are scattered across the nation, this seminar will arm you with fresh research tips and inspiration to help you uncover the stories waiting in your branches. Brick walls beware!
Registration is open now, so grab your seat before the cousins beat you to it.
For more details and registration information, visit our Genealogy Seminars page.
Because honestly – your ancestors aren’t going to trace themselves.
From Hopkins County History
Monday, April 21, 1924. Page 1 of 4
East Texas League Opens Here Tomorrow
The East Texas League baseball season for 1924 opens tomorrow all over district, with Sulphur Springs on her home grounds and Greenville here. The Walter Kincaid Post of American Legion is sponsoring the opening game and plans are being made to care for an immense crowd that are expected to attend. All business houses in town will close at 3 o’clock.
The Greenville band 100 strong and the Sulphur Springs Municipal band, dressed in overalls and straw hats, will form a line of march on the square and then to the City Park, followed by the large crowds that are expected to make the opening day in Sulphur Springs the banner day of East Texas. Every loyal fan is expected to be there when the game opens and help Sulphur Springs win over her old-time enemy, Greenville.
NOTE: The East Texas League brought minor league baseball fever to towns like Kilgore, Longview, Tyler, Greenville, Mount Pleasant, and Sulphur Springs during the rollicking seasons of 1923 to 1925. Sulphur Springs suited up as the Lions, Saints, and Spartans. These small-town teams stitched together a regional passion for the game, where baseball meant crackerjack, rivalry, and dreams that stretched far beyond the outfield fence.
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Books & Gifts
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Looking for a Thoughtful Gift?
Whether you’re shopping for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or simply want to surprise someone special, the HCGS Bookshop has a unique collection of local treasures that make perfect gifts.
Explore the heartfelt Writings of Celia Wright, or dive into The Progressive City, a rich story of change and growth in Sulphur Springs. For history lovers, Civil War Shadows in Hopkins County and Brush Men & Vigilantes offer gripping glimpses into our region’s Civil War-era struggles. Want something more personal? Try Alive and Good to Know, full of Pine Forest family stories and photos, or Blind Tiger: My Time in Vietnam — a moving soldier’s memoir. There’s even a retyped 1895 Hopkins County Texas – A Souvenir Booklet full of early Hopkins County portraits and stories. And don’t miss our charming canvas tote bags, handmade by HCGS board member Rhonda Bechold — stylish, practical, and personalizable!
All purchases support the non-profit mission of the Hopkins County Genealogical Society. Your gift won’t just be appreciated — it’ll help preserve our local history, too.
Browse the full collection now on our Bookshop page.
Back Issues of Hopkins County Heritage
We are now offering for sale ALL of the Hopkins County Heritage back issues on a single flash drive!! (Includes every issue from the beginning in 1984 to June 2017). Each flash drive contains two folders – one folder contains individual issue PDFs and one folder contains a single PDF of the complete set. It is word searchable so that you can easily locate surnames or search terms in any single issue or in the complete set! And travels with you easily to libraries or on research trips!
The cost is $50 (plus $4 for shipping and handling) and can be purchased by contacting the HCGS library.
About The HCGS Research Library
Over 8,000 Titles
The HCGS Research Library houses original county records, maps, family collections, scrapbooks, 1000’s of photographs, and numerous original materials. Note, current Saturday hours – open 2nd Saturday of each month from 9:30am to 1:00pm.
Click here for more details about the HCGS Research Library.
FamilySearch.org Affiliate Library
The HCGS Research Library is an affiliate library of the LDS in Salt Lake City, Utah, which houses millions of digitized restricted records covering most counties in the US as well as worldwide. These restricted images, viewable from our computers, allow our patrons to travel to locations and view many records including court house records such as deeds, wills, probate cases, etc. from the convenience of our HCGS library. Use their catalog to discover what records might be of interest. (FamilySearch Help Center topic 55954 helps to explain how to use their catalog.) And if your county/country of interest has not yet been digitized you can contact FamilySearch to request that they digitize specific films. You may request up to 5 rolls of films in one interaction. For specific details on how to do this by phone, chat, or email go to FamilySearch’s Help Center and view help topic 469883.
Hopkins County Texas Research Guide
Professional genealogist and former Hopkins County resident Cyndi Harlin has graciously shared her Hopkins County Texas Research Guide. This expertly created guide gives numerous tips and areas to explore to help aid your research in Hopkins County. Check out this useful and beautiful booklet by clicking here.
Rescue Mission
“Genealogy is a kind of rescue mission, one that often remains hidden. Not everyone can see that our ancestors need to be rescued. Not everyone has the ability or desire to rescue them. But we, as genealogists, see the need and set off on the mission, sure of the merit of our goal. We give voice to our ancestors buried in the silent archives of history. . .”[1]
[1] Margaret R. Fortier and Mary Kircher Roddy, “Editors’ Corner,” National Genealogical Society Quarterly 112 (Dec 2024).