Monthly Meetings

The Society meets the third Thursday of each month at the HCGS Research Library, 611 N. Davis St., Sulphur Springs, TX, 75482, at 7:00 p.m.

Programs during these meetings are free and visitors are always welcome.

The Society does not meet in June or July.  The August meeting is usually a joint meeting with the Hopkins County Historical Society at Heritage Park.

2022 Speakers List

April 21st – Speaker Jennifer Hudson Connors

Our speaker, Jennifer Hudson Connors is a 3rd generation genealogist, having inherited the bug from her mother’s side of the family. She inherited a love of motorcycling from her father’s side. As a recently retired librarian, she now combines these interests with travel to courthouses and cemeteries. She is 1st Vice regent of the Mineola chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and is working on her second novel based on family history research.

“Family History in Context” – We all search for the vital statistics of our ancestors. This talk will explore those facts in the wider context of the 1918 -19 Influenza Pandemic. Jennifer Hudson Connors will encourage you look at your family history through the events of their day and document your own materials in a meaningful way. In person & zoom virtual meeting 7pm

May 19th – Robin Cole-Jett  

Robin is the Red River Historian. For over twenty years, she has researched, documented, and shared the history of the Red River Valley of the Southwest through her website, presentations, books, articles, social media, and even a few TV appearances. A born Texan with family roots all over the Red River Valley

“Ye Olde Roads” – One of the more interesting aspects of genealogy research isn’t necessarily an ancestor’s life records. In a country where most citizens have immigrated or were forcibly moved, discovering the roads, paths, trails, and traces they took can be equally rewarding. In this presentation on “Ye Olde Roads,” Robin Cole-Jett, the Red River Historian, will uncover stagecoach routes, emigration trails, and more in the North Texas region.

2020 Speakers List

January 23rd – Speaker John Sellers

“Wood and Shingles, Brick and Mortar – Discovering the History of Your Home or Building”

February 20th – Speaker Ken Hanushek 

“Ebenezer MacIntosh: Patriot or Bad Apple?” – This is the story of a lesser-known Massachusetts colonist whose role in the protests of the 1765 Stamp Act had a profound impact on the writing of the US Constitution.  The presentation takes us from England’s court of King George to the streets of Boston to Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, which will house the Constitutional Convention in 1787.  As MacIntosh’s role in history unfolds, he will be revealed as a commoner who ended up in an uncommon story.

March 19th –  Speaker Matt White 
Our monthly meeting for March  has been cancelled. We will try to book Matt White for a later program.

April 16th – Speaker Chris Woodrow

Chris will discuss  Wavell Colony which was located in old Miller County. The boundries of this colony began at the junction of Sulphur Fork and the Red River at Natchitoches upward and ran parallel with the Red River to the mouth of the River Kiamish and back to Sulphur Fork.

May 21st -Veronica Jordan And Saundra Dunn
“The Family Land Heritage” – They will tell how they researched and found their own family land heritage. The Family Land Heritage program honors families who have owned and operated a continuous  agricultural operation for 100 years or more on their property. They will explain what proof  is needed and how to go about the application process to receive a certificate.

June -no speaker
July- no speaker 

August – Paula Altenbaumer 
Paula will be portraying Elizabeth Hopkins Townes Coffey, with an emphasis on hotels in early Sulphur Springs

September 17th -Kenneth Sivard
Topic- To be announced

October 15th -Ari Wilkins
“Black and White Southern Families in Southern Plantation Records”

November 19th –  Patti Huff Smith 

Topic – DNA

December  – no meeting –