The Bedford Genealogical Society was established in 1980 as a non-profit organization to promote fellowship and cooperation among persons who are conducting genealogical research, to further the use of sound genealogical methods, standards of accuracy, and scholarly research, and to aid those doing research in our area. We currently have over 100 plus members, including not only many who live in or near Bedford County, but also many from other areas of Virginia and the U.S. who are searching for information in our area.

Here are many of our activities:

Programs:
Open to visitors as well as Bedford Genealogical Society members, our programs are designed to aid researchers at all levels in learning methods to solve genealogical problems and research techniques, historical information, sources of records, and social customs. Our regular meetings generally have a featured speaker and numerous opportunities to share stories and information and to help one another solve research problems.

Meetings:
Meetings are usually held the second Saturday of the month eight times a year, September through May, excluding December. We meet at 1:30 p.m. in the Bedford City/County Museum Research Room, 201 East Main Street, Bedford, Virginia. Any changes from this schedule will be posted on the home page of this web site. Admission is free and visitors are welcome. We welcome suggestions for programs, comments, and questions.

Newsletter:
We publish a newsletter four times a year which keeps our members informed of upcoming events of our Society and other local societies and research facilities. It also includes book reviews, surname queries, and articles of genealogical interest.

Members may submit queries for publication in the newsletter. Since the newsletter is exchanged with many other genealogical societies throughout the U.S. the reach of queries extends nationwide.

Send us comments, news, and ideas for articles! You may contact our newsletter editor, in care of the Bedford Genealogical Society.

Records:
We aid in the coordination of preservation efforts in the County and support efforts of the Bedford City/County Museum. Members dues and donations to the Genalogical Society are used to purchase books and other materials of genealogical interest for the Research Room collection. We also publish Bedford County records of genealogical interest which are for sale through the Museum.

Cemetery Project:
We are recording, indexing, the information of genealogical significance on the gravestones in hundreds of cemeteries in Bedford County. This is an ongoing project and has been for over ten years. As we continue to discover new cemeteries and grave stones we will update out cemetery records in a timely manner.

All previously found cemeteries (presently over 1600) are very well indexed with as much information about the site as could be determined such as number of stones if unreadable, depressions, and all information from stones which could be read and the present condition of the gravesite. Included are directions on where the cemetery is located.

Research Rates
There are at the present time two individuals who process incoming requests for genealogical research done in the museum and courthouse. The rates for this service are $20.00 an hour plus the cost of copies and mailing.

All research is done in a timely manner by these very knowledgeable people but be advised we get a lot of requests and it may take an extra bit of time to complete your request.

Any questions just contact the Bedford City/County Museum.

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