The Eastern Washington Genealogical Society was founded in 1935 with six interested people and a handful of books. In 2005, EWGS celebrated its 70th anniversary, now counting 270 folks and partnered with the Spokane Public Library to house a collection numbering over a thousand items.
The Society meets the first Saturday of the month in February, March, April, May, November and December. Meetings for January and June are usually luncheon meetings, held in different locations. There are no meetings held in July and August, and the September meeting can sometimes be the second Saturday, depending on how Labor Day falls. The first Saturday in October is the Annual Fall Workshop, held at different sites. The regular meetings officially begin at 1:00pm, but the "Coffee, Cookies & Conversation" part of the meetings begins at 12:30. The Society also tries to have a Spring Seminar (usually in April). All those interested in genealogy are welcome at any meeting.
Please visit the EWGS Calendar portion of this site for detailed information on meetings, programs and seminars.
EWGS sponsors the following (the first two come with membership):
- Our award-winning Bulletin, published quarterly, averaging 60 pages and containing interesting articles, local records, book reviews, and the "Hotline," containing up-to-date information on what's new in genealogy, new websites, etc.
- Our annual publication, the Directory, an invaluable reference tool for members. This booklet contains the current By-Laws and Standing Rules of the Association, information on the area's Family History Centers, and up-to-date membership listing and other information important to EWGS members.
- Our members provide free genealogical assistance in the Genealogy Section of the downtown Spokane Public Library most every Tuesday from 10:00 to 3:30 (and some Tuesday evenings) and on Saturdays from 10:00 to 12:00.
- Our members provide on-site and by-mail research assistance for a fee of $15 for 5 items on list, or $30 for all items searched. When the work is completed, you will be advised of the total charges for research and copies. (Be sure to download, print and fill out the Research Request Form from the link on the top of page.)
- Our society offers some publications and resources for sale; these are mostly extractions of local records.
- Our society welcomes donations of any genealogical material. Some donations will be added to the Holdings (and will become property of the Spokane Public Library) and, if the item is a duplicate, some will be included in our annual book sale.