Grand Prairie Genealogical Society
Contact Name: Lynn Shumaker
Contact Email: info@gpgstx.org
Resources
Grand Prairie Cemetery Index with Photos
Grand Prairie Tax Rolls
Aside from our regular meetings (now virtual), GPGS has two ongoing projects: recording Grand Prairie cemeteries and digitizing documents and records for preservation and access by researchers.
An early project to record Grand Prairie cemeteries took place in 1987 and resulted in a printed book. In 2010, GPGS decided to update those records, adding photos. With the efforts of many volunteers, the long process began. We did not imagine the project would take so long, yet here we are in 2020 nearing the completion of the recording of every cemetery in Grand Prairie. We now have nearly 13,000 records available to the public on our website! Our hope is that our “volunteer pool” will continue to support this worthwhile effort in assisting researchers in locating ancestor’s burials.
In early 2016, GPGS began work on developing a document preservation system for TxSGS. The final design used an aluminum frame stand to support a camera and lighting for quality digital capture of documents of all types and sizes. You can purchase the stand from our supplier; contact us for information. The first of many projects was to record the Grand Prairie Tax Rolls. These images are publicly available at “The Portal to Texas History” at UNT in Denton, Texas. This and other projects are accessible in the Roots Room at the main library in Grand Prairie.
GPGS's main fundraising is through our monthly gatherings at local restaurants, not counting the “shutdown”. The various Grand Prairie restaurants give us from 10% or more of revenues from our members and guests. While we love this method of contributing additional funds for our many activities, we receive an even greater benefit from it! We get to know each other socially and the extra fellowship enhances our recruiting of volunteers for projects and programs.