BVGS Welcomes You . . .

Botna Valley Genealogical Society, Pottawattamie County Iowa

Guidelines for Donations to BVGS:

The Botna Valley Genealogical Society (BVGS) appreciates the donations of research materials which make up a large part of our collection.  To assure that donations will be useful to our researchers, we have established the following guidelines which will be administered by the Board of our organization.                                     

The BVGS will accept materials that: 

  • Are useful to researchers.  They must be readable and help researchers find names, dates, and places.
  • Add new information to the BVGS's collection and fit in available space.
  • Do not violate current privacy and copyright laws.

The BVGS readily accepts the following:  (Periodically we will weed out irrelevant materials due to new technology.)

  • Genealogy "how to" books
  • Iowa county history books
  • Family histories with genealogical information*
  • Current genealogical periodicals (within limits)
  • Cemetery records
  • Census records
  • Church records, histories, and directories
  • Court, probate, & vital records
  • Plat books
  • School yearbooks (Pottawattamie County except Council Bluffs)
  • Directories such as city directories and phone books prior to 1930
  • Newspapers from the county on microfilm
  • Genealogy reference CD's
  • Cash donations gratefully accepted.  Make your check payable to Botna Valley Genealogical Society, and mail it to the Society at PO Box 693, Oakland, IA  51560-0693.

     *Written works, such as family histories, should be in a clear, readable format.  They should include a title, the author's name, and the publication date.

On a limited basis, the BVGS accepts the following:  (Please contact the Board before bringing in the following types of materials.)

  • Local histories
  • Indexes to records
  • Passenger lists
  • Naturalization records
  • Military records
  • Newspaper extracts
  • Land records
  • Maps
  • Well organized collections of genealogical and research materials such as our "Members' Pedigree" books
  • Personal journals from Pottawattamie County excluding Council Bluffs
  • Memorabilia (very limited basis)
  • Loose photographs identified if possible with names and dates to help find family members.  Know who from or where found.  (If family not found in, say two years, we will pass on to a museum unless the person bringing them in wants them returned.)
  • Copy of family information from Bibles, but not actual Bibles
  • Other

Comments

Reid Cooper

23.03.2017 22:26

I have an additional query about Clara Alice Palmer, my first cousin twice removed. She was born 1882 in Center Township & died as Mrs. Frank Moore on Dec 12, 1916. What was the cause of death? Obit?

Barb

02.04.2017 20:22

I will be happy to scan and email or send by snail mail copies of these two obits once I received your minimum donation of $10. Thank You!

Barb

02.04.2017 20:21

Hi, Reid! I have an obit for you that I found for Alma Piles per your earlier request. I have just now looked in my index and see a reference for an obit for Clara Moore which I can get for you.

Reid Cooper

03.03.2017 01:31

I am interested to know if you have any information on Alma Kathryn Piles who was born in the area in March of 1888 and died in California in 1916 and was buried in Oaklawn Cemetery.

Barb

04.03.2017 15:07

I will check next time I am at the Genie Room and let you know.

Karen

06.08.2015 20:16

Thanks Barbara I will speak with the family and let you know. I really do appreciate you taking the time to look into this for me.

Karen

05.08.2015 19:13

Do you think someone else might have done it? What is the cost in having one done if we can't find something. Thanks again for your help.

Barbara Butcher

05.08.2015 20:49

(cont) donation of $10 per hour for our time plus the cost of any copies made and postage to mail. We would look for resources, but not write up a report. Names would be necessary.

Karen Way

30.07.2015 21:55

Thanks Barbara, I am not sure how big it is but before Lonnie passed he did say he thought it was a booklet but he wasn't sure. I hope you can find something I would really like to see it and read about our family history. If there is a cost/donation pl

Barbara Butcher

05.08.2015 20:47

Karen, I also looked in our published genealogies and our folders of research we have done for people. I found nothing on the Copenhaver family. If we do research for people, we ask a donation (cont

Barbara Butcher

04.08.2015 15:21

cont.) Kinzer, Huffman, Gillespy, Caplinger, Smith, Honeker, Bosshart, Wilson, Sall, Bartram, Lambert, Brashears, and Goff.

Barbara Butcher

04.08.2015 15:19

I found nothing in our resources by Roma on the Copenhaver's. The names on Roma's works were Brown, Purcell, Lawrence, Barker, Russell, Annable, Fowler, Ford, Hatch, Humbert, Reynolds, McReynolds, Ki

Karen Copenhaver Way

30.07.2015 16:19

I am looking for a document the Roma Smith put together on the Copenhaver family. Lonnie Smith had told me that his mother and done some work on the Copenhaver family and I am checking to see if you might happen to have a copy since we are unable to loca

Barbara

30.07.2015 21:24

Karen, I will be at the Genie Room on Monday, and I'll take a look then to see if I can find what you are referring to. How large of a document do you think this might be? few pages? a book?

Latest comments

13.10 | 18:24

Colleen, I have posted an ad in reference to the Orphan Train that stopped in Oakland in 1904. It is under the tab "Blog/News." Let me know if that is what you were wanting to look for. Barb

13.10 | 17:29

Would there be an opportunity for me to visit the genie room to search for information about an orphan train stop in Oakland? Thank you!

10.04 | 19:02

John, I will send an email to you. Barb

09.04 | 18:34

I've misplaced Barbara Butcher's e-mail address and have something interesting to send her. I'm a member. John Altenburger