Genealogical Society writing contest taking entries through end of year

Submitted by Willspoint1 on

Entries in the Van Zandt County Genealogical Society’s second annual Family History Writing Competition will be accepted until Dec. 31.

The competition is open to both members and non-members of the VZCGS as well as amateurs and professionals. Winners will receive $100 for first place, $50 for second place, and $25 for third place. Authors may submit up to two entries.

Only original material not previously published elsewhere in any format is eligible.

While VZCGS has a goal of preserving Van Zandt County history, subject matter for the competition may include the surrounding counties. The author should engage the reader in the subject's "who, what, when, how, and where" aspect of an article.

Some suggested article types might include: family histories and genealogies of those who settled in Van Zandt or one of the surrounding counties; transcriptions, abstracts or indexes of record groups which have not yet been published or digitized in any format; historical journals, sets of letters or hand-written histories, transcribed with added material on the author of these item types; and military history of Texas soldiers and units.

Some other suggested types might include: "Brick Wall" stories which would demonstrate to the reader the research and source documentation that transpired during the problem-solving phase of breaking through that "brick wall" or "community stories" which would tell about a specific structure, house, or a specific area such as a community, farm, cemetery, road, or church.

Winning articles are eligible to be published in the Van Zandt County Genealogical Society's quarterly publication, "Our Heritage."

Questions and a request for the 2015 Family History Writing Competition Rules and Guidelines may be emailed to Laurie McDonald, quarterly editor, at msmac06@yahoo.com or by calling the Van Zandt County Library of Genealogy and Local History at 903-567-5012.

Organized in 1980, the Van Zandt County Genealogical Society is a not for profit organization created to promote interest in family genealogies and to gather and preserve historical county records. The Society also operates and maintains the Van Zandt County Library of Genealogy and Local History which is staffed entirely by volunteers.

Membership in the VZCGS is $10 per year for an individual and $12 per year for a family. Membership includes a subscription to the VZCGS quarterly publication, "Our Heritage."

General membership meetings, which are open to non-members as well as members, are held the fourth Saturday of each month at the main county library located on First Monday Lane, Hwy 859, Canton.

Guest speakers at the monthly meetings cover a wide range of topics.


For more information about the VZCGS and its activities, call 903-567-5012