Benton County Genealogical Society: Oregon

04/07/2026

REMINDER: April Program (free!) 11:00 am this Saturday, April 11 at the Philomath Museum. Bob Taylor will be talking about The Family History Guide (www.thefhguide.com) a truly educational project and website.

03/18/2026

At the library in Corvallis…

Did you know that we offer free in-library access to Ancestry and the Gazette-Times archive on Newspapers.com? If you're interested in beginning research using resources like these, join us for Research the Past on March 19 at 2 PM!

03/15/2026

Lots of great opportunities here

Genealogy Open House for 2026 with 16 free classes. Come join us!

02/24/2026

Upcoming FREE event: Saturday March 14, 11 am. Philomath Museum. "Moses & Me: Moses Family Papers at the Benton County Historical Society" presented by Walter Frankel.

02/13/2026

Monthly meeting reminder, Saturday 2/14. business meeting at 10:30, followed by free monthly program at 11:00 am. Philomath Museum, 1101 Main St.

02/03/2026

Monthly meeting, Feb 14. Presentation by Jim Birken, 11:00 am to Noon. See attached flyer.

01/12/2026

It's membership season! You can join or renew online using the link on our website.

Membership Membership in the society is open to anyone who would like to research their family history. We have a large library, and we meet once a month to learn more about subjects of interest to genealogists. Membership is for one year at a time and runs from January through December and includes...

01/10/2026

Monthly meeting tomorrow!
Saturday, January 10, 2026
Letitia Carson Legacy Project

11am-Noon
Benton County Historical Society
1101 Main St., 2nd floor, Philomath, OR

Come and learn about some Benton County history.
This presentation is about Letitia Carson, one of Oregon’s first Black pioneers. Born into slavery in Kentucky, Letitia made the 2,100+ mile Oregon trail journey in 1845 with her Irish husband, David Carson, giving birth along the way. They settled in the Soap Creek Valley in spring 1846, but she was forced off the land in 1852. Letitia was a farmer, mother, midwife, entrepreneur, and likely the first Black woman in the country to receive a homestead patent under the 1862 Homestead Act. We will tell Letitia Carson’s amazing story and also share the origins, partners, and goals of the Letitia Carson Legacy Project.