Good people of Payson and surrounding areas, it seems that many are not aware of the Northern Gila County Genealogical Library. It has been in operation for decades and is currently available to all researching their family. The location is 302 E. Bonita Street in Payson. It has been at this location since 2000, yet I seem to encounter folks that have never heard of it.

By Marge Templeton and Lettie Cale - last updated 12-8-2001

In 1979, an informal group was meeting at the Payson Public Library [it was located on Main Street at that time] between 7 and 9 p.m. on Tuesday evenings to share their love of and their expertise in Family History Research. The group grew and in October 1980, it was decided to join an organization in Phoenix, the Genealogical Society of Arizona, which was trying to help organize genealogy chapters all over the state. We were required to have officers, by-laws, and a constitution. The library had provided space for our meetings, our small shelf of books, and space for a couple of microfilm readers that one of our members had purchased from an army surplus sale business. In September of 1982, it was decided that we would incorporate and break our ties with the Genealogy Society of Arizona as we were managing by ourselves so well. We became the Northern Gila County Genealogical Society, Inc.