Napa Valley Genealogical Society

The Napa Valley Genealogical & Biographical Society was founded as an offshoot of the Bicentennial Committee of the Napa County Historical Society. Meetings began with great enthusiasm in July of 1974, with membership numbers growing quickly from the original core to 134 charter members. After six months of preliminary tasks, including formation of the society, adoption of by-laws, and filing for incorporation in the State of California, founding member Marian McGuire hosted an organizational meeting at her home in January of 1975. By the end of the meeting, the first slate of officers had been elected and board members appointed.

Support from members and friends in the community had multiplied the library’s holdings so rapidly that the society faced a hard decision in the late 1980s — find larger quarters or get rid of books. The church at 1701 Menlo Avenue was found to be almost perfect, and was purchased on December 20, 1989. The new library’s grand opening was held on July 20, 1991. On May 22, 1993, the society invited the community to a “Mortgage Burning” ceremony to celebrate full payment of the loan balance. With pride and gratitude, the ceremony’s written program proclaimed: “It is ours free and clear. Thank you all!”

The Napa Valley Genealogical Society’s library and its collections will always be the core legacy of those early volunteers. In 2012 the library became a FamilySearch Affiliate, and the first online education program was held in 2021.

Today, the library contains more than 9,000 holdings, which cover the precolonial era to the present day. The collection is the main repository for Napa County records, but offers much more, including substantial resources on Colonial America, all 50 states, and many foreign countries. Each year, NVGS volunteers help hundreds of people discover and share their family history through educational programs, research assistance, interest groups, and special events.

The NVGS library is an invaluable resource in northern California for beginning and advanced researchers. All are welcome to visit and explore.