Genealogical Forum of Oregon

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Contact Information
Contact Us Website  Facebook Address: 2505 SE 11th Ave., Suite B-18 Portland, OR 97202 Telephone: 503-963-1932 Hours of Operation:

Mon, Tue: 9:30am-5pm, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun: 1-5pm  Directions (Google Map)

Parking Map (Scroll down page)

Description of Collections
With 58,000 holdings, the Genealogical Forum of Oregon (GFO) operates the largest genealogy library in the Pacific Northwest. The library serves as a regional resource emphasizing, but not geographically limited to, Oregon, Washington, Idaho. About 85 percent of the collection covers all of the United States and other countries. Other than the Pacific Northwest, the GFO has one of the largest French Canada collections outside of Canada, as well as an extensive set of Virginia resources.

Pacific Northwest holdings include military, vital records, donation land claims, Masonic proceedings in Oregon from 1851-1910, as well as pioneers and early Oregonians. The GFO holds the original Multnomah County Marriage Records books dating back to 1855. Another set includes Multnomah County Estates, Wills and Guardianship Abstracts 1852-1901, 1904, and 1908.

Our library offers access to eight online databases including Ancestry World Edition, Fold3, Findmypast, American Ancestors, HistoryGeo, and Newspapers.com.

You may search the GFO Library Catalog online and click-to-compile a bibliography in advance of your visit.

Services
Special Interest Groups offer free classes throughout the year. These include African American, British, three DNA groups, Family Tree Maker, French Canada, Genealogy Problem Solvers, Great Lakes Region, Irish, Italian, Learn & Chat, Virginia, and a Writers' Forum.

Research and Look-Up services are free to GFO Members. Others may request lookups for a nominal fee. A small team of volunteers will search GFO resources for up to one hour for $15 per half hour, ($15 minimum) and includes up to 15 emailed digital images or 5 printed and postal-mailed images.

Our web site hosts numerous indexes of records that can be found at GFO or in Oregon and Washington state libraries.

A number of GFO members offer professional research for clients as well.

History
In 1946, three members of the Daughters of the American Revolution founded the Genealogical Forum of Oregon for the purpose of promoting genealogical research through education and providing tools, assistance, and offering expertise to its members. The name was chosen because it reflected the spirit of a roundtable discussion of family history. For the next 20 years, the GFO held meetings at the Meier and Frank building, the Portland Public Library, and other public meeting places.

For many years it held its growing library collection at a member’s home. By 1955, the GFO was offering genealogical classes and working with others, such as the Oregon State Archives, to identify and catalog genealogical resources in Oregon. In 1968, the GFO moved into its first devoted library space, a room in the Governor Building on Southwest Second Avenue.

Since then, the GFO has moved three more times, jumping the river to the Central Eastside in 1999.

In 1991, the GFO successfully hosted the National Genealogical Conference in the States, the first national conference of its kind held in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon Governor Barbara Roberts proclaimed Family History Week in honor of the GFO and the conference. The GFO hosted the NGS again in 2001, and at the time was the only organization to host the Conference twice.

In 2011, the GFO moved to its present location in the historic Ford Building at Southeast Eleventh Avenue and Division Street.

Tips for Your Visit
Parking Lots

All parking lots around the building are pay to park.

Street Parking

Street parking is free. Parking directly adjacent to the building has various restrictions, and side streets within a block of Division include many small, time-restricted zones, so pay attention to signs! Parking can typically be found on S.E. 11th and 12th streets (and to a lesser extent on 10th) within three to four blocks of the GFO.

Disabled Parking

The lot behind the Ford building has one designated ADA spot. It has a three-hour limit and is pay to park.

If you have a valid disabled person permit or plate, for street parking you may ignore the time limit if the posted limit is 1 hour or more. All other restrictions apply, such as the prohibition on parking after 4:00 on Division.

Guides
Handy Guide to Searching GFO Library Catalog


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