Correction, November 24, 2025 8:43 am: A correction was made at 8:42 a.m. Nov. 24. In an interview, the source misspoke about the rent the society pays to the Benton County Historical Society. The amount is $800 per year, not per month.
Sitting at a table in a room on the third floor of the Philomath Museum, 81-year-old George Davidson — he’ll be 82 next month — shares some hard truths about the current state of the Benton County Genealogical Society.
The organization, which dates back to 1971 when it was founded as the Mid-Valley Genealogical Society, finds itself at a sort of crossroads.
The pandemic cut membership in half, dropping it from more than 70 members to the current 37. Davidson plans to resign as board president after eight years because of health reasons. The vice president is also stepping down. And the organization has even been in preliminary talks with another genealogical society about a possible merger.
“We’re mainly trying to get our membership back up … COVID really did a number on us,” Davidson said. “We’re trying to get some of the people we lost to come back.”
The society pays $800 annually to the historical society for building access and its library remains a valuable resource, housing nearly 3,000 items including books, catalogs, society quarterlies, family histories and surname files. The space provides computer access with genealogy software, and members can use their own family tree files on the machines. A second computer is being added, and the library offers access to Ancestry.com, the popular online family research site.
The society’s core mission — making research materials available to family historians — extends beyond its membership. Anyone can access the library during regular hours, 1-3 p.m. on the second Saturday of each month, or by appointment at 541-752-0889.
The organization also offers free monthly genealogy programs for the public at 11 a.m. on those second Saturdays. (The December program has been canceled.)
Davidson said he’s enjoyed the run as board president, a position he’s held since 2017.
“It’s been fun and being retired, it gives me something to keep my mind busy,” he said. “I think I had more free time when I was working full-time.”
His job, as he describes it, has been straightforward: “Try to keep the group organized and set up an agenda for our meetings.”
For more information on the organization, visit the BCGS website or contact Davidson at bcgsor@gmail.com or 928-205-2121.