Local History Grants Now Available

The State Historical Society of Missouri is seeking proposals of up to $500, each, to help Missouri cultural heritage institutions preserve and provide access to local history. The deadline for organizations to submit their application is September 15, 2025. The one-year grant period begins in November 2025. The Richard S. Brownlee Missouri Local History grants honor a long-time former executive director of the State Historical Society who helped expand the Society’s holdings of newspapers, reference materials, manuscripts and artworks. A maximum of $10,000 will be awarded this year.

“Brownlee Local History Grants are an opportunity for local historical societies and cultural heritage institutions to preserve and provide access to their valuable collection,” said Gerald Hirsch, associate director of the State Historical Society of Missouri. “We’re also excited to offer funds for organizations that plan activities and events surrounding the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence and how Missouri fits into this celebration in 2026.

The Missouri Local History grants are eligible for projects in any of these areas: The preservation of historical local records, which includes the purchase of archival supplies to store or display manuscripts, photographs, maps or other materials. Funds may not be used for preservation of federal, state or local government documents. Another area of focus can be education or programming activities to promote learning about local history or training for the preservation of local history records. New this year are projects or programs that promote America’s 250th anniversary. Grants are available to Missouri cultural heritage institutions that are members of the State Historical Society at the silver level or higher with preference given to local historical societies.

Grant proposals for the 2025-26 cycle may be submitted online at https://shsmo.org/awards/brownlee-grant

State Historical Society Releases Free Genealogy Video Series

The State Historical Society of Missouri has released a series of 12 workshop videos aimed at teaching basic genealogy techniques. Hosted by Bill Eddleman, a professional genealogist and associate director of the SHSMO Cape Girardeau Research Center, each episode explores a different resource used to locate ancestor information and trace family history.

Earlier this year, the U.S. National Archives released the latest census records allowed by law–those from 1950. Census records are an important tool in family history research, and Eddleman discusses the census, its history and its use in genealogy. “The census is really the workhorse for many genealogists,” Eddleman says in part three of the series. “We learn a lot from the census, and it’s generally pretty accessible.”

Free and available online, Basic Genealogy explains how to use land, court, probate, and vital records to find and follow the chronicles of an ancestor’s life. Eddleman also details a variety of popular online services and touches on how DNA testing has impacted genealogy research. Additionally, Eddleman dives into using newspapers and manuscripts to expand upon a person’s story and illustrate the life beyond the records.

“We get an idea of the past and what it looked like from manuscript collections,” Eddleman says in part 10 of the series. “You might get insight into your ancestor, what they were doing, where they were located, and even what sort of person they were if it’s a really good manuscript source.”

The series closes with a discussion on how to organize and preserve the research gathered. Find all 12 episodes online for free at https://shsmo.org/on-demand/basic-genealogy

Eddleman returns later this year with a series of specialty genealogy topics. The first takes place virtually on Sept. 15 at 1 p.m. CDT when Eddleman will discuss researching Civil War ancestors and highlight critical resources to explore. 

Registration is now open for this free workshop: https://shsmo.org/events/2022/finding-your-civil-war-ancestor 

Recordings of each specialty presentation will also join the Basic Genealogy series on SHSMO On Demand.