Joining and Renewing Membership Questions

Click on the + symbol to expand each section.

Go to the Sign In page and click on Forgot Your Password? Or click on this link to reset it right now.

Enter in either the username or email associated with your account and an email will be sent to you containing a link to reset your password.

If a few minutes have passed and you have not received an email check your Junk or Spam filters. If you still do not see the email, contact website@wpgs.org with your membership details.

You do not need a PayPal account to pay by credit card. Instead, follow these steps to pay through PayPal as a guest:

Click on the Renew button and then select PayPal as your payment option and then click Renew Subscription button.

You will be directed to this screen:

Click on Pay with Debit or Credit Card.

Enter your email address and click on Continue to Payment. You will be brought to this screen:

Fill out this information and scroll down to the bottom of the page

Untoggle Save Info & create your PayPal account. Only then will you see the option to proceed as guest as shown below:

Then click Continue as Guest to complete your payment.

Once you have signed up for a joint membership, log in to your account and click on Account at the top right of the page (or click this link to go directly to the accounts page). Under the Membership tab, you will see the option to Manage Group.

On the next screen, write the email address of the second member in the Email(s) to invite box and then press Invite Members and enter in a Group Name (like a family name).

The secondary member will be sent an email where they can add their username and member details.

Sign into your account by clicking here. If your membership is within 60 days of expiration or has already expired you will see the option to renew under the main navigation bar as seen here:

On the next page, first, click on your preferred payment method (by check or PayPal), then, click on Renew Subscription.

If paying by PayPal complete your transaction on the PayPal site. If sending a check, please mail them to:

Membership
Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society
4400 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-4007

If your joint membership is set to expire at the end of the membership year, you must log in to the “Primary” user account to renew your joint membership. Once you are logged in you should see the option to renew under the main site navigation or if you click on the Account page.

If you were a member using our previous website, but your membership had expired before 2021, you will need to Join again and reenter your membership details, by going to our “Join” page.

Once you have completed that step, email membership@wpgs.org so that we can associate your old member number with your new online account.

There are several reasons why you do not see the option to renew your account:

  • You already renewed your account for this membership year and it is not expired or within 60 days of expiring.
  • You set your account up to Auto-Renew last year and it will renew when your current membership expires (June 30th).
  • You are the secondary member on a Joint account. To renew a Joint Membership the primary person must log in and renew online.

If you have specific questions about navigating the website please email website@wpgs.org or your membership please contact membership@wpgs.org.

Shop Questions

If you are a WPGS member, don’t forget to log in as a member first to take advantage of all discounts. Ordering and payment for all WPGS Books can be done through the Book Store by credit card or bank account through PayPal or if payment is to be made by check, choose Check Payment. This will remove the volumes from our inventory and shipment will be made at the time payment is received, whether that is online or by mailed check. Shipping is now FREE on all book sales. If you are a Pennsylvania resident, do not forget to add the 7% sales tax. All transactions are processed on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the receipt of payment, then by the postmark date, and ALL SALES ARE FINAL. As this is an all-volunteer effort and we are using USPS Media Mail rates for shipping, please allow at least two (2) weeks for order fulfillment. Proceeds from the sale of these publications go to the General Fund to be used to provide additional services to our members. Don’t forget to check the website often as new books are added periodically to the Book Store.

WPGS PUBLICATIONS

In the days before internet online sharing, WPGS published 42 record indexes, compilations, documents, newspaper data, statistics, etc. that were relevant to the Western Pennsylvania region. WPGS is proud of these publications, which brought to light many lesser-known regional resources. From historic newspaper items to government records to maps, you’ll find a wealth of information in these record abstracts and finding aids. More than half of these publications are out of print and no longer available, but 20 of these publications are still available. If ordering by mail only, download and complete the Printable Order Form .

USED BOOKS

The WPGS Library is housed in the Pennsylvania Department of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Main Branch, in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The collection does not circulate. Our thousands of volumes focus on Western Pennsylvania records, yet may extend to nearby areas in Ohio and West Virginia, plus we get many donated items that are not relevant to the 26 counties of Western Pennsylvania. Each year we sort through our collection and weed out duplicates, older editions of current publications, items that are outdated, and volumes that are not focused on Western Pennsylvania family history research. Previously, we offered these volumes for sale at our annual meeting in June. However, this sale excluded many members and non-members who are not able to attend that meeting in person. The Online Book Store now makes these books accessible to everyone at reasonable prices and shipping is free. See the List By Category for a comprehensive listing of the available volumes. Members receive a discount on all volumes priced over $10. If ordering by mail only, download and complete a Printable Order Form for each publication requested and submit a separate check with each item ordered. This is so that we can return your payment if the publication has already been sold, rather than having to issue a refund by check. Please review the available volumes on the website to be sure the one (or two) you wish to purchase is still available. Most books will have library identification markings, but they were in a non-circulating library so, other than that, most offerings are in very good condition. It will be noted in the description if it is not.

DIGITAL PUBLICATIONS DOWNLOADS

If you are already a WPGS member, remember to log in to be able to download your order. There are now 15 out-of-print volumes available for digital download. Go to Digital Materials, place your order with a credit card or checking account through PayPal and download your volume selection. No mail orders are accepted for digital downloads.

As a member, this is also where you can download archived copies of the WPGS Quarterly publication listed under Research | WPGS Quarterlies. Also, there are indexes listed here by category, location, and date for all volumes.

Visit our Library Research Services page to learn more about every service we offer.

The Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society is an all-volunteer organization, but we try our best to answer research questions and archives requests as promptly as possible. WPGS will research for members or non-members, but members do receive preferential treatment. Turnaround time for most requests is 2-4 weeks. The WPGS Library is staffed by volunteers who are available to assist patrons with limited genealogical research within the scope of the WPGS collection and resources. Such research is intended to complement, but not replace, the services of a professional genealogist. It is intended to complement the research resources available through our colleagues at the Pennsylvania Department of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

Digital downloads will be emailed to you immediately.

Yes, all items have a significant discount for members. Please sign in to see the member price. If you are not a member, you can join at any time and instantly receive our discounted price.

Shipping is now FREE on all Book Sale orders!

A 7% Pennsylvania sales tax is collected from Pennsylvania residents on all transactions, recorded by your Pennsylvania zipcode.

Donations

Did you know that WPGS is NOT an archive and we do not have the resources to accept your entire collection?

We do have a non-circulating library within the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Main Branch, and we accept printed and sourced family histories that reference individuals and families that have resided in the 26 counties of Western Pennsylvania. However, we do not have the capacity to accept all of the related resources and documents used to compile these histories. Although our library accepts book donations relating to Western Pennsylvania research, whether individual books or entire collections, we ask that an inventory of your donation be submitted beforehand so that we can review that list and compare it with our needs and guidelines. We do accept books to be dispensed through the Used Book Store, but they need to be pre-approved as well.

Please refer to the WPGS Library Donation Policy and Library Donations Form and contact librarian@wpgs.org for additional information

You can make a donation online by clicking here.

Did you know that WPGS is NOT an archive and we do not have the resources to accept your entire collection?

We do have a non-circulating library within the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Main Branch, and we accept printed and sourced family histories that reference individuals and families that have resided in the 26 counties of Western Pennsylvania. However, we do not have the capacity to accept all of the related resources and documents used to compile these histories. Although our library accepts book donations relating to Western Pennsylvania research, whether individual books or entire collections, we ask that an inventory of your donation be submitted beforehand so that we can review that list and compare it with our needs and guidelines. We do accept books to be dispensed through the Used Book Store, but they need to be pre-approved as well.

Please refer to the WPGS Library Donation Policy and Library Donations Form and contact librarian@wpgs.org for additional information

You can make a donation online by clicking here.