If you need yet another good reason to visit the stupendous genealogy library housed in the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society headquarters building, here it is!  Better make travel reservations at a local hotel for one day in this library (just like potato chips) is not nearly enough!

Union Gap, WA. – The Yakima Valley Genealogical Society has recently been donated the Vernie Smith Bennett Collection, a major and significant collection of genealogical research material, by a benefactor in Texas. The collection consists of approximately 670 bound volumes of genealogical books and records. The donated material mainly covers the southern states (Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina and Texas) but does include some books with records from the northern states. This is a major addition to the existing collection which already consists of over 18,000 bound volumes on the shelf, 6,000 microfilm and 6,000 microfiche. The Yakima Valley Genealogical Society operates a library in Union Gap, Washington. It is one of the largest genealogical libraries in the Pacific Northwest and is open to the public free of charge 6 days a week. For the catalogue of the society holdings, the library address and it’s hours of operation you can go to their website at yvgs.net.