Register now for the Fall Family History Event

2019 Michigan Genealogical Council’s Fall Family History Event, in partnership with the Archives of Michigan and the Library of Michigan, will be held Saturday, November 9, 2019 from 9 am to 4 pm, at the Michigan Library and Historical Center, 702 W. Kalamazoo, Lansing, MI.

Our speaker this year is Diahan Southard who will present four sessions on DNA. Ms. Southard has a degree in Microbiology, and she understands all things DNA.  She worked for Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation and is the founder of “Your DNA Guide.” (https://www.yourdnaguide.com/)

You will learn a lot about DNA with Ms. Southard. Her programs are understandable, fun, and upbeat. You will leave the session feeling that you really do understand DNA.

The four sessions, which will be explored in a future blog post, are:

• Five Tips to Make Sense of Your DNA Testing
• Me and My 1,000+ 4^th Cousins
• Organizing Your DNA Results
• Connecting Your DNA Matches

Other sessions offered at the Fall Family History Event are on Beginning Genealogy, Michiganology, and Poor Houses in Michigan.

Registration options are by mail, or online. All registration information can be found on Michigan Genealogical Council’s website mimgc.org.  There are multiple options for registering.

• Early bird registration closes at 11:59 pm, October 31, 2019. The cost is $50, a savings of $10.
• Regular registration after October 31, and for walk in’s the day of, costs $60.
• A downloadable syllabus is included with all registrations and emailed to registrants prior to the event. An optional printed syllabus is available for an additional $5.
• Free admission for students up to age 23, with a valid student ID, presented at check in, is available. Students are charged the cost of lunch, if they wish to order one. Also, if they wish a printed syllabus, the cost is $5.

We hope to see you there.

Diahan Southard is Fall Event’s Keynote in November!

In partnership with the Archives of Michigan and the Library of Michigan, the Michigan Genealogical Council is proud to have Diahan Southard as our Fall Event keynote speaker this year, on Saturday, November 9, 2019.  Registration is open at Diahan Southard Fall MGC Event

Diahan Southard’s DNA interest began as a high school student. This interest led her to attend Brigham Young University and receive a degree in Microbiology. She started her career at Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation. She is the founder of “Your DNA Guide” (https://www.yourdnaguide.com/) and offers a personalized, interactive experience to DNA interpretation. Ms. Southard is an international, as well as national, speaker on all thing’s DNA. She has written numerous Quick Guides about genetic genealogy. Her articles have appeared in Family Tree Magazine, Genealogy Today, and others. You are sure to learn a lot about DNA at this seminar. Her fun, upbeat way of presentation combined with her vast knowledge presented in an understandable way will leave you with the feeling that you really can understand your DNA results.

8:30 am Complimentary coffee or tea in the lunch area.

9:15 am Introductions and Announcements

9:30 am-10:45 am
Five Tips to Make Sense of Your DNA Testing (A1) by Diahan Southard

11 am-12:15 am – choice of one
Me and My 1,000+ 4th Cousins (B1) by Diahan Southard
Beginning Genealogy 101 (B2) by Daniel Earl
Michiganology (B3) by Jill Arnold, Archives of Michigan

12:15 pm-1 pm Lunch
Optional pre-ordered lunch from Grand Traverse Pie Company (choices next page) or bring your sack lunch.

1 pm-2:15 pm choice of one
Organizing Your DNA Results (C1) by Diahan Southard
Beginning Genealogy 201 (C2) by Daniel Earl
Michigan County Poor Farms (C3) by Adam Oster, Library of Michigan

2:30 pm-3:45 pm
Connecting Your DNA Matches (D1) by Diahan Southard

3:45 pm-4:00 pm Closing Remarks

More seminar information, including session descriptions and speaker bios, are available at https://mimgc.org.

The Archives of Michigan and Library of Michigan are open Saturdays, 10am-4pm (free parking on Saturdays)

FAQs

What are my transportation/parking options for getting to and from the event?
There is free parking on-site adjacent to the building.

What can I bring to the event?
You may bring a laptop, tablet, smartphone, or paper to take notes if you wish. Photography and audio or video recording of presentations are prohibited without the advance consent of the presenter.

A sweater or light jacket is recommended due to temperature fluctuations in session rooms throughout the day. Be sure to bring your questions and enthusiasm too!

Will handouts or a syllabus be available?
A link to the downloadable syllabus will be emailed to all attendees the week before the Fall Family History Event. An optional printed paper syllabus is available for $5.00.

Is there a Friday evening lock-in connected with this event?
Yes, there is a lock-in at the Archives of Michigan and the Library of Michigan Friday evening. Initially, registration is limited to attendees. If space remains the week of the Fall Family History Event, registration will be opened to all. The Archives of Michigan is handling the Lock-In registrations, and the “how-to” information will be included with the confirmation email to attendees.

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
Only if you are not the registered attendee or did not receive an email confirmation that you are registered.

Can I update my registration information?
Yes.

How can I contact the organizer with any questions?
You may contact the Michigan Genealogical Council with any questions via email at seminar@mimgc.org.

Is it ok if the name on my ticket or registration doesn’t match the person who attends?
Please advise us before the day of the event if another person will be using your registration. Use seminar@mimgc.org to contact us with this information.

 

Date And Time

Sat, November 9, 2019

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM EST

Location

Michigan Library and Historical Center

702 West Kalamazoo Street

Lansing, MI 48912

 

Refund Policy

Refunds up to 7 days before event

Eventbrite’s fee is nonrefundable.

Benzie Area Genealogical Society hosts MGC for September 12th board and delegate meeting

Please join the MGC board and other delegates at our Thursday, September 12, 11 am meeting. It will be held at the Elizabeth Lane Oliver Center for the Arts, 132 Coast Guard Rd, Frankfort, MI 49635.  Limited parking is available at the Art Center and I would encourage you to let those with mobility issues park the closest. Other parking is available a short distance from the meeting place.

Our program will be “The Royal Frontenac Hotel History in Frankfort, MI” by Andrew Bolander.  The Royal Frontenac rivaled the Mackinac Island Grand Hotel in its day.  Benzie Area Genealogical Society will be our host for this meeting.

Please find attached the agenda and meeting minutes from our July meeting.

SeekingMichigan.org migrated to Michiganology.org on September 1^st.  You will be redirected in the coming weeks but be sure to bookmark the new website. The good news is that the 1943 Michigan Death Certificates are available on Michiganology.  Thank you to the Archives of Michigan staff for all the behind the scenes work that was needed to make this the premiere online research resource for Michigan records.

The MGC Fall newsletter will be coming out soon. The deadline for submissions is September 15^th. If your society has anything they would like considered for the newsletter, please send it to Carolyn Haines, hainesw@msu.edu before the 15^th.

MGC’s 2019 Fall Family History Event will be held Saturday, November 9^th. Our speaker will be Diahan Southard. She will be speaking on DNA, other speakers will include Dan Earl, who will be presenting two programs on Beginning Genealogy, Adam Oster on Poor Houses in Michigan, and an Archives of Michigan speaker, to be determined.  More information will be available on mimgc.org and Michiganology.org soon.  I will send a separate email with more information once registration is live.

Our September meeting is our Out of Lansing meeting.  MGC tries to move our September meeting around the state to give those who can’t travel to Lansing a change to attend. If your society would like to host the September 10, 2020 out of Lansing meeting, please let me know.

I am looking forward to a great meeting on the 12^th, I hope you can make it.

Sincerely,

Brenda Leyndyke, President

Updates: MGC Information

I hope everyone is enjoying their hot summer and looking forward to the 4th of July weekend.

I wanted to let our member societies know about a couple of updates:

1.  The Summer MGC newsletter is now available on the MGC website: mimgc.org  You will find it on the home page of the website.

2.  The Abrams Seminar is fast approaching and if you haven’t signed up yet, there is still time to register. Registration will be available on the days of the seminar, but Saturday lunch can’t be guaranteed.  Information, including registration, can be found at seekingmichigan.org.  The seminar will be held Friday, July 12th and Saturday, July 13th at the Michigan History Center. More information can be found on seekingmichigan.org.

3.  Remember our Delegate meeting will be held on Friday, July 12th. The delegate meeting will begin at 10:00 a.m.  Our program will be ” Mapping Your Migrating Ancestors” with Tina Beaird.  There is no charge for this meeting.

4. Lastly, the Michigan Naturalization Indexing Project is back up at Family Search. While you are enjoying an inside reprieve from the heat and humidity, index a batch or two.  Remember this is a huge project and will take months of indexing before they are ready to be accessible online.

I encourage you to explore the MGC’s website at mimgc.org.  There are resources for our societies, delegate meeting agendas and minutes, calendar of events, speaker’s list, and more.

Feel free to share this with your membership. If you have questions about any of the above information, please let me know.

I hope to see you next week.

Sincerely,

Brenda Leyndyke, President

Michigan Genealogical Council

YOUR help is needed! The Michigan Naturalization Indexing Project

The Michigan naturalization indexing project is up and running again at FamilySearch!

From Kris Rzepczynski says “I encourage all of us to take a few minutes and grab a batch of records to help us get these invaluable records indexed. Go to the Indexing tab at FamilySearch and search for “Michigan” in the Project Name.”

When the project is completed, the images will be available online exclusively with the Archives of Michigan; FamilySearch and the Archives will both maintain an index.

Please direct any questions about the project to the Archives of Michigan at archives@michigan.gov. Thank you for any help you can provide with this important project!

2019 Abrams Foundation Family History Seminar – Seeking Michigan Becomes Michiganology!

Have you heard, SeekingMichigan is getting a makeover and a new name?

Seeking Michigan Becomes Michiganology

Jill Arnold, Archives of Michigan, will present Seeking Michigan Becomes Michiganology.

The Archives of Michigan’s digital platform is undergoing major change! By the end of 2019, SeekingMichigan.org will become Michiganology. This session will review what things will stay the same, what features will improve, and why the Archives of Michigan is making these important changes. Attendees will also get a sneak preview of Michiganology during the session.

One of the Archivists frequently helping researchers in the Reading Room, Jill Arnold is a Digital Engagement Archivist with the Archives of Michigan. She works to engage a variety of audiences with Seeking Michigan (seekingmichigan.org), the online platform of the Archives of Michigan. Jill earned a Master of Science in Information with a specialization of Library & Information Science as well as Archives & Records Management from the University of Michigan.

The Abrams Foundation Family History Seminar will be held in Lansing on July 12-13 and will feature Tina Beaird, MLIS. Brought to you by the Archives of Michigan and the Michigan Genealogical Council, the event’s information, program schedule, and registration page can all be found here: https://seekingmichigan.org/events/2019-abrams-foundation-family-history-seminar.

Jill’s presentation (Session H) is Saturday, July 13, 11:15 – 12:15 pm.

#Abrams2019 #Genealogy #FamilyHistory #MichiganGenealogy

We look forward to seeing you here in Lansing this month!

2019 Abrams Foundation Family History Seminar – Homestead Land Records & WW1 Records

Did your ancestors have Homestead land? Do you have a World War I veteran in your family tree? Do you have Illinois roots?

Tina Beaird will explore all of those enriching topics in 3 different programs during the Abrams Foundation Family History Seminar. In “Free Land: Homesteading on the Frontier,” Tina will discuss original homestead claims, the information found in these land records, and how to access them. In “Recreating the Great War: Finding Military Service Information for Your WWI Veteran,” Tina will offer ways to locate copies of peripheral federal military records in the absence of the burned service records and provide solutions for recreating some of the lost history by using local government documents, newspapers, base records and more. Finally, in “Illinois Digital Resources,” Tina will explore a number of Illinois websites for finding those Land of Lincoln ancestors, including CARLI and IDA, and how to find maps, newspapers, phone books, company magazines, yearbooks and more.

The Abrams Foundation Family History Seminar will be held in Lansing on July 12-13 and will feature Tina Beaird, MLIS. Brought to you by the Archives of Michigan and the Michigan Genealogical Council, the event’s information, program schedule, and registration page can all be found here: https://seekingmichigan.org/…/2019-abrams-foundation-family….

Tina’s 3 presentations are on Friday (Session F, 3:30-4:30p), July 12 and Saturday (Session G, 9:30-11a; Session K, 1-2p) July 13.

We look forward to seeing you here in Lansing in a few weeks!