Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar Focus on Finding the Church

Lutherpalians & Presbygationalists: Where Did Grandma’s Church Go? with Dr. David McDonald, CG

Identifying a family’s church of origin can be a challenge when religious impulses within family contexts have changed over the decades. We’ll take a lighthearted look at the behaviors and cultural clues which may help rule religious communities “in” or “out” as likely possibilities for our ancestors. We’ll also explore strategies for identifying where pertinent records may reside, following the closure or extinction of old congregations and communities of faith in our background.

Lutherpalians & Presbygationalists: Where Did Grandma’s Church Go? with Dr. David McDonald, CG will be held on Saturday, July 9, 2022, from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m.

Each summer, the Archives of Michigan and the Michigan Genealogical Council host a seminar to promote family history awareness and teach genealogy research skills. The event is generously supported by the Abrams Foundation in loving memory of Barbara J. Brown.
For this year’s event, we are pleased to offer this flagship annual gathering as a hybrid event. Participants can attend sessions either online or onsite. We are delighted to be hosting Dr. David McDonald, CG, for this year’s event, whose sessions will all be via Zoom.

Register Now for the 2022 Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar! Friday, July 8 – Saturday, July 9, 2022.

For the complete schedule and speaker bios.
The registration deadline is July 6.

Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar Focus on the 1950 Census

Discoveries in the 1950 U.S. Census with Kris Rzepczynski, Archives of Michigan

With the release of the 1950 U.S. Census on April 1, new ancestral discoveries await! This brief program will explore the information collected for the Census, search strategies and an update on the indexing progress to-date.

Discoveries in the 1950 U.S. Census with Kris Rzepczynski will be held Saturday, July 9, 2022 from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.

Each summer, the Archives of Michigan and the Michigan Genealogical Council host a seminar to promote family history awareness and teach genealogy research skills. The event is generously supported by the Abrams Foundation in loving memory of Barbara J. Brown.
For this year’s event, we are pleased to offer this flagship annual gathering as a hybrid event. Participants can attend sessions either online or onsite. We are delighted to be hosting Dr. David McDonald, CG, for this year’s event, whose sessions will all be via Zoom.

Register Now for the 2022 Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar! Friday, July 8 – Saturday, July 9, 2022.

For the complete schedule and speaker bios.
The registration deadline is July 6.

Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar Focus on Work-Related Records

Occupational Records: Finding Work-Related Paper Trails with Jessica Trotter, Researcher & blogger

What types of gems can you find in occupational records? Farmers, Teachers, Coopers and more all created records that may enhance our research.

Occupational Records: Finding Work-Related Paper Trails with Jessica Trotter will be held on Saturday, July 9 from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m.

Each summer, the Archives of Michigan and the Michigan Genealogical Council host a seminar to promote family history awareness and teach genealogy research skills. The event is generously supported by the Abrams Foundation in loving memory of Barbara J. Brown.
For this year’s event, we are pleased to offer this flagship annual gathering as a hybrid event. Participants can attend sessions either online or onsite. We are delighted to be hosting Dr. David McDonald, CG, for this year’s event, whose sessions will all be via Zoom.

Register Now for the 2022 Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar! Friday, July 8 – Saturday, July 9, 2022.

For the complete schedule and speaker bios.
The registration deadline is July 6.

Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar Focus on Migration Westward

Polly’s Family: From New England to the Plains & Beyond with Dr. David McDonald, CG

We’ll track the life of Polly Putnam Betts, a descendant of prominent New England Puritans, niece of a Revolutionary War-era loyalist from Massachusetts. Polly was born in Vermont in 1793 and died in Iowa in 1886. The wife of a veteran of the War of 1812, who moved along with her family to Ohio while “great with child,” and finally Iowa (“an aged widow”), the records available to research the family span federal, state and private resources. We’ll look at the Erie Canal’s impact on peopling the upper Midwest. Polly’s children pressed on across the Plains with grandchildren on the west coast in time for her centenary. The 19th-Century cry of “Manifest Destiny,” is viewed through the lens of the life of one woman.

Polly’s Family: From New England to the Plains & Beyond with Dr. David McDonald will be held Friday, July 8, 2022 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Each summer, the Archives of Michigan and the Michigan Genealogical Council host a seminar to promote family history awareness and teach genealogy research skills. The event is generously supported by the Abrams Foundation in loving memory of Barbara J. Brown.
For this year’s event, we are pleased to offer this flagship annual gathering as a hybrid event. Participants can attend sessions either online or onsite. We are delighted to be hosting Dr. David McDonald, CG, for this year’s event, whose sessions will all be via Zoom.

Register Now for the 2022 Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar! Friday, July 8 – Saturday, July 9, 2022

For the complete schedule and speaker bios.
Registration Deadline July 6

Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar Focus on Library of Congress Digital Collections

Library of Congress Digital Collections for Michigan Researchers with Matt Pacer, Library of Michigan

The Library of Congress contains a treasure trove of family history information for Michigan researchers, including a vast array of online resources. Learn how to navigate these digital collections as well as other key research strategies to effectively use our nation’s library while uncovering your family’s story.

Library of Congress Digital Collections for Michigan Researchers with Matt Pacer, will be held on Saturday, July 9 from 4 to 5 p.m.

Each summer, the Archives of Michigan and the Michigan Genealogical Council host a seminar to promote family history awareness and teach genealogy research skills. The event is generously supported by the Abrams Foundation in loving memory of Barbara J. Brown.
For this year’s event, we are pleased to offer this flagship annual gathering as a hybrid event. Participants can attend sessions either online or onsite. We are delighted to be hosting Dr. David McDonald, CG, for this year’s event, whose sessions will all be via Zoom.

Register Now for the 2022 Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar! Friday, July 8 – Saturday, July 9, 2022.

For the complete schedule and speaker bios.

The registration deadline July 6.

Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar Focus on Including Context

Ancestors in Context: Putting History in Your Family History with Daniel Earl, Professional researcher

Our ancestors had rich, full lives between census years. This lecture will show you four types of records you can use to flesh out your ancestors’ lives. I’ll use examples from my own family to illustrate how I used these records to add depth to my own family history and how you can do the same!

Ancestors in Context: Putting History in Your Family History with Daniel Earl will be held Friday, July 8, 2022 from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m.

Each summer, the Archives of Michigan and the Michigan Genealogical Council host a seminar to promote family history awareness and teach genealogy research skills. The event is generously supported by the Abrams Foundation in loving memory of Barbara J. Brown.
For this year’s event, we are pleased to offer this flagship annual gathering as a hybrid event. Participants can attend sessions either online or onsite. We are delighted to be hosting Dr. David McDonald, CG, for this year’s event, whose sessions will all be via Zoom.

Register Now for the 2022 Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar! Friday, July 8 – Saturday, July 9, 2022

For the complete schedule and speaker bios.
Registration Deadline July 6

Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar Focus on the Old Northwest

Research in the Old Northwest Territory with Dr. David McDonald, CG

Jefferson’s proposals for the area ceded by Great Britain after the Revolutionary War provided a blueprint for the development of the system of measurement for the lands of the public domain, and for the civil government of what became all or part of six states: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. This fast-paced lecture covers a lot of land (literally) and a lot of records worth considering when undertaking a genealogy project.

Research in the Old Northwest Territory with Dr. David McDonald, CG will be held on Saturday, July 9, 2022, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Each summer, the Archives of Michigan and the Michigan Genealogical Council host a seminar to promote family history awareness and teach genealogy research skills. The event is generously supported by the Abrams Foundation in loving memory of Barbara J. Brown.

For this year’s event, we are pleased to offer this flagship annual gathering as a hybrid event. Participants can attend sessions either online or onsite. We are delighted to be hosting Dr. David McDonald, CG, for this year’s event, whose sessions will all be via Zoom.

Register Now for the 2022 Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar! Friday, July 8 – Saturday, July 9, 2022

For the complete schedule and speaker bios.
The registration deadline is July 6, 2022.

Fall Seminar Session Focus Researching Your Family’s History at the Archives of Michigan

Researching Your Family’s History at the Archives of Michigan with Kris Rzepczynski, Senior Archivist, Archives of Michigan. An introduction to the Archives of Michigan, this program will explore the genealogical collections available there, including original source records, published resources, and online tools at Michiganology. Also, learn about the ongoing Michigan naturalization and probate records digitization projects.

Original records are a critical component in researching our family history. Along with the published materials available in the Abrams Collection, these items are available at the Archives of Michigan. Make the most of your visit by preparing ahead of time at https://michigan.gov/archivesofmi.

Saturday, September 18, 2021, and co-sponsored with the Archives of Michigan and Library of Michigan. This year our featured speaker is Bernice Alexander Bennett. Once again, this year, the seminar will be held virtually using the Zoom webinar platform.

Register today! For the complete schedule or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2021-virtual-fall-family-history-seminar-with-bernice-alexander-bennett-tickets-165251498681.

Fall Seminar Session Focus Follow the Witnesses

Follow the Witnesses with Bernice Alexander Bennett will show how following witnesses on documents can reveal the community history.

Checking witnesses is one of the best ways to fill your “reference list” of Friends, Associates, and Neighbors of your ancestor. In most circumstances, if someone served as a witness to an important event in our ancestor’s lives, it means that individual is an important person in that subject’s life. Researching the witness can lead to other events that place our ancestors in a specific place at a particular time. When we leave no stone unturned, we have more details to complete the picture of our family.

September 18, 2021, and co-sponsored with the Archives of Michigan and Library of Michigan. This year our featured speaker is Bernice Alexander Bennett. Once again, this year, the seminar will be held virtually using the Zoom webinar platform.

Register today! For the complete schedule or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2021-virtual-fall-family-history-seminar-with-bernice-alexander-bennett-tickets-165251498681.

Fall Seminar Session Focus What can you find with your Library of Michigan Card

What can you find with your Library of Michigan Card?  With Tim Gleisner, Library of Michigan Special Collections Manager. Learn about resources available to Library of Michigan cardholders for family history research including the Grand Rapids Press historical archives, the Michigan Chronicle, Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, Toronto Globe and Mail, and Michigan Sanborn maps.

If there can be a bright spot during the pandemic, the Library of Michigan’s online collections that are available to their cardholders. Don’t have a card yet? If you are a Michigan resident, you can get your “virtual card” by visiting https://michigan.gov/librarycard.

The 2021 Michigan Genealogical Council Virtual Fall Family History will be on September 18, 2021, co-sponsored with the Archives of Michigan and Library of Michigan. This year our featured speaker is Bernice Alexander Bennett. Once again, this year, the seminar will be held virtually using the Zoom webinar platform.

Register today! For the complete schedule or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2021-virtual-fall-family-history-seminar-with-bernice-alexander-bennett-tickets-165251498681.