Michigan Genealogical Council

04/29/2026

They fought for the Union in the Civil War, and their wives fought for federal survivor benefits afterward. In her presentation Finding Community Through a USCT “Widow’s Pension,” researcher and blogger Jessica Trotter discusses the importance of these records in African-American research. Learn about potential finds in these “gold mine” records at this year's Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar. Trotter presents this topic at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 16, 2026. Attend the full seminar in-person in Lansing or virtually May 15-16. Tap or click the link for more details and to register.

This session discusses the pension process, the challenges to widow’s seeking support, and the possible finds in a pension file, and features a “gold mine” file that helped connect the dots i…

04/23/2026

Do you have research targets in New York? Register now for "The Mess of New York Vital Records," presented by Alec Ferretti, a genealogist and board member of Reclaim the Records, at this year's Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar.

Ferretti presents this topic at 10:10 a.m. Saturday, May 16, 2026. Attend the full seminar in-person in Lansing or virtually May 15-16. Tap or click the link for more details and to register.

Women’s citizenship in the U.S. has been anything but straightforward. This session unpacks the laws that shaped women’s nationality status from marriage laws that revoked citizenship t…

04/20/2026

We all have immigrant ancestors, and the Archives of Michigan is helping to make them easier for genealogists to find. Researchers now have free online access to these important records from nearly 75 counties across the state. Find out more as we welcome archivist Kris Rzepczynski back to the Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar for his presentation "Accessing Michigan’s Naturalization Records!" Attendees will learn about the naturalization records themselves, counties in the queue for rollout, and how best to maximize their Michiganology searches.

Attend the full seminar in-person in Lansing or virtually May 15-16. Tap or click the link for more details and to register.

With the release of the Michigan naturalization records project this past fall, researchers now have free online access to these important records from nearly 75 counties across the state, includin…

04/17/2026

How exciting to see the restored 1835 Constitution of the State of Michigan! Thank you to the Michigan Daughters of the American Revolution for funding this preservation, and grateful to the Archives of Michigan and the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office for sharing it with us. Glad it's home!

04/10/2026

I'm a little late posting since it's been out for a few weeks, but here's our latest MGC Quarterly. (Hey, we're all busy people doing busy people things ...) Lots of good stuff in there, including a schedule for our Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar and tips for protecting those online genealogy presentations we all love so much from intellectual property bandits. Click or tap the link, then select the latest issue from the list.

Click here

04/08/2026

What's the latest on Michiganology? Sign up for "New Updates to Michiganology," held in person at the Michigan Library and Historical Center in Lansing at 4:20 p.m. May 15, and virtually via zoom. Hear about the latest record sets and other updates. It's part of the 2026 Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar, held May 15-16. Click or tap the link for more information and to register.

Using Facebook, Instagram and more to assist in finding cousins and locating information about ancestors and the places they’ve lived, learn to use social media for own research. The importan…

04/06/2026

Are you researching women and charting their immigration path to the U.S.? Join us for "Lady Liberty: The Story of Women’s Citizenship," presented at 3 p.m. May 15 by professional genealogist Alec Ferretti. Unpack the laws that shaped women’s nationality status and learn about a variety of records from USCIS, the State Department, and NARA. Understanding this legal maze is essential to telling their full stories. Click or tap the link for more information and to register for the Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar on May 15-16. Held in person at the Michigan Library and Historical Center in Lansing and virtually via zoom.


https://mimgc.wordpress.com/2026/04/06/2026-barbara-j-brown-family-history-seminar-focus-on-womens-citizenship/

03/06/2026

Are you signed up for this year's Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar? We're hosting Alec Ferretti, a professional genealogist and board member of advocacy group Reclaim the Records. He'll speak on women's citizenship, finding ancestors in court records and other topics that can help researchers make family history breakthroughs. Click or tap the link for more details. https://mimgc.org/event/2026-barbara-j-brown-family-history-seminar/

02/25/2026

Many of our friends, family and ancestors came to Michigan by traveling through Ohio. You may want to consider attending the Ohio Genealogical Society's conference - friendly people and great speakers!

02/22/2026

Of course, we're all about Michigan, but genealogical paths can take us anywhere, so we like to point to good (and free) resources wherever we can. If your research or interest stretches into Arizona, check out the sixth annual Arizona Genealogy Day put on by the Arizona Genealogical Advisory Board and the Arizona State Library, Archives, & Public Records. The free virtual event is Saturday, March 21, 2026 from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. MST (that's 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. EST).

Speakers will include Stefanie Ojibway Gerberding ("Honoring Ancestors: Native American Genealogy"), Ryan Ehrfurth ("Finding Family: Genealogy in the Arizona Memory Project"), Allyson Maughan, AG ("Add a Snapshot to Research"), Taneya Y. Koonce, MSLS, MPH ("Liberate Your Family History Research: Using an 'Open Access' Preservation Model"), and Ari Wilkins, FTxSGS ("How the Weather Affected Your Ancestor").

Space is limited. Watch parties are encouraged. Details and registration at https://azsos.libcal.com/calendar/starl/azgenday26

01/07/2026

Don't forget: Steve Little, the National Genealogical Society’s AI expert, is the featured speaker at our January delegate meeting, 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. This talk will focus on the use of artificial intelligence and LLMs by genealogical societies. How can these powerful tools help your society? Join the MGC on Zoom at 11 a.m. for this important discussion. The link will be sent to delegates and presidents, but you can register to attend! Tap or click below for more information.

Discover how Artificial Intelligence can streamline the management of your genealogical society. This session covers practical tools for generating social media content, creating automatic meeting transcripts, and drafting member communications. Learn how to save time and increase engagement through...

01/07/2026

A memorial service for Randy Riley will be held Friday, January 9, 2026 at 11AM in the Forum, 702 W. Kalamazoo St., Lansing, with a small reception following. Find a press release link at www.Michigan.gov/LibraryofMichigan.