Aug 11

2023-24 Program Schedule

Our 2023-24 program schedule is complete and posted under events. You may download and print a complete schedule here. Please read a message from our President, Judy Nimer Muhn which is posted here.

Our meetings are held at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 5500 N. Adams Rd. (between Long Lake and Square Lake Roads), Troy, MI 48098. The church has a flat entrance and ample, lighted parking. Meetings are open to the public and free of charge; all are welcome. The hybrid joint meeting with the Detroit Society for Genealogical Research (DSGR) will be on Saturday, November 2nd at 11 a.m. We are planning for hybrid meetings, however, in-person attendance is encouraged. The Zoom link for all meetings will be posted a week in advance on our website and in our Facebook Event.

Jun 06

2023 Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar

The Michigan Genealogical Council and the Archives of Michigan will present the Seminar June 23 from 1 p.m. to June 24 at 4 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 Abrams Foundation generously supports the event 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 host Drew Smith, who will join us on-site here in Lansing and through Zoom to our virtual attendees.

For the complete schedule of events and speaker bios.

May 30

Early New England Research

Early New England Research

Laressa Northrup will present an overview of immigration to New England prior to the Revolutionary war. Coverage will include general statistics, information on various jurisdictions in New England, and types of records to

search for. Find out where immigrants to New England came from and unique records that were kept during this time period. will present an overview of immigration to New England prior to the Revolutionary war. Coverage will include general statistics, information on various jurisdictions in New England, and types of records to search for. Find out where immigrants to New England came from and unique records that were kept during this time period.

Laressa Northrup has been interested in family history since 1978. She holds advanced certificates from the National Institute of Genealogical Studies in US genealogy, Canadian genealogy, and English genealogy. Her specific interests are New York, Pennsylvania, Religious Research, and Photographs.

This is a virtual meeting via Zoom. Register now at this link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcudu2sqDspG9ciYw72Jzl03Gc91ty1A7_X

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

See you there!

Apr 11

If you are Interested in Researching Veterans

My name is Jennifer Holik. I’m a Chicago area WWI/WWII researcher and genealogist.

In 2024 we honor and remember our WWII veterans and war dead during the 80th Anniversary of D-Day. If you are seeking WWII programming, I have what you need. I’m now booking through 2024, individual programs, half-or full-day seminars, and study groups to teach my 2-step process to research any veteran from WWII, even if the records burned. The strategies I developed also apply to WWI, Korea & Vietnam and will save researchers time, money, and frustration.

If any of your members may be considering late 2023 or 2024 travel to walk the footsteps of their WWII ancestors, starting research earlier is better. Archives are mostly functioning at pre-2020 levels but that is not always a guarantee.

To learn more and schedule events, please visit my seminar page at the Ancestral Souls Wisdom School. https://www.ancestralsoulswisdomschool.com/stories-from-the-battlefield-GS

For military research books, genealogy curriculum books, and nine years of WWII educational articles, videos, records and more, please visit the WWII Research & Writing Center. https://wwiirwc.com

 

Mar 14

No Joke!

No joke: the deadline for articles for Acorns to Oaks is April 1.
Let’s have some fun!
Challenge: pick an Oakland County or Michigan ancestor and tell their story. Where did they come from? When did they arrive in Michigan? Why did they come? Where did they settle? What was their occupation? What unusual records have you found about them? Is anything interesting or unique about them?
Write their story in a paragraph or a page and send to: qeditor@ocgsmi.org on or before April 1.

Feb 28

Tracing Your Dutch Roots

March 7 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Many communities across the United States boast a rich Dutch heritage, owing their founding and regional culture to the influence of Dutch immigration. This presentation will explore resources and techniques to trace your Dutch ancestors in the United States and back into the Netherlands, with additional emphasis on cultural and historical context that surrounded the lives of your Dutch ancestors. Presenter: Alexander Tolksdorf.

Alexander Tolksdorf is a genealogist and speaker, specializing in German, Dutch, and Eastern European research. He began his personal journey in high school, inspired by a trip to Ellis Island and through a correspondence with his great uncle in Germany, who also was an active family historian. All four of his grandparents immigrated to the United States in the 1950s following the Second World War; as such, the majority of his research experience and focus is in European sources.

Register in advance for this virtual meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEpceqgpjssE9Di6Hif5wel4RIkSIZfi_yr

Feb 17

Midwest Genealogy Center Seminar

Feb 17

Midwest Genealogy Center Event

Feb 14

“We Survived Covid” In-person Meeting

Good news, the Society is hosting an in-person get-together on February 25, 2023, from 1 to 3 p.m. We will be offering research help in the following areas: German, England, Wales and Scotland, French, French-Canadian, Acadian, and Indigenous/Native, and beginner.

There will be a book exchange. If you have books and or journals you wish to exchange or put in the hands of other researchers, there will be a table for that. Refreshments will be available.

The meeting will be held at St. Stephens Episcopal Church, 5500 N Adams Rd, Troy, MI 48098. There is a flat entrance for easy access.

See you there!

Jan 31

Seeking a Higher Source: The Records of Faith Communities

February 7, 7:00 p.m. via Zoom.

Key events in our ancestors’ lives were often documented in the faith communities in which they worshiped. Exploring the records and their importance across faith  communities. OCGS President Judy Nimer Muhn will provide information about the types of records, locations of archives and access to records, and the key ways that these records can enrich your family’s history.

Writer, speaker, blogger, presenter and researcher. Judy has been researching her family tree from the age of 12, specializing in French-Canadian, Acadian, Native American, Scottish and Michigan, Ontario and Quebec research. Beginning as a professional genealogist in Europe in 1993, she has lectured at the National Genealogical Society’s conferences, RootsTech and RootsTech Connect, Federation of Genealogical Societies, as well as conferences in Europe and around the United States. She is currently writing a book of the matrilineal descent of her oldest female ancestor from Normandy, France. Traveling extensively around the world, Judy has visited and researched in the villages and archives of Germany, France, Scotland, Quebec, and Ontario where her or her husband’s family lived as well as the lineages of her Native family. Owner of Lineage Journeys, she conducts research for clients and offers presentations in churches, libraries and organizations.

This is a Zoom event, register at this link.

The handout is available in the member area. Log in, then use the menu item Members only, and select handouts. use the search box and type 2023; then download the appropriate handout.