Oakland County Genealogical Society

In consideration of the issues surrounding COVID-19, your Society board has voted to cancel our meeting scheduled for April 7. This is in line with the Governor's orders to limit the size of gatherings, and the current recommendations of social distancing. No decision has been made beyond the April date, but rest assured that the board will be watching developments and will take currently available information into consideration before making any decision.

Tuesday, May 5

Becoming American: Research with Naturalization Records (OCGS Meetings)

7:00 pm

St Stephen's Episcopal Church, 5500 N. Adams Rd, Troy MI 48098

Although one of the most important tools in family history research, naturalization records can often be very difficult to locate. This program will explore naturalization records, the many tools available to assist you in your research, and successful strategies to find citizenship records, using both online and print resources.

Kris Rzepczynski is A Senior Archivist at the Archives of Michigan, where he specializes in family history and Michigan research, Kris has worked in the genealogical community for nearly 20 years. He holds a Masters in Library and Information Science from Wayne State University and a Master of Arts in History from Western Michigan University. Kris has presented at national, state, and local conferences, including the Federation of Genealogical Societies, National Genealogical Society, Ohio Genealogical Society, Historical Society of Michigan, Indiana Historical Society, and for dozens of local genealogical societies and public libraries. A former Vice-President of Membership for the Federation of Genealogical Societies and a former President of the Mid-Michigan Genealogical Society, his current memberships include the Association of Professional Genealogists, Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan, Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, and Historical Society of Michigan.

Tuesday, June 2

Census Records and City Directories--Looking Beyond the Address (OCGS Meetings)

7:00 pm

St Stephen's Episcopal Church, 5500 N. Adams Rd, Troy MI 48098

Ms. Cathy Dailey-Culver will present this talk. Census records and city directories provide a unique “snapshot” of your ancestors within a specific date, time and place. By venturing beyond the address, you can add texture to the individual.

Cathy’s genealogy “addiction” began when researching her paternal great-grandfather, a tugboat captain on the Great Lakes. The only clue, besides his name, that her father was able to provide was that he was lost at sea during a storm on Lake Erie. Through vessel registry records and newspaper accounts, she was able to piece together his tragic death in 1909 and ultimately locate his grave. In 2014, she helped initiate the fundraising and installation of a headstone monument in Erie, Pennsylvania’s Trinity Cemetery on an unmarked plot containing the remains of ten of her relatives, including her 3X and 2X great-grandparents. Her family research has uncovered many unusual stories and even more brick walls – however, these mysteries inspire her to dig deeper and fill in the blanks.

Cathy is a member of various local, state, national and ethnic genealogical and historical societies, as well as the Metropolitan Representative for Milwaukee County on the Wisconsin State Genealogical Society Board. She holds an MBA from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI and an undergraduate degree in Journalism/Public Relations from Bradley University in Peoria, IL.