Searching collections:
Programs
Archivists are available to give talks about the Archives of Michigan holdings, research strategies, and genealogy resources. Below, you will find a list of topics that are frequently requested by libraries, genealogy societies, and other groups. If your organization is interested in hosting a presentation, please click the “schedule a presentation” button below.
Schedule a Presentation
Archival ResearchYou can do it!
This program includes an overview of records and resources available at the Archives of Michigan, including the Abrams Foundation Historical Collection. The archivist will describe several types of records that are relevant to genealogy research, give some tips on searching for and using them, and outline ways to prepare at home before visiting the Archives. The presentation can be tailored to include records specific to your group’s geographical location.
Becoming AmericanResearch with Naturalization Records
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 locate citizenship records, utilizing both online and print resources.
The Circle of LifeResearch with Ship Passenger Lists
This program will explore records of birth, marriage, divorce, and death, their genealogical content, research strategies to identify exact event dates, and give specific examples of online indexes and records from across the United States.
Coming to AmericaResearch with Ship Passenger Lists
This session will explore the available U.S. passenger lists and indexes, the genealogical information typically found in them, and strategies for finding arrival records of your immigrant ancestors.
Continuing Your Ancestral Search Offline
Despite the ever-increasing amount of information available online, researchers still need to utilize libraries, archives, courthouses, cemeteries, and other locations. This program will explore resources not typically found online as well as on site research strategies for identifying and locating them.
Genealogy For FreeFree Web Sites for Researchers
With so much genealogical content now available online for free, researchers don’t have to break the bank to find information on their ancestors. This program will explore several of the most popular free sites, including FamilySearch and Cyndi’s List, as well as a number of the lesser-known, yet equally valuable, tools.
Genealogy of a HouseA Practical Guide to Researching Historical Structures
Interested in researching your home? This program will review a number of archival and library resources that provide clues into the history of buildings.
Getting StartedResearching Your Family’s Heritage
With so much information available online and at the library, getting started on your family history has never been easier. This program will explore key resources, including census records and newspapers, online tools and databases to assist you in your research, and successful strategies for finding your elusive ancestors.
Immigration and Naturalization Records for Family Historians
This program will introduce researchers to strategies helpful in finding records to document an immigrant becoming a United States citizen. The presentation includes an overview of what information can be found in naturalization records, sources for obtaining naturalization records, tips for overcoming stumbling blocks in naturalization research, and a brief history of naturalization laws in the United States. The talk also includes a discussion of ship passenger lists and a real-life research walk-through.
Michigan OnlineFamily History Tools for the Great Lakes State
This session will explore key Michigan online genalogy resources, including both popular and lesser-known sites, as well as effective search strategies for Michigan research.
Michigan RootsGenealogy Research in the Great Lakes State
Drawn by high-paying manufacturing jobs and inexpensive land, thousands of people from all over Europe and the United States, including the Deep South, New England, New York, and Pennsylvania, migrated to Michigan during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This session, aimed at researchers whose ancestral trails extend to and from Michigan, will explore these migration patterns and provide an overview of the rich and abundant genealogical resources available in print and online.
Military Records and your Ancestors
This session will outline the military records available at the Archives of Michigan, techniques for searching them, and information researchers might uncover in them.
Navigating the 1890 GapResearch with State Census Records
Given the near-total loss of the 1890 U.S. Census, state census records frequently serve as an effective substitute. This program will explore these underutilized resources, focusing primarily on the available schedules from across the United States from that time period.
Researching at the Archives of Michigan
An introduction to the Archives of Michigan, this program will explore the genealogical collections available there, including both original source records and published resources, and how to best maximize your research time there. One of the larger family history collections in the United States, the Archives’ holdings emphasize Michigan, the Great Lakes states, New England, the Mid-Atlantic region, as well as Ontario and Quebec.
Research Your Polish Ancestors
Researchers interested in their Polish roots are faced with a unique set of challenges, from the language to the infinite spelling variations and the shifting boundaries on the map. This program will explore these challenges, important American sources, both print and online, and research strategies that can shed light on your ancestral town in Poland.
Seeking Ancestors with Seeking Michigan
This program will help audience members become more familiar with several types of records available at Seeking Michigan, and may introduce even seasoned researchers to some new leads. An archivist will explain how to search for Michigan death records, Michigan state census records, and Civil War service records. The talk will also include an overview of Archives of Michigan subject guides and indexes available at Seeking Michigan.
Stuck?Research Strategies for Those Brick Wall Ancestors
We all have them–those ancestors that resist discovery. Using successful examples, this program will discuss research strategies, using print and online resources, to employ in locating those elusive ancestors.
Utilizing Newspapers to Locate Obituaries
Obituaries are among the most important resources in family history research, yet they often prove to be the most difficult to find. This program will explore how to identify existing print indexes for local newspapers, take advantage of online resources, and utilize other resources that can serve as an alternative stuff to provide with a lack of an index.
Utilizing Fold3 at the Library and from Home
Previously known as Footnote, Fold3 is an interactive collection of images of original documents, many from the National Archives, including naturalization records, city directories, and Civil War service records. Named after a traditional flag folding ceremony in honor and remembrance of veterans, the database now emphasizes its outstanding collection of military records and indexes.
