Isabella County is located in the central part of Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

The society is open to anyone interested in genealogy; members or guests do not have to have ancestors who lived in Isabella County.

NOTES FROM LARRY NOYES, GENEALOGICAL COUNCIL OF MI

The Michigan Genealogical Council wanted to inform you that Family Search has posted a searchable name index of Michigan Death Certificates covering the time period 1921 to 1952. You can view the index at: 

https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Michigan,_Death_Certificates_%28FamilySearch_Historical_Records%29

Upcoming Michigan Genealogical Opportunities

Mecosta County Genealogical Society

P.O box 1068, Big Rapids, MI 49307 http://www.migenweb.org/mecosta/mecgen.html

Now accepting first family applications.

Harrison Area Genealogical Society  P.O. Box 796, Harrison, MI 48625



Western Michigan Genealogical Society  c/o Grand Rapids Public Library, 111 Library St NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503-3268, www.wmgs.org   WMGS Programs are at 1:30 p.m. in the Ryerson Auditorium of the Grand Rapids Public Library on the first Saturday of the month, September through June, unless otherwise announced, starting with WMGS business and followed by the speaker. 

April 19, 2013  Genealogy Lock-In at the Grand Rapids Public Library  from 6-10:00 p.m.  Come to the Local History and Special Collections department for a free after-hours program just for genealogists.  Learn how to use the microfilm reader/scanner/printer, save images, and take advantage of free copying and printing during the event.  Use the time to search databases; there will be plenty of computers available or bring your own laptop and use the Library's WiFi network.

MI Genealogical Council website a great resource for county societies and their resources…Check it out at http://mimgc.org

Midland Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 2421, Midland, MI 48641-2421. 

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mimgs/index.html  Genealogy research in the Midland Room at the Grace Dow Memorial Library, 1710 W St Andrews, Midland, MI

April 18, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Grand Valley State University announces its fifth annual Local History Roundtable of the Kutsche Office of Local History.  The event is open to the public and will be at the Grand Haven Community Center, 421 Columbus in Grand Haven.  To register, go to http://www.gvsu.edu/  This year's event, "Natives, Settlers, Founders: Our Shared Story of Community Growth," will feature Eric Hemenway, Director of the Repatriation, Archives and Records Department for the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians; author and historian Marjie Viveen; and Paul Trapp, former teacher and local history writer. 

Gratiot County Historical & Genealogical Society, Ithaca, MI  http://gchgs.org  Museum is closed for the winter.  Library located at Peet/Miller house at 228 W Center St, Ithaca.  Research hours: every Tuesday 1-5 p.m.  Other hours are available by appointment.

Shepherd Area Historical Society, 314 Maple Street, Shepherd, MI 48883. All meetings start at 7:00 p.m. 

April 8, 2013  Tom Hohlbein will present his “Ancestry Trip To Germany”

May 11, 2013  “Purple Gang Documentary – Organized Crime in a Small Town” at the Shepherd High School Auditorium.  Show times are 7:00 p.m. and  9:00 p.m. First come, first serve.  Suggested $5.00 donation for fundraiser

May 13, 2013  John Priest, WWII Veteran will present his “2012 Trip to Normandy”

June 10, 2013  Leave at 6:00 p.m. to visit Breckenridge Historical Museum, Plank Road Museum

September 9, 2013  “Attending a One-room School and Growing Up in Our Rural Community” will be presented by Mrs. Loretta Koester

October 14, 2013  “Reminisce of Purple Gang Attorney, Virgil McClintic’s Diaries 1918-1970” presented by his granddaughter, Mrs. Candy Henderson

November 11, 2013  Mr. Jack Adams will present the controversial “1944 Murder Mystery of Banker Elmer E Struble…Was it Murder or Was it Suicide?”

Midland County Historical Society  http://www.mcfta.org

Heritage Park 3417 W Main St, Midland, MI 48640 (contains the Herbert Doan Midland Co History Center, the Herbert Dow Historical Museum and the 1874 Bradley Home Museum and Carriage House)

Research Library is open on Thursday from 11 a.m. to4 p.m. or by appointment. April 12-October 26, 2013: “Our Civil War Legacy:  Midland’s Past Marches Forward” at the Doan History Center.

Clare County Historical Society  https://sites.google.com/site/clarecountyhistory/

Museum complex (Dover one-room school and restored Ott log cabin) 7050 Eberhart Rd, at the corner of Dover Rd, North of Clare. 



Changes at the      Library of Michigan

The Library of Michigan          (517)-373-1300, librarian@michigan.gov            Public Hours: 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday-Friday

Martha W. Griffiths                Michigan Rare Book Room       Public Hours...Mon-Fri:                   By appt. 10 a.m.-12 p.m.         Closed 12-1p.m.                    Walk-in: 1-4 p.m.

Archives of Michigan            Monday-Friday 1-5 p.m.

Michigan Historical Museum  Mon-Fri: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.               Saturday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.             Sunday 1-5 p.m.           

Museum Store                                Mon-Fri: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.               Saturday: 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.       Closed Sunday     

The Library of Michigan is located in the Michigan Library and Historical Center building two blocks west of the State Capitol between Allegan and Kalamazoo Streets at 702 W. Kalamazoo St. in Lansing.

Online Resource Tools

ANSWER Library Catalog
Search the holdings of the Library of Michigan and the Archives of Michigan.

Archives of Michigan Circulars
Archives circulars identify the records the Archives of Michigan holds on a given topic. Topics include government documents, diaries and daybooks, and military records.

Genealogy Web Sites
Suggested genealogy resources, arranged by topic.

Library of Michigan Subject Guides
Guides highlighting specific areas of genealogical research at the Library of Michigan, such as regional and international sources, immigration and the Civil War.

Michigan 1870 Census: www.michigan.gov/1870census
The 1870 federal census for Michigan provides a list of the family names in each household in every county and township in Michigan in 1870. View and download images of the census pages.

Michigan Cemetery Sources: www.michigan.gov/cemeteries
Michigan Cemetery Sources represents a compilation of published cemetery transcriptions located at the Library of Michigan. It also identifies the location of more than 3,700 cemeteries in Michigan. It is not intended to include personal names.

Michigan County Clerks Directory
County clerk offices maintain public records of great interest to genealogists. The Archives of Michigan has compiled contact information and genealogy research details for each Michigan county clerk.

Michigan Naturalization Record Indexes
Indexes to the naturalization records for 29 Michigan counties are online in PDF format. Researchers may request copies of naturalization records from the Archives of Michigan.

Michigan Newspapers
A list of Michigan newspapers on microfilm at the Library of Michigan. The list is organized by county, and a date range is given for each newspaper.

Seeking Michigan: www.seekingmichigan.org
Seeking Michigan, www.seekingmichigan.org, has Michigan death records, Civil War service records and much more. Seeking Michigan is a project of the Library of Michigan and the Archives of Michigan.


Social Security Death Index

A major change was made to the SSDI on November 1, 2011.  The Social Security Administration changed its policy on records used to create the Public Death Master File.  State death records will no longer be used to create new entries. 

The worst news for genealogists is that approximately 4.2 million entries based solely on state death records have been removed from the SSDI. 

You will still be able to order a copy of an Application for a Social Security Card Application (SS-5) even if it does appear in the SSDI by using form SSA-711, Request for Deceased Indiviudual's Social Security Record.  The cost is $27 if you know the SSN and $29 if you do not.