The Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County, Michigan (GSWC) welcomes anyone interested in genealogy and local history, whether they are beginning or more experienced family history researchers. Attending GSWC meetings will help you to keep current in the world of genealogy. Thank you for visiting the GSWC website. We hope your visit will be productive and that you will return often.

 

Login or Click here to join. 

 

We publish a quarterly journal called Family History Capers and hold eight general meetings with a business meeting and program from September to May. Starting in the fall of 2025 we will facilitate small group discussions following the program meeting. Each group will have an assigned GSWC facilitator. Individuals attending via Zoom will have the option to participate by joining a breakout room in Zoom. Please see About Meetings for new content on readiness skills for Zoom meetings with breakout rooms.

 

Our website features an extensive list of Washtenaw County and Michigan research links and resources; databases; and indexes. Washtenaw Research, our most important page for genealogical content, has twenty categories and its own page navigation. The Bible registry has over two thousand surnames and over nine thousand individual names. The library catalog has over two thousand items. The surnames database has over three hundred names. Family History Capers is indexed by name and subject.

 

We invite you to explore the site. On the Washtenaw Research page, browse the categories and click on some links. On the Members Surnames page if you spot a name of interest, email a member directly by clicking on the envelope icon by that name. On the Library Catalog page, try filtering the records iby name, subject, or location. If you need a library look-up, please submit a request to the research committee, which meets every Monday at the library. Contact the research team to arrange for a visit to the library. 

After the brief business meeting starting at 1:30pm Katherine R. Willson will present, via Zoom, "Easily Citing Your Genealogical Sources: A Roadmap of Your Research." Unlock the power of properly citing your genealogical sources to enhance the credibility of your findings. Effortlessly track down the same information again, confidently compare it with any new discoveries, and guide others to the exact sources that shaped your family history research.

 

After a brief intermission, we will organize into small groups in the auditorium area and breakout rooms on Zoom. The topic today is "Brick Walls" and members are invited to share their stories. A GSWC facilitator will be assigned to each small group. 

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Volume 48 - Issue 4.  June 25, 2025. Contents include Bridgewater Township Schools, Part 2; Using First Person Reports in Your Family History; Having Fun with "Are You Related?"; Library report; in Memoriam; Subject Index v. 48 2024-2025; Name Index v. 48 2024-2025.To read the current issue of Capers online, first log in. Then, select Capers Current Issue under *Members* in the menu. To read older issues go to Washtenaw Research > Capers Archive. To find a copy of Family History Capers at a library near you open WorldCat list.

Give to Michigan History Foundation/Archives Fund (this link goes to another website)

Give to the Veteran Bounty Lands Records Project. 

GSWC will provide matching funds up to $300. 

Campaign runs through October 2025.

Learn more about it (this link goes to an informational video on another website)