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Welcome to GSWC!
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.
Announcing - Washtenaw Research, Cemetery Records, News Item Names, and Special Interest Groups are now for members only. They do not show up in the main menu until you log in.
Announcing Online Join New members are now empowered to create their own username and password and receive instant access if you play by credit card. No more waiting! Your membership will expire one year from the date you join.
To renew your membership, log in and go to your member profile. It is *only available* when it's close to your renewal time. For renewal procedures please see Online Join /Renew or the login page. If you still have questions, please contact the membership chair.
New membership fees - General membership $20. Sustaining membership $30. Organization remains at $10. Effective 1/13/2026. For descriptions of membership categories please see Online Join/Renew.
Member Benefits:
- We publish a quarterly journal called Family History Capers and News-Pages.
- Family History Capers is indexed by name and subject.
 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 members surnames database has over three hundred entries.
- Cemetery Records lists area cemeteries and includes cemetery details and GSWC transcriptions, if available.
Members and Visitors:
- We hold eight general meetings with a business meeting and program from September to May that are free and open to the public.
- We are facilitating small group discussions following each 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.
Visitors:
We hope you to welcome you soon as a member of our Society! We invite you to explore the site. Here is a sampling of what's available to you:
- The subject index of Family History Capers
- On the Members Surnames page if you spot a name of interest, you may email a member directly by clicking on the envelope icon by that name.
- On the Library Catalog page, try filtering the records by 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.
- If you have any questions about our website or Society, please contact us at info@washtenawgenealogy.org
Update on "Help Shape the Future of GSWC"
How can we attract and engage the next generation of family history researchers?
A well-attended group met on Tuesday, April 14 at 2pm via Zoom to learn the results of the member survey and prioritize our goals. The importance of retaining existing members and recruiting new members was recognized. The group selected four major avenues to pursue:
- strengthening membership engagement,
- marketing,
- outreach, and
- organizational changes
Key ideas include
- expanding face-to-face and virtual meetings,
- diversifying topics, partnering with libraries and societies,
- leveraging social media, and
- attracting younger members through community outreach and educational programs.
Next steps involve integrating survey results, forming focus teams, and developing action plans at the upcoming annual meeting on May 17.
The full report is available under *Members.* Login required.
Whether you have fresh ideas, past experience, or simply an interest in the future of our society, your input matters. Can't attend but still want to contribute? We’d still love to hear from you.
📧 Contact Nancy Howard at gswcpresident@gmail.com
GSWC Hybrid Meeting and Program May 17
📅 May 17, 2026
🕐 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Trinity Health Ann Arbor & Online via Zoom
 After the brief business meeting Tom Koselka will present " Digging Deep Under the Thumb: Uncovering Your Roots in Southeast Michigan."
After the program:
We'll take a short break and problem-solve together in our popular series "There Are No Dumb Questions in Genealogy" and then discuss strategic next steps for our society.
✨ Come learn, connect, and share your migration stories with fellow family historians—we’d love to see you there! 😊
No registration is required to attend in person. However, registration is required to attend this meeting on Zoom. Members will receive an email invitation to register about a week prior to the meeting. Non-members, please send a *request to register* to info@washtenawgenealogy.org by *May 14.* A handout will be available via Chat during the meeting and in members-only download. Family History Capers - Current Issue
 Volume 49 - Issue 3. April 7, 2026. Contents include:
- Bridgewater Township Schools, Part 5; Sylvan Township Schools, Part 1
- Genealogists As Historians: Some Thoughts, by Jerome Drummond
- In the Library: a report on new additions to the library catalog discovered during an inventory
- Another Revolutionary War Veteran Who Migrated to Washtenaw County, Michigan, by Marty Carr
- John Robert Clark Family Bible Record
- Franklin Wright and Mary Amelia Deming Family Bible Record
- William Gauntlett and Helen Emerett Warner Family Bible Record
- John M Baird Family Bible Record
- Query: Barnard and Armstrong
- In Memoriam
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. 2025-2026 Lectures and Classes
Click here for a list of program topics and our meeting schedule through May 2026. Please download it and post it where it will do the most good. [updated 11/5/2025] Become a Member!
Membership in GSWC will give you full access to society collections by unlocking member-only indexes, databases, cemetery records, and archives. It will open up opportunities for you to meet like-minded people who will hear you. As a member you can help grow our surname database and receive messages from others with similar lines. As a member you can help us to maintain high quality programming and website content. You can help to ensure the continuation of our society and to shape its future.
Our work is done entirely by volunteers. We have projects you may be interested in, as listed on the Volunteer page. Whether your skill set lies in writing, editing, speaking, teaching, research, administration, marketing, cataloging, indexing, data entry, or field work (reading gravestones! photography!) you can find your special niche here. Or, try something new! Join us and experience the satisfaction of helping others.
Become a Donor!
GSWC will provide matching funds up to $300.
Campaign runs through March 15, 2026.
Our Memberships and Social Media
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