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. We publish a quarterly journal called Family History Capers and hold eight general meetings a year, each with a program and a class. We also have active special interest groups. 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.

Our website features an extensive list of Washtenaw County and Michigan research links and resources; databases; and indexes. Washtenaw Research is our most important page, with 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 books. Members have added over three hundred names to the surnames database. Every issue of Family History Capers has been indexed to the best of our ability. Public Downloads has forms, handouts, and reports.

We invite you to explore the site. Please see About Our Website for navigation notes.

Browse the categories on the Washtenaw Research page and click on some links. Email a member directly from Members Surnames by clicking on the envelope icon by a name. Filter the records in the Library Catalog 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.

GSWC Hybrid Meeting April 27, 2025 1:30PM

After the brief business meeting starting at 1:30pm Nicholas A. Marsh will present, via Zoom, "History of Scio Village."

Scio Village (1827-1917) was a small riverside village in Washtenaw County, Michigan. Its short life was connected to the California Gold Rush, Civil War, Lincoln's Assassination, Inventions, National Politics, Presidential Visits, National & International Business, Breweries, and the Underground Railroad.

After a short intermission Teresa Steinkamp McMillin will teach, via Zoom, "Mini Case Studies Demonstrate Finding a Town of Origin."

Finding your immigrant ancestor’s town of origin is an essential piece of information. With it, the family line can be extended across the ocean. Trips to visit the homeland may be planned. Have you spent years searching for this elusive piece of information? This lecture uses mini case studies to demonstrate strategies for finding a village of origin.

How do I get a link to join the Zoom meeting? Members will receive an email invitation to register for the meeting about a week prior. Non-members, please send a request to register (must be received by *April 24*). Registration is not required to attend in person at Trinity Health Ann Arbor. Please see About Meetings for more information.

Family History Capers - Current Issue

Volume 48 - Issue 2. January 7, 2025. Contents include Washtenaw County Rural Schools History Series, Lyndon, Part Two; Oral History Interviewing Tips: Radio Shows (illustrated); Washtenaw County Farm Bureau and Junior Farm Bureau Membership 1944, Part Two; Edgar Guy Family Bible Record; Alvin Jay Pratt Family Bible Record; In Memoriam [former GSWC members] Retro Report [to be continued].To read the current issue of Capers online, first log in. Then, select Capers Current Issue under *Members* in the menu; or go to Washtenaw Research > Capers Archive > Current Issue. Or, find a copy at a library near you (open WorldCat list).

2024-2025 Lectures and Classes

Click here for a flyer with information about our meetings and the meeting schedule through May 2025. Please download it and post it where it will do the most good.

How to Show Your Support

Giving to GSWC. Click on "Donate to GSWC" in the main menu to open the new donation form. If you are logged in, the fields will populate with the information in your membership profile. You can choose to give by check with a mail-in form or to give online by PayPal or credit card.
- Giving by check with a mail-in form: You will be able to generate a mail-in form to print and enclose with a personal check.
- Giving online: You will be able to generate an invoice to save for your records and give online by PayPal or credit card.
Giving to the Michigan History Foundation/Archives Fund. Click on "Donate to MHF Archives" in the main menu to open the donations page for the Archives Fund.

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.

Our Memberships and Social Media