All offers of volunteer help will be most gratefully received. Programs, projects, suggestions for general improvement of the society are always welcome. Contact any board member.

Currently Open Positions

GSWC members interested in any of the following openings, please contact Nancy Howard or Dave Brough at president@washtenawgenealogy.org.

Facebook Manager - Post upcoming meetings and publication of Capers on Facebook
News-Pages Editor - Coordinate components of the News-Pages, including write-ups, publicizing upcoming events and sharing Society news.

Recently Filled Positions

Web Committee - Thank you, Jack Hentz, new chair of the Web Committee.

Ways to Serve

Education

Asking
- Ask a question. Include a place, name and date. Your name, your address. Replies to queries may also be considered for publication. Send query to Rebecca Carver. | proposed fillable form
- Ask a member about a surname they are researching. In Members Surnames you can email someone directly, without knowing their address, by clicking on the envelope icon by a particular surname.
Contributing
- Enter your surnames into Members Surnames. Members have added over 350 names to the surnames database. Email a member directly from Members Surnames by clicking on the envelope icon by a surname.
- Submit an ancestor chart for indexing. Contact the Ancestor Charts Chair.
- Submit a family Bible record. The Bible registry has over 2,000 surnames and 9,500 individual names. Contact the Bible Records Chair.
- Do you have information on early settlers in Washtenaw County? We are especially interested in those families that came before 1880. This information will be placed in our vertical files.
- Submit an idea for a new special interest group. It can be several weeks' duration or continual until you decide to disband.
- Family History Capers strives to suit your needs – let us know what you would like to see in coming issues.
Presenting
- Present a class on some aspect of your research: Have you visited your immigrant ancestor’s homeland? Have a particular area of research expertise? Contact the Program and Education Committee Chair.
Reporting
- Take notes during a program or class and write up a brief report for the News-Pages of the GSWC. Contact Marcia McCrary.
Writing
- Book reviews. We would especially like review of local history or genealogies, not necessarily of Washtenaw County, but books you have found useful. Include all publication information.
- Educational articles. Share your expertise. Tell us of new genealogical finds and sources and so on.
- Your genealogy/family hIstory. Please consult with the Capers committee on style and scope of your genealogy. To establish professionalism and credibility a serious genealogist must include citations, either in the form of footnotes or a list of references. Short family histories and excerpts from letters and diaries are considered also.
Publishing
- Join the staff and help with the production Family History Capers, which was expanded into a quarterly in April 1979. Capers is read by genealogists all across the country and in Canada, too.
- Content includes Ancestor Charts and Family Bible Records from our readers; Strays (where did our Washtenaw people go? how have you found them?); and previously unpublished material, written mostly by our members.
- Capers is indexed in the Genealogical Periodical Annual Index (GPAI) and in PERSI by subject and locality. Contact Marcia McCrary.

Research

Answering. Help answer requests for research in Washtenaw County. We meet at the Ann Arbor District Library Storage Facility to confer and reply to research requests. We use mainly the materials in our library, but sometimes visit other Washtenaw resources. You can still be part of the research team if you have time on days other than Mondays. Instruction is provided. Contact Rebecca Carver.
Abstracting. Researchers are needed to abstract local records and to prepare them for publication. It's a wonderful learning experience! And a great contribution to all. The Editorial Committee has a suggestion list - just ask. Contact Marcia McCrary.

Cemetery Transcription

Enter gravestone data into Find-a-Grave. Help in adding photos and data from our readings to our GSWC Find A Grave account as instructed by Rob & Cyndy Steward 734-429-9262 or Cemetery Committee. If you personally enter data into the Find A Grave website (based on data obtained from the GSWC website), we would ask that you acknowledge that by crediting the GSWC as your source.
Read gravestones. Join others in transcribing cemetery stones on our annual cemetery reading days. Time commitment is 4 to 8 hours a year. Contact Rob & Cyndy Steward 734-429-9262 or Cemetery Committee.
What is a cemetery transcription? A cemetery transcription is the process of systematically recording information from tombstones, memorials, or burial records in a specific cemetery. This includes details such as names, birth and death dates, inscriptions, and sometimes additional symbols or imagery found on gravestones. Maps of plots and grave locations are included. The goal is to create an organized record that can be used for genealogical research, historical documentation, or preservation purposes.
Current practice is to give a copy of the reading to the owner of the cemetery and to our GSWC library.

09-28-2021 NMH; 06-23-2023 MM; 3/19/24 JT 8/1/2024 MM 2/6/2025 JT 2/9/2025 JH