Farmington Genealogical Society - CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Discover the diverse and interconnected stories that shape our nation's history as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This presentation will equip you with the tools to uncover, document, and share your community's contributions to American independence. Discover strategies for public engagement through collaborative projects, educational programs, and community events that spotlight the unique stories of your area, fostering a meaningful connection to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

This is a joint program with the Oakland County Genealogy Society (OCGS) and will take place at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church (5500 N Adams Road) in Troy, between Long Lake (18 Mile) and Square Lake (19 Mile). The meeting will also be available virtually at 11 am. Virtual attendees will be asked to pre-register. A public link will be available one week before the meeting. on the DSGR home page www.dsgr.org

For those attending in person, the building will open for attendees at 10:30 am for check-in and social time. The meeting will begin at 11:00 am sharp with a few announcements followed by our virtual speaker, a Genealogy Librarian at the Genealogy Center, Allen County Public Library of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Saturday, November 16 through Saturday, November 16

MGC Family History Event (Conferences)

Michigan Library / Archives, Lansing

Angie Bush, MS at the 2024 MGC Fall Family History Event - Saturday, November 16, 2024 Angie Bush, MS will be our speaker. Angie is a Genetic Genealogist Researcher with Ancestry ProGenealogists in Salt Lake City. Angie has been interested in her genealogy since she was very young. After college, she spent several years working in biotech while continuing to pursue her genealogy hobby. With the growing popularity and introduction of autosomal DNA testing in 2012, she decided to combine her two loves into one career. Although she spends a lot of time working on recent unknown parentage cases (adoptions, unknown fathers), her favorite type of research to do involves solving decades old “brick-walls” using a combination traditional records and genetic evidence. Join Angie and MGC for these exciting topics: Is DNA the Tool For You? DNA has helped many genealogists make breakthroughs in their research that they never thought possible. But these breakthroughs are only possible because the research question was one that DNA could help to answer. Learn about the types of questions DNA can help you answer, and the types of questions DNA can't help with. The Best DNA Tools There are several tools provided by the testing companies and a plethora of third-party tools developed by others to help you make sense of your results. Learn which tools are most valuable and how to use them to successfully make sense of your DNA results. Practical Applications and Case Studies In the final session of the day, we will share case studies and real-life examples of how DNA test results were integrated into complex family history questions. We will talk about how DNA validates information in historical records and how to correlate genetic and historical evidence to solve challenging mysteries. This one-day event is one you will want to attend!

Tickets are now available using Eventbrite.
Early bird: $50 through November 2.
November 3 through November 16 are $60.
A complimentary lunch is available to on-site attendees.

Online registration is available here.

You can visit our seminar page for the complete schedule, session descriptions, and speaker bios

Tuesday, November 19 through Tuesday, November 19

Native American, First Nations, Indian: Researching Indigenous People (Monthly Meetings)

6:30 pm to 9:00 pm

Farmington Community Library 23500 Liberty Street

Judy Nimer-Muhn, Professional Genealogist, President of the Michigan Genealogical Council, and President of the Oakland County Genealogical Society is our speaker for this subject. Family legends often tell of an ancestor who was the daughter of a chief or some other Indian relationship. Come and find out the truth, myths, facts and information about how to determine if your family descends from Native or First Nations people.

Tuesday, January 21, 2025 through Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Evaluating Genealogical Evidence (Monthly Meetings)

6:30 pm to 9:00 pm

Farmington Community Library 23500 Liberty Street

Genealogical research can eventually reveal conflicting records. Well-versed in teaching genealogical and family history, Dan Fantore’s Evaluating Genealogical Evidence explores the value of the evidence that genealogical researchers uncover. The importance of evaluating the strength of evidence is stressed when there are discrepancies between sources. Strengths and weaknesses of common sources (census schedules, birth and death certificates) are presented. Challenges with indices and original versus derivative sources will be discussed.

Tuesday, February 18, 2025 through Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Identifying Old Family Pictures and the People in Them (Monthly Meetings)

6:30 pm to 9:00 pm

Farmington Community Library 23500 Liberty Street

Going through photographic history, Professional Genealogist Derek J. Blount will examine various types of photographs and their mountings to determine when and how they were produced. We will also discuss means to determine when photos were taken by looking at clothing and backgrounds, so feel free to bring in your old family photographs.

Tuesday, March 18, 2025 through Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Traffic Violations, Criminal Complaints and Marriages: Records of a Justice of the Peace (Monthly Meetings)

6:30 pm to 9:00 pm

Farmington Community Library 23500 Liberty Street

Adam Oster, Community Engagement Librarian for the Library of Michigan gives us insights on this topic. Justices of the Peace served as local magistrates empowered primarily to administer summary justice in minor cases, to commit for trial, and to administer oaths and perform marriages. Discover the role in which the justices played in local courts and how to locate them in Michigan municipalities. See examples of records of former Paris Township Justices of the Peace Earl H. Keyes and Ray A. Blett. Learn how to apply these examples when locating other justice of the peace records throughout the state.

Tuesday, April 8, 2025 through Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Come Find Your Ancestors on Ancestry.com and other databases at the Library (Computer Lab Session)

6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Farmington Hills Library, 32737 W. Twelve Mile, Road, Farmington Hills

Come join us for help with your research. Members of the Farmington Genealogical Society will help attendees look through the thousands of databases of Ancestry.com Library Edition plus FamilySearch.org (Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints) database. Plus, where you might want an assist in research. Registration is required. Come back closer to the date and a link to register will appear here.

Tuesday, April 15, 2025 through Tuesday, April 15, 2025

After You're Gone: Future Proofing Your Genealogy Research (Tom MacEntee) (Monthly Meetings)

6:30 pm to 9:00 pm

Farmington Community Library 23500 Liberty Street

Have you ever considered what will happen to your years of genealogy research once you’re gone? Learn how to ensure that your hard work carries on. Sue Cromwell, Farmington Genealogical Society Co-President presents the best practices for genealogy future proofing, courtesy of Tom MacEntee, a Web-based genealogy lecturer.

Tuesday, May 20, 2025 through Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Genealogy Jeopardy (Monthly Meetings)

6:30 pm to 9:00 pm

Farmington Community Library 23500 Liberty Street

Join us to see how good you are at the game of Jeopardy but with a genealogy twist! We will have two teams who will try and answer questions about methodology and research techniques. If either team doesn’t get the answer, the audience can chime in. Come join us in a fun and informative session!