Downriver Genealogical Society

Michigan’s Iron Brigade with Michael McCaffery
2024-09-18 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit) | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Michael Mccaffery, Director of the Dearborn Heights libraries, recently hosted a program on the Michigan 24th at his library and other local Civil War roundtables. His focus during the program was the 24th’s ties to the community, including a state historical site at which some Civil War veterans were interred. The upcoming presentation will focus on the genesis of the Michigan 24th, why it was unique, and how the unit came to be one of the most decorated units in the Civil War.

A Detroit Fire Fighter's Story and growing up Polish on the West Side of Detroit with Bob Dombrowski
2024-06-19 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
3 Books – 38 Years

A Detroit Firefighter’s Story
Paczki Day (being Polish on the West side of Detroit)
1969 (growing up in 1969 and the year of everything that happened)

DRGS Used Book Sale
2024-05-21 10:00 - 2024-05-22 14:00 | DRGS Library, 28639 Division St., Flat Rock, MI, 48134, United States
This sale will be held at the DRGS Library, located inside the Flat Rock Schools Administration Building. Please enter using the north door by the gym. Hours are 10:00 am – 2:00 pm each day.
Featuring:

Hardcover and softcover books and pamphlets
Research volumes
DRGS publications
Local city, county, and church histories
Local Cemetery books
Free will donation

Irish Handfasting Wedding with Kathy Cannon
2024-05-15 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
While planning a long visit to Ireland, Kathy thought back to having seen a “handfasting” wedding ceremony in a movie and wondered whether they did this sort of thing in Ireland today. After some research, she found a celebrant who performed this ceremony and was willing to travel to the Kilcar, Donegal area where Kathy and Dave would be visiting to perform theirs. Kathy will talk a bit about handfasting and its history, and the ceremony that she designed for her and Dave.

Bottled Goodbyes with Ric Mixter
2024-04-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Ric Mixter’s book “Bottled Goodbyes” is more than just fantastic stories found from bottles that washed ashore.
The author used genealogy research to track down living relatives of shipwreck victims, hoping to find original copies of the notes he features in his book. From wrecks on the Great Lakes to the Titanic, you’ll enjoy his storytelling!

Michigan POW Camps in WWII with Greg Sumner
2024-03-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Dr. Gregory Sumner is Chair of the History Department at the University of Detroit Mercy. He will speak on the little-remembered subject of the 6,000 German and Italian POWs housed in camps across Michigan during WWII. They mostly behaved well, supplied help during the labor shortage, and many later became U.S. Citizens.

Sharing Memory Projects with several DRGS members
2024-02-07 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Please note the date change for this meeting. The Copeland Center is not available on our usual meeting date.
Kathy C, Sherry H, Carol D, Mary P, Rana W, Chris H – Family History – Sharing More Than Just Dates. Kathy & Jeff Clark are working on putting a PowerPoint together for this. 10-15-minute talks. Items will be on display.

100 Wyandotte Soldiers from the Civil War with Marty Bertera and Mary Johns Wien
2024-01-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
By the war’s end in 1865, nearly 3 million young men and a few hundred women served in the civil war. They left their homes in large cities, towns, and small villages for an adventure of a lifetime; our presenters will look at one of these communities, Wyandotte, Michigan. The soldiers would serve their country in many far-flung locations throughout the United States. Ultimately, some would die, but most returned to civilian life, and a few suffered the traumas from personally experiencing war.
What started for them as a keep me busy project during covid, updating the correct number of soldiers in the city, ended up being over a 260-page book. By using as our foundation earlier books such as Proudly We Record and Historical Society notes that listed as few as 35 to a higher number of 112 soldiers from Wyandotte. The authors have been able to add and correct these numbers up to over 140. Along the way, they corrected the spelling of a few first and last names. They deleted a few names listed as Civil War but were Spanish American War soldiers.
You would be mistaken if you think this is just a civil war history; it’s more than a war story; for those that survived the war, it was a small-time frame of their existence but an important one. These veterans’ lives did not end when they were mustered out and discharged. Through many hours of research online, old newspapers, military books, and state archives, they have brought new information about the soldiers, such as the location of their birth, family members, occupation before and after the war, same with profession, location, and death date.
The authors:
Mary Johna Wein is the President of the Wyandotte Historical Society—director of the Friends of Wyandotte Cemetery and the Webpage of the same name.
Marty Bertera has published several civil war books and has worked in the film industry on historical films and documentaries. He also built the large diorama at Raisin River National Park in Monroe, Michigan, of Frenchtown in 1812, along with dioramas for other local museums

Polish Settlements in Michigan with Valerie Koselka
2023-11-15 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
This presentation will identify the Polish communities in Michigan with emphasis on neighborhoods in Detroit, Hamtramck, and Wyandotte. In this talk, we will outline a plan to research our immigrant ancestors in Michigan.

Michigan Genealogical Council Fall Family History Seminarwith Michael Strauss
2023-11-04 09:00 - 16:00 | Michigan Library & Historical Center, 702 West Kalamazoo Street, Lansing, MI, 48912, United States
Each fall, the Michigan Genealogical Council, with our partners, the Archives of Michigan and the Library of Michigan, presents the Fall Family History Event. This year, you can attend onsite in Lansing or online from home. Michael L. Strauss, AG, will be our speaker. Michael is employed as a Research Manager and Senior Genealogist for Ancestry ProGenealogists. He is a native of Pennsylvania and a veteran of the United States Coast Guard. He is a published author and national genealogical lecturer, instructor, and faculty member at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), and the Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research (IGHR), where he coordinates the military history courses. Michael has been involved in Civil War and Mexican-American War reenacting for more than twenty-five years. Michael Strauss’s presentations will be

Introduction to Military Genealogy Research will focus on a large number of records, strategies, and techniques to find your military ancestors from the colonial era through the Vietnam War.
A House Divided: Research in the Civil War will examine records most used by genealogists and historians, including service records, draft records, pensions, and records to trace the movement of your ancestor’s military unit for both sides.
Roosevelt’s Tree Army: Researching in the Civilian Conservation Corps will explore CCC genealogical resources between 1933-1942, including Office Personnel Files, discharge certificates, accident reports, camp and district reports, photographs, and motion pictures.
All in a Day’s Work: Occupational Genealogical Research will focus on the methodology to research your ancestor’s work history, tapping into records of employment and discussing old occupations no longer in use.

Register online today A complete event schedule and mail-in registration form can be found here.

Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan 45th Annual Genealogy Seminar – Day 2
2023-10-21 08:30 - 16:00 | American Polish Cultural Center, 2975 E. Maple Rd, Troy, MI, 48083, United States
Day 2 is Webinar or In-person at the American Polish Cultural Center, 2975 E. Maple Road, Troy, MI.
In-person registration includes a continental breakfast and lunch with Polish food. In-person seating is limited.
Includes live presentations with Q&A, a syllabus, and door prizes. Attend either day or both days — Open to the public.
Inaccuracies, Errors, and Conflicts of Information in Polish Vital Records and How to Resolve These Problems by Daniel Bućko
The Genealogical Value of Royal and Government Estate Inventories by Daniel Bućko
The Chene Street History Project by Dr. Karen Majewska
Hamtramck’s Polonia by Dr. Karen Majewska
For an informational flyer and online registration, visit the society website.
Registrations paid by check must be postmarked by October 5.
Online registration closes on October 10.

Tattletale Sounds: The Edmund Fitzgerald Investigations with Ric Mixter
2023-10-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Tattletale Sounds is the latest book on the Great Lakes most famous shipwreck. Diver/historian Ric Mixter has interviewed dozens of men who built, sailed and explored the wrecksite, visiting the Fitzgerald himself in the Delta submersible in 1994. His book separates legend from fact with 300 pages of photos, diagrams and first person accounts of the largest ship ever lost on the inland seas.

Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan 45th Annual Genealogy Seminar – Day 1
2023-10-14 11:00 - 15:00 | Zoom webinar – registration required
Includes live presentations with Q&A, a syllabus, and door prizes. Attend either day or both days — Open to the public.
Day 1 is Webinar Only.
Polish DNA: Stories It Reveals and the Ways to Use It for Genealogical Purposes by Eryk Jan Grzeszkowiak
Changing Places, Changing Borders: Overcoming Geographic Challenges by David Obee
For an informational flyer and online registration, visit the society website.
Registrations paid by check must be postmarked by October 5.
Online registration closes on October 10.

Civil War Women: Soldiers, Spies, and Suffragettes with Joann Kotcher
2023-09-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Join us for a special program commemorating Women’s History in the Civil War. Joann Puffer Kotcher, Vietnam War Donut Dolly, one of the first women allowed in a combat zone, will discuss the riveting stories of women in the Civil War. The crash of cannons tore these brave young women out of their China-doll, domestic rolls. Hundreds served incognito as soldiers, and spies. Hundreds more managed businesses and plantations, nursed the wounded and dying, collected donations for soldier relief, and thousands fled the advancing armies. The Civil War brought destruction and upheaval to women’s lives, and, ironically, astounding progress. Come meet these women. From chaos came the seeds of today’s emancipation of women, from the right to vote, to ownership of property, to today’s battlefield and boardroom. Never say, “No good can come from war.” History gives us the power to see the future.

Fundraising Dinner Monguagon Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution
2023-08-10 15:00 - 22:00 | Texas Roadhouse Restaurant, 14660 Pardee Road, Taylor, MI, 48180
Enjoy a great dinner while supporting the Monguagon Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution.
Your support allows us to continue our mission of honoring and supporting those who serve our nation, preserving our history, educating children, and making a difference in our communities.
Please share and encourage your family and friends to share as well.
Download the flyer for use on Donation Night.

War of 1812 with Ken Shepherd
2023-06-21 19:30 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Ken’s presentation on the War of 1812 in the Michigan theatre looks at the Downriver area before and after the surrender of Detroit. There are a couple of battles in the area, and troops passed through what is now Wyandotte, to try to open communications between Detroit and the American-held lands in Ohio. His concentration, however, is usually on the politics; General Hull, the commandant at Detroit, was court martialed for surrendering the city, and a lot of people who were at Detroit spoke up in that trial.

DRGS Annual Potluck Dinner
2023-06-21 17:30 - 19:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Dinner will be at 6:00 pm, Program and meeting will follow at 7:00 pm.
Doors open at 5:30 pm.

Vintage Baseball
2023-06-17 13:00 - 15:00 | Thorn Park, 23555 King Rd, Brownstown Charter Twp, MI
The Brownstown DDA and Brownstown Historical Society will present a vintage baseball match between the Brownstown Volunteers vx. the Detroit Franklins, on Saturday, June 17, 2023, at 1:00 pm. The match will take place at Thorn Park, 23555 King Rd, Brownstown Charter Twp, Michigan.

The Works Progress Administration with Elizabeth Clemens
2023-05-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Elizabeth Clemens, audiovisual archivist at the Walter P. Reuther Library, will discuss the legacy of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in Southeastern Michigan, a revolutionary facet of the New Deal that sought to positively impact lives both physically and intellectually through the creation of work relief programs. Topics discussed will include the cultural programs of the Federal Arts Project; literacy, health and education initiatives; and improvements to local infrastructure through a massive public building initiatives.

Ecorse Echoes from Kathy Warnes
2023-04-19 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Kathy’s Power Point Presentation featuring photographs by John Duguay and Sandy Blakeman, two Ecorse photographers who recorded Ecorse History and the history of Ecorse. Ecorse People Power. Photos of Ecorse people and their contributions to the city. Ecorse, Downriver and the World. How Ecorse fits into the cosmic scheme of things. Her books include – A Brief History of Ecorse, Ecorse Along the Detroit River, Downriver Prohibition, Downriver Back in the Days, and Granny Godfroy Grows Up. Her email address will be available if anyone wants to buy them she will either send them an email link or mail them a print copy.

Golden Ridge Cemetery Restoration, Taylor Michigan with Krysten Lange & The Taylor Historical Society
2023-03-15 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Taylor Historical Society Cemetery committee members will present on their current preservation project in Taylor’s Goldenridge Cemetery (AKA Taylor Township Cemetery), including their many discoveries, headstone preservation efforts, cemetery record revitalization, and their future plans for Goldenridge, as well as the other two municipal cemeteries in Taylor. Those attending will have the opportunity to learn more about Taylor’s historic cemeteries and how they can participate in future preservation plans.

The Chautauqua Movement: It’s Origins, Impact & Presence in Michigan with Jim Craft
2023-02-15 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
The Chautauqua Movement began at Lake Chautauqua in western New York in 1874. Initially, it was a two-week encampment for training Sunday school teachers. Within a few years, it had evolved into a summer long resort community providing the American Protestant Middle Class with a wholesome option for using the emerging phenomenon of summer vacation.
Emulating the “mother” Chautauqua in New York, similar communities spread across the United States. By the 1890s over 100 permanent Chautauquas had been established. While each Chautauqua was unique, they were all modeled after the New York Chautauqua and emphasized religion, education, recreation and the arts.
In addition to the permanent Chautauqua sites, a traveling version of Chautauqua began in 1904 and lasted until the Great Depression. While a pale imitation of the original concept, the “tent” Chautauquas visited thousands of American communities every year for over twenty-five years to bring culture to small communities all across the country.
Inevitably, the educational and religious themes of Chautauqua led them to play an important role as a forum for discussion of public issues. In particular, Chautauqua helped promote the political debates surrounding Progressive Era reforms ranging from women’s suffrage to trust busting to child labor.

How to date your Historic House/Building with Tyler Moll
2023-01-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Architectural historian Tyler Moll will present on techniques to use when trying to figure out how old your house or building is. This includes using stylistic evidence, deeds, tax records, maps, and many other available resources to try and nail down a date. Attendees will learn all the places to look and how fun and interesting it can be to research a building

Sears Kit Houses with Andrew & Wendy Mutch
2022-11-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
In the early 20th Century, kit houses were the ultimate “Do It Yourself” project for thousands of homeowners. While Sears Roebuck is the best known of the manufacturers of kit houses, Michigan was the home for three of the largest kit house companies in the country. Join Andrew and Wendy Mutch, Sears house owners and kit house researchers, as they present the fascinating history of kit houses. From first-hand accounts of customers, you’ll learn how they ordered, financed and in many cases, built their own homes. Their presentation will include a photographic tour of kit houses from companies like Sears and Aladdin that still stand in Downriver communities.

Michigan True Crime–Murder Mayhem Michigan with Tobin Buhk
2022-10-19 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Come face to face with the malefactors who stained the pages of Michigan history with blood spatter: The Killer Dentist, a Grand Rapids native who tried to poison his way into his wife’s inheritance; The Detroit Bluebeard, who prowled matrimonial ads for victims; The Michigan Borgia, who removed an entire branch of her family tree with Strychnine; The Lonely Hearts Killers, whose mail-order fraud business became felonious on the southwest side of Grand Rapids. Andrew Kehoe, who engineered the bloodiest school day in history. Serial killers John Norman Collins and Coral Watts, whose crimes terrorized southeastern Michigan’s co-eds. And others. Join crime historian and author Tobin T. Buhk as he unveils the truth behind some of Michigan’s most fiendish crimes. He has written 14 books and many will be available for purchase at the meeting. He will be selling his book “Murder, Mayhem, Michigan” for $20. He has also written many other books that he will have available. Go to his website tobinbuhk.com and select “presentations” to see many of his book titles and programs. He is coming all the way from Grand Rapids to do this presentation!!!

History of the Wyandot Tribe with Grand Chief Ted Roll of the Wyandot of Anderdon Nation
2022-09-21 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
History of the Wyandot Tribe with Grand Chief Ted Roll of the Wyandot of Anderdon Nation.
This session replaces a previously scheduled presentation. Suffragists Almost here with Gary Rembixz will be rescheduled.

Prohibition’s Proving Ground: Cops, Cars and Rumrunners in the Toledo-Detroit-Windsor Corridor with Joseph Boggs
2022-06-15 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Do you like stories about booze, cars, cops, and crime? Then join Joe Boggs, the author of a new book called Prohibition’s Proving Ground, as he shares how prohibition enforcement and automobile culture collided on the Toledo-Detroit-Windsor corridor. With a special emphasis on the Downriver area, the presentation will focus on how our region’s automobile boom significantly aided local rumrunners but challenged those responsible for enforcing dry laws.

Joseph Boggs will bring his book to sell & sign for a discounted price of $20.

DRGS Annual Pot Luck Dinner
2022-06-15 17:15 - 19:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Setup at 5:15 pm
Doors open at 5:30 pm
Dinner starts at 6:00 pm
The meeting and program (below) begin at 7:00 pm

The DGS Annual Pot Luck Dinner returns on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, before our evening presentation. Sign-up sheets will be available at our meetings before the pot-luck to track each member’s bringing so we do not end up with all desserts! The society will provide chicken, and we ask members to bring a dish to pass.

DRGS Used Book Sale
2022-06-07 13:00 - 2022-06-09 18:00 | DRGS Library, 28639 Division St., Flat Rock, MI, 48134, United States
June 7, 8, and 9, 2022, from 1 PM to 6 PM each day.
At DRGS Library and hallway, inside Flat Rock Schools Admin Building.

Hardcover and softcover books and pamphlets
Research volumes and DRGS publications
Local city, county, and church histories
Local Cemetery books
Free will donation

28639 Division St. at Gibraltar Rd.
Flat Rock, MI 48134
Enter from the north door by the gym.

Polar Bears of WWI with Mike Grobbel
2022-05-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
One hundred and four years ago during the winter of 1918-1919, 5,200 U.S. soldiers – the majority of them from Michigan – were stranded in a sub-arctic region of North Russia, engaged in bitter combat with the Bolshevik Red Army. They had arrived in Archangel, Russia on September 4, 1918, and their battles continued long after the Armistice was signed on November 11th. Eventually, they were withdrawn from this obscure military intervention in June of 1919, but not before 230 men lost their lives. Today the “Polar Bears” are no longer with us, but they and their service to our country have not been forgotten. Their war dead are memorialized with a monument at White Chapel Cemetery in Troy, MI, where they are remembered annually with a Memorial Day service conducted by the Polar Bear Memorial Association. Mike Grobbel, president of the Polar Bear Memorial Association, tells the story of the men of the American North Russia Expeditionary Force. Mike is the grandson of a “Polar Bear” and his presentation will draw on the historical records and experiences of veterans of that campaign, plus his own experiences during a 2018 visit to the former front lines in northern Russia.
This presentation was originally scheduled for October.
