Downriver Genealogical Society

Wyandotte at War – A Michigan Town Fights Back in WWII with Alana Paluszewski
2022-04-20 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit) | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Her book was released in July 2021. It is a non-fiction account of the activities of Wyandotte residents before, during, and after WWII. Over 2,200 of our citizens served in the military and thousands more fought the battle on the home front. Wyandotte lost at least 143 men during the war, and this book chronicles the sacrifice of Wyandotte’s warriors along with the challenges of our hometown heroes.
She will bring her book to sell and sign.

The Potato Famine & The Coming of the Irish to America with Terence O'Leary
2022-03-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Ireland awoke to the beginning of the Great Hunger in 1845. Experience the heartbreaking stories of the Irish during the 5 long years of the Potato Famine. While it was a time of great injustice when more than 1 million Irish died, it also became a tragic blessing for over 1 million Irish who fled to America and survived. As an Irish storyteller, Mr. O’Leary’s quest is to keep the famine story alive and acquaint modern-day Irish-Americans with the tragic but also the triumphant history of our Irish ancestors.

Terence O’Leary will be bringing and signing his Irish Crossings books. The books are $12.99 each. Two books are $22.99 and the Irish Crossings Trilogy is $32.99.

New York’s Burned-over District: Revival, Reform and the Migration to Michigan with Jim Craft
2022-02-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
It is generally recognized by even casual students of Michigan history that many of the state’s early settlers came from western New York. It is rarely appreciated, however, that this region of New York, known as the Burned-over District, played a central role in the great religious revival that swept the country in the first half of the 19th Century. Nor is it recognized that this “Second Great Awakening”, particularly as it evolved in western New York, set the stage for social and political reforms that led directly to six Constitutional Amendments, the Civil War and shaped how much of the country responded to the industrialization and urbanization of America in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. From Jackson Prison to Kellogg’s Corn Flakes and the birth of the Republican Party, ante bellum Michigan was greatly impacted by the events which occurred in Burned-over District in the 1820s and 1830s. Jim Craft will discuss the causes and course of this significant but underappreciated aspect of Michigan and American history.
He will bring his book to sell for $10 and sign

Eloise with Tyler Moll
2022-01-19 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Eloise has a long and interesting history spanning more than 130 years. He will be covering the founding of the Wayne County poorhouse and seeing its evolution into an asylum, tuberculosis sanitarium, and general hospital among many other uses. The Wayne County house, later known as Eloise, would become one of the largest facilities of its type in the country. At its peak over 10,000 people lived and worked there, yet within 40 years of this, the Wayne county house would close completely and be abandoned. We will see the rise and fall of Eloise, the Wayne County Poorhouse and Asylum.

Weird Downriver - Curiosities and Little Known Stories from Downriver with Jakki Malnar
2021-11-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Whether you are new to local history or an old pro, this program will have something for you. Join us to learn about Slocum’s “Island”, Death by Tuna, Wyandotte’s own DB Cooper and much more. While the Speaker, Jakki Malnar, is in the building she requires everyone to be masked. In order for everyone to hear her properly, she will be unmasked during her presentation. If you can’t or won’t wear a mask, you will not be allowed to attend this presentation.
While the Speaker, Jakki Malnar, is in the building, she requires everyone to be masked. In order for everyone to hear her properly, she will be unmasked during her presentation. If you can’t or won’t wear a mask, you will not be allowed to attend this presentation.
This program has been rescheduled from October 20.

DRGS Beginners Genealogy Workshop 101
2021-10-21 18:00 - 19:30 | Bacon Memorial District Library, 45 Vinewood, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
A class for beginners covering five-generation charts, family group sheets, research logs, vital records, and census records.
Space is limited. Please register by e-mailing Sherry at GENEGAL26@YAHOO.COM

The Erie Canal with Gary Rembisz
2021-10-20 19:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
The Erie Canal is America’s first superhighway, over 364 miles long. It was built without steam power and through the Adirondack Mountains, up and down hills, massive boulders, and uprooting giant trees. How did they get all the water to the canal and keep it in? How did they make water run uphill? It was built with picks and shovels and muscle and blood, and an American dream.

Membership sharing
2021-09-15 19:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
We are back in person at Copeland Center! Our program invites members to speak on findings, research, relics, family stories, or any other genealogy-related story you would like to share with our group. It’s been a long year, and we are excited to see you again. Depending on the number of people who wish to speak, we may limit time at the podium to 5 minutes.
