DRGS Annual Potluck Dinner
2025-06-18 17:30 - 19:00, 2026-06-17 17:30 - 19:00 (America/Detroit) | 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

Advanced Tips and Tricks for Genealogy Research with Dolores Shearon
2025-06-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Whether beginners or experienced genealogists, eager learners can always pick up new information to make their research more efficient — and more enjoyable. Here’s a sample: When you name your family tree on one of the big genealogy websites, don’t get cutesy. Instead, set out some “cousin bait” by titling it with the major surnames you’re researching (e.g. Jones-Miller-Moore-Brown Family Tree). Ready to learn more? This presentation will bring you curated pointers on an array of research topics, with a handout that will get you pumped to go home and try them out!

Free Beginners Genealogy Workshop
2025-08-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Bacon Memorial District Library, 45 Vinewood, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Downriver Genealogical Society will have a Free Beginners Workshop to help those interested in Genealogy. We can all learn information that we may not have known to help us in our research. Also this will give you a good start if you are just beginning your genealogy.

Fruits of Perseverance: The French Presence in the Detroit River Region 1701-1815 with Dr. Guillaume Teasdale
2025-09-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Founded by French military entrepreneur Antoine Laumet de Lamothe Cadillac in 1701, colonial Detroit was occupied by thousands of French settlers who established deep roots on both sides of the river. The city’s unmistakable French past, however, has been long neglected in the historiography of New France and French North America.
Exploring the French colonial presence in Detroit, from its establishment to its dissolution in the early nineteenth century, Fruits of Perseverance explains how a society similar to the rural settlements of the Saint Lawrence valley developed in an isolated place and how it survived well beyond the fall of New France. As Guillaume Teasdale describes, between the 1730s and 1750s, French authorities played a significant role in promoting land occupation along the Detroit River by encouraging settlers to plant orchards and build farms and windmills. After New France’s defeat in 1763, these settlers found themselves living under the British flag in an Aboriginal world shortly before the newly independent United States began its expansion west.
Fruits of Perseverance offers a window into the development of a French community in the borderlands of New France, whose heritage is still celebrated today by tens of thousands of residents of southwest Ontario and southeast Michigan.
This presentation was previously scheduled for October 16, 2024.

Rouge River Revived – How people are bringing their river back to life with John Hartig
2025-10-15 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
The Rouge River was long known as one of the most polluted rivers in the United States. A mid-1980s tipping point awakened watershed residents that raw sewage was overwhelming their river. Today, people have overcome apathy and are working together to bring their river back to life.

Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan47th Annual Genealogy Seminar
2025-10-18 09:00 - 15:00 | Polish Institute of Culture & Research, 3535 Commerce Rd., Orchard Lake Village, Michigan
The PGSM seminar features live presentations with Q&A sessions, a syllabus, and door prizes. Open to the public.
Speakers and Presentations:
Dr. Anna Muller: The People of Hamtramck: Reflections on Belonging, Agency, and Being Polish American
Nancy Loe, M.A., MLS: Researching Ancestral Locations in Prussian Genealogy Records
Nancy Loe, M.A., MLS: Finding Prussian Ancestors in Online Archives
Dr. John Radzilowski: Fr. Leopold Moczygemba and Fr. Jozef Dabrowski: Pioneers in Polish American Education
Attend in person or virtually.
For additional information and to register, visit pgsm.org

Easy as Pie: Using Foreign Language Newspapers in Your Genealogical Research with Karina Robinson
2025-11-19 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Foreign Language Newspapers published in the U.S. and abroad can be wonderful genealogical resources even when you do not know the language they are printed in. We’ll discuss why this resource can be helpful to your research, how to use foreign language newspapers when you aren’t familiar with or fluent in the language, and where to easily access these under overlooked resources online.

Lighthouse Stories: Offshore Outposts with Ric Mixter
2026-01-21 19:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Michigan is home to over 120 lighthouses, which not only mark harbors but also guide ships
around underwater obstructions. These beacons are located anywhere that ships may travel,
meaning many of them are in the middle of the Great Lakes, including the most remote
lighthouse in the United States, Stannard Rock. It was here that an explosion ripped through a
machinery building, killing the chief keeper and wounding a young electrician sent to the light
to perform maintenance. In an exclusive interview, Ric Mixter shares an eyewitness account of
the man who was wounded in the the explosion with his story of awaiting rescue on the deck
with two other men.
Ric also shares scientific missions now taking place on these remote outposts, including
Spectacle Reef in the Straits of Mackinac. Stories from Lake Superior’s Huron Island are also a
highlight of this talk, with an interview from a young man whose father was stationed off
L’Anse.
Also featured is the million dollar rehab of DeTour Reef, including stories from the men who
were stationed in the St Mary’s River for several months out of the year.
Ric Mixter is a former three term president of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association,
and a frequent contributor to Beacon magazine. This presentation is a must for lighthouse fans
and people interested in how men survived working on these desolate towers.

Detroit in World War II with Greg Sumner
2026-02-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Dr. Greg Sumner will talk about the subject of his History Press book Detroit in WWII, its days as the capital of America’s Arsenal of Democracy against fascism during WWII. The miracles of Willow Run, the achievements of “Rosie the Riveter,” the exploits of Hank Greenberg, and the politics of wartime rationing are among the topics to be addressed.

Breaking Down Brick Walls with Dan Fantore
2026-03-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Build a Brick Wall? Genealogists already have plenty of them! You’ve researched your ancestors, have found another generation and then—no progress. Genealogists get stuck. Brick walls may last for years or a life time, but more knowledge and more skills may knock that brick wall down. Learn about the causes of Genealogical Brick Walls and learn the potential solutions to scaling those Brick Walls. The causes of Brick Walls are many and the solutions may be many also. Bring your Brick Walls. You’ve overcome Brick Walls in the past—you can do it again! Dan Fantore just solved a brick wall of 30 years and he is eager to share his brick wall solutions.

Exit, Enter, Commit: Emigration, Immigration, and Naturalization with Thomas Koselka
2026-04-15 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Exit, Enter, Commit: Emigration, Immigration, and Naturalization explores the historical movement of people from Europe to North America, examining emigration records from European departure points, immigration documentation at U.S. and Canadian ports of entry, and the evolving U.S. naturalization process. The presentation reveals how citizenship requirements have evolved and highlights surprising historical facts, such as specific conditions that could result in women losing their American citizenship status.

Beginners Genealogy Workshop 2 parts
2026-04-21 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-04-28 14:00 - 16:00 | Trenton Veterans Memorial Library, 2790 Westfield Rd., Trenton, MI
The Downriver Genealogical Society is hosting free beginner workshops for those interested in Genealogy. We can all learn information we may not have known that can help us in our research. Also, this will give you a good start if you are just beginning your genealogy. Registration is required. Please register by calling the Trenton Veterans Memorial Library at (734) 676-9777 or by using the Trenton Library’s online Events Calendar.
These workshops are being provided by the Downriver Genealogical Society.

Connecting the Points on your Family Map with Derek J Blount
2026-05-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
A review of modes of transportation and routes across the nation and time, and how to apply it to your map. This is a basic “How did my ancestors get here from there?”

Piracy on the Great Lakes with Christopher Gillcrist
2026-06-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
“Arrrggghh! Piracy on the Great Lakes” is a historical dive into the nature of piracy as it existed in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries on the Atlantic Ocean and how the concept of illegal activity on water evolved over time, and how that played out on the Great Lakes during its own period of development and expansion during the 19th and early 20th century. Join noted historian Christopher Gillcrist, Director Emeritus of the National Museum of the Great Lakes as he explores the ins and outs of illegal activity on water including the Great Lakes’ most famous pirate Dan Seavy.

American Revolution – 250 Years with Todd Brighton
2026-09-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Todd Brighton will discuss the lives of everyday citizens during the American Revolution, including original artifacts from his personal collection related to five Patriot soldiers who served in the conflict. Todd will exhibit authentic military gear, original portraits, manuscripts, and early Americana, including Native American trade silver, ceramic, and pewter pieces.

Oakwood Cemetery with Mary-Johna Wein
2026-10-21 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
2026 marks 200 years since the first burial at Oakwood Cemetery — Wyandotte’s oldest landmark. Within its gates rest former slaves, soldiers, state legislators, and everyday citizens whose lives shaped the community. From tales of the Purple Gang to stories of body snatchers, Oakwood holds a rich and fascinating history that continues to echo through time.

The Camp System - The Holocaust and the Final Solutionwith David Thacker
2026-11-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
This program will focus on the process of deportations into the different types of camps within occupied Europe. They will emphasize the human story of the Holocaust by explaining Jewish experiences living in the camps. You will explore various aspects of camp life, including work, food, resistance, violence and community. By examining testimonies and artifacts of those who survived the camp system, you will gain a deeper understanding of these atrocities.
David Thacker holds bachelor’s degrees in History and Political Science from Wayne State University. He is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in World War Two Studies, and a Graduate Certificate in Holocaust and Genocide Studies from Arizona State University. His research primarily focuses on the history of far-right and authoritarian movements in the United States and abroad. Since February 2025, David has served as an Education Associate at The Zekelman Holocaust Center. In this role, he leads guided tours of the museum’s permanent exhibit for school and adult groups, and delivers the Center’s educational programs and presentations to a wide range of audiences.

Friends of Freedom, Stories of the Underground Railroad with Jeri L. Duke
2027-01-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
The story is set prior to and during the U.S. Civil War. The plot centers on the faith and lives of two women. One is a Quaker who helps hide runaway slaves, and the other is a southern slave who helps other slaves escape to freedom. This work is a true story inspired by her own family history and love of ancestry. With this passion of history and reading, she put pen to paper to create her novels. Jeri will have her books to sell at the meeting.

November Gales with Ric Mixter
2027-02-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Copeland Center, 2306 Fourth Street, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192
Autumn Storms are notorious on the Great Lakes, and Ric has studied their devastating effects for over 25 years. This program features storms in 1905, 1913, 1940, and the wrecks of the Fitzgerald, Morrell, and Bradley. Rare interviews with survivors, as well as footage from each of the ships, make this spell-binding program very special.
