Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Inc. Meetings
		Monthly meetings of the Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County are held at 1:30 pm on the fourth Sunday of each month from September through May in the auditorium of the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Education Center, just off of East Huron River Drive and Clark Road on the eastern edge of Ann Arbor. The November meeting may be held on the first Sunday of December to avoid the holiday weekend and the May meeting may be held early to avoid Memorial Day; there is no meeting at the end of December. We also sponsor an annual picnic in June and a cemetery reading in late July or early August. Programs feature speakers on subjects useful to genealogists. Meetings are publicized in local newspapers, in the Ann Arbor Observer, on the Arborweb website (the Ann Arbor Observer's home page) under Events, and in the GSWC Newsletter. Classes are held after the regular meeting. Non-members are welcome!
		Schedule 2009-2010
September 27, 2009		Topic: Dos and Don'ts of Cemetery Research Speaker: Gail D. Hershenzon This presentation is for those who are doing genealogical research and who need some guidance as to how to request and receive information from cemeteries. Using actual letters received requesting information and told in a humorous way researchers will be shown some what-to-dos and what-not-to-dos when writing to cemeteries. About Our Speaker: Gail D. Hershenzon is an elementary teacher in the Detroit Public School District. She volunteers at Woodmere Cemetery, helping those doing family research and conducting cemetery tours. Hershenzon speaks to genealogical groups to facilitate cemetery research. Beginning Class: Beginning City Directories Speaker: Marcia McCrary This class is a continuation of our Beginner series, with something for all levels of researchers. We will cover-why you should use city directories, what you can find in them, and do some practice interpreting the findings.
October 25, 2009		Topic: The Toledo War. Speaker: Don Faber Location: Dixboro United Methodist Church, 5221 Church Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105 Website: http://www.dixborochurch.org/ (MAP) Beginning Class: Coming to America Speaker: Paul Wright
November 22, 2009		Topic: Doing Research at the Burton Library. Speaker: John Gibson Beginning Class: Beginning Land Records Speaker: Jan Tripp
January 24, 2010		Topic: The Life of a Puritan Boy: My Sixth Great-Grandfather's Story Speaker: Judy Williston, PhD, Professor Emeritus, EMU A letter [fictional] written by Joseph Williston (1667-1747) in 1744 has been found in 2008 in an old Northampton, MASS, barn. It is written to his descendants to help them understand what his childhood was like. Since he knew so little about his ancestors, he wanted these descendants to know him. Joseph lived his entire 80 years in settlements along the Connecticut River. As well as reading the letter, Judy will share information about her grandfather's unusual marriage in 1699 to a wealthy widow with five children, and the three children they had together. About Our Speaker: Judy has taught at the preschool, secondary, and university levels for the past 50 years. One of her hobbies since retirement has been genealogy; she is intrigued with the unusual family members she has encountered in her research. Judy has degrees from Ohio State, Penn State, and the University of Michigan. Beginning Class: Canadian Research Panel Speaker: Jan Tripp, Bobbie Snow, Greg DeFreytas, and Ruth McMahon
February 28, 2010		Topic: Sourcing: Now How Do I Do That? Speaker: Diane Oslund Beginning Class: Court Records Speaker: Bobbie Snow and Martha Churchill
March 28, 2010		Topic: In-Laws and Out-Laws and Kissin' Kousins Speaker: TBD Learn why "grand" relatives are not "great", and what 1st or 2nd cousins are, and how they are known as "removed". "Half" and "step" relatives will also be discussed, along with other related topics, and some practice sorting everything out. Beginning Class: Family Reunions Speaker: Panel
April 25, 2010		Topic: Digging Your Canadian Roots Speaker: Kathryn Lake Beginning Class: How to Do Cemetery Readings Speaker: Rob and Cyndy Steward
May 23, 2010		Topic: Genealogy and Murder Speaker: Virginia Hutcheson Beginning Class: There are no dumb questions in genealogy! Speaker: Panel
		Copyright © 2000-2008, Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission to print a single copy for personal use is granted. http://www.hvcn.org/info/gswc/meetings.htm Designed by S. Brevoort. Revised 16 January 2008. Send comments or changes to wwwgswc@aol.com. GSWC logo © GSWC; Images © GSWC, Corel Corporation; photographs © S. Brevoort.