Welcome to GSWC!
The Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County, Michigan (GSWC) welcomes anyone interested in genealogy and local history, whether they are beginning or more experienced family history researchers. We publish a quarterly journal called Family History Capers and hold eight general meetings a year, each with a program and a class. We have two active special interest groups - German and Ireland & UK. Attending GSWC meetings will help you keep current in the world of genealogy.
Membership in GSWC will give you full access to the society collections by unlocking member-only indexes, databases, cemetery records, and the Family History Capers archive. Membership will open up opportunities for you to meet like-minded people who will listen to your stories. Whether your skill set lies in writing, editing, speaking, teaching, research, administration, marketing, cataloging, indexing, formatting, or field work (reading gravestones! photography!) you can find your special niche here. Or, try something new! Join us and experience the satisfaction of helping others. We encourage you to become a member.
Thank you for visiting the GSWC website. We hope your visit will be productive and that you will return often.
Our Website
Our website features an extensive list of Washtenaw County and Michigan research links and resources; databases; indexes; a surname database; a library catalog of over 2,000 books, cemetery records, and census records; and a calendar of events.
We invite you to explore the site. Browse the public resources in Washtenaw Research, filter the records in the Library Catalog, or search for a surname submitted by members. For help with GSWC library research, please use Research Requests. The GSWC Library is temporarily closed to all but
the Research Committee, To s
ubmit a query to Family History Capers see Queries and Lookups.
Navigation notes:
- If you click on Members or Washtenaw Research, submenu items appear.
- Further submenu items appear under Members and Washtenaw Research if you are logged in.
- Under Members, a link to member-only downloads is available if you are logged in. Most handouts for the programs and classes are restricted to members only, except on the day of the event.
- The complete run of Family History Capers, including the current issue, is available under Washtenaw Research > Capers Archive, if you are logged in.
- Our brochure, bylaws, and a journal sample are publicly available under About Us.
2024-2025 Lectures and Classes
Click here for information about our meetings and the meeting schedule through May 2025. GSWC Meeting September 22, 2024 1:30 PM
After the brief business meeting starting at 1:30pm
Daniel Horowitz will present
"What's New and Exciting at MyHeritage."
MyHeritage is at the forefront of innovation in genealogy and is constantly introducing new and exciting features to help users take their research to the next level. In this session, Daniel will give a detailed walkthrough of the latest and greatest from MyHeritage and show you how to make the most of these features. On the way, he’ll give you a peek behind the scenes at how they were developed.
After a short intermission
Roger P. Minert will teach
"Form and Content in German Church Records."
This presentation includes a short history of the keeping of church records in the German-language countries in Europe, as well as in specific German provinces since 1490. Church and state regulations regarding the keeping of church records are discussed. A case study is demonstrated based on a typical parish in Württemberg with records from 1562 to 1876.
Our Memberships and Social Media
