16 January 2020

More Tips and Tricks for Using Michiganology


If you have Michigan ancestors you may have heard that SeekingMichigan.org migrated to Michiganology.org. The transfer is not complete and SeekingMichigan still has a few items on the site, but not for long. My previous post, Tips and Tricks for Using Michiganology, explains the back story to the change and provides three tips to using the Archives of Michigan website.

Michiganology will be the go to site for Archives of Michigan digital material. The Archives of Michigan houses the records from state and local government and in this digital age many of those records will be transferred to the Archives digitally. Michiganology has the capacity to house these records. Also, the Archives developed a new partnership with the Michigan History Museum and I believe many historical artifacts will be showcased on Michiganology.

Other benefits of the bigger and better website is the ability to grow and handle search parameters that Seeking Michigan couldn't. Stories about Archives' discoveries and research tips, an Archives store, bug list, study of Michigan with documents and artifacts, and the ability to study and know Michigan now and in the future are all going to be included.

I have found the best way to use Michiganology is to just dig in and see what is there. Check out the tabs across the top of the home page:

  • About-just as it says, this tab tells you about the website.
  • Research-four sections
    • Family History-vital records and naturalization can be found here.
    • Music-a place to preserve music of Michigan. A video on the River Street Anthology is available for viewing.
    • Military-The Civil War records, documents, and pictures are available in a few areas pertaining to the civil war.
    • State Government-three government departments: Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Attorney General, and Corporation Division. Check out the survey maps in the Department of Natural Resources area. 
    • Browse all collections-you can browse or search collections here. 
      • Death records
      • Main Street-a postcard collection
      • Rural Property Inventory-these cards are from a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. The cards are from Hillsdale, Isabella, Jackson, Grand Traverse, and Oakland counties at this time. It is from Record Group 72-76 circa 1935-1938.
      • Links to state government agencies and some of their records
  • Learn-includes these areas
    • Subjects
      • Statehood Era-21 various stories about the times from 1787-1840. 
      • Biographies-coming soon, will tell stories of Michigan residents.
      • Teaching Materials-coming soon-it will be intended for use by educators. 
      • Subject Archives-a place for the above three with a drop down menu searchable by grade level.
    • Research Questions
      • Currently, a place for early Michigan History stories. Stories about Tribal Nations are included and related stories at the bottom. I think this will be one of the sections that continues to grow.
    • Stories
      • Discoveries in the Archives-find out about Houdini's last act.
      • States of Incarceration Exhibit-read about when the Detroit Red Wings played the Marquette Prison Pirates.
      • Michigania-learn about Michigan history related stories, such as German POW's in Michigan, including a list of all POW camps in Michigan during WWII.
      • Story Archive is found under the Michigania section. It takes you to a page with a drop down menu to choose from eight areas. Lots of stories can be found here. Check out "Tips from a Michiganologist" for photograph preservation tips.
This is just the beginning of what Michiganology will offer. Take a minute and browse all the collections at the website. Updates are added as they become available. One thing genealogists need to remember is that the website is created for the work of the archives and this includes much more than vital records.


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