October 20, 2004
History in the making
Genealogical society celebrates 25 years
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Brick wall? No problem - usually.
For the amateur sleuths and unstoppable researchers who are members of the Grand Traverse Genealogical Society, hitting a dead end while paging through historical records merely requires some regrouping. Usually, the information can be had with some determined creativity or by taking a new approach.
"Each situation requires a different method to get around it," said Loraine Wallace of Traverse City, a member of the society since 1981. "You're always looking for clues to find out where they were before they arrived somewhere."
"For example, if someone doesn't show up in a census and you have other information that they've lived there, check the tax records because the taxman never misses anybody," she noted.
Wallace and two dozen other members of the society celebrated 25 years of research and historical interpretation Sunday at the Traverse Area District Library. The tea also included a ceremony honoring three original members of the group: Peggy and Jay Player and Jan Novak, all of Traverse City.
Over the years, volunteers with the society have compiled and published a number of books, including cemetery records for townships in Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties as well as Indices for Michigan Federal Censuses in the middle 1800s for counties including Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau and Benzie. These and other publications were available for purchase at the tea, providing an invaluable research tool to people pursuing local roots.
Peggy Player and her husband, Jay, helped compile some of the cemetery record books.
"You go out and read the stones in the cemetery and then go to the township and they'll have some records of people who didn't have a stone," she said of her tried-and-true methods. "Then we check them out for the death dates."
The Grand Traverse Genealogical Society formed in October, 1979, nearly two years after some area residents met at a class on genealogy at Northwestern Michigan College. They began meeting regularly and decided to formally organize, doing so with the help of the Western Michigan Genealogical Society.
Over the years, the society has amassed a collection of research material housed at the Traverse Area District Library. This collection includes more than 1,600 books as well as microfilm including Traverse City newspapers and compact discs of information. Also included in the collection are newsletters from genealogical societies around the country.
The Grand Traverse Genealogical Society newsletter, Kinship Tales, has been published since the 1983. The society has also hosted a number of workshops and seminars to help others navigate the paths of genealogical research Some of the classes offered over the years included Along Kinship Trails, Immigration and Migration, Heritage Quest, Surname Workshop and 21st Century Genealogical Resources.
The Players assist people from around the country who are searching for a relative who settled in the five-county northwest Michigan area. Occasionally she has, with permission, connected people who were both researching the same relative.
"We go to courthouses, libraries and cemeteries," said Peggy Player. "It is something we like to do since we've retired. Sometimes we can help people and other times they are just fishing for information."
"We're always glad to be able to help people find things," she added.
Wallace, Player's sister, said that conducting genealogical research was like completing a living history lesson.
"You learn a lot about the history of your country - things you don't learn in history class," Wallace noted. "The history of the average man and what everyday life was like for them."
"Really, the big shots make the decisions, but it's the little ones who carry them out," she noted. "They're the ones who made this country."
The Grand Traverse Genealogical Society meets at 7 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month, March through November. The society gathers at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 3746 Veterans Drive.