Adrian Michigan Family History Center

The Adrian Michigan Family History Center is a convenient place for people in Lenawee County, Michigan, and in the surrounding counties in Michigan and Ohio, to pursue their genealogy research. However, people from anywhere are invited to make an appointment to visit our facility and use our resources to explore their ancestry. ''' Currently, the Center is open by appointment only. '''

Center Contacts and Hours
Location Map:


 * Location Map

Address:


 * 140 Sand Creek Hwy Adrian MI 49221 United States
 * Located inside the church building
 * Enter from the church's West (rear) parking lot (ring the doorbell to gain entry)

Language:


 * English

Phone:


 * 517-263-4789 (to leave a message)
 * 517-423-2919 (to make an appointment)

E-mail:


 * AdrianMiFHC@gmail.com

Hours of Operation:


 * The Adrian Family History Center does not maintain regular “drop-in” hours.
 * The Family History Center is open by appointment only on most Wednesdays and Thursdays.


 * The center will be closed when Adrian area schools are closed due to inclement weather or when school evening or Saturday activities are cancelled due to the weather.
 * If Adrian area schools are closed or open late on a day that you have an appointment, please call 517-263-4789 before coming to confirm that the Center is open and staff members are present.

Upcoming Events

 * The Center hosts occasional special training events. When scheduled, those events will be posted here.

Class Schedule

 * There are currently no classes scheduled.

Get Help at Our Center

 * During your appointment, one of the volunteer staff members should be able to help you with most family history situations.


 * If you would like help with a specialized topic, please let us know when you make your appointment and we will do our best to accommodate you. Some specific options are:
 * Online resources such as FamilySearch and Ancestry.com
 * Creating a family tree at FamilySearch Family Tree
 * Putting a photograph on FamilySearch Family Tree
 * Copying files and documents onto a flash drive
 * Working with GEDCOM files
 * Genealogy software such as Ancestral Quest, Legacy, MagiKey, and Roots Magic
 * Adoption research--finding information about birth relatives
 * Information about DNA testing
 * Records at the Library of Congress, Michigan Archives, and National Archives
 * Research in specific countries: Canada (including French Canadian, Ontario, and Saskatchewan), China (including Chinese character records for Japan), England, Germany (including old German script), Ireland, Italy, Korea, Poland, Romania, Russian language, Scotland, Swiss-Italian (Latin) Switzerland, Ukraine, etc.
 * Most U.S. states, including specialties such as California Gold Rush, Mennonite, early New England, Pennsylvania Dutch (German Baptist Brethren), Quaker, etc.

Reference Library

 * The Center maintains a limited library of reference works related to research methods as well as a number of family histories and genealogies.

Hardware and Equipment

 * The Family History Center is equipped with computers with high speed internet access, document scanner, printer/copier, microfilm and microfiche readers, and free WiFi so you can either bring your own laptop or use one of our computers.
 * Note that the premium subscription websites can only be accessed from a family history center computer through the Family History Center Services Portal. If you try to access them using your laptop, even if you are connected through the Center’s WiFi, the websites will require you to have an individual subscription. If you have an individual subscription, you can log into your account from your personal computer or any of the Family History Center computers.
 * Please be aware that there is a nominal charge for printing using the Family History Center printer/copier. However, there is no charge if you print or scan to a flashdrive and print your documents at home.
 * We highly recommend that you bring a flashdrive and a notebook with you to the Center to be able to take home what you find and keep notes on what you accomplish and what you would like to do next.

Premium Online Tools, Websites, & Databases

 * FHC Portal This center has access to the Family History Center Portal page which gives free access in the center to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions.


 * Note: You must access the premium subscription websites from a family history center computer through the Family History Center Services Portal. If you try to access them using the links below, the websites require an individual subscription.


 * The 19th Century British Library Newspapers digital archive—http://find.galegroup.com/bncn/
 * This fully searchable database of the British Library's newspaper holdings provides a complete run of 48 national and regional Victorian British newspapers for the 19th century from 1800 to 1900. These support the study of colonial history, genealogical research, politics, urban studies, and media courses.


 * Access Newspaper Archives—http://www.newspaperarchive.com
 * NewspaperArchive.com is the world's largest online newspaper archive. Featuring billions of articles from historical newspapers around the U.S. and the world, NewspaperARCHIVE makes exploring history and genealogy easy and fun. Discover fascinating news in archived newspapers hundreds of years old—including obituaries, birth announcements, sports articles, comics, and more—to fill in the life stories you are interested in. And share those stories with others through their community at Our NewspaperARCHIVE. All of their historical newspapers are full-page and fully searchable."


 * Alexander Street Press, American Civil War—http://alexanderstreet.com/
 * Research Data: Contains indexed, searchable information on over 4 million soldiers and thousands of battles, together with 15,000 photographs. http://asp6new.alexanderstreet.com/cwdb/
 * Letters and Diaries: Contains approximately 100,000 indexed pages of diaries, letters, and memoirs, including 4,000 pages of previously unpublished manuscripts, such as the letters of Amos Wood and his wife and the diary of Maryland planter William Claytor. http://solomon.cwld.alexanderstreet.com/
 * Images, Photographs, Posters, and Ephemera: Provides a vivid history of the American Civil War with over 1,400 images. http://cpho.alexanderstreet.com/
 * Social and Cultural History: Personal accounts of well-known historical figures.
 * Women and Social Movements in the United States: Organized around the history of women in social movements in the United States between 1600 and 2000 A.D.


 * American Ancestors’—http://www.americanancestors.org/
 * AmericanAncestors.org was created by the expert staff at New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), America's founding genealogical organization, AmericanAncestors.org is the portal to the nation's leading resource for the highest-quality, comprehensive family history services. Consult with our expert staff, some of the most respected genealogists in the profession. Read the most significant original scholarship and important publications in genealogy. Access millions of exclusive and sought-after records online. Learn with in-depth online courses and webinars from expert staff. Explore the largest collection of original family history research materials in America.


 * Ancestry.com—http://www.ancestry.com/
 * Ancestry gives you access to thousands of collections of records from around the world, including immigration, census, voter, vital, and military records; newspapers and periodicals; family trees; photos and images; directories, maps, court records, land records, wills and financial records, stories, memories, and histories; and detailed records about births, marriages, deaths, land ownership, and much more. It is the largest for-profit genealogy company in the world.


 * ArkivDigital Online
 * ArkivDigital is the largest private provider of Swedish Church Records and other historical records online!


 * FamNet—http://www.nzgdb.co.nz/
 * The online family history network for those who have New Zealand roots.


 * findmypast—http://www.findmypast.co.uk/
 * findmypast makes it easy to research your UK ancestry and create your family tree. Search census records and trace births, marriages, and deaths to bring your family history to life. Please note that not all of the content from findmypast is available in family history centers.
 * 1911 British Census (accessed through the findmypast website)—The 1911 UK Census is a record of everyone who lived in England and Wales in 1911. It provides a unique snapshot of the lives of those who lived at that time.


 * Fold3 (formerly Footnote.com)–http://www.fold3.com/
 * Search or browse millions of historical documents and photos. Fold3 has refocused their efforts on gathering the best online collection of military records and stories. The Fold3 name reflects military history and honor, since traditionally, the third fold in a flag-folding ceremony honors and remembers veterans for their sacrifice in defending their country and promoting peace in the world.


 * Geneanet—http://geneanet.org
 * With 3 billion referenced individuals and 600,000 trees online, Geneanet is the first site dedicated to genealogy in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Germany. The Geneanet community has 2 million members who exchange genealogical information.


 * Kinpoint Premium—https://kinpoint.com
 * Kinpoint is designed to make it easier for you to do your family history by letting you see what to work on at a glance, quickly find missing information in your family tree, and discover insights into the lives of your ancestors.


 * MyHeritage—Library Edition—http://myheritagelibraryedition.com/research
 * Used by millions of people worldwide to help research family history, build a family tree, and add photos, historical records, and more.


 * Paper Trail—http://www.paper-trail.org/
 * Provides access to 19th-century westward American migration documents.


 * ProQuest Obituary Listings—http://obituaries.proquest.com/obitsweb/obits/do/home
 * The ProQuest obituaries collection is a premier resource for genealogical and historical research. You can use the collection to search obituaries and death notices from prominent newspapers, such as the New York Times (dating back to 1851). The collection includes both famous and lesser-known individuals and can be searched by name or by keywords appearing in the body of the article.


 * Puzzilla—https://puzzilla.org Premium Services.
 * Puzzilla is an online tool to identify new research opportunities on descendant lines in Family Tree.

Third Party Software

 * Individual software features and functions vary, and individual family historians have different preferences and expectations. Although we do not endorse or recommend any specific third party product, a number of different Third Party Applications are available on Family History Center computers to allow you to work in a familiar software environment. Upload your GEDCOM file into one of the third party software applications to explore different features and capabilities. Use the software that works best for you.
 * Third Party Applications available on Center computers include:


 * Ancestral Quest—Ancestral Quest is a genealogy management tool. Users will find that it looks and feels very much like PAF 5.2, with several new features and utilities.


 * Ancestral Quest Collaboration—By using the NetFam™ Collaboration capabilities of Ancestral Quest, you can work together with a group of people (typically relatives) on recording your family history. To work with a “Collaboration File,” you place a family file on a central server on the internet. You allow others to access that file. This means that you and your associates, anywhere in the world, can work together on a single master file. This can eliminate the need to send GEDCOM files back and forth and merge the two sets of information.


 * ArkivDigital—ArkivDigital is the largest private provider of Swedish Church Records and other historical records online! All images are newly photographed color images of the original documents.


 * Charting Companion—Genealogy charting tool that creates charts and reports from family tree databases. This program allows users to choose the number of generations, events to include, content of box charts, date format, and photos for all graphic representations. Charting Companion offers a wide variety of formats and over 16 million color options to organize family lines and fully customize reports by sex, generation, or lineage.


 * Genelines™—Genelines Universal Edition is a time line charting companion for use with almost any genealogy program. Genelines brings together elements of time, history, and family relationships on visual time line charts. The charts are created from two sources—your genealogy database and an extensive library of history files.


 * Generation Maps—Generation Maps Family History Center (FHC) Consultation Software allows you to submit any genealogy computer file for a free pedigree analysis consultation. You’ll be sent an e-mail with an analysis of your file (size, number of generations, lateral lines, merging issues, etc.) and suggestions for multiple printing options for displaying your family history.


 * Legacy—Legacy Family Tree can be used to map your ancestors around the world, create beautiful wall charts, and cite your sources. It also includes an interview center that will assist you in asking the right questions to help capture important memories before it's too late, and much, much more.


 * MagiKey—A Windows-based genealogy software that opens, reads, and saves in the GEDCOM format. The new tool Census Tracker helps you to easily extract and view census data for an entire family across many years in countries such as the US, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, and the United Kingdom. Use MagiKey Family Tree to easily take your existing information, or information extracted from a census, and add it to FamilySearch and merge duplicate information.


 * Map My Family Tree—Map My Family Tree geographically locates your family tree (from all popular genealogy file formats) so that you can view where your ancestors were born, married, and died. You can customize printable maps with over 16 million colors and a wide range of font styles and sizes, and you can automatically link to Google™ Earth, Google Maps, TerraServer USA, and MapQuest.com to see your ancestors' hometowns on online maps, satellite images, and aerial photographs.


 * RootsMagic—RootsMagic Genealogy Software is a genealogy management tool. AutoMatch will automatically match people in your RootsMagic file with FamilySearch, all without requiring user intervention. This gets rid of one of the biggest obstacles to using your own personal data with FamilySearch Family Tree and lets you get on with sharing your information to and from FamilySearch.

Staff Research Specialties

 * Our staff has decades of collective experience in family history and genealogical research as well as extensive expertise in using and navigating FamilySearch and in locating historical documents and records held by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Resources in the Local Area

 * Adrian District Library Website
 * Crazy Cemetery Ladies Website
 * Lenawee County Family Researchers (LCFR) Website
 * Lenawee County Family Researchers Research Library (housed at the Read It and Reap Library) Website
 * Lenawee County Historical Museum Website
 * The Lenawee District Library, Main Branch Website
 * Michigan State Archives Website

Links

 * FamilySearch Research Wiki: What It Can Do For You!: A comprehensive video presentation explaining the Wiki, navigating it, and some especially useful pages. Case studies demonstrate using the Wiki for genealogical research. Editing and adding articles to the Wiki are covered.

Fun Links

 * Donald Duck Family Tree
 * Greek Gods Family Tree
 * Roman Gods Family Tree
 * Stars Wars Family Tree
 * Norman Rockwell Family Tree

Volunteer at the Center
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer at the Adrian Michigan Family History Center or if you have suggestions for additional information or links for our website, please send an email to AdrianMiFHC@gmail.com.