Mark your calendars! Our May program will be a fieldtrip to Oakwood Mausoleum, 5950 Gratiot beginning at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, May 11, 2010. Everyone will meet in the front office. Join hostess Berta Jimenez for the history of the building, find out what prominent Saginawians are buried there, and a building tour. After the tour, cookies and coffee will be served. Members and guests attending will receive a free Genealogy is Fun canvas bag! As this is a fieldtrip, there will be no business meeting. Special thanks to Betty Coleman for making the arrangements! Inside this issue: 1 May Meeting / SGS Open Positions / Hoyt Library Workshop 2 Michigan County Information 3 Society E-mail Addresses / Membership Reminder Please pay your dues! New Genealogical Database Available The Public Libraries of Saginaw have a new database available in all their buildings to the New England Historical Genealogical Society in Boston, MA. The Society was founded in 1845 and is one of the leading research center for genealogists. Their database contains vital records, city and town directories, census, tax and voter lists, church records, diaries and journals, published genealogies and biographies, newspapers and periodicals, and many other resources to help with your research. Open Society Positions We have upcoming openings for the following positions: VICE-PRESIDENT, RECORDS, CORRESPONDING and RECORDING SECRETARIES, and TREASURER. If anyone is interested, please notify Carolyn. Also, if you are willing to serve as President, Carolyn will move into the Records position. Please give this serious thought. These positions need to be filled to keep our non-profit status. The Federal Depository Library System and What It Offers To Genealoists Hoyt Library will be repeating a workshop on Monday, June 7, 2010 from 6:00 7:30 PM. The workshop will be presented by Anne Birkam, Cataloger and Government Documents Librarian at Hoyt Library. Class size is limited as the workshop is held in the computer room. Call 989-755-0904 to register. Check our website under Workshops / Seminars for more information. 571
Michigan Facts About Counties There are 83 Michigan counties. It became a part of the United States on January 26, 1837. Its land boundaries have largely remained unchanged. Note the year created, as many were created before or after statehood and its origin. Besides Indian references and Irish Counties, many were named for political people serving in Andrew Jackson s cabinet. These are known as the cabinet counties. Listed below are the county names and the origin of its name: Alcona Harrisville 1840 Native American name created by Henry Alger Munising 1885 Russell A. Alger (1836-1907) Michigan Governor, Senator, Secretary of War during McKinley s Administration Allegan Allegan 1831 boundaries / 1835 Henry Rowe (1793-1864), geographer and superintendent of Indian Affairs in Michigan Alpena Alpena 1840 boundaries / 1857 Native American name created by Henry Antrim Bellaire 1840 County Antrim, Ireland Arenac Standish 1831 Native American name created by Henry Baraga L Anse 1875 Frederic Baraga (1797-1868) Catholic missionary and first bishop of SSM Diocese Barry Hastings 1829 William T. Barry (1784-1835) Postmaster General from Andrew Jackson s cabinet Bay Bay City 1857 From Saginaw Bay Benzie Beulah 1863 French: Riviere Aux-Bec-Scies Berrien St. Joseph 1829 John M. Berrien (1781-1863) Attorney General from Andrew Jackson s cabinet Branch Coldwater 1829 John Branch (1782-1863) Secretary of the Navy in Andrew Jackson s cabinet Calhoun Marshall 1829 John C. Calhoun (1782-1850) Vice President of the US in Andrew Jackson s cabinet Cass Cassopolis 1829 Lewis Cass (1782-1866) Secretary of War in Andrew Jackson s cabinet 572
Charlevoix Charlevoix 1869 Pierre Francois Xavier de Charlevoix (1682-1761) Jesuit traveler and historian of New France Cheboygan Cheboygan 1840 Cheboygan River Chippewa Sault Ste. Marie 1827 Ojibwa Native American tribe, aka the Chippewa Clare Harrison 1840 County Clare, Ireland Clinton St. Johns 1831 DeWitt Clinton, (1769-1828) NY Governor Crawford Grayling 1840 Possibly for Fort Crawford Delta Escanaba 1843 Greek letter Delta Dickinson Iron Mountain 1891 Donald M. Dickinson (1846-1917) Postmaster General in the Cleveland administration Eaton Charlotte 1829 John Eaton (1790-1856) Secretary of War in Andrew Jackson s cabinet Emmet Petoskey 1840 Robert W. Emmet (1778-1803) Irish rebel Genesee Flint 1835 Seneca word je-nis-hi-yeh meaning beautiful valley after the New York state valley where many settlers came from Gladwin Gladwin 1831 Major Henry Gladwin, British commander of the fort at Detroit during the siege of Chief Pontiac Gogebic Bessemer 1887 From the Chippewa bic which most interpret as rock Grand Traverse Traverse City 1851 French phrase grande travers meaning long crossing given by French voyageurs Gratiot Ithaca 1831 Captain Charles Gratiot (1788-1855) built Fort Gratiot at the present site of Port Huron Hillsdale Hillsdale 1829 From its terrain of hills and dales Houghton Houghton 1845 Dr. Douglas Houghton (1809-1845), first state geologist of Michigan, physician and surgeon, and mayor of Detroit (1842-1843) Huron Bad Axe 1840 Lac des Hurons French name for the Native American tribe the French called hure meaning head, after their dressed hair 573
Ingham Mason 1829 Samuel D. Ingham (1779-1860) Secretary of the Treasury in Andrew Jackson s cabinet Ionia Ionia 1831 Province in ancient Greece Iosco Tawas City 1840 Native American name created by Henry Iron Crystal Falls 1885 For the iron deposits and mines Isabella Mt. Pleasant 1831 Queen Isabella (1451-1504) of Spain Jackson Jackson 1829 Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) Seventh President of the US when Michigan was admitted to the Union Kalamazoo Kalamazoo 1829 For the Kalamazoo River Kalkaska Kalkaska 1840 Native American name created by Henry Kent Grand Rapids 1831 New York jurist James Kent who represented Michigan Territory in its dispute with Ohio over the Toledo Strip Keweenaw Eagle River 1861 Ojibwe word gakiiwe-wewaning meaning portage Lake Baldwin 1840 For small lakes near Lake Michigan Lapeer Lapeer 1822 Americanization of the French la pierre meaning flint Leelanau Leland 1840 Native American name created by Henry Lenawee Adrian 1822 Native American name created by Henry from the Delaware leno or lenno or the Shawnee lenawai for man Livingston Howell 1833 Edward Livingston (1764-1836) second Secretary of State in Andrew Jackson s cabinet Luce Newberry 1887 Michigan Governor Cyrus G. Luce Mackinac St. Ignace 1818 Michilimackinac, French interpretation of the name Macomb Mt. Clemens 1818 U.S. General Alexander Macomb, a notable officer in the war of 1812 574
Manistee Manistee 1840 Manistee River, Ojibwe name ministigweyaa for river at whose mouth there are islands Marquette Marquette 1843 French Jesuit missionary Pere Jacques Marquette Mason Ludington 1840 Michigan Governor Stevens T. Mason Mecosta Big Rapids 1840 Mecosta, a Native American leader Menominee Menominee 1861 Menominee s Native Americans Midland Midland 1831 Located near center of the lower peninsula Missaukee Lake City 1840 Missaukee, an Ottawa leader who signed land grant treaties in 1831 and 1833 Monroe Monroe 1817 James Monroe, the fifth US President Montcalm Stanton 1831 Marquis de Montcalm Montmorency Atlanta 1840 Influence on French Canadian history Muskegon Muskegon 1859 Ojibwa/Chippewa word mashkig meaning swamp or marsh Newaygo White Cloud 1840 Chippewa leader who signed the 1819 Saginaw Treaty Oakland Pontiac 1819 boundaries / 1820 Described as oak openings in the county by Dr. Bela Hubbard, a surveyor in Michigan Oceana Hart 1831 Borders Lake MI, the fresh water ocean Ogemaw West Branch 1840 Ojibwe word ogimaa meaning chief or leader Ontonagon Ontonagon 1843 Ojibwa word onagon means dish or bowl, Ontonagon River Osceola Reed City 1840 Osceola (1800-1838) Seminole chief Oscoda Mio 1840 Native American name created by Henry Otsego Gaylord 1840 Otsego County, New York Ottawa Grand Haven 1831 Native American Ottawa people Presque Isle Rogers City 1840 French phrase for peninsula or almost an island Roscommon Roscommon 1840 County Roscommon, Ireland 575
Saginaw Saginaw 1822 Native American word referring to the Sauk tribe that lives at the mouth of the river St. Clair Port Huron 1820 Arthur St. Clair, first governor of the Northwest Territory or for Saint Clair on whose feast day Lake St. Clair was discovered St. Joseph Centreville 1829 The St. Joseph River Sanilac Sandusky 1822 Sanilac, a Wyandotte chief Manistique 1843 Native American name created by Henry Shiawassee Corunna 1822 Shiawassee River, river that twists Tuscola Caro 1840 Native American name created by Henry Van Buren Paw Paw 1829 Martin Van Buren (1782-1862) Secretary of State in the Jackson cabinet and later Vice President and eighth President of the United States Washtenaw Ann Arbor 1822 boundaries / 1826 Wash-ten-ong meaning further district or land beyond meaning Detroit Wayne Detroit 1815 Mad Anthony Wayne (1745-1796) U.S. Army general Wexford Cadillac 1840 County Wexford, Ireland Joseph Pominville came to Detroit with Antoine de Lamothe Cadillac from Canada to establish Detroit. Pominville is our president s great-great-great-great grandfather! Cadillac became the county seat of Wexford County after the so-called "Battle of Manton," in which a show of force was involved in enforcing a controversial decision to move the county seat from Manton, MI. It is named after Cadillac, but was originally called Clam Lake. Here s how Carolyn Obertein connects to Detroit (Wayne County): Carolyn Florence Evans m. Wayne Obertein Margaretta Betty Foor m. Robert M. Evans (her parents) Florence Helen Dupraw m. William Richard Foor (her grandparents) William Simon Dupraw m. Delena Gagnon (her great-grandparents) Joseph Dupraw/Duprat m. Caroline Monica Groesbeck (her great-great grandparents) Louis Duprat m. Julia Louise Pominville (her great-great-great grandparents) Joseph Brault dit Pominville/Pomainville m. Louisa Chauvin (her great-great-great-great grandparents) 576
The Saginaw Public Library 505 Janes Avenue Saginaw, MI 48607 ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED May 2010 Remember to renew your membership! Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID Permit No. 304 Saginaw, MI If your address changes, please make every effort to inform the society so that mailing expenses can be saved. E-mail Dorothy Netzley at dotnetz@charter.net. It is very much appreciated! Important: SGS Fundraiser: Membership is on a fiscal-year basis from May to May. Note: Society membership dues are: single member dues are $20 and family member dues are $25. Please send all membership dues directly to Elizabeth Demand, 9238 Swan Creek Road, Saginaw, MI 48609-9113. If there are any membership-related questions, please call her at 989-781- 0751. Thanks! www.goodsearch.com. Choose Saginaw Genealogical Society and use this search engine like you would www.google.com. Thank you! E-mail addresses for the Society! The Saginaw Genealogical Society has two e-mail addresses: saggensoc@gmail.com and saginawgenealogicalsociety@yahoo.com. Please make a note of them. The accounts will be checked periodically. Any requests will be forwarded to the correct person in as timely a manner as possible. Please do not contact the staff at Hoyt Library and expect that they will have answers regarding the Society. The Society and the Library are separate entities. Thank you for your cooperation. 577