Every year the Archives of Michigan and the Michigan Genealogical Council host a seminar to promote family history awareness and teach genealogy research skills. The event is generously supported by the Abrams Foundation in loving memory of Barbara J. Brown. We are delighted to be hosting Alec Ferretti, who will be joining us onsite in Lansing and via Zoom.
The Archives of Michigan is pleased to continue offering this flagship annual gathering as a hybrid event. In addition, the Archives of Michigan will offer the following additions to this year’s seminar:
Register for a free pre-seminar session on mental health records!
Interested in learning more about mental health records at the Archives of Michigan? Join us for this free pre-seminar offering. This presentation will be open to the public as well as seminar attendees.
Register now for the 2026 Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar!
Online registration will be open until Wednesday, May 13 at 8 a.m. After 8 a.m. on Wednesday, May13, individuals will only be able to register for online attendance.
Registration Fee: $55
702 Kalamazoo Street
Lansing, Michigan, 48915
Start: May 15, 2026 1:00 PM
End: May 16, 2026 4:00 PM
Every year the Archives of Michigan and the Michigan Genealogical Council host a seminar to promote family history awareness and teach genealogy research skills. The event is generously supported by the Abrams Foundation in loving memory of Barbara J. Brown. We are delighted to be hosting Alec Ferretti, who will be joining us onsite in Lansing and via Zoom.
The Archives of Michigan is pleased to continue offering this flagship annual gathering as a hybrid event. In addition, the Archives of Michigan will offer the following additions to this year’s seminar:
Register for a free pre-seminar session on mental health records!
Interested in learning more about mental health records at the Archives of Michigan? Join us for this free pre-seminar offering. This presentation will be open to the public as well as seminar attendees.
Register now for the 2026 Barbara J. Brown Family History Seminar!
Online registration will be open until Wednesday, May 13 at 8 a.m. After 8 a.m. on Wednesday, May13, individuals will only be able to register for online attendance.
Registration Fee: $55
The Archives of Michigan is excited to welcome Alex Ferretti as this year's featured speaker! Alex Ferretti is a New-York-City-based professional genealogist, who has worked for the Wells Fargo Family & Business History Center, researching family histories for high net worth clients.
Alec specializes in the history of 20th century immigrants to the United States, focusing on the Italian Diaspora. He is a regular lecturer at genealogical societies and conferences. He serves as the President of the New York Genealogy & Technology Group, serves actively on the Board of Directors of the Association of Professional Genealogists, and on the Board of Reclaim the Records, a nonprofit dedicated to wrangling public records from obstinate government agencies.
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Continental breakfast (onsite only)
Join us early for a complimentary continental breakfast. Stay for the pre-seminar or get in a few extra hours of research before the seminar starts.
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Extended open hours at the Archives of Michigan (onsite only)
The Archives of Michigan's reading room will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dive into research before and after the seminar.
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Pre-seminar Session: Mental Health Records at the Archives of Michigan (separate registration, hybrid)
Interested in learning more about mental health records at the Archives of Michigan? Join us for this pre-seminar offering. The presentation will be open to the public as well as seminar attendees.
12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Seminar Registration
Lunch provided by the Archives of Michigan (onsite only)
1:00 p.m. - 1:20 p.m.
Session 1. Welcome and Remarks
Mark Harvey, State Archivist and Judy Nimer Muhn, Genealogical Council
1:40 p.m. - 2:40 p.m.
Session 2. Social Media & Connecting Researchers (hybrid)
Judy Nimer Muhn, Michigan Genealogical Council
Using Facebook, Instagram and more to assist in finding cousins and locating information about ancestors and the places they've lived, learn to use social media for own research. The importance of finding people in the locales you are researching, asking for help (the right/wrong ways) and obtaining incredible responses and support are just SOME of the outcomes you can expect and develop. Judy will share how she’s received help in Ontario, Scotland and Poland, and around the US.
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Session 3. Lady Liberty: The Story of Women's Citizenship (hybrid)
Alec Ferretti, Featured speaker
Women's citizenship in the U.S. has been anything but straightforward. This session unpacks the laws that shaped women's nationality status from marriage laws that revoked citizenship to later reforms that restored it. Attendees will learn what records exist to trace these changes, including files from USCIS, the State Department, and NARA. If your research involves female ancestors, understanding this legal maze is essential to finding their records and telling their full stories.
4:20 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Session 4a. New Updates to Michiganology (hybrid)
There are many exciting changes on Michiganology! Archives of Michigan staff will highlight these updates and share information about future improvements coming this summer.
Session 4b. Behind-the-scenes tour of the Archives of Michigan (onsite only)
Are you curious about where records are kept in the archives? Join staff at the Archives of Michigan for a behind-the-scenes look of the archives and its holdings.
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Seminar registration and continental breakfast (onsite only)
8:50 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.
Session 5. Accessing Michigan’s Naturalization Records! (hybrid)
Kris Rzepczynski, Archives of Michigan
With the release of the Michigan naturalization records project this past fall, researchers now have free online access to these important records from nearly 75 counties across the state, including Houghton, Kent, Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne. Attendees will learn about the naturalization records themselves, counties in the queue for rollout, and how best to maximize their search at Michiganology.
10:10 a.m. - 11:10 a.m.
Session 6. The Mess of New York Vital Records (hybrid)
Alec Ferretti, Featured speaker
If you've ever tried to get a New York birth or death certificate, you know it's a bureaucratic headache. This talk breaks down the tangled web of agencies involved—the NYC Municipal Archives, state and city health departments—and the opaque rules that govern access. Learn about ongoing legal efforts to pry these records loose, and how advocacy is starting to change the game.
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Session 7. Finding Community Through a USCT “Widow’s Pension” (hybrid)
Jessica Trotter, Researcher & blogger
This session discusses the pension process, the challenges to widow's seeking support, and the possible finds in a pension file, and features a “gold mine” file that helped connect the dots in an African American community.
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch provided by the Archives of Michigan (onsite only)
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Session 8. My Ancestor in Court (hybrid)
Alec Ferretti, Featured speaker
From the County Court to the Supreme Court, court records may hold clues and answers to questions that you have about your ancestor. Suits in equity, trespass to try title, a suit brought by next friend, what do these terms mean and what can you learn from these suits? Case studies will be used to illustrate the types of records found and their use in solving problems.
2:50 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.
Session 9. Migration and Development of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (hybrid)
Adam Oster, Library of Michigan
Michigan’s statehood commenced a period of rapid growth and change for the Upper Peninsula region. The discovery of mineral resources, the arrival of diverse immigrant communities, and the shift towards forestry and tourism can be traced through the publications of the period. Explore key resources that illustrate the Upper Peninsula’s lasting cultural identity.
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Extended open hours at the Archives of Michigan (onsite only)
The reading room will remain open until 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Rachel Clark is an archivist with the Archives of Michigan. Prior to joining the archives, she taught middle school for over 11 years and was the education specialist for the Michigan History Center for 12 years. Rachel works on the Reference Team at the archives and has experience working in state and local records.
Author, presenter, researcher and traveler, Judy specializes in French-Canadian, Acadian, Native American and Michigan research. Owner of Lineage Journeys, Judy is a board member and chair of the Awards Committee of the National Genealogical Society, the President for the Oakland County Genealogical Society, President and Social Media co-chair for the Michigan Genealogical Council, and a founder of the English-Speaking Genealogists of Europe, NATO Chapter.
The Community Engagement Librarian for the Library of Michigan, Adam holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Grand Valley State University with a minor in Political Science and Secondary Education Certification. He also has a Master of Library Science degree from Indiana University. Adam’s interests include genealogy and local history research.
An Archivist at the Archives of Michigan, where he specializes in family history and Michigan research, Kris has worked in the genealogical community for more than 25 years. He is a former Vice President of Membership for the Federation of Genealogical Societies and a Past President of the Mid-Michigan Genealogical Society.
Jessica Trotter is an archivist by education—but works in public libraries by day. She has presented regionally since 2012 including annually for the Archives of Michigan Barbara J. Brown / Abrams Foundation Family History Seminar, for the Genealogy Center at Allen County Public Library, at the Ohio Genealogical Society Conference and Fall Retreat in 2022, and at the NGS Conference in 2018 as well as part of their Virtual On Demand Lectures in 2020. Her genealogy research areas include Midwest, African American, British Isles, Canadian, and Early American research. She also maintains a genealogy research related blog called Genie Road Trip at genieroadtrip.com.
