The State of Michigan is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its statehood in 1987. In honor of that celebration, the Michigan Genealogical Council and the Library of Michigan proudly offer a commemorative Sesquicentennial Pioneer Certificate to eligible persons. Anyone directly descended from a Michigan resident of 1837, or before, is welcome to apply for this permanent remembrance of their family history and the Michigan Sesquicentennial.

The data that applicants furnish, as proof of their lineage will be a valuable addition to the history of Michigan, and a source of information for future generations.

ELIGIBILITY:

To qualify for a Sesquicentennial Pioneer Certificate, the applicant must directly descend from an ancestor who settled in Michigan prior to December 31, 1837. The applicant must be able to prove descent from the ancestor (male or female) by an official record or records for each generation, including proof for the applicant. Current Michigan residency is not necessary.

PROOFS:

To insure that the certificate is the result of credible genealogical research, the following PRIMARY SOURCES are deemed acceptable: Vital Records (birth, marriage & death); probate records; land records; tax records; all census records (local, state & federal); military records (state & federal); Church, mortuary, cemetery and court records.

The inclusion of the following supplemental resources is encouraged but may not be acceptable as proof of lineage: Bible records; obituaries & newspaper clippings; tombstone inscriptions; published family histories; published county histories; published biographical records; city & county directories; private papers & personal records, i.e. letters, diaries, journals and reminiscences.

SUBMITTED MATERIALS: All applications and verifying material become the property of The Michigan Genealogical Council and the Library of Michigan, and will be retained in the custody of the Library of Michigan. No original documents should be sent. Send a photocopy or other facsimile copy of pertinent materials. Applicants are encouraged to include biographical information on their Michigan sesquicentennial ancestor.

Eligibility shall be determined by a committee appointed by the Michigan Genealogical Council and the Library of Michigan. The committee's decision shall be final.

[Of all the certificates represented in these pages, this one was the most difficult to obtain, due to the sparsity of primary records.]

Notice received from the Library of Michigan on Apr. 20, 1998:

"This project was a joint effort of the Michigan Genealogical Council and the Library of Michigan to celebrate the Sesquicentennial of Michigan Statehood. We are no longer accepting applications since the project ended ten years ago. The orginial records have been turned over to the State Archives of Michigan at 717 West Allegan Street, Lansing, MI 48918-1837."

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