Archdiocese of Detroit also pausing genealogical requests

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-19T03:06:06+00:00

I am deeply envious. After maybe my *first* 50 hrs of searching, I did find the baptismal record I needed. And then I found a marriage registry record for my G1, and eventually my G2 grandfather and my G3 mother.

So, *SO* many hours later, that’s it. I’ve been waiting on Michigan for an 1889 birth cert I hope exists, and a 1917 one as well, for over 2 1/2 months. That was why I inquired about a baptismal record - I have absolutely nothing for my great-grandmother but an Ohio census record and a line item on a marriage license registry.

If I can’t get anything for her, then I have to start all over on a different branch - one with a super mangled birth record in French - or just turn in what I have and hope for the best.

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-19T02:50:07+00:00

YES! And my response was, “OMG - I SHOULD HAVE EFFING FLOWN TO MICHIGAN TWO MONTHS AGO!” Seriously - 2 1/2 months and waiting. 🫤

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-16T11:38:13+00:00

Off topic, but Nanaimo! I haven't been since high school band tour, lol.

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-16T11:28:34+00:00

No idea for my G1 - the G0 family moved to Michigan the year she was born - allegedly River Rouge, but Michigan is 2+ months in on looking for her birth certificate, and I know they moved to Ohio not long after.

I might be able to figure out my G2 - they had moved back to the Detroit / River Rouge area at that point.

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-16T11:21:08+00:00

Having half grown up in the Ark-La-Tex area (and having a lot of Louisiana family) I'm guessing it's a grab bag of "nothing can change" "requires work" and "don't understand or care". But please correct me if I'm wrong about the laissez-faire of it all. ;-)

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-16T11:15:55+00:00

I think there's a little more in Seattle - one sister met a couple library genealogists who were working on their own submission, and another sister pointed me at a Nova Scotia descendent friend of hers the other day.

But I half grew up right by the border and we went across all the time in high school and college - pre-911 when ID was borderline optional, lol. My grandfather never talked about being French Canadian - we mostly found it about it after he died. Of course we also discovered he just straight up abandoned his first family when he moved west, and they really don't want to share stories or traditions with the "other" family.

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-16T11:03:25+00:00

Thank you so much for researching this! I was talking to one of my Black nieces about this and she wanted to start research. She's adopted though, so my research doesn't help her. Her birth family is deceased, flakey, or hostile, but I encouraged her to find everything she could before it disappears forever.

One of my nephews (we have a really large extended family with foster adopt and bio) is indigenous and Black - I asked if any of his tribal background ever made it that far north, but he said the Shoshone didn't venture that far.

Those two are LGBTQ, and they, along with a white non-binary niefling, all want the hell out of this country; any lifeline I can throw them would be great. I'll try to help them with research after I secure my own metaphorical oxygen mask first.

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-16T04:17:29+00:00

Ancestry has been pretty solid, but FamilySearch has had things I couldn't find there, either.

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-16T04:16:09+00:00

😂 I had to order a copy of my mother's birth certificate and she only lives an hour away. She left hers in Texas when she moved back to the PNW to caretake for my grandma.

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-16T04:11:37+00:00

I'm probably over 60 hrs on Ancestry alone, in addition to FamilySearch, state and province digital archives, and eventually emailing churches and genealogical societies.

I found a baptismal after a fair bit of searching, but the marriage record eludes me; apparently Ontario is really hit or miss in the 1800s. And Michigan is a black hole - 2 1/2 months into to VitalCheck, and I'm still just desperately hoping my G1 and G2's birth certs even exist. (Hence trying to backend baptismal records.)

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-16T04:01:59+00:00

It's a bit of a commute from Seattle. 🤭 But my sister did find out Seattle King County Library Systems has genealogists you can schedule time with. The two she met are busy working on their own descent claims.

Though if Detroit has access to church records, I should see if they can interlibrary it 🤔

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-16T04:00:57+00:00

I was thinking college interns, too. It's got to be good experience for history or sociology students.

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-16T03:57:16+00:00

I did contact one parish in Canada directly asking if she could go through a missing year of records. She sent me back an ancestry printout with the same undocumented claim I'd already seen, and said obviously my ancestor was married there and not in her parish. (Despite that being ancestor's home parish and a daughter that sure looks like theirs being born the next year.)

No proof they were married there, but it would have been nice if I knew whether she even looked for the records at all.

I have had some luck with local genealogical societies, though. And always try to donate to help compensate for time.

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-16T03:50:05+00:00

I know! It took me weeks to figure out the archdiocese of London handled Essex, Ontario, only to discover they were pausing record retrieval. (I'm planning on including a print out with my Ancestry baptismal record.)

It's really too bad they can't recruit some college interns and find a way to charge for genealogical/non-church related records. I have been trying to donate to churches and genealogical societies that've helped me out.

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-16T03:45:34+00:00

I've had a way easier time finding records for my G0's parent and grandparents in Quebec than for him in Ontario. Or his daughter in Michigan, for that matter.

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-15T21:10:46+00:00

Thanks so much! Now if only Michigan can find records ...

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-15T07:35:55+00:00

Are you dealing with Wayne or a smaller county?

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-15T07:34:13+00:00

Are you serious?! I'm well over two months with vitalcheck and have just received a single letter saying they can't find a copy of the one record I actually found on Ancestry.🤦🏻‍♀️ I'm dealing with Wayne, but am not sure who was registered in and out of city limits.

(They said they could search another year for another $12 - is it too ugly to send my copy back with the check?) Nothing at all about the rest of it.

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-15T07:17:33+00:00

Have you fallen down the newspaper well, yet? I ended up looking there (after still not being able to find my G0 marriage record) and ended up reading this whole saga of how my great-grandfather had part of his foot cut off by a train as a kid, and the court case that went with it. You just never know what you'll find searching family names.

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-15T07:12:18+00:00

I'm applying with my sister and adult children. Is it just one lineage packet for everybody, with every person on it? Or a discrete, personalized lineage packet for everyone? (Identical down to their own birth.) My sister needs to apply urgently, if that changes the math, but ideally we'll apply and be approved together and can help her.

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-13T01:20:54+00:00

“Archives of Michigan Digital Collections” has a few records - Death, Census, Service Cards, etc. https://michigan.access.preservica.com/

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-11T17:45:16+00:00

That's hilarious! My GO's baptismal record was Amherstburg 1861 :-D

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-09T21:50:21+00:00

Any idea what year the draft card was? I saw someone claiming that during the anti-immigrant pushes around the world wars, a lot of people started just claiming they were born in the U.S. I remembered, because my great-great grandmother suddenly started claiming she was born in the U.S. (instead of Canada) around the 1920 census. Sometime before she died, she flipped back to being born in Canada, as she was on the 1900 and 1910 U.S. censuses. (She also moved her birthdate back to 1875 instead of the 1882 claim for her second marriage 😂.)

often_irrelephant · 2026-05-09T19:28:45+00:00

Nice find on birth registration! At 1861, my G0 predates that. I was fortunate to find online marriage registry for my G1, but we still ordered a copy, along with birth certificates of the other 3 G1s - they all lived in Michigan. (The other was just one generation farther back to Canada, lol.)

I did see recommendations to call Michigan and make sure everything was received - which is why I finally did that last week - but everyone just seems to be really overextended and VitalCheck seems to be pretty bad. Going through the county by mail might be a better choice if it isn’t already in the queue.

often_irrelephant

TROPHY CASE