Michigan Research Group

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Comment by Derek S. Davey on July 23, 2009 at 5:11am

My family is located in two separate areas in Michigan that include Van Buren and Lenawee counties. I have been doing research on my own family for over thirty years. Professionally conduct research and also speak on a variety of topics related to Michigan genealogical research. Genealogy Wise offers a wonderful possibility for people to connect on the topic of Genealogy.

Comment by Dawn Smyth Hicks on July 21, 2009 at 2:22pm

Thanks for responding Ann. I believe I have contacted the Library before but no results. I also visited a site some time back that gave info on the town and its settlers etc. I thought it strange that if he had a furniture business and employed at least three of his sons and who knows who else, that there might be some record of the business included in the site. I will give the library a try again and thanks for the name of the Cemetery. Perhaps someone on Find a Grave can help me.
The three sons who worked in the Furniture business were Thomas, William and Charles. Son John Edward graduated from U of M in 1888 and was admittied to Ann Arbour in Law, but further info re practicing in Kansas a year later makes me think the dates are off.
Thanks again. I saw that about the library.

Comment by Ann Freiberg Faulkner on July 21, 2009 at 11:27am

Dawn, if he were in Big Rapids at the time of his death, there is a good chance that he was buried at Highland View Cemetery, which is a very large beautiful cemetery, referred to also as City Cemetery or Maple Ridge Cemetery in earlier days. However, confirming it will be a problem, unless you find someone living in that area to do the search for you. I do have a copy of the Highland View Cemetery book published by the Mecosta County Genealogy Society in 2007 and John Stillwell does not appear. It states that the compilation of burials comes from cemetery records (which would probably be the card index in the Office-af), obituaries and other various sources found within the Mecosta County Genealogical Society. HOWEVER, I suspect that the stones in the cemetery have not been read. I have several family members buried there and have photos of their tombstones that I took about 8 years ago. Several of the older ones who died prior to 1900 are not included in this compilation. The easiest route would be to obtain a copy of his obituary, which is likely to include his place of burial. Microfilms of the Big Rapids papers are available at Ferris State University in Big Rapids and at the Library of Michigan (now in danger of being closed - see Merryann's comment).

Comment by Dawn Smyth Hicks on July 20, 2009 at 9:10am

My g-g aunt's husband died in Big Rapids MI on 18 Sep 1894. His name was John STILLWELL and he was th owner of a furniture business in Big Rapids, according to the Michigan Western 1884 directory, called J. Stillwell and Sons. After John's death, the rest of the family, most of whom were born in Canada, moved to CA including my aunt. How can I find out what cemetery John is buried?

Comment by Micki Boyer on July 19, 2009 at 5:27pm

Thank you Harold. That's at least a starting point, as I wouldn't have thought of a circuit court or Federal district court. But the other agencies are confusing as they're different from state to state and often from county to county (adoption records, social service records from 100 years ago, newspapers-whom to contact for copies). If the parents separated, they could have gone anywhere, and died before the next census.

Comment by Harold Henderson on July 19, 2009 at 4:57pm

Micki -- County court records would be in either the county clerk or circuit court clerk's office. Federal district court records are in Chicago at the Great Lakes region of the National Archives, and I believe they would have bankruptcy cases too. You may have already seen what the Grand Rapids Public Library and the archives and regional history collections at Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo) can do to help. Sounds like you are doing the right things -- it's hard when you're far away. -- Harold

Comment by Micki Boyer on July 19, 2009 at 4:41pm

Hi Harold,
My biggest obstacles are that I can't get to Michigan, and can't afford to pay someone to research this for me. I have to KNOW that I've found the right documents before I order them.

The parent's names were Benjamin Donahue and Mate nee Cashell (possibly Cashel).

I have records from the orphanage (just got those), and birth certificates, school records, marriage license, and they all confirm the parents names and births in Vermont, where they are named. I don't know anything about their father except that he was a steam fitter and the company he worked for (Leitit--spelling?) doesn't have employee records that old.

I'm working on getting baptismal records for the children and there might be something on the parents. I don't know how old they were when they arrived in Michigan, if they were married before or after leaving Vermont, but my records indicate they were legally married.

I don't know whom to contact in the Michigan/Kent County court system to access the records you mention. I haven't found them in any directories, but am still searching for directories for townships outside Grand Rapids. My hunch is that they were city-folk (lived in Grand Rapids).

I have absolutely no Vermont locations noted anywhere to give me a starting point for that state. The woman at Catholic Charities said there were no adoption records for the kids through the social services office that handles those, so they must have been fostered. That correlates with both children using their original family surname throughout their adult lives on official records. Oddly, the family recorded as their legal guardians during school has a different name than the ones (there were two) noted by the orphanage.

Since those names are new to me, I can start researching those families, as there's an eight year gap between 1895-1903 when the school records begin. I believe the family was intact from 1889 through May 1895, so I don't know what happened. What I do know doesn't correlate with the story handed down, so there might have been something scandalous going on.

But the parents had to have gone somewhere. I can't find death records, census records, birth records or anything. They just had to be people, so there has to be records. And with a name like Donahue, there has to be thousands to choose from, but I'm not finding much at all.

And your last question... why they gave up the kids? That's the point of doing this search. We'd like to know that, too.

I also can't find anything on my grandfather's side about his mother, Elizabeth Tansey. I even have photos of her with her name on them. But with so many little townships, I don't know where to start with the court system and other agencies.

Does anyone know of a site that identifies which contacts have records of which documents?

Comment by Harold Henderson on July 19, 2009 at 5:57am

Wow Micki, it sounds like a problem that will not be solved only on the internet. Sounds like you have the parents located in at least 2 places: the children's births, Grand Rapids MI in 1895, and maybe particular locations in Vermont at their own births. Who are they associated with at any of these locations? Where do those people go? Do you know any siblings of either parent? Where do they go? Do they appear in property records or court records in these places? (Court records are rarely on line, sometimes microfilmed, but almost never have every-name indexes -- they have to be read.) Are they on city/county directories, tax lists, or welfare lists if any? Do they have church connections? Any sort of distinctive occupations? Every microscopic detail counts. And of course the obvious: are the orphanage records still extant? I'm wondering why they had to give up the kids -- that in itself might be a clue. Good luck! -- Harold

Comment by Micki Boyer on July 18, 2009 at 9:32pm

I've hit a brick wall researching my grandmother and great uncle. They were left at an orphanage in Grand Rapids by their parents Mate and Benjamin Donahue in 1895, and foster later that same year. Apparently, from family letters, the parents visited them a couple times, but disappeared and I can't find a trace of either one in any census, anywhere. According to the children's birth certificates, their parents were born in Vermont. I can't find anything about them there, either.

I've read almost everything on the WMGS site, and several other sites, but seem to have exhausted everything. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance for anything you can offer.

Comment by genesnoopy on July 18, 2009 at 2:54pm

my father although born in Canada attended early school in Detriot area... how do I find out which school? thanks

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