Author: Jeremy Verdusco

The Stielows and their ‘Surviving Children’

Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Mortality Statistics 1911, PDF of government publication (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1913), p. 22; imaged, Census.gov (www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1910/bulletins/demographics/112-mortality-statistics.pdf : accessed 29 July 2026).

A family faces the stolen joy of child mortality in the early 20th century.

The Connor’s Creek Tragedy: An 1860s Detroit Murder

“APPALLING TRAGEDY … A Brother Butchers His Sister with an Axe,” initial news coverage of the death of “Mrs. William Lynch” at the hands of brother “who calls himself John Hanly, but whose real name is John Cooper,” The Detroit [Michigan] Free Press, vol. XXIX, no. 182, 5 January 1866, p. 1, col. 4.

Genealogy records reveal the misdeeds of grand larcenists, snake oil salesmen, hustlers and, sometimes, murderers.

Genealogy in Action: Revising Conclusions Based on New Evidence

United States (U.S.), 1830 Census, Oakland County, Michigan Territory, population schedule, page 74, line 6, Matthew Vanamburgh household; imaged, “United States, Census, 1830,” *FamilySearch* (www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YY1-XJ4 : accessed 15 July 2026).

What happens when yesterday’s genealogical conclusion no longer fits today’s evidence?

‘Men of the Throttle’: Researching Your Ancestors’ Professions

"MEN OF THE THROTTLE," The Saginaw [Michigan] Weekly Courier-Herald, 26 November 1891, p. 7, col. 5; imaged, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com/image/1076971213 : accessed 10 July 2026).

An ancestor’s profession gives valuable social clues to who they were in the time and place they lived. Tips to help you make easy work of your own research.

Proving Canadian Citizenship Using Michigan Family Records

U.S. 1870 Census, Sanilac County, Michigan, population schedule, Worth Township, page 17 (penned), dwelling 113, family 115, “Freeman Joseph” household; imaged, “Sanilac, Michigan, United States records,” FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6LCJ-MZ : accessed 21 March 2023).

Thousands of Americans with Canadian ancestry are currently exploring Canadian citizenship by descent. For many families — especially those with roots in Detroit and other areas across Michigan — the records needed to prove eligibility may exist on both sides of the border. When birth records, marriage records, or direct evidence are missing or hard… Continue reading Proving Canadian Citizenship Using Michigan Family Records

The Tragic End of James Lynch

United States (U.S.), 1880 Census, Saginaw, Michigan, population schedule, East Saginaw, line 33, page 50 (penned), dwelling 314, family 351, James Lynch in Kinney's boarding house (poor image); imaged, “United States, 1880, Census,” FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YBV-QNQ : accessed 15 May 2025).

Research can often turn up ancestors who died in notable, even unusual, ways.