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      • Headstones
    • County Map
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      • WWI Military Deaths - SAGINAW COUNTY
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      • DAKS Photos
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  • NEWS & MORE
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      • SGS Certificates
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    • Newspapers >
      • Saginaw Daily Courier
      • Saginaw Daily Enterprise
    • History of Bridgeport
    • History of Frankenmuth
    • Saginaw Pioneer Collections
    • Midland County Marriages
    • History of SGS
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    • Request Membership
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    • Donate Page
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    • ALL About Us
    • Q & A FOR YOU
  • MEMBERS
    • THE TTL NEWS - 1st Quarter 2025
    • 2025 SGS ELECTION FORM
    • List of SGS Positions
    • Archives of TTL >
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      • JAN-FEB 2025
      • DEC 2024

PIONEERS, SETTLERS & FIRST FAMILIES
​OF SAGINAW CITY & COUNTY


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HISTORIES AND DOCUMENTATION OF SAGINAW'S
​PIONEER, SETTLER, & FIRST FAMILIES
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SGS ANCESTRY PAGE
THIS IS THE ENTRANCE TO THE ANCESTRY PAGE FOR OUR PIONEER, SETTLER OR FIRST FAMILIES OF SAGINAW, MI
CLICK THE BUTTON ABOVE TO OPEN
ENJOY!


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Saginaw County,
​Michigan Genealogy Trails

HERE'S A BIT OF HISTORY ABOUT SAGINAW COUNTY, IT MAY BE OF INTEREST TO THOSE RESEARCHING THEIR FAMILIES​Saginaw County, Michigan Genealogy Trails
The History of Saginaw County, Michigan
(pages 654-703. Transcribed by Pam Harris)
Michigan Genealogy Trails (History Group)
Michigan Genealogy Trails (main page)

Below are the Guidelines and Instructions
To use in filling out the forms necessary for applying for
and documenting the proof of your ancestors. 

Eligibility:
To qualify for a 'Pioneer, Settler or First Family' Certificate,
​an applicant must be directly

descended from an ancestor who settled in
​Saginaw County
YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY 

You do not need to be a resident of Saginaw County to apply!

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LEVELS OF CERTIFICATION : GOLD (Pioneer)  SILVER (Settler)  BLUE (First family)

'PIONEER'-CERTIFICATE AWARD 
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PIONEER
• Pioneers (settled prior to 1822) Gold Certificate 
Saginaw county was a Trading post with the first fort built

The first recorded European visitor was
Father Henri Nouvel in 1675, a Jesuit Priest from St. Ignace.
From 1675 to 1819, the original residents of the Saginaw area consisted of the
​Sauk and Chippewa Indian tribes, as well as European fur trappers and traders.
In 1819, a permanent settlement was established, and families began to arrive, 
1819 also saw the treaty of Saginaw signed. It was three years later,
in 1822, that Fort Saginaw was established. 
​The county was created on September 10, 1822. 

​

'SETTLERS- CERTIFICATE AWARD
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SETTLER
​
• Settlers (1823 to 1835) Silver Certificate
"The Territory Time" 
In 1824 Saginaw territory was organized
and was then

attached to Oakland County
(for judicial purposes).
​Saginaw Township was organized in 1830.
​A January 28, 1835 act, organized the area into a county, 
(which then included the area later known as Bay County) 
Saginaw County was created & organized! 

​

'FIRST FAMILIES' - CERTIFICATE AWARD
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FIRST FAMILIES
• First Families (1836 to 1884) Blue Certificate 
"Timber Boom Era"
1837 saw the first School district in Saginaw county.
It was located on Court Street, near the courthouse,
which itself was first built in 1839. 
In 1845, German Lutherans from Franconia,
of the Kingdom of Bavaria, came to settle here.
One of their missions became the city of Frankenmuth.
In 1850 Norman Little built a plank road from Flint to Saginaw. 
That's right, out of planks of wood!

In February 1859, Saginaw was finally chartered as a city. 
The Saginaw County population in 1850 was 2,609.
34 years later, at the end of the timber boom, 
The 1884 census 
recorded a whopping 75,813 people!​​

HOW TO FILL OUT THE FORMS

DIRECTIONS:
Each ancestor in the direct line must be proved WITH SUBMITTED DOCUMENTATION.

Anyone related may apply.

​
Additional or more complete charts may be printed from this website. All material submitted will become the property of the Saginaw Genealogical Society and may be used in future publications by the Society – both printed and electronic. We strictly follow the Federal guidelines prohibiting publication of personal information of any living people from these genealogies. (1974 Federal Privacy Protection Act)

Applicants need not have ever been residents of Saginaw County. 
After proof of direct descendancy has been submitted and eligibility has been determined by the SGS board, we will award at our next general meeting (or mail) the appropriate certificate. Separate certificates must be issued for each ancestor properly submitted. 
The fee for each application is $10.00. (includes a presentation folder) Duplicates of each certificate are $5.00 each. (with no presentation folder)
All application fees are nonrefundable.
  PURPOSE:
The Saginaw Genealogical Society is promoting a Saginaw County Pioneer Certificate Program. Our threefold objectives are as follows:

1) We hope to recognize pioneers, settlers and early residents who otherwise would go unnoticed in our county's history. Each builder and crafts person brought us one step closer to the county we know today.

2) We encourage a basic knowledge of genealogical research by asking any direct descendant to put together their family history and apply for a certificate. We will
provide easy instructions and help in researching early Saginaw County residents.


3) We know the recorded information will become a valuable addition to the history of early Saginaw County citizens, providing a source of rich genealogical
information for future research.

From Shared Knowledge Comes Preserved History! 

Linking oneself to the past is an excellent way of building family pride and joy in your ancestry!  We hope you will join in our effort to record and preserve our early Saginaw County History!

Proudly display your Saginaw County Pioneer Certificate! 
To receive your certificates(s) please remit by check the $10 application fee (per certificate) 
duplicates are $5.00 each
Send all documentation and required forms to:
​The Saginaw
Genealogical Society

P.O. Box 6584
Saginaw,  MI  48608-6584




  • DO's and DON'Ts

PRINTABLE FORMS ONLY!
​BELOW ARE THE FORMS:
1. Download the forms to your PC
2. Fill out ONLINE ONLY!
3. PRINT completed forms


​PLEASE DO NOT FILL OUT BY HAND  Handwritten forms will NOT be accepted!​​​NO ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS PLEASE! We are not responsible for original documents, please make copies!

​Questions?
Send us a message at:

www.sgsmi1971.org​

​
OR YOU MAY BRING THE DOCUMENTS TO THE SAGINAW FSC AND LEAVE THEM WITH OUR WORKERS.


  • WE PROVIDE THE INSTRUCTIONS
​PRINTED INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILLING OUT THE PAPERWORK
saginaw_pioneer_certificate_instructions.odt
File Size: 32 kb
File Type: odt
Download File


  • WE PROVIDE THE BLANK DOCUMENTS
We include a FAMILY GROUP FILE for each family to fill out (file #1),
And here are additional files for documenting LARGER FAMILIES WITH MORE CHILDREN (files #  2 & 3 )
familygroup1.pdf
File Size: 282 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

familygroup2.pdf
File Size: 265 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

familygroup3.pdf
File Size: 120 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


  • WE ALSO INCLUDE FOR YOUR CONVIENENCE:
​
*RESEARCH DOCUMENTS to help document your research & sources.
*RESEARCH QUESTIONS & LOG to help organize your questions  & answers.

*PEDIGREE CHARTS to help you organize YOUR family Trees.
pedigree_chart.pdf
File Size: 255 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

researchquestions.pdf
File Size: 306 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

researchlog.pdf
File Size: 281 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

sourcenotes1.pdf
File Size: 328 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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  • WE WILL EVEN PROVIDE THE HELP!
WE ARE HAPPY TO HELP YOU GET ORGANIZED AND FIND YOUR INFORMATION.  
​
VISIT THE SAGINAW FAMILYSEARCH CENTER AT:
1415 N. CENTER RD. SAGINAW, MI 48638
WE ARE OPEN:
WEDNESDAYS 6-8:30PM AND SATURDAYS 10AM-2PM

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