The organization of Jackson County was approved on 28 June 1832 and officially recognized on 1 August 1832.

The Jackson County Pioneer Certificate Project is sponsored by the Jackson County Genealogical Society. The purpose of this project is to honor and collect data about the early residents of Jackson County, Michigan, and their descendants. The information collected will benefit the Genealogical Society by adding valuable history of our early settlers and provide information for future research in the county.

Descendants of these early settlers may apply for a Jackson County Pioneer Certificate. The certificate will be given in five categories recognizing the settlement and growth of Jackson County. These certificates will be of frameable quality with the name of the Applicant and Ancestor based upon the year the Ancestor settled in Jackson County.

The categories are:

First Families - pre 1841 Founder-1841-1861 Settler-1862-1881 Builder-1882-1907 Industrialist-1908-1940

ELIGIBILITY: The applicant must directly descend from an ancestor who 'resided' in Jackson County, prior to the 1940 date. 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 Jackson County residency is not required to receive a Pioneer Certificate.

INSTRUCTIONS: The Jackson County Pioneer Certificate Application form may be requested by emailing the Jackson County Genealogical Society at [email protected] or mailing to:

Jackson County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 188 Jackson, Michigan 49204

Questions? Call 517-768-9266.

The application should be completed following one direct line. It should be either typed or carefully printed in black ink, and surnames in CAPITAL LETTERS, please. Please identify women by their maiden names, using parentheses if married. Dates should be written as day, month, year (e. g., 1 Jan. 1900) with year written in 4 digits please. Incorrect or incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant for corrections or additions.

A non-refundable fee of $20.00 must accompany the completed application form and proof of descent. Additional certificates for descendants of the applicant may be requested at the same time or later for a fee of $10.00. These descendants MUST BE PROVEN. For example, to obtain a certificate for your child you would prove his/her descent from you with a birth certificate and if the child is married-proof of marriage or some other primary source. At the same time that you submit your own application, you also submit a separate application showing your child's name as Descendant, with your name as Applicant. List names for additional certificates on your original Application Form. Attach additional sheets to the lineage chart if space is needed.

All certificates will be mailed to the primary applicant.

PROOFS:

PRIMARY SOURCES are deemed acceptable - Vital Records (birth, marriage & death); Probate

Records; Land Records; Tax Records; Census Records (local, state, federal); Military Records (state & federal); Church, Mortuary, Cemetery & Court Records; School Records; Naturalizations; Michigan Historical and Pioneer Papers (available at the Library of Michigan or Archives of Michigan.) Descent should be proven using Primary Sources, and in the few cases where that is not possible, Secondary sources, or Preponderance of Evidence may be accepted. Please include proofs for spouses also.

SECONDARY SOURCES, the use of which is encouraged but may not be acceptable as proof of

lineage include Bible Records; Obituaries and Newspaper Clippings; Tombstone Inscriptions; Published Family Histories; Published County Histories; Published Biographical Records; City & County Directories; Atlas & Plat Books; Unofficial School Records; Private Papers, Manuscripts, Diaries, Journals & Reminiscences. All other sources may contribute to the Preponderance of Evidence.

All proof documents must show a complete source such as Author, Title, year of publication, page number, Volume number, type of document, and/or location of original document. All Application Forms and verifying proofs and materials will become the property of the Jackson County Genealogical Society.

Do not send Original Documents - Send only photocopies of pertinent material; copies should be clear and readable. Submission of additional information is encouraged but not required, to give dimension to the subject, such as Biographical Sketch of the ancestor, Family Group Sheets, etc. We invite and encourage you to make a copy of your application and information for your own records.