This is one of the finest statewide sourcebooks ever published, a remarkable compilation of sources and resources that are available to help researchers find their Michigan ancestors. It identifies records on the state and regional level and then the county level, providing details of vital records, court and land records, military records, newspapers, and census records, as well as the holdings of the various societies and institutions whose resources and facilities support the special needs of the genealogist. County-by-county, it lists the names, addresses, websites, e-mail addresses, and hours of business of libraries, archives, genealogical and historical societies, courthouses, and other record repositories; describes their manuscripts and record collections; highlights their special holdings; and provides details regarding queries, searches, and restrictions on the use of their records.

"Thoughtfully documenting the voice and emotions of many who might otherwise remain unheard, Hemalata Dandekar provides in-depth accounts and insights, underpinned by quietly rigorous analysis, about family interactions and the perceptions, understandings, and memories of family members . . . a tribute to the indomitability of the human spirit as an enduring force in sustaining farm life on the Michigan farms." ---Anatole Senkevitch, Jr., Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan Michigan's family farms form the backbone of the state. One need only see the Centennial Farm signs that dot the sides of the state's country roads to understand that. Hemalata Dandekar shows in her new book just how connected those family farm buildings are to the families that inhabit them. Eight family-farm case studies display farm buildings' relationship to the land they sit on, their function on the farm, the materials they're made with, the farm enterprises themselves, and the families who own them. Photographs, plans, elevations, and sections of typical, exemplary traditional farm buildings show the aesthetic and architectural qualities of those types of buildings across the state. The ways in which the buildings serve the productive activities of the farm, shelter and nourish the people and livestock, yield a living, and enable the aspirations of farm people are shown in the words and photographs of the farmers themselves. The buildings form a window into the lives of Michigan's family farms and into the hearts and minds of the people who have lived and worked in them their entire lives. Hemalata C. Dandekar is head of City and Regional Planning at California Polytechnic State University. She specializes in urbanization, urban-rural linkages, rural development, and gender and housing. She developed her love of Michigan farmers and farm architecture during her years as a student, professor, and then director at the Urban Planning program of the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan.

MICHIGAN ENCYCLOPEDIA is the definitive reference work on Michigan ever published. The noted Michigan historian Dr. Matthew Lawrence Daly, Assistant Professor of History at Grand Valley State University, has authored articles on Introduction to Michigan History, Early History of Michigan, and Michigan History. These articles cover the history of Michigan, from the early explorers to twenty-first century events. Other major sections in this reference work are Michigan Symbols and Designations, Geography and Topography of Michigan, Profiles of Michigan Governors, Chronology of Michigan Historic Events, Dictionary of Michigan Places, Michigan Constitution, Bibliography of Michigan Books, Pictorial Scenes of Michigan, State Executive Offices, State Agencies, Departments and Offices, Michigan Senators, Michigan Assembly Members, U.S. Senators and U.S. Congress members from Michigan, Directory of Michigan Historic Places and Index.MICHIGAN ENCYCLOPEDIA contains stunning photographs and portraits to compliment the expertly written text. Population charts are arranged alphabetically by city or town name, and by county. This allows students easy access to find population figures for their area of interest. Other population charts list all places in Michigan by largest populated places to least populated places by city or county. Directories contain the information on elected state and federal officials along with their contact information including mail and email addresses, phone and fax numbers. Easy to use reference maps are included to find your elected state or federal officials. The Directory of State Services lists the head officials and full contact information on state agencies and departments, some of which were just newly created by the legislature. The Directory of Michigan Historic Places contains all the latest up to date information on every Michigan historic place. The Bibliography includes that latest books published on Michigan. A detailed Index makes the work thoroughly referential. MICHIGAN ENCYCLCOPEDIA offers librarians, teachers and students a single source reference work that provides the answers to the most frequently asked questions about Michigan and its history.

Located in southeast Michigan, Bedford Township is Toledo, Ohios largest suburb. It has been widely recognized as the garden spot of Monroe County and is a great place to raise children. Emerging out of Erie Township in 1836, Bedford Township grew from a group of 60 pioneering families, many of whom still have descendants in the area. Bedford encompasses the three unincorporated villages of Lambertville, Samaria, and Temperance. All have developed a strong sense of local pride, manifested in various annual events including homecomings, trade fairs, and school and family reunions. Bedfordians who have achieved wide recognition include ballplayer LeRoy Bud Parmelee, Brighten the Corner hymnist Ina Duley Ogdon, bus safety-mirror inventor Reid Stout, artist Howard J. Schuler, World War II hero Ensign Harry Lee Corl, and Sens. Norm Shinkle and Bev Hammerstrom. We invite you to browse these pages, noting family namesif your friends or relatives are mentioned, enjoy renewed acquaintances. Next time you are back home check out our Local History Room in the grand new Bedford Branch of the Monroe County Library, where you may find your ancestors on the shelves.