GENEALOGY

             If you are doing genealogical research on persons who lived in Presque Isle County, the museum is a place you’ll definitely want to visit. 

 
THE MUSEUM’S GENEALOGICAL RESOURCES

Genealogies

                The museum collects genealogies that include information about present or former residents of Presque Isle County.  You may find that the museum has genealogies that might be helpful to you.

Photos

            The museum has several extensive collections of photos.  Since its inception, the museum has collected photos of residents, former residents, businesses, homes, and activities. 

                In 2005, the museum acquired The Calcite Collection.  Totaling more than 40,000 images, the collection documents the history of the Calcite Plant from the start of its construction in 1912 into the 1970’s.  Many of the images are of Calcite or Bradley Transportation employees and their families.  Others show equipment, buildings, and operations at the plant, and activities in the community.

                In 2008, the museum also acquired approximately 750 images from The Ferris Parsons Collection. Ferris Parsons ran a commercial photography studio in Rogers City from 1946 until the 1970’s.  The photos in this collection are primarily of individuals and groups, including many First Communion groups, Confirmation classes, school classes, school and church-sponsored activities, civic organizations, and local businesses. 

                We are also in the process of acquiring the Leona and James Stewart Collection, totaling about 24,000 images.  Jim Stewart was a schoolteacher who ran a photographic business in his spare time.  He took photographs at many weddings, church activities, and school and sports events.  For many years, Mr. Stewart was also the primary photographer for the Presque Isle County Advance.  Photos he took in that capacity are particularly valuable, since the Advance’s collection of photographs was destroyed when their building burned in 2006.

                Only a small percentage of the photos in these collections have been indexed.  Those that have are easy to find, and the images can easily be viewed.  Copies can also be made of any photos in the museum’s collections for a small fee.

Topical Files

                Over the years, museum volunteers, staff, and persons from throughout the county have collected and filed information about virtually every aspect of life in Presque Isle County.  Included are files on individuals, families, businesses, activities, and events.  Information in those files is available to persons doing genealogical research.

Cemetery Records

                The museum has a complete set of the directories of burials in Presque Isle County cemeteries compiled by former resident Eunice Krueger Pines.  The directories cover most of the cemeteries in the county, and they are indexed, which makes them very easy to use.  In addition to burial locations, the directories include information from headstones.  Obituaries that appeared in the Advance are also often included.

Peranos, Yearbooks from Rogers City High School

                The museum’s collection includes quite a few volumes of Peranos, primarily from the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s.  They include photos and information about students who attended Rogers City High School.

Presque Isle County Advance

            The museum has back issues of Advance on microfilm.  That microfilm is stored at the Presque Isle District Library’s branch in Rogers City and is available for your use.

Calcite Screenings

            If any of the person’s you are researching worked at Calcite, or on the ships of the Bradley fleet, the museum has a complete set of Calcite Screenings, the company publication of Michigan Limestone.  The magazine was first introduced in 1926, and was published regularly until 1963.  It contains information, and often photos, of hundreds of Calcite and Bradley Transportation employees.

            If you would like to do genealogical research at the museum, it would be most helpful if you could schedule your visit in advance with museum Curator Mark Thompson.  He can be phoned at (989) 734-4121, or emailed at bradleymuseum@i2k.com.