Calhoun County Pioneer Certificate is a project of the Calhoun County Genealogical Society (CCGS). Its purpose is to honor and collect data about the early residents of Calhoun County, Michigan and their descendants. This information will be a valuable addition to the history of the county and will provide a source of genealogical information for future research.

Descendants of early residents are invited to apply for a Calhoun County Pioneer Certificate. Certificates will be given in three categories according to earliest settlement of the applicant’s ancestor and will be of frameable quality.

Eligibility: Applicants must prove descent from an early Calhoun County resident. Each ancestor in the direct line must be proved.

The seal on the certificate will be based on the year that the ancestor first settled in Calhoun County. The categories are:

Pre-1861 . . . . . . . . . Pioneer. . . . .Gold Seal
1861-1890 . . . . . . . . Settler. . . . .Silver Seal
1891-1920. . . . . . . . .Builder. . . . Printed Seal

Applicants need not be residents of Calhoun County or members of CCGS.

Instructions: The Calhoun County Pioneer Certificate Application form may be requested from CCGS–Pioneer Project, P.O. Box 879, Marshall, MI 49068. Please include a #10 self-addressed, stamped envelope. The application should be completed following one direct line. It should be either typed or carefully printed in black ink.

You may also print the application from this web site. http://www.rootsweb.com/~micalhou/pionapp.htm

A non-refundable fee of $10.00 must accompany the completed application form and proof of descent. Additional certificates for descendants of the same applicant may be requested at the same time for a fee of $5.00 each. These descendants MUST BE PROVEN (i.e. to obtain a certificate for your child you would prove his/her descent from you with a birth certificate or some other form of Primary Evidence). List names for additional certificates on the Application form. Attach additional sheets to the lineage chart if space is needed. All certificates will be mailed to the primary applicant.

Women must be identified by their maiden names.

Dates must be written as day month year (example: 1 Jan 1900).

Incorrect or incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant for corrections or additions.

Proofs: Descent shall be proven using primary sources. In the few cases where that is not possible, secondary sources, or preponderance of evidence may be accepted.  Please include proofs for spouses also.

To ensure that the certificate is the result of credible genealogical research, the following Primary Sources are deemed acceptable: Vital Records (birth, marriage, death); Probate Records; Land Records; Tax Records; Census Records (state, federal); Military Records (state and federal); Church, Mortuary, Cemetery and Court Records, official School Records.

The inclusion of the following Secondary Sources is encouraged but may not be acceptable as proof of lineage: Bible records; obituaries and newspaper clippings; tombstone inscriptions; published family histories; published county histories; published biographical records; city and county directories; Atlas and Plat Books; unofficial School Records; private papers, diaries, journals and reminiscences.

All proof documents must show a complete source, such as author, title, year of publication, page number, Vol. number, type of document, and/or location of original document. (Example: for marriage: Vol IV, p. 307, #505, Calhoun County, MI.) All application forms and verifying materials will become the property of the CCGS. No Original Documents Should Be Sent. Send photocopies or other facsimile of pertinent materials. All copies must be clear and readable.

While not required, we encourage submission of additional information to give dimension to the subjects, such as a biographical sketch of the ancestor, family group sheets, etc.

Certificate eligibility shall be determined by a committee consisting of CCGS members. The committee’s decision shall be final.

Applications, copies of proof of descent and a check or money order ($10.00 for original application and $5.00 each for any additional certificates) payable to the CCGS–Pioneer Project should be mailed to:

CCGS–Pioneer Project
P.O. Box 879
Marshall, MI 49068

We invite all persons to pursue their interest in family history research by joining the CCGS. A membership form has been included for your convenience.

We encourage you to make a copy of your Application and Lineage Chart for your own records.