EATON COUNTY CENTENNIAL FAMILY SURVEY INSTRUCTIONS
The County Pioneer Certificate Application form may be requested from the Courthouse Square Association at 100 W. Lawrence Ave., P.O. Box 411, Charlotte, MI 48813-0337, or may be printed from this website. 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 (ex.; 1 Jan. 1900) (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 ($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. (If Certificate is requested at a later date, the fee will be $7.50).
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 (and if the child is married-proof of marriage) or some other form of Primary Sources - 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 the Application Form. Attach additional sheets to the lineage chart if space is needed. All certificates will be mailed to the primary applicant.
Survey Proofs are required
; they should be numbered and referenced to the survey applicationPrimary Sources deemed as 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).
Descent should be proven using Primary Sources, and in the few cases where that are 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: 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 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.
Document the ancestor's property with land records and plat maps for each generation and time period.
All Application Forms, verifying proofs and materials will become the property of both the Eaton County Genealogical Society and the Eaton County Historical Commission.
Applications and the Eaton Centennial Survey submissions
will be evaluated for completeness of the submission. Extensive omissions of the questions and their proofs will be grounds for non acceptance under this program. This should in no way imply that the genealogy is accurate. It is not our responsibility to check your presentation, proofs or lineage.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 submit your Application Form to this Project, and remember to make a copy of your Application and Information for your own records.