Hello all, While I am new to research in your great state, I am not new to genealogical research. This is my first time posting to your mailing list. I am not at all familiar with how records are availble in Michigan. I have been to the USGenWeb site, and it is fabulous. I wish there were town pages to go along with all the great things on the State Site. I have been trying to hunt down a PETER BLANCHARD JOHNSON and his wife, LEUCRETIA (WHEELER) JOHNSON. They were both born in Mass. Married in Marblehead, Essex County, MA. They had at least one child in Boston in 1827. This is where it gets tricky. I have a note written to my g-grandmother, from a woman we have figured out to be Peter B. Johnson's sons daughters mother-in-law HAHA Regardless....it says there is a Johnson family bible up there in Maine, which has recorded in it, the names of these Johnson men and familes, some of whom moved to NYC and some to Detroit. She said she would write back with the exact dates, but I think she died before she could. I have been able to find a Peter B. Johnson in the 1840 Detroit census, but as we all know that does not tell me much. I am currently waiting to see if the daughter-in-law of the author of the letter will reply to me, but she is elderly and may have thought my letter was a scam, or maybe she is unable to help me. I have contacted so many outlets in Maine to see if I could locate this bible, I just do not have additional information other than Peter moved to Detroit, and may possibly have been recorded on that 1840 census. So this is the long shot of all long shots. Is there some centralized death index for the state ? Is there some form of vital records availble for Detroit for this time frame where I might be able to pin him down. Obviously, I have no idea when or where he died. In the event that somone out there recognizes him, Peter Blanchard Johnson was born 2/15/1805 in Marblehead, MA . He was the son of Peter Johnson and Priscilla (Proctor) Johnson. Luecretia WHEELER I believe was born in Boston, date unk. but their marriage took place in Boston on 11/12/1823. Peter B.'s siblings all seemed to have stayed in MA. (Lynn, Waltham, Worcester). I see no reason to answer why he would have moved so far away - could have been occupation, but I dont know what that was. He truly is one of my brick walls. If any of this means anything to anyone, or if anyone can point me to some kind of directory, I would appreciate it. I had hoped to find some kind of Street Directories, but not knowing his occupation is going to hurt me there. I have not been able to lcoate a will for his father, who died in 1848, which might have told me where his son moved to. I cannot even locate where his mother died, tho his fathers death records him as a widow. I have such bad luck for this group, the one yr Boston decided to NOT make a street directory, was the one yr I know his father lived in the city. I am exhausting all sources on my end and now hoping I can find some there. HELP :-) Jodi Andover MA USGenWeb Project Coordinator http://www.rootsweb.com/~macandov/index.htm Tewksbury Hospital Cemetery Transcription Project http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~tewksburyhospital/ cemeterywelcome.html

Jodi, A good source to find any vital records office is www.vitalrec.com. From there you can order directly, or just click on links to various states' and counties' vital records offices and get more details. Michigan state vital records office is at http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132-4645---,00.html Your person might have died too early to be in the records, which start in 1867. They will search three years for one fee. If you have no idea of the death year you will have to pay quite a bit to search. (I would look for the city directories first; sometimes they even say the date someone died.) Michigan death records are available to anyone. Early Michigan deaths are online: http://www.mdch.state.mi.us/gendisx/index.htm These cover 1867-1897. The only Peter Johnson from Wayne Co. listed there was an infant. However you should have a look to see if any of the Peter's listed there ring a bell. Perhaps you can find Lucretia instead. Her death record would probably help narrow down the date for Peter's, as it would often state whether she was married or a widow. If you have the child's name that would be easier to find I would think, given the early dates. You can also go to a county courthouse to see what vital records they have (in this case Wayne Co.). And be sure to look on the site of the Michigan State Archives for more ideas of record types to search. http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17445_19273---,00.html As to why he would have gone to Michigan in 1840, well, everyone was doing it! Michigan had just opened up in the 1830's with land grants. You should probably have a look on the land grants list as well, although it sounds like your guy was a city dweller. Try the Bureau of Land Management land records site: http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/PatentSearch/ To find Detroit city directories, try the Family History Library (familysearch.org, click on library catalog and search under place name, using "Detroit" and "Wayne" or try "Detroit" and "Michigan.") You can then order the microfilms from your local FHL. Carolyn At 9:17 PM -0500 1/7/05, CriminyJo@aol.com wrote: > >research. This is my first time posting to your mailing list. I am not at all >familiar with how records are availble in Michigan. I have been to the >USGenWeb site, and it is fabulous. I wish there were town pages to >go along with all >the great things on the State Site. > >I have been trying to hunt down a PETER BLANCHARD JOHNSON and his wife, >LEUCRETIA (WHEELER) JOHNSON. They were both born in Mass. Married in >Marblehead, >Essex County, MA. They had at least one child in Boston in 1827. -- Carolyn Ybarra Family Research Services 1017 El Camino Real, #332 Redwood City, CA 94063 ybarra@FamilyResearchServices.com http://www.genealogypro.com/family-research-services.html Researching SOUTHWELL (MA 1600s, CT 1700s, VT 1790-1810, NY 1800-1840, MI 1836 - present) BUSKE (MI and IL 1872-) EIGHMEY (NY 1800s) BISHOP (CT 1700s, NY 1800-1850) McKEE, MAGEE (NY 1800-1840, MI 1836-) ABBOTT (NY?, MI 1836-) WENDROW (NY 1900's) FULTERMAN/FUTTERMAN (NY 1900's) SOBEL (NY, NJ 1920-)