No matter what our own views of religion are, we can be thankful that missionaries of many denominations felt the need to convert the Indians, and the many records they created.

Often it was at baptism that a person was given an English name, most times from the bible. Some people kept the English name and gave up their Indian name entirely. Nahwagezhik was baptised in 1866 as Peter Mark and he and his descendants used Mark as a last name. Others used the English name as a first name and the Indian name as a last name. Naish ka ze was baptised as Moses Allen, but is listed in records for years following as Moses Nashaze, although his descendants used Allen as their last name. In still other instances a man would take the English first name and Indian last name, but his children would use his first name as their last name. Pe nas we gezhik was baptised as Paul, he used the name Paul Penaswegezhik and his children used Paul as a surname. These examples are from the records of the Old Mission/New Mission/Grove Hill Mission in Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties.

Marriage records often give the name of the bride's and groom's parents. These can be especially useful before last names were used and there was no other way to connect the family members together.

Being listed in the records of an Indian mission doesn't mean the person named is Indian. In the earliest days of each mission the minister or priest was the only white person in the area. As whites came into the area as traders, teachers, and settlers, they also attended the area's only church and their baptisms, marriages, and deaths are recorded there.

Check the various histories of each county or area of interest to determine when the missionaries visited and to which denomination they belonged.

A listing of the Catholic missions and records can be found in Guide to Catholic Indian Mission and School Records in Midwest Repositories by Philip C. Bantin with Mark G. Thiel, Marquette University, Milwaukee, 1984. This book is available on inter-library loan. Many of the missions' records are in multiple locations such as the church itself, the church that supplied the priest, the diocese at the time the mission was in founded, the present diocese, and in public library historical collections.

The earliest records of Ste. Anne at Michilimackinac were published in Wisconsin Historical Collections volumes 18 and 19.

Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan, 1150 Beal Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 has 2 rolls of microfilm which cover 1847-1930. These reels contain records of Holy Cross Church 6624 North Lake Shore Dr., Cross Village, MI 49723

Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library, 5201 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48202 has sacramental records for Holy Childhood/St. Peter's Mission 1831-1856; one volume of the "Baraga Papers", the sacramental records of St. Anne's Church 1704-1848; the "Poitier Papers", "Jacker Papers", and "Richard Papers". The various "Papers" are copies of correspondence regarding the missions the priests were serving.

Methodist Indian Ministries in Michigan 1830-1990 by Dorothy Reuter, assisted by Ronald A. Brunger, A project of the Michigan Area United Methodist Historical Society tell about the various missions.

The Missionary Research Library in New York City has a good deal of missionary literature, primarily Protestant, catalogued partly by tribe.

The Peabody Museum of Ethnology and Archeology at Harvard University, 11 Divinity Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138 has papers of 19th century Congregationalist missionaries.

Albion College Library, Albion, MI 49224, has West Michigan Methodist Historical Collection papers.

The Clarke Historical Library at Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48858 has the papers of Baptist missionary Abel Bingham.

The Presbyterian Historical Society, 425 Lombard St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 has the records and diaries of Rev. Peter Dougherty who had the first mission in the Grand Traverse Region.

There are also histories written of the Indian Missions. The History of the Taymouth Methodist Indian Mission was written by Ronald A. Brunger in 1974.

Life of Peter Marksman, An Ojibwa Missionary by John H. Pitezel, Cincinnati, 1893

The First Protestant Mission in the Grand Traverse Region by Ruth Craker, 1979

The Catholic Church in the Grand River Valley 1833 - 1950 by The Rev. John W. McGee begins with the Indian missions. This book includes the names, age and residence of Catholic Indians in the Mission of Grand-River for the year 1833, and a Record of Marriages at St. Andrew's Church 1850-1855 which includes several Indians.

The Catholic Church in Detroit 1701 - 1888 by George Pare has a chapter on Indian Missions and Schools.