LANSING, Mich. (WJMN) – The Historical Society of Michigan has announced the winners of its 2022 Upper Peninsula History Awards.

Each year, the Historical Society of Michigan presents two U.P.-based awards: the Charles Follo Award for individuals and the Superior Award for historical organizations located in the Upper Peninsula. The awards recognize individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the preservation and promotion of U.P. history.

The Upper Peninsula History Awards are usually presented at the Upper Peninsula History Conference. This year, the 2022 Upper Peninsula History Conference will be held virtually. The 2022 History Awards will be presented at the virtual conference on Saturday, June 25.

The Charles Follo Award is named in honor of Charles Follo, a schoolteacher from Escanaba who worked to establish historical societies and promote the history of the Upper Peninsula. This year’s recipient is Theresa Weller of St. Ignace, Michigan. A proud member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Weller has dug deeply into the genealogies of people in the St. Ignace region.

Her work has linked the people of the present with the people of the past and helped countless families connect with their long-forgotten ancestors. Weller’s research into the lives of Native women involved with the Agatha Biddle Band has resulted in public presentations, a genealogy center created for the Michilimackinac Historical Society, the development of the Mackinac Area Genealogy and Family History Facebook page, and the 2021 book release “The Founding Mothers of Mackinac Island: The Agatha Biddle Band of 1870.”

The Historical Society of Michigan established the Superior Award in 2006 to recognize historical…