My husband, Kirk, was born and raised in Grand Rapids and we have researched there for years. I have visited numerous cemeteries, the library, city clerk's office, St. Andrew's Cathedral, neighborhoods and more.
If you have family history research to do in Grand Rapids, Michigan or Kent county, Michigan here are a few places you need to know about.
1. Grand Rapids Public Library, History and Special Collections, Level 4 of the Main Library, 111 Library Street, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. Their hours are:
- Sunday, 1-5 pm Labor Day to Memorial Day
- Monday-Thursday, 9 am to 9 pm
- Friday and Saturday-9 am to 6 pm
- Books and Periodicals. There are more than 30,000 local and state history books, the complete run of Grand Rapids city directories, county histories, atlases, business histories, government documents, and more. There are over 5,000 volumes of periodicals for Grand Rapids and Michigan history. Genealogy periodicals, some national in scope, are available for use.
- Maps. 1,800 or more maps of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the Old Northwest Territory are available in addition to plat maps showing early settlers and property holders.
- Newspapers. Available on microfilm are the daily and weekly Grand Rapids newspapers from 1841 to the present. A full run of The Grand Rapids Press (1893-Present) and The Grand Rapids Herald (1891-1959) is available.
- Family Histories. The department collects and maintains a large number of family histories.
- Genealogy Books. Over 5,000 books pertaining to genealogy from general research to standard references are available.
- Research Materials. The collection includes obituary files and vital records indexes.
- Archival Materials. The Archive collections number over 500 and include photographs, oral histories, sound recordings, sheet music, manuscripts, postcard, scrapbooks, and ephemera. The popular real estate listing cards are images and listing information on many properties in Grand Rapids from 1955 to 1995.
- Furniture Design Collection. Grand Rapids and Furniture Design has a rich history. This collection contains over 4,000 items. Books, periodicals, catalogs are all located in the History and Special Collections department on the fourth floor.
- Online Collections. GRPL website has access to indexes for clipping files, subject files, newspapaer articles, magazine articles, photographs, and maps. Their digital collections include over 7,000 archival images (1850-1990's); Robinson Studio Collection, almost a million negatives and photo's from 1930's-1960's; The Grand Rapids Herald from 1894-1916, is fully digitized and searchable; and Women's Defense Cards, 1918, contains over 23,000 cards that were filled out by women offering to help in the war effort.
It is a .7 mile from the Courtyard by Marriott hotel and 1 mile from the DeVos Place Convention Center and Amway Plaza Hotel.
Grand Rapids is the second largest city in Michigan and it has its own city archives. The archives is the holder of all city governmental records, many that would be of interest to genealogists with Grand Rapids family history.
Genealogical Resources Include:
- Board of Trustees, Common Council, and City Commission records (1838-2010)
- Polk Directories (1865-2007) but missing 1866,01867,01869-1874,1877, 1880, 1889, 1890, 1893, 1894, 1906, 1908, 1915, 1947, 1952, 1989, 1999, 2004-2006.
- Court Records-a variety of records, some from early Grand Rapids.
- Mayor's Court (1850-1857)
- Police Court Felonies (1874-1979, some gaps in those years.)
- Justice Courts (1886-1889)
- Police Court State Records
- Cemetery Records-the city's six cemeteries records (Greenwood, Fulton, Oak Hill, Oak Grove, Woodlawn and Fairplains are available at the Archives. The information may be found online now. For more information on the cemeteries check https://www.grandrapidsmi.gov/Government/Departments/Cemeteries One of my favorite cemeteries in Grand Rapids is Oak Hill. The history and architecture is lovely. A couple of articles were printed and are interesting to read. http://www.therapidian.org/oak-hill-cemetery and http://www.therapidian.org/oak-hill-cemetery-ii Although the city is relatively safe, please use caution when visiting city cemeteries and don't go alone.
- Police Records-includes the police department fingerprint cards from 1913-1974.
- Personnel Records-are available with a FOIA(Freedom of Information Act) request. They are not open to the public.
- Tax and Assessment Rolls-Grand Rapids Tax Records (1860-1971) are available. Various cities, townships and villages in Kent county records (1876-1944) can be found here as well.
- Assessor's Cards-a 1936 Works Progress Administration (WPA) project created cards for homes in the city, complete with a picture.
- Grand Rapids Public School Archives-class pictures, yearbooks, attendance records and more are housed at the Archives.
- There is a two hour research limit if others are waiting to research.
- Two researchers at a time are allowed research privileges.
- No young children allowed.
- Only pencils are allowed for writing.
- Certified copies cost $10 for the first copy and $3 for second copies.
- Birth records, less than 100 years old, are closed to the public. An heir may see a birth record with a copy of a death certificate for those less than 100 years old. Birth Indexes are closed and limited help is available.
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