Research Facilities in Grand Rapids Michigan

I am preparing for the upcoming National Genealogical Council's "Paths to Your Past" conference which will be held in Grand Rapids, Michigan on 2-5 May, 2018.  One of the things I do before I go to a conference is to check into research facilities in the area of the conference, especially if I have ancestors in the area.

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

The library is about a ten to fifteen minute walk, .7 mile, from the DeVos Convention Center and the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel and .5 mile from the Courtyard Marriot hotel.  Parking is available at the library.  The first hour is free and each hour after that is $1.10.  Weekend parking is free.

The History and Special Collections department offers the researcher a lot.  

• 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.

Plan your trip using the library's website, www.grpl.org/history and set aside some time to browse the wonderful collections of the library.

2. Grand Rapids City Archives and Records Center, 223 Washington St., SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 616 456-4127 or 616 456-3114. email: mellis@grcity.us or awright@grcity.us  Open to the public by appointment only. Hours are Monday – Friday from 8 am until 5 pm.

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:

1. Board of Trustees, Common Council, and City Commission records (1838-2010)
2. 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.
3. Court Records-a variety of records, some from early Grand Rapids.
1. Mayor's Court (1850-1857)
2. Police Court Felonies (1874-1979, some gaps in those years.)
3. Justice Courts (1886-1889)
4. Police Court State Records
4. 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.
5. Police Records-includes the police department fingerprint cards from 1913-1974.
6. Personnel Records-are available with a FOIA(Freedom of Information Act) request. They are not open to the public.
7. 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.
8. Assessor's Cards-a 1936 Works Progress Administration (WPA) project created cards for homes in the city, complete with a picture.
9. Grand Rapids Public School Archives-class pictures, yearbooks, attendance records and more are housed at the Archives.

This is just a few of the records one will find at the City Archives, please check their website for others.  Remember, research is by appointment only.

3.  Kent County Clerk's Office, Administration Building, 300 Monroe Ave., NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. 616 632-7640.  Open to the public, Monday-Friday 8 am-4:45 pm.

County research is central to finding your Michigan ancestors.  Each of the 83 Michigan counties have a county clerk.  The county clerk's office is where you will find vital records-birth, marriage, and death.

If you are attending the 2018 NGS " Paths to Your Past" conference at the DeVos Place and have Kent county research to do, you won't have far to go to the county clerk's office.  It is across the street from the DeVos Place!

A few things you will need to know about researching at the clerk's office.  They do allow genealogists to research in their office.

1. There is a two hour research limit if others are waiting to research.
2. Two researchers at a time are allowed research privileges.
3. No young children allowed.
4. Only pencils are allowed for writing.
5. Certified copies cost $10 for the first copy and $3 for second copies.
6. 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.

If you find yourself with an hour or two and need to look up Kent county births, marriages and deaths, you won't have far to travel to do it at the conference.

4. Western Michigan Genealogical Society, one cannot forget the host society for the NGS conference, the Western Michigan Genealogical Society (WMGS).  The WMGS website has repeatedly earned the Family Tree Magazine Best State Websites award.  The gem of the website is their online databases.  http://data.wmgs.org/  Currently, the website has over three million records online.  The newspaper database has over one million records.  All database are of interest to those researching in Kent county.  A complete list is available on their website.  Look for school census records, church records for churches in existence before 1876, Grand Rapids Home for Veterans Index, WWI Veterans Census, Black Monument Company records, death indexes, marriage indexes, Latzek Funeral Home records, and more.  Check the website out for your ancestors names.

I'm 8!!!!!!!!

I started my journey with blogging eight years ago today with a very short post on how I chose my blog title, "Journey to the Past".  I thought I would reflect and share my thoughts on my eighth blogiversary.

People-First and foremost, the people I have met through my blog have been the best part of blogging. I have connected with a great group of genealogy bloggers and cousins.  They have shared and help me grow as a blogger and genealogist.  Also, the 'strangers' who have reached out to me through my posts on German POW's, Michigan Genealogy and Last Day Local Battle Creeks.  The genealogy community is awesome.  Thank you!

Places-I started blogging in 2010 and at that time most of my genealogy travel revolved around my family reunion in Brethren, Manistee, Michigan.  Blogging has gotten me to travel to places all around the United States.  I was able to combine genealogy research and blogging quite well.  My trips to libraries, archives, cemeteries, historical societies, court houses, churches, schools, conferences, and back country roads have been shared on my blog.  Blogging helped me explore my hometown of Battle Creek and share all the wonderful history of the area.  I traveled to New England and never blogged about it because my aging parents were my priority when I got home.  I have lots of stories to share with my readers.

Things-It may seem a little selfish to think about things when blogging, but blogging has brought some gems into my life.  Who can forget my posts on Hattie's Bible and the excitement I felt upon being trusted to preserve this heirloom?  I have received pictures, records, and heirlooms through this journey.  I was gifted a book on the area my Fredrick/h family came from in Germany by a German cousin, Michael.  Again, people are awesome!

How many of you look at your blog statistics?  I do every once and awhile, but that isn't what keeps me blogging.  Obviously, if you look at my 2017 posts-8. Yikes, that isn't even one a month.  I hope to do better this year. I am half way there with this post!

Speaking of stats, my graph looks like my weight chart, many ups and downs.  My top views vary from personal genealogy to local places to general research posts.  Here are my all time top five posts by views.

1. Historic Adventist Village, Battle Creek, Michigan
2. Ancestor Biography-Otto August Fredrick- if you are researching him, contact me, pretty please.  This is my maternal grandfather.
3. Social Media for Genealogy
4. Lt. Col. Merle Glover Tombstone-this one surprised me.  Who is looking?  Please contact me, my dad is still alive and would love to know more about his uncle.  Are you family?  Did you serve with Merle?  I would love to hear his story.
5. Michigan's Role in War of 1812

I am proud of the blogger I have became, I enjoy sharing my home state of Michigan, my home town of Battle Creek, and my family with you.  I hope in 2024 I will be writing my 16th blogiversary post.  Stay with me and leave comments, I love to hear from you.

Preparing for a Visit to the Library of Michigan

National Genealogical Society is offering a research trip to the Library and Archives of Michigan, Tuesday 1 May 2018.  If this is your first visit, you may want to do a little pre-planning. I hope the information below will help. You may have planned to extend your conference trip with a visit to Lansing.  It is less than 70 miles driving distance.  No matter how you plan to visit the information will come in handy. 

The Library of Michigan is located at 702 W. Kalamazoo St. Lansing, Michigan in the Michigan Library and Historical Center Building.  The Archives of Michigan and Historical Museum are here, too.

I created a repository checklist.  Feel free to copy it for your own use.  Otherwise, the important information is below.

Admission is free to the library.  They are open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays 10:00 am-4 pm, except state holidays. The hours are subject to change. Please check the hours before going.

Parking is available next to the museum with entrance to the circle drive on Kalamazoo Street.  The cost is $1 an hour; maximum of $8. If driving, a credit card is required for entry, and payment is made upon exiting.  Visa, Master Card and Discover are accepted; no American Express.  Weekend parking is free.

Food is available on the 1st floor or you may bring your own and eat in the snack shop eating area.  No food or drink is allowed in the library.  Local restaurants are 4-5 blocks east of the library on the other side of the state Capitol.

ANSWER is the library card catalog.  Using this before you visit the library will give you more time for research.  Be sure to check the location of the material you are interested in. If an item you are looking for is located at the Archives of Michigan, don't fret, it is in the same building.  I will be writing about the Archives next.  

One of the great collections is the library's newspaper collection.  They have newspapers from before Michigan became a state in 1837.  The microfilm newspaper collection has papers from all 83 Michigan counties.  You can research what newspapers are available online.  You can search by county or if you don't know the county you can search by the first letter of the cities name.  During a recent visit, I was excited to see they had the September 1950 Mining Journal from Marquette, Michigan.  The library in Marquette didn't have the paper from that year.  I enjoyed the one stop researching.  Researching my ancestors from the Upper Peninsula to Southeast Michigan was done in one day and one place.

Other materials of interest at the library include city and county histories, vital records, cemetery transcripts, plat maps, church histories, and more. The staff at the Library of Michigan is awesome.  They are available to help you with newspaper scanning, finding materials, using their Answer catalog and more.

Your starting place for a visit to the Library of Michigan is at their website.  Everything you need to know is on the website.   

It's Here 2018 NGS Registration!

I have been waiting for this ever since I learned that the National Genealogical Society's 2018 conference will be held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, my home state.

Registration for the 2-5 May 2018 conference, Paths to Your Past, is now open.   

The schedule is filled with excellent topics and speakers.  The track of lectures include Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) Skillbuilding; Immigration and Migration; Methodology; Paths; Trails, and Waterways; State Research; Military; Technology; Occupations; DNA Discoveries; Religion; Ethnicity; Michigan; Records; African American; Tips and Techniques; New York; Repositories; and Organizations.  I am going to have a hard time selecting the lectures to go to as I have highlighted two to three lectures for each time period that sounds interesting.  Speakers are local, regional, national and international in fame!  Their biographies are included in the registration information. 

If attending lectures isn't enough, check out the key note speaker-John Philip Colletta!  I have heard him speak and he is a dynamic speaker.  Don't sleep in on Wednesday morning and miss "Coming Along the Towpath: The Erie Canal and the Peopling of the Great Lakes State"  Michigan population exploded once the Erie Canal opened.  Many Michigan settlers came from the New England States and New York via the Erie Canal.  Dr. Colletta is a must hear speaker, no matter what time of day he speaks.

Another not to miss event is the exhibit hall.  I am already saving my pennies (and more) for this.  The exhibit hall is the place to see the latest in genealogical goodies.  Exhibitors and vendors will be displaying everything from the latest tech gizmo's to books to luggage tags, maps, and more.  Organizations will be available to answer questions, offer mini classes and demonstrations on a variety of topics and more.  It is the place to go.  I would recommend scheduling one lecture time just for the exhibit hall.  You will want to visit the exhibit hall more than once.  Just like Chicago voting, go early and go often.  Popular items will sell out.

Another popular event is the luncheons.  Various organizations sponsor lunch each day.  You get a great lunch, meet great people, and hear another lecture.  The first national conference I went to my strategy was to attend everything I could afford.  I ended up being exhausted by the end of day two.  I would suggest attending at least one luncheon and reserve some down time, especially if you plan to go to any of the evening events.

Speaking of evening events, Society Night is on Wednesday, 2 May 2018, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.  Representatives from various genealogical and historical societies will be available to share what their society has from memberships, research sources, historical places, and publications.  My local society, Calhoun County Genealogical Society (CCGS), will have a table.  CCGS will have Calhoun County Pioneer and Early Settlers list; Fort Custer German POW photographs, list of Calhoun County resources and more.  Stop by and say hi! 

The Michigan Genealogical Council (MGC)will have a table as well.  MGC supports its member societies and will have a map with all the member societies in Michigan, as well as information on each society. 

Another evening event will be held at the President Gerald R. Ford Museum.  Attendees will be able to view the museum, hear the Schubert Male Chorus and enjoy dessert with host society Western Michigan Genealogical Society.

All of the above information and more can be found in the registration brochure.  Early bird registration ends March 20, 2018, so save yourself some money, for the exhibit hall, and go register! 

Michigan to Hold 2018 National Genealogical Society Conference

You have to come visit my home state of Michigan from May 2-5th for the 2018 National Genealogical Society's "Paths to Your Past" Conference.  It will be held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a beautiful city on the Grand River.  Western Michigan Genealogical Society, which I am a member, is the host society.  I will be there, will you?

I had free accommodations lined up and was so excited because that meant I had more book money!  But, as all plans go, they are subject to change.  A family illness means that I will be staying in one of the host hotels, Courtyard Marriott. The Amway Grand Plaza was booked. I looked into other hotels and the savings wasn't enough to warrant having to drive into the city.

Michigan is a beautiful place to hold a Spring Conference!  The weather should be mild, nice enough to walk outside, but not too humid or hot.  If you are lucky the tulips will be blooming in Holland, MI, only about 40 miles away.  There are so many places I could recommend that I could write a blog a day for the next six months.  Instead, I will say, check out Pure Michigan, the official travel and tourism website for Michigan. 

Grand Rapids is a great place to bring the spouse and kids.  It has great golf courses in the area, great food, great beer, great children's museum, gardens, cemeteries, libraries, historical museums and more.  The beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline is less than an hour away. The water will be too cold to swim in, but the sights are magnificent, seeing a beautiful sunset is a must.

The Library and Archives of Michigan is in Lansing, Michigan, which is less than 70 miles away.  Both are the absolute best for family history research.  Michigan has so many great research repositories.  I will be sharing some in the months ahead.  If you can't wait that long, check out "Michigan Resources" tab at the top of my blog home page.

Feel free to email me, if you have any questions about Michigan research!  Come for the conference and stay for the beauty that is Michigan, My Michigan.  Now, what to do to earn book money?

Genea-gifts Makes For a Great Birthday

Recently, I celebrated a birthday, my 60th, to be exact and that is all I have to say on the subject.  Gift opening was particularly fun this year as I was able to add three books to my genealogy library, thanks to my hubby, Kirk.

1. Professional Genealogy, Edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills.  I have been contemplating becoming more involved in the professional side of genealogy.  I have spoken at a few genealogical society meetings and enjoyed it.  I thought it would be a good time to read this book.  I haven't decided if I want to become certified or not.  I enjoy researching my family but I don't know if I would enjoy doing it professionally.  Whether or not I become a 'professional' genealogist, this book has a lot of information on how to research professionally.

2.  Scottish Genealogy by Bruce Durie.  My dad's grandfather, David Watt, came to Canada, and then Michigan, from Methil, Fife, Scotland.  Once I have a free afternoon, I plan to explore his Scottish roots and this book will help in the process.

3.  Saxons, Vikings, and Celts: The Genetic Roots of Britain and Ireland by Bryan Sykes.  I am interested in my DNA since my parents provided the spit for their DNA tests.  I purchased more tests after a recent DNA sale at Ancestry.  My daughter and I tested.  I have one for my son, but with the aftermath of the Houston flood, I decided to wait to mail it to him.  My dad is 85% Great Britain, 5% Scandinavia, and 6% Ireland.  I tested as 46% Great Britain, 23% Scandinavia, and 9% Ireland.  My daughter, to my surprise, tested 28% Scandinavia and 27% Ireland.  I decided with that much Great Britain, Ireland and Scandinavia in our genes, this would be a good book to read.

Recent purchases include
1.  Ancestral Trails by Mark D. Herber-another Great Britain reference book.

2.  Land and Property Research in the United States by E Wade Hone.  I have been immersed in Vermont land records and trying to figure out where Daniel Fenn purchased seven lots from the seventh division in Shoreham, Addison, Vermont.  I have the record of his selling them in 1813, but cannot for the life of me find the purchase. I am guessing it has something to do with the changing boundary lines for Vermont and the New Hampshire grants and possibly New York records. I had looked at this book a few times in the library and decided it would be a good addition to my library.

The Newberry Library used book sale is held in July every year and my husband and I usually go to it with my daughter and her husband, who live in Chicago.  I look forward to it every year.  This year I was having some stress related stomach problems and I couldn't go.  My wonderful daughter went and looked at the genealogy sections.  She bought the following books.  Isn't she wonderful?

1.  Scottish Tartans-an interesting read on the clans in Scotland.  My Watts are even in the book.

2.  Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry by Katherine B. Cory.

3.  Tracing Scottish Local History-Scottish Record Office by Cecil Sinclair.This book even includes great notes from the previous owner on researching Scottish records.

It looks like I will be doing some Scottish research soon.  I am tired of Vermont land records, anyway!  My family knows me well and can never go wrong with a good genealogy book.

Are you curious about what books I have in my genealogy library? Check out "My Library" page at the top of my blog.

Hurricane Harvey and The Leyndyke Family: Part II

Previously, I wrote about my son, Travis, and his wife, Alayna, heading home to Houston for the first time to see what damage Hurricane Harvey had done to their home in Houston.

They were one of the fortunate ones!  Thankfully, their home, cars and pup, Caesar, were all undamaged.  I am one grateful mother.  I was worried for a week about what they would find once they got home.

The devastation that was wrought by Hurricane Harvey is unimaginable.  The news stories are filled with the damage Harvey had on the area.  The news stories are filled with the spirit that is alive in Houston as well.  I speak of Houston because that is where my son calls home.  The damage is more widespread than Houston.  It is all along the gulf from Rockport, Texas to Louisiana.

It is expected that recovery will cost about 190 billion dollars.  Those in the flooded areas have seen great losses.  Entire neighborhoods, schools, libraries, banks, stores, and businesses are dealing with the damage left behind.

One of the things my son said is that there is an army of volunteers ready and willing to help those impacted.  The "Cajun Navy" arrived to help those trapped in their homes.  FEMA, Red Cross, Salvation Army and others are there to help.  HEB, a local grocery store, was one of the first to bring semi loads of food and water to the area.  Houston Texans football star, JJ Watts, through his foundation has collected over $17 million that will help in the recovery efforts.  Jim McIngvale, aka Mattress Mack, opened his Gallery Furniture stores to those in need of shelter.  The reports of those helping is everywhere, these are just a few that make the headlines.

My son, and his wife, arrived home on Friday night.  Saturday morning, they were headed to Lowe's to pick up supplies for a friend.  They were heading to her house to help.  Sunday morning found them volunteering in another area.  Nothing makes me prouder than to know he is helping those less fortunate.  Travis and Alayna know how fortunate they were and want to help.

My daughter, Kirsten, and her husband, Chase, who live in Chicago, have donated to Austin Pets Alive, an animal shelter that is helping with pet evacuations from Houston and finding shelters to take them in.  Our whole family knows our story could be entirely different.

My hope is that the spirit of giving continues for months to come as the Houston area is going to need help rebuilding for many months, if not years.  I know I will be giving.  I have a lot to be thankful for that my family was spared the worst that Mother Nature has to offer.  I won't forget those who weren't spared.  I hope you won't either.

Hurricane Harvey and The Leyndyke Family

I woke up Friday, August 25th feeling like a weight had been lifted from my chest. My stress level lowered immensely.  I was happy!  My parents, after three months of preparation, were safely ensconced in an independent senior living apartment.  I knew they would be safe and secure.  If they needed help, it was available. I felt like I had energy to do a few things that I had let go over the past couple of years. Well, you know what they say-"we plan-God laughs".

Intersection of Braesmont and Braeswood, Houston-about 4 miles from Travis and Alayna's home.

Never did I think that a once in a 1,000 years flood would hit the area of Houston, Texas during my planning! Houston, the town my son, Travis, and his wife, Alayna, and my grand-pup, Caesar, called home. No matter how old your children are you never stop worrying about them.  Anyone who has seen the news in the last week has seen the devastation that Hurricane Harvey wrought on the area.

Luckily, my son, who is an assistant athletic director at Rice University, was traveling for work when Harvey hit shore.  He had the trip of a lifetime.  He traveled with the Rice Owls football team to Sydney, Australia for the Sydney Cup where Rice University played Stanford University.  It was an awesome opportunity for Travis.

Caesar surviving Hurricane Harvey

Alayna, his wife, had a wedding to attend in Connecticut.  They had a reliable dog-sitter, Elizabeth, who it turns out was God-sent.  They were safe, but unable to return home to Caesar and their house.

Travis arrived to the United States and was redirected to Fort Worth, Texas where he and the Rice contingent have been staying since Monday.  Alayna was able to fly to Dallas and Monday night they were reunited.  They knew the dog sitter had taken Caesar to her home, which was a upper level apartment and prayed all were safe. They had no way of knowing what condition their house was in as they had just moved there in July and didn't know the neighbor's phone numbers. Roads were impassable. They were glued to the news, social media, and area flood maps looking for information about their neighborhood.

As I write this, Travis and Alayna, are preparing to board a bus to return to Houston for the first time since Harvey hit.  They have no idea what they will find once they get to their house.  I have been a nervous wreck worrying about them.  Travis does a great job of keeping me informed, but it is not the same as being there to take care of them.  Once a mother, always a mother!

I sit patiently (okay, I may be stretching the truth a little) and wait to hear from Travis and Alayna and the condition of their home. I am preparing mental lists of items I can take to them, if needed.  My husband and I are ready to jump in the car at a moment's notice to help with the clean up.

I have researched disasters and the impact they have had on my ancestor's, but I never thought I would be recording a monumental disaster that Hurricane Harvey is for a descendant, my son, no less.

Travis and Alayna are only two of the thousands of people affected by Harvey, but they are the two most important ones in my life.  Relief efforts are underway across Houston and the United States. Many, many people are volunteering to help those who need it.  I am just waiting for my turn.