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Kent County
Michigan GenWeb Project

Kent County Courthouse

 

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Welcome to Kent County in Southwestern Michigan.
 
It became a county in 1831. 
On March 22, 1842, the legislature changed the name of the town from Kent to Grand Rapids.  It is the county seat.
Settlers from the east began arriving in the 1820's and the area became the furniture manufacturing capital of
America by the turn of the century. The current Grand Rapids area population is about 500,000,
making it the second largest city in the state. 
 

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Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Researchers

Queries, Biographies, Obituaries, etc. - Message Board

Resources:
 
Adoption Biographies Births Books Online
Businesses Cemeteries Census Churches
County Clerk Communities
(Place Names)
Deaths Diaries
and Letters
Directories Ethnic Funeral Records Furniture
Genealogies Grand Rapids Historical and
Genealogical Societies
Histories
Immigration/
Naturalization
Kent County Land Links
Lookups Mailing Lists Maps - Plat Maps
 
Marriages
Medical Memorial Reports Message Board  
Michigan Military Newspapers Obituaries
Organizations Other Online Sources Pensioners-1883 Pioneer
New Publications Old Queries Requests Researchers
Schools Search Engines Towns Townships 
Veterans Home  Volunteers  Lost/Found Items Administration

Historical and Biographical Books
 

   Dillenback's 1870 History & Directory
 

Tuttle's 1874 History of Grand Rapids
 

Memorials of the Grand River Valley by Franklin Everett, 1878 
   

Chapman's 1881 History of Kent County
 

Baxter's 1891 History of Kent County
 

  Index to Biographical Sketches, Bowen's History of Grand Rapids & Kent County, 1900 
 

Index to Goss' 1906 History of Grand Rapids and Its Industries 
 

Etten's 1926 Citizens' History 
 

Personal Sketches-History of Kent County, Ed. Arthur S. White, 1924
 

The Catholic Church in the Grand River Valley by Father McGee, 1833-1950  

 

Kent County Coordinator: Evelyn Sawyer - evlynsaw@comcast.net
  Michigan State Coordinator: Jan Cortez   <
StateCoordinator@MiGenWeb.com>

  • Please note that the county coordinator's main role is to maintain this website not to do research.  
    Please carefully check the resources above.  If you don't find an answer, then contact me and I may be able to direct you to additional resources.

  • Looking for a relative?
    Please review the links and use the appropriate query pages or resources.
    We also have a  Researchers and Visitors' FAQ

  • Interested in helping out with our project?
    Visit our Volunteers    and Contributors' FAQ for more information.

  • Any other questions?
    Contact the County Coordinator: evlynsaw@comcast.net

  • NOTE: The GenWeb "Community Guidelines" for Message Board posting:
    We do not post commercial messages, fee-for-service postings, advertising or related links, etc.

 

WHAT's NEW?    
    
09/04/2010:
    Obituaries: Rev. G. A. DeHaan and J. Edward Hyde transcribed by Barb Jones
09/04/2010:
   1883 Log Jam in the Grand River transcribed by Barb Jones
09/04/2010:
    1872 Fires - National Hotel and Lord and Kimball store transcribed by Barb Jones
09/04/2010:
    Death of William Tatroe, veteran turnkey transcribed by Barb Jones
09/04/2010:
    History of the O-Wash-ta-Nong Club transcribed by Barb Jones
09/04/2010:
    1850-1940 Death Index, "N"   and   "O"  transcribed by Barb Jones
09/04/2010:
    2010 Oak Grove Cemetery Records, A - G,   H - P,   Q - Z  walked and transcribed by ES.
08/31/2010:
   NOTE: A new website to access the City of Grand Rapids cemeteries - http://cemetery.grcity.us/
08/30/2010:
    Grand Rapids Students, 1863-1867 transcribed by Barb Jones
08/24/2010: 
  Policeman's Reminiscences transcribed by Barb Jones
08/24/2010:
    50th Wedding Anniversary - Mr. & Mrs. William Vander Meulen transribed by Barb Jones  
08/24/2010:
    Grand Rapids Fires - National Hotel 9/20/1872 and Lord & Kimball Furniture Store, 11/26/1872 transcribed by Barb Jones
07/23/2010:
  1942 Menu for the Pantlind Hotel submitted by Doug Debarry
07/23/2010: 
 1850-1940 Death Index - Ba - Bl transcribed by Barb Jones
07/23/2010:
   2009 Pine Hill Cemetery Records, Paris Tp. (now Kentwood) transcribed by ES
07/14/2010:
   1907 Kent County Directory transcribed by Barb Jones
07/09/2010: 
  Grand Rapids Places: Postcards of 1922 Trolley to Soldiers' Home, 1911 Lincoln Park Entrance and the Dam on the Grand River scanned by ES.
07/09/2010:
   Grand Rapids Buildings: Postcards of Masonic Home about 1911 and Aquinas College scanned by ES.
07/09/2010:
   Obituary for Elliott Bruinekool buried in Ada Cemetery
07/03/2010:
   Obituary information added to many Kent County Cemeteries
07/03/2010:
   Revised Form for Oakwood Cemetery & Plainfield Cemetery, Plainfield Township 
07/03/2010:
   Early History of Rockford transcribed by Barb Jones
06/14/2010: 
 1937 South High School Yearbook transcribed by Barb Jones, Scanned by ES.
06/13/2010:
   Citizenship Records - Se - Sl transcribed by ES.
06/12/2010:  
1889 - Grand Rapids Banks,   Grand Rapids Buildings transcribed by Barb Jones
06/12/2010:
   1878 Memorials on the Grand River Valley - Flat River Indians, Kent County Populations,
Representatives of Kent County, 1837-1860, First Michigan Engineers & Mechanics transcribed by Barb Jones
06/02/2010:
  1878 Memorials on the Grand River Valley - Grand Rapids Societies, Grand Rapids Schools,
Grand Rapids Churches, and History of Cedar Springs transcribed by Barb Jones
06/02/2010:
   1878 Civil War Companies Histories from Memorials on the Grand River Valley transcribed by
Barb Jones
06/02/2010:
   1911 New Central High School being built transcribed by Barb Jones
05/21/2010:
   History of the Old Third Regiment transcribed by Barb Jones.
05/21/2010:  
1862 Civil War Summary for Kent and Ottawa Counties transcribed by Barb Jones.
05/21/2010:   Death Index, "Bo-Bz" transcribed by Barb Jones
05/12/2010:
   "P" Greenwood Cemetery, Walker Township reinstalled.
05/12/2010:
   Obituary of Patrick Doherty, longtime Grand Rapids Policeman transcribed by ES.
05/11/2010:
   1918 Central High School November Newsletter transcribed by ES
05/11/2010:
   1915 Union High School "Aurora" Yearbook transcribed by Barb Jones, Scanned by ES    
05/11/2010:
   Death Index, "Y - Z" transcribed by Barb Jones
05/01/2010:
   Death Indexes, "T" and "U" transcribed by Barb Jones
05/01/2010:
   Findlay Cemetery, Ada Township additions
05/01/2010:
   Michigan Governors to 1881 transcribed by Barb Jones
04/18/2010: 
 1866 Description of new Michigan Soldiers Uniform transcribed by Barb Jones
04/18/2010:
   1866 List of Michigan Soldiers Killed in the Civil War transcribed by Barb Jones
04/09/2010:
    http://www.mymichigangenealogy.com/mi-county-kent.html  This a website that has a number of good sources for records.
04/06/2010:
    1865 Civil War Prisoner Exchange transcribed by Bar Jones
04/06/2010:
    1930 Federal Census link: http://www.archive.org   
04/06/2010:
    Godfrey - Lee School link to old photos contributed by Ronnie Aungst  
04/06/2010:
    Franklin Everett's - Martyrs of the Civil War transcribed by ES
03/26/2010:
   Obituaries: G. R. Herald - 21 April 1912 - Herman DeBruin, Eugene Rogers,
Ira Stout and Mrs. Cornelius Vorst transcribed by ES
03/26/2010:
    Obituaries:   G. R. Herald - 15 October 1911 - Mrs. Frances Cady, Jacob DeVries, George G. Haight, Marie Belle Hammond, Andrew Kelly, Mrs. C. E. Koon, Mrs. Patrick McNamara,
Frank Meisel, Katherine Tennis, Mary A. Walsh, and Mrs. Edgar Weller transcribed by ES
03/26/2010:
    1864 Grand Rapids Income Taxpayers transcribed by Barb Jones
03/26/2010:
    History of Ancient Order of Hibernians (Irish Group) transcribed by Barb Jones
03/25/2010:  
 1916 Update on 8th Grade Graduates from Hall and Franklin Schools by ES.
03/25/2010:
    Citizenship Records, Sa - Sch transcribed by ES
03/25/2010:
    Early Rules For Teachers transcribed by ES
03/05/2010:
   Civil War Listings, 1863-1865 - in the Grand River Daily Eagle (includes wounded and killed in the Civil War) transcribed by Barb Jones
02/24/2010:
    Christian Reformed Church, 1857-1957 - Memorable Events transcribed by Barb Jones
02/24/2010:
    Rolfe Cemetery, Lowell Township updated with the history by Tim Holtz
02/23/2010:
   1937 Caledonia High School Yearbook, the Cal Donian contributed by Tom Porritt
02/23/2010:
    Biographies: Robert G. HowlettMajor Hattie Wood - Spy in the Civil War  transcribed by Barb Jones
02/23/2010:
    Obituary: Solon Baxter  transcribed by Barb Jones
02/23/2010:
    Histories: Grand Rapids Businesses, 1889 and Prospect Hill, 1889 transcribed by Barb Jones
02/11/2010:
    Obituaries: Percy L. Ackels, the first fireman to die in a in the Grand Rapids Fire Department's 70 year history  - George L. Burleson, policeman, dies while escorting a prisoner to jail transcribed by ES
02/11/2010:
    1935 Caledonia High School Yearbook, the "Cal Donian" contributed by Tom Porritt
02/05/2010:
    1864 List of Some of the Schools in Kent County transcribed by ES 
02/05/2010:
    GR-Events: 1916 Fires, possibly arson, and Mayor George Steketee's enforcement of the Blue Law transcribed by ES.
02/05/2010:
    Obituaries: Charles H. Saunders, Captain John Johnson, Mrs. Cornelius Vorst, Herman DeBruin,
Ira Stout and Eugene Rogers transcribed by ES 
02/05/2010:
    Description of Fire Engine House No. 12 transcribed by ES
 

What's New?" -Archived Announcements:
1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002  -  2003 - 2004
- 2005   2006  2007  2008  2009   2010
 

 


!!WANTED!!
Old Records Pertaining to Kent County
To Be Placed on this GenWeb.

  • BOOKS/BOOKLETS: such as old school yearbooks, church anniversary books, women's and men's organizations that give listings of members.

  • TOWNSHIP RECORDS:  Old voter registrations, early marriage and death records, school records, etc. 

  • PHOTOS: Pictures of schoolhouses or classes, sports teams, etc. with their names and years.

  • OTHER: Old family letters, local businesses, and more.
    These would need to be the early years until about 1940 time period.  Birth Records, if they are family records, are fine.  If they are from official records, then they need to be 100 years old.  Death and Marriage Records to the present.  If you send photocopies or scanned photos and articles, we would appreciate them.  
    OR if you have material that you would loan us to scan or transcribe to put on the website, please let us know.
            Evelyn Sawyer  - new email address:  evlynsaw@comcast.net

    A big "Thank You" to those who have responded. 
    Everyone working together can make this website even better.


GenWeb Resources

 


Copyright © 2001-2008 by Evelyn Sawyer
Copyright © 1999-2001 by Jennifer Godwin, Ronnie Aungst and a merry band of volunteers.
Copyright © 1997-1999 by Mary del Rivette.