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
What's New      

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?    
       
NOTE: There is a new website where you can find the location of a grave in a cemetery.  Not all of the Kent County cemeteries have been done yet.
There is a listing in the index to the cemeteries showing the ones that are covered currently and the URL to check them.      Cemeteries

05/29/2013:    Pine Grove Cemetery Layout  by ES  
05/29/2013:
    1929 Seventh Reformed Membership transcribed by ES
05/17/2013:
    1938-1939 Directory of Kent County School Board and Teachers contributed by Marlene Fabbro
05/02/2013:
    Michigan Death Records, 1921-1952 are online at: http://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1968532
04/28/2013:
   1906 South Grand Rapids High School Graduation program contributed by Ralph Veenstra
04/28/2013:
    1903 South Grand Rapids High School Eighth Grade Graduation program contributed by Ralph Veenstra
04/27/2013:
    1923 Burton Heights Christian Reformed Church Membership transcribed by ES
04/25/2013:
    1956 Tornado - Those Who Were Hospitalized transcribed by: ES
04/25/2013:
    Schrouders' Cut Rate Drugs - Punch Ticket contributed by Nan Cain
04/25/2013:
   Picture of Original First Reformed Church, Grandville, Michigan
04/25/2013:
    1890 Kalamazoo Asylum Civil War Veterans Schedule transcribed by ES 
04/25/2013:
    1890 Kent County Civil War Veterans Schedule transcribed by ES   
04/25/2013:
    Dr. C. S. Hazeltine transcribed by ES  
04/25/2013:
    Judge R. Stuart Hoffius transcribed by ES
04/19/2013:
    1922 Mount Mercy Academy Commencement contributed by Nan Cain
04/19/2013:
    1906 Membership of the Grand Rapids Bar Association transcribed by ES
04/12/2013:
    Byron Township Officers Through 1881 transcribed by ES
04/11/2013:
    Alpine Christian Reformed Church - 50 Anniversary transcribed by Angela Nyburg; scanned by ES
04/11/2013: 
  If you have unidentified photos that you would like to share, go to Orphan Artifacts - http://www.migenweb.net/artifact.htm
03/24/2013:
    Courtland Township Death Certificates, 1910 - 1916, plus 1-1920 and 1-1929 transcribed by ES 
03/24/2013:
    Courtland Township Death Records Index, 21 September 1908 - 18 September 1935
03/12/2013:
    West Side Christian School Graduates, 1931 - 1941 transcribed and scanned by ES
03/05/2013:
   West Side Christian School Graduates, 1920 - 1930 transcribed and scanned by ES
02/16/2013: 
  Photo of the 126th Infantry Band from WWI
02/16/2013:
   West Side Christian School History and Students, 1904 - 1919, transcribed and scanned by ES
02/16/2013:
    Genealogy: Joseph Elson contributed by Jill Smith
01/22/2013:
    1929 Photo of Seventh Reformed Church
01/22/2013:
    Map of the Englishville Burial Society
12/27/2012:
    St. Mary's Catholic Church Records, Lowell - 100 Years including history, baptisms, marriages and deaths transcribed by ES   
12/27/2012:
    Sherman Street Christian Reformed Church, 1907-1957 transcribed and scanned by ES   
12/27/2012:
    First Christian Reformed Church (a.k.a. Bates Street), 1857-1932 transcribed by Angela Nyburg; scanned by ES
10/30/2012:
    2012 Resurrection Cemetery Records, Wyoming, MI transcribed by ES   
10/30/2012:
   2012 Kent Memorial Gardens Records, Byron Township transcribed by ES
10/23/2012:
    Photo of the 1917 Butterworth Nursing School graduates contributed by Tom Porritt
We have the names of the graduates but have not connected them to the young ladies in the photo except for
Mr. Porritts's grandmother.  Please notify me if you can identify any of them.
10/15/2012:  
 1926 and 1954 Calvin College Basketball Teams transcribed and scanned by ES
10/15/2012:
    Grandville Avenue Christian Reformed Church, 1891-1961 transcribed and scanned by ES
10/05/2012:
    1930 East Grand Rapids Yearbook Transcribed by Angela Nyburg; Scanned by ES    
10/05/2012:
    1928 East Grand Rapids Yearbook Transcribed by Angela Nyburg; Scanned by ES
10/05/2012:
    1929 East Grand Rapids Senior Class Transcribed by Angela Nyburg; Scanned by ES
 

What's New?" -Archived Announcements:
1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002  -  2003 - 2004
- 2005   2006  2007  2008  2009   2010  2011  2012  2013

 

 


!!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.


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Copyright © 2001-2013 by Evelyn Sawyer
Copyright © 1999-2001 by Jennifer Godwin, Ronnie Aungst and a merry band of volunteers.
Copyright © 1997-1999 by Mary del Rivette.