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?    
     
04/22/2012:
    Postcards of Grand Rapids Places: Canal Street Looking North; Animal and Bird Cages at John Ball Park  
04/22/2012:
    Postcards of Grand Rapids: Interior of the Coliseum, the Cody Hotel, the City Hall, Butterworth Hospital and the Boat and Canoe Club
04/22/2012:
    Postcards of Caledonia Township - the Electric Dam, and Emmons Lake
03/28/2012:
    1900 West Side Literary Club Members transcribed by ES
03/28/2012: 
  1900 Wednesday Woman's Club Members transcribed by ES
03/28/2012:
    1900 Shakespeariana (Woman's) Club Members transcribed by ES
03/28/2012:
   1900 North End Woman's Club Members transcribed by ES
03/28/2012:
    1900 Mutual Improvement Club (Woman's) Members transcribed by ES  
03/28/2012:
   1900 City Federation of Woman's Club Members transcribed by ES
03/28/2012:
    1900 Ladies' Literary Club Members Members transcribed by ES (includes a photo of their building and a photo of the President, Mrs. Ellen Morrison)
03/14/2012:
   Bell Fibre Products transcribed by ES (Information contributed by Helen Ringer)
03/09/2012:   
Two New Online Genealogies Davis - Gates Family Tree and a Simmons Family Genealogy
03/09/2012:
    Early photos of Caledonia Township
contributed by Helen Ringer
03/02/2012:
    1900 ALSBIC Women's Club transcribed by ES 
03/02/2012: 
  1900 East Side Literary Women's Club transcribed by ES
03/02/2012:
    1900 Igdrasil Women's Club transcribed by ES
02/20/2012:
    Grand Rapids Teachers' Deaths, 1929-1932 transcribed by ES 
02/20/2012:
    Biographies: Roger B. Chaffee, Michigan Astronaut transcribed by ES
02/20/2012:
    Update on Genealogy Researcher, Shirley DeBoer's Information
12/30/2011: 
  South High School Graduates, 1930-1932 transcribed by ES
12/30/2011:
    Union High School Graduates, 1930-1932 transcribed by ES
12/30/2011:
    1930-1932 Graduates of George A. Davis Vocational and Technical High School transcribed by ES
12/22/2011:
    A link to the Godfrey-Lee Public Schools website which is in progress and contributed by Lt. Col. David Britten, Superintendent of Schools
12/16/2011:
    Obituary: Dr. Henry P. Kooistra transcribed by ES
12/14/2011:
    Ottawa Hills High School Graduates, 1930-1932 transcribed by ES 
12/14/2011: 
  Creston High School Graduates, 1930-1932 transcribed by ES
12/14/2011:
    Central High School Graduates, 1930-1932 transcribed by ES
12/14/2011:
    Kent County Citizenship Records, Lo-Lz transcribed by ES
12/03/2011:
    Grand Rapids Junior College Graduates, 1930-1932 transcribed by ES
11/17/2011:
    !850-1940 Death Index: Ma,    Mc,    Me - Mi,    Mo-My  transcribed by ES 
11/17/2011:
    Ashley Cemetery, Grattan Township Updated:  A - E,   F - R,   S - Y
10/18/2011:
    Additional information added to the Thomas Pender Genealogy by ES
09/23/2011:
   1906 Road Enactment Courtland Township transcribed by ES
09/22/2011:
    Early Land Owners Courtland Township transcribed by ES
09/22/2011:
   1848 Courtland Township Library transcribed by ES
09/22/2011:
   Courtland School Board Officers, 1893-1896 & 1903 transcribed by ES
09/22/2011:  
 Courtland Township Overseers, 1895-1905, transcribed by ES
09/16/2011:
    Courtland Township Board Meetings, 1845, 1846, 1866 and 1869 transcribed by ES
09/16/2011:
    Courtland Township Officers, 1897-1911 transcribed by ES
09/16/2011: 
  1866 Courtland Township Pathmasters transcribed by ES
09/16/2011:
   1842 Courtland Township Election transcribed by ES
09/14/2011:  
 1939 Wyoming High School Graduates transcribed by ES
09/14/2011:
    1938 Wyoming High School Graduates transcribed by ES
08/31/2011:
    1926 Grand Rapids Catholic Central Yearbook transcribed and scanned by ES
08/21/2011:
    Minnie Mellema's Journal - Birthing Centers in Grand Rapids, 1930 - 1939 transcribed by Ronnie Aungst
08/15/2011:
    1925 Catholic Central Yearbook transcribed and scanned by ES
07/23/2011:
    Genealogies: Wes Ramey transcribed by ES
07/23/2011:
    1949 Photo of the Rebekah Lodge Officers, Violet 34, Masons contributed by Nancy Myer
07/23/2011:
    Furniture Company Pictures: American Seating Company, Imperial Furniture Company and Robert W. Irwin Furniture Company
07/23/2011:
    Photos of the Workers at the Michigan Chair Company, Spindle Carving Department contributed by Nancy Myer
07/11/2011:   
Citizenship Records: "Li"  transcribed by Nancy Myer
07/10/2011:
    Rockford Masonic Lodge - List of the Past Masters   
The Rockford Masonic Lodge is looking for pictures of the Past Masters which they do not have.
07/10/2011:
    Grand Rapids Elementary School Class Picture from about 1907 contributed by Patricia Wenzel

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

 


!!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.