Kent County
Michigan GenWeb Project

Kent County Courthouse

 

Links to external web sites are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes; they do not constitute an endorsement or approval of any of the products, services or opinions contained in any external web site.
www.usgenweb.org 
 


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. 
 

Search this site powered by FreeFind

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?    

11/18/2009:
   "P" Kent County Citizenship Records transcribed by Joanne Umlor
11/18/2009:
   Additional information added to Sempray Jovinay Cosmetic Company transcribed by ES
11/18/2009:
   Obituaries: Mrs. J. C. (Nora Bresnahan) Husted Carr and Miss Nora M. Husted transcribed by ES
11/05/2009:
    1921 Union High School Yearbook Records transcribed by ES 
11/05/2009:
    Correction to early Marriage Record of Daniel P. Vanliew and Julia Ryan not Byron per Susan Beardsley
10/24/2009:
    1905 photo of Sempray Jovinay Cosmetic Company contributed by Joanne Umlor
10/05/2009:
    Wyoming Historical Commission - Updated information
10/04/2009:
    New link to Kent County Land records, 1807-1907 
10/04/2009:
    Obituaries: Frank L. Billings, Joseph G. Griswold transcribed by Barb Jones
09/12/2009:
    Correction on Grandville-Wyoming Cemetery contact
09/12/2009:
    Capital Punishment in Michigan
09/12/2009:
    Photos of the Kent County Poor Farm, Maple Grove, contributed by Daniel Postellon
09/12/2009:
    Additional newspaper article on the Thomson Murder transcribed by ES
09/12/2009:
    Latzek Funeral Home Records, Vol. 1 - 10 transcribed by Kathy Tabb
09/12/2009:
    Spring Funeral Home Records, Vol. 16 - 1942 -  transcribed by ES.
09/12/2009:
    1868 Listing of People Residing in Grand Rapids, MI and those deceased by 1893 transcribed by ES.
08/14/2009:
    Obituary: Daniel McVean transcribed by ES
08/08/2009:
    1939 Plat Maps of Kent County Townships and Towns scanned by ES
08/07/2009:
    St. Patrick's Cemetery, Caledonia Tp., 2009 transcribed by ES
08/07/2009:
    Grand Rapids Ads from Early Newspapers: Hotel Ads in 1849McConnell's Building, 1857
08/07/2009: 
   Found Item - Photo of John Shannon dated 29 August 1882, Grand Rapids, MI
08/07/2009:
    Library of Michigan - Death Records, 1897-1920 Link
07/31/2009:
   1907 Kent County Township Plat Maps
07/25/2009:
    Death Index, 1850-1940 - "R" transcribed by ES
07/25/2009:
    Pioneer Sheriffs, 1836-Early 1840's transcribed by ES
07/25/2009:
    Citizenship Records, "Mi-My" transcribed by ES
07/25/2009: 
  Beginning of the Grand Rapids Orphan Asylum transcribed by ES
07/25/2009:
    WWI Soldiers Dead from the counties of: Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Kent, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo,
Ottawa and Van Buren transcribed by ES
07/17/2009:
    Old Settlers Society - Articles read to the society in 1873 of Early History of Grand Rapids
transcribed by ES
07/17/2009:
    Citizenship Records: Ma-Me and additions and corrections to D, H, N, O, Q, Y, Z
07/11/2009:
    Bowen's Sketches: Rev. H. T. Barnaby, John C. Beardslee, Christopher Bergin, Lewis Blair, Thomas
Blanchard, Chancey Blodgett, Frank Braford, Patrick Bresnahan, Horace Briggs and John H. Colleton
07/11/2009:
   Genealogies: House-Sanger Families from Canada to Newaygo and Kent Counties
07/11/2009:
    Obituaries: Erich Duus, Joseph Hummel, James Maroney, Mary Monje transcriber ES
07/07/2009:
   Obituaries: William B. Banks, Henry W. Becker, Henry J. Bennett, Dewey Blocksma, Marcus D. Brooks, David H. Brown, Wallace E. Brown, Ralph W. Bulkeley, Joseph E. Bureau, Albert DeHaan, James Campbell Everett, John W. Ferson, Brinton F. Hall, T. W. Hefferan, Gustave A. Hendricks, Gertrude M. Hendricks, Fred E. Hill, R. Wallace Hook, Myron H. Hopkins, William C. Hopson, Felix Houseman, Lee M. Hutchins, Edgar W. Hunting, William A. Jack, Otto G. Jentsch, Robert L. Johnstone, Stuart E. Knappen, Charles McPherson, George Morse, Oscar A. Ogren, Percy Seaman Peck, H. Wilbert Spence, Ernest A. StoweTom Thoits, Minor Walton, John H. Wheeler, and Roy E. Wing transcribed by Barb Jones
07/03/2009:
    1840-1932 Kent County Citizenship Records: Ha-He, Hi-Hy and I transcribed by Karen Blumensheim
07/01/2009:
   Broken links repaired
06/26/2009:
    Thomson Murder transcribed by Barb Jones
06/26/2009:
    Bidwell Brothers Bilk Bank of England transcribed by Barb Jones
06/26/2009:
    Biographies: William B. Jarvis, Hugh M. Blacklock and General Israel Smith
06/23/2009: 
  Grand Rapids Buildings: Blodgett Building, G. R. Federal Building, Eagle Building,
Engine House No. 4, Kent Theatre, Squier's Opera Hall, Michigan Trust Building, Morton House, Redmond Building, National Hotel, Weston Building, Widdicomb Building
06/23/2009:
    Grand Rapids Businesses: Baker Book Store, Bell Fibre Products, B & G Terminal, G. R. Brewing Co., G. R. Engraving, G. R. Artificial Ice Plant, G. R. Works, Hayes Body Company, Kent Furniture Mfg. Co.,
MacInerney Spring & Wire, May's Men's Clothing Store, Reynolds Metals, Steketee's Department Store
06/21/2009:
    New email address for Grandville Avenue Cemetery information
06/21/2009:
    List 2 of Obituaries: Gedeon Belanger, Payton Bell, Mary Bloem, Clark L. Brown, Geraldine Davidson, Bastiana DeHollander, S/Sgt Foster M. DeVries, Frances J. Duff, Mary Eisenach, Margaret H. Gruenbauer, Thomas Glenfield Hamlyn, Dick Hamstra, Bertha B. Harrington, James E. Hurlbut, John A. Johnson, Wilbur R. Miner, Gerrit Nagelkerk, Emma Payson, Benjamin Clapp Robinson, John B. Roche, Gerrit Schouwink, John M. Segrist, Abraham M. Shapiro, Laurence W. Smith, Anna E. Sommer, Sherman B. Thomas, John Gregory Toohey, Hyitje VanderPloeg, Anna W. Vos, Henry John Wentzel, Edith White, Tryntje Wierenga, G. A. Wolf, Charles Yancharas and George Robert Zylstra transcribed by Barb Jones
06/21/2009:
    List 1 of Obituaries: Grace Achterhoff, Baby Boy Blanker, Edward Broekstra, Cornelius Broene, Marie Christophersen, Erwin DuBois, Arthur Fisher, Jane McIntosh Gunn, Walter J. Hayword, Mrs. Henry Knoper, Jennie Frances Krombeen, Anton Kuete, Gertrude Landstra, Peter Maas, Anne Medema, Bert D. Merrills, Mary Odejeski, Thomas Sebunia, Carrie Shoemaker, Mathias Silkowski, Baby Dixie Lee Stanton, Anna Steenalnd, Minnie Syre, Mary Tansey, Olga Temmink, Dr. Russell I. Victor, Minor Walter, Ralph Williams and Albertus Worst transcribed by Barb Jones
06/21/2009: 
  Obituaries: Jesse R. Bettes, Martin Boland, Howard Bradford, Albert E. Damskey, Clarence Dexter, Melvin Pease, Melvina Pease, Mrs. George W. Rhodes, Rayland H. Rhodes and William Rowley
06/21/2009:
    Bowen's Sketches: Joseph Albright, M. D. transcribed by ES
06/15/2009:
    Kent County Citizenship Records - N,  Q,  U,  Y,  Z  transcribed by ES
06/14/2009:
    Peninsular Club: 1945 List of Members and Children in the Service in WWII
06/13/2009: 
  New Folder: Businessmen's Portrait Gallery
06/13/2009:
    List of Vosper's Sharpshooters, 27th Michigan Infantry transcribed by ES
06/12/2009:
    Additional information added to Linson Beard biographical sketch.
06/12/2009:
    "C" to Death Index for 1850-1940 transcribed by ES
06/05/2009:
    Index to the 1918 List of Women Petitioners For The Right To Vote
 

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

 


!!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.