|
|
|
|
|
|
Available Materials
Herrick's Genealogy Collection has a wide variety of materials, including an extensive collection of Dutch genealogy items. All of the materials in the Genealogy Department are non-circulating.
Items may be listed in the LakeNet Online Catalog.
Items are listed in the Surname Index (Family Histories).
Atlases and Maps
The Genealogy Department has a few maps for the following areas: Holland (MI), Ottawa County, Allegan County and the Netherlands. Some are individual maps, while others are in atlases and plat books. Several more land atlas/plat books are kept with the Michigan Collection.
Cemetery Records
For the Holland area, there are books on the Pilgrim Home, Graafschaap and Restlawn cemeteries. Information is also available for some of the cemeteries in the following counties: Allegan, Kalamazoo, Kent, Missaukee, Muskegon, Ottawa and Newago.
Census Information (Microfilm)
The complete Michigan Census 1850-1920 is available on microfilm. Michigan Soundex is available for the years 1880, 1900, 1910 and 1920. Herrick carries some census information on other areas of the country with a high Dutch population, such as Indiana, Illinois (Cook County), North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, New York and Washington. Please Note: Herrick owns only selected years for these areas.
CD-ROMS
The Genealogy Department has over 100 CD-Roms, including the following subjects: marriage indexes, passenger and immigration lists, census microfilm records and family history.
Church Records/Church Histories
Herrick has church histories for many of the churches in the area. Some additional church records are available for the Dutch Reformed denomination and other churches in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.
Birth, death and anniversary announcements from the Christian Reformed Church newsletter, The Banner (1860s - 1980s), are available as part of the Banner Scrapbook Collection.
Herrick also has a collection of church and school anniversary items published by churches of various denominations (Christian Reformed, Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Reformed Church of America, etc). Most of the items come from Michigan, but there are some Christian Reformed items from other states and Canada as well. Please Note: The content of these folders vary. One may contain a single bulletin, another an anniversary booklet, and another several pages of church history.
City Directories
This collection includes approximately 150 city directories for the Holland/Zeeland (1894 - Present), Muskegon (1922 - Present) and Grand Rapids (1926 - Present) areas.
Family File
Herrick's Family File contains individual pieces of information about persons and/or families from the Holland Area. Please Note: The family file is stored in the file cabinets next to the office in the Genealogy Room. Please ask a staff person to unlock them for you.
Family Histories
Herrick District Library has a large collection of self-published family histories and partial genealogies. Family histories are shelved in the Genealogy Room under 929.2, in alphabetical order by surname.
How To Guides
Herrick has many genealogical “how to” books. Please Note: These titles are part of the non-fiction collection of the library and may be checked out.
Newspaper Index
The library began indexing the Holland Sentinel in 2002. This index covers news pertaining to Ottawa and Allegan counties. Since 2005, births, weddings, anniversaries and obituaries are also included. The Holland Sentinel Indexes are located on top of the file cabinets next to the office in the Genealogy Room.
It is now possible to search an online version of our Holland Sentinel Indexes (2004-). For birth/birthday, wedding, anniversary, and obituary announcement information, use the Holland Sentinel Microfilm Index Announcements Search. For additional articles, use the Holland Sentinel Microfilm Index Article Search. Both of these online indexes are also located on the main Genealogy Department page of our web site.
Newspapers
The following newspapers are available on microfilm:
Allegan Gazette (May 5, 1883-Dec 10, 1892)
Allegan Gazette (July 21, 1954-Dec 31, 1954)
Allegan Journal (1856-1897 - not inclusive)
Allegan News (Jan 4, 1901-Dec 15, 1955)
Grand Haven News (Dec 22, 1858-Jul 17, 1867 - not Inclusive)
Grand River Times (July 2, 1851-Oct 28, 1857 - not inclusive)
Ottawa County Times (1892-1905)
Local announcements that have been clipped (or copied) from the area newspapers, such as the Holland Sentinel, Holland City News, and the Grand Rapids Press are also part of the Genealogy Collection. These items are filed on index cards under the following subjects: Obituaries (1940s - 2003), Anniversaries (1980s - Present), and Veteran Obituaries.
Herrick has binders with copies of published birth announcements for individuals born at Holland Hospital and Zeeland Hospital (1989 and Feb. 1993 - Present).
The Herrick District Library also has a partial index to the Holland Sentinel and Holland City News covering the years 1880-1990. This index was compiled by Donald Van Reken, a local historian.
Newspapers - Online
Herrick District Library now subscribes to Access Newspaper Archive, which has digitized images of the Holland Evening Sentinel from January 1948 - October 1976. Newspapers from many other cities and towns in the United States are also available in digital format. Please Note: This database is only available for use at the library.
Obituaries
Obituaries from the Holland area (1940-2003) are available in two formats: microfilm and as newspaper clippings, which is noted in the section above.
The Index of Obituaries from the Holland Evening Sentinel, 1912 - 1974, a publication of the Herrick District Library, is available to assist patrons in locating obituaries. Indexes to the obituaries listed in the Grand Rapids Press (1910 - Present), and the Holland Sentinel (1960 - 2004) are also available.
Passenger Lists
The Genealogy Department has some passenger list information available in book format and on CD-Rom. Please Note: Herrick does not have every year in the collection.
Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York (1845 - 1870) is available on microfilm.
Periodicals
The library has subscriptions to several genealogy magazines including,
Everton's Genealogical Helper, Family Chronicle, Family Tree, and Heritage Quest.
Pioneer Certificates
The Pioneer Certificates were created for individuals/families who have been proven to have lived in Holland, Michigan as the first settlers of the town. The Pioneer Certificate File contains the genealogical records submitted to the Genealogy Department during the certification process.
Please Note: Pioneer Certificates are in locked file cabinets located next to the office in the Genealogy Room. Please ask a staff person to unlock the cabinets for you.
The Michigan Collection
The following materials are available in the Michigan Collection, near the Genealogy Department.
Holland Area Vertical File
These vertical files have historical information from organizations in the area.
Holland Historic District Catalog
This binder has one page of information for each address listed. Most of the pages contain a photograph, the historic and common name for the residence or building, the original owner's name and occupation, the date of construction and an architectural description. Please Note: This catalog is kept at the Reference Services Desk.
Local History Information
The Michigan Collection contains many items on Holland’s local history. There are materials available on Ottawa County and Allegan County history, and also some of the surrounding areas, such as Grand Rapids, Saugatuck, Douglas, Zeeland, Jamestown, Fennville and Overisel.
Year Books
The Michigan Collection also has yearbooks from the following local schools: Holland Christian High School (Footprints), Holland High School (Boomerang), Hope College (Milestone), West Ottawa High School (Icon), and E. E. Fell Junior High (Echo - 1970s only). Please Note: The yearbooks are donated to the library, so we do not have a copy of every year for every school.
