Local History & Genealogy

Genealogy-Local History
Reference Librarian
Linda Koch
269-673-4625
Linda’s Blog

Allegan District Library Genealogy/Local History Collection has a wide variety of materials.

Please note: All of the materials in the Genealogy Department are non-circulating.

Allegan County Videos	How-To Guides
Atlases & Maps	House & Building Histories
Cemetery Records	Marriages, Births & Death/Obits Records
Census Information	Military Records
City/County, Telephone & Cross Listings Directories	Newspapers Yearbooks
County & Local Histories	Volunteer Program
Family Histories	Other Genealogy Websites

Major categories of the ADL collection:

Allegan County Videos:
These videos are on the City of Allegan and Allegan County produced by two local historians. Can be used in the library.

Atlases & Maps
The Genealogy Department has maps focusing mainly on the City of Allegan, Allegan County and surrounding counties. Some of the maps are found in atlases and plat books, while others are individual maps.

Cemetery Records
Over 20 notebooks of records from Allegan County’s 85+ cemeteries are arranged by township, then A-Z by cemetery name; maps & driving directions are given for each; this is an on-going process.

Census Records – also Ancestry, Heritage Quest
The complete Allegan County Federal Census Records for 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 are available on microfilm. We also have other census records available, some of them indexed.

City/County; Telephone & Cross-Listings Directories
This part of our collection includes 4 city/county directories for Allegan, Douglas, Fennville, Holland, Hopkins, Otsego, Plainwell, Saugatuck, Wayland & 120 cities; some of this is only available on microfilm. Telephone directories on microfilm are available for City of Allegan & other cities. Three other telephone directories cover other parts of Allegan County along with Holland, MI.

County & Local Histories
ADL has many histories of Allegan and surrounding counties under number #s M 977.4, M 977.41, M 917.74.  (M stands for Michigan collection.)
Online files:

All Aboard For the Allegan County Fair – Alphabetical INDEX

Family Histories

ADL family history files contain individual pieces of information about person(s) or families from the Allegan area or city. Please call Linda Koch, resource and genealogy librarian, for what we have available, 269-673-4625.

How-To Guides

Allegan Co. 2012 Area General & Local History Resources
Digging Up Your Ancestors PowerPoint date: 4/22/13

Digging Up Your Ancestors Slide Notes – Word doc.
Digging Up Your Ancestors Slide Notes – Pdf

Interview Suggestions and Questions for the Beginning Genealogists – Word doc.
Interview Suggestions and Questions for the Beginning Genealogists – Pdf
Starting Family History Research at APL April 2013
Where to Look for Obituaries in Allegan County, Michigan

 

House & Building Histories – This portion of our collection includes the books “Sketches of early homes, churches, schools and residents of Allegan, Michigan” number M/M R977.414 SKET and  “Fire? Fire? Fire?”  published by the Allegan County Historical Society number M628.9 GREE & M R 628.9 GREE.

Marriages, Births & Death/Obits Records – ADL has indexed deaths & marriages 1856-1888s from Allegan City newspapers; obits 1978-2002; obit extracts 1916-22; necrologies (lists of people who have died) 1995-2005 – these are on microfilm; early marriages Allegan County.

Military Records -  The ADL has veterans and military service notebooks of Allegan Veterans, covering Civil War (including General Pritchard), Revolutionary and even the German P.O.W. Camp in Valley Township during World War II and other wars. We also have Grand Rapids MI Solider’s Home Obits 1899-1938 indexed. Some records are online lists. These records can be found under 973 VETE.

Miscellaneous and Other Histories – These histories and records include items like “Ghost Towns & Ghosts”, and “All Aboard for the Allegan County Fair”; even records from Michigan Daughters of the American Revolution, Michigan’s Centennial Farm Heritage, pioneer recollections and indexes to Naturalization Records in the State Archives of Michigan. This is a varied collection of books and records.

Newspapers – Microfilmed Allegan City newspapers, 1856-1999; indexed; we are missing 1867, 1870, 1871 and many other issues; Penasee Globe, 1997-2002 (NE Allegan County: Wayland, Moline, Hopkins, Martin, Salem: digitized on Genealogy computer.

Yearbooks –

Please note: check the local history & genealogy shelves for more. We add or index something new nearly every week.

Links to Other Genealogy Websites

The Allegan District Library is pleased to offer access to the following Genealogy Databases:

Ancestry Library Edition
Access is at the library only. Every US census indexed; databases; plus many Ancestry.com resources.

Heritage Quest Online
This database is provided by the Michigan eLibrary. You can search the: census, books, PERSI, Revolutionary Ware, Freedman’s Bank, and U.S. Serial Set records. Patrons must have a current Allegan District Library card to access HeritageQuest Online from this website.

 Through Michigan eLibrary (MEL.org) on our website, you can access “Genealogy” databases under “MeL Michigana” and the tab “Genealogy” listed under MeL subject gateways (located on the left hand side the web page). Under both of these database locations there are additional genealogy websites offered.

Please note:  If patrons wish to directly access Michigan Electronic Library website (MEL.org) apart from using our website for access, you will need to use your Michigan driver’s license number to do so.

 Volunteer Program

Allegan District Library
Local History Collection

 Volunteers are an integral part of the on-going support of the Local History and Genealogy Collection. The many indexes, transcription of microfilm records, looking up courthouse records, transcription of yearbooks and other historical records are done by volunteers. Volunteer projects are on-going and volunteers are always needed. If you wish to volunteer, please call Linda Koch at 269-673-4625.