Michigan Room - Local History & Genealogy

Overview

The Michigan Room houses publicly accessible resources for local history and genealogy research, including desktops for accessing Ancestry.com. Patrons are always welcome to use this space for small meetings, to read quietly or hold tutoring sessions.

A list of resources (PDF) including room layout is available.

Note: the room is not reserveable except for library sponsored events.

Michigan Room with tables, bookshelves and public computers

The Local History Collection

HPL has many historical resources including newspapers, photographs, family histories, birth, death and marriage records, books, platt maps and so much more. All is available for public use, but much of it must be specifically requested from staff.

Collection Statement

To collect, organize, preserve, and provide access to a non-circulating collection of documents and other
materials relating to the history of Barry County, its major villages (Delton, Freeport, Middleville,
Nashville, and Woodland), and the city of Hastings. The collection mainly serves the general public, but
also supports the research activities of scholars and students.

Primary Areas of Collecting

Primary areas of collecting include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:

Materials that record the history, laws, culture, and industry of Barry County and the city of
Hastings.
Materials that record the history, experiences, and ancestry of Barry County individuals and
families. Photographs are an important part of this collection, specifically those relating to local
photographers.
Materials that record the history of Barry County organizations and institutions
Materials that record the history of the area’s geography, demographics, and architecture.
Materials that assist researchers in tracing their family backgrounds and/or researching
individual county residents
Materials that provide instruction in the practice of genealogy, local history, preservation, oral
history, and similar topics.
Select materials that record the history of the State of Michigan and add depth to the materials
about Barry County

See the full Local History Collection Development Policy

HPL's Barry County History Portal

In Fall 2022, we launched a new local history website all about Barry County history. It highlights items in our collection and will be added to over time.

A significant collection on the website will be digitized newspapers, including The Hastings Banner and Nashville News. The Banner is being uploaded as of November 2022 and should be complete in early 2023. The Nashville News will go online in early 2023.

HPL's Local History Preservation Project

To support ongoing efforts to preserve, document and increase availability of our growing local history collection, we have established a formal project to which patrons may donate. Checks can be made payable to Hastings Public Library or you can donate via PayPal.

Project Update

Thanks to many generous donations, including one underwriter of the bulk of the project, all Hastings Banners were sent out to be digitized in March 2022.

When complete, all Banners from 1856 to present day will be available in PDF format, be searchable and, in time, most will be available online.

All Hastings Banners on microfilm, CD and printed copies will be
unavailable until July or later.

Donating to the Michigan Room

How can I donate an item(s) to the Library?

Contact us by phone at 269-945-4263, fill out the Contact Us web form to initiate the process, or stop by to discuss. If you plan to come in, please call ahead to ensure someone will be available.

What will the Library accept?

We are interested and able to accept photographs, documents, books, maps, microfilm and newspapers related to local history. If you have a physical item, depending on size, provenance and its connection to local history, we will consider accepting that as well.

Please realize space is limited, so we cannot accept all donations, but greatly appreciate your willingness to contribute.

All donations will become the property of the Hastings Public Library and require a Deed of Gift form be completed by the donor. If you wish to retain ownership and loan an item to the library, we can discuss that as well.

Are donations tax deductible?

We will provide a receipt for donations upon request. You and your tax advisor must determine value and whether it can be deducted.

Genealogy

Note you must be inside the library or on our WiFi outside to use Ancestry Library Edition. It can be accessed with our computers, both in the Michigan Room and downstairs, or on your own device.

MyHeritage Library Edition - Family history resource including more than 6 billion historical records from the United States, Europe, Latin America, and other regions. Includes the full USA federal census (1790-1940); census of England and Wales (1841-1901); U.S. World War II Army Enlistment as well as records of Union and Confederate Civil War soldiers.

FamilySearch.org is a non-profit service sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here anyone can get assistance in finding their ancestors and preserving their family histories. For over 100 years the Church has been actively gathering and preserving genealogical records worldwide thus making it possible to provide this service today.

Genealogy Search Online. Free Family Tree Searches. 26,000 Genealogy Databases. Discover Your Family History and Build Your Family Tree.

Genealogy Research Request

To get assistance with genealogy research, please fill out the Genealogy Research Request.

Local History

The Michigan Room houses many resources for local history research including:

Cemetery Records
Platt Books
High School Yearbooks
Newspapers (physical and microfilm back to the mid-1800s)
Historical documents and records

All materials must stay in the library but patrons are free to make photocopies or save images to portable USB drives when possible.

To submit a Local History Research Request, please fill out the Local History Research Request Form.

Newspapers

HPL has a large collection of local newspapers dating back to the mid-1800s. Most older newspapers are on microfilm, while some are on CD and newer ones are still available in hard-copy.

Screenshots of microfilm can be saved as PDFs and/or printed with our computer based reading software.

The Hastings Banner is now available online with the Nashville News expected in early 2023.

The newspaper collection currently contains:

	Online	Hard Copy	Microfilm	CD
Hastings Banner	1856-1921	2007-present	1856-2003	4/2006-8/2013
Hastings Herald Journal		none	1896, 1904-1905, 1913	none
Lakewood News		1997-present	none	none
Maple Valley News		1976-1980; 1985-present	none	none
Middleville Sun & News		1981-present	none	none
Nashville News		none	1873-1969	none
Penasee Globe		1989-2009	none	none
Reminder		1981-present	none	none
Weekenders			none	none

In early 2022 the Library kicked off a project to digitize all Hastings Banners and several other local newspapers. Stay tuned for progress updates and availability.

All Hastings Banners on microfilm, CD and printed copies will be
unavailable from March 7, 2022 until July or later.

Online Resources

Barry County

Barry County Tax Parcel Maps
Barry County Register of Deeds Index Search
Barry County Assessors
Barry County Online Historical Directories
Barry County Maps & Atlases - Historical from the University of Michigan
History of Barry County - entire books or selections from books, from the University of Michigan

Hastings

Hastings Cemetery Records and MUCH more - from LDS Genealogy
Hastings Riverside Cemetery - searchable online map

Michigan

Historical Society of Michigan
Library of Michigan Digital Repository - online access to uniquely Michigan materials
Michigan Maps - historical maps from Michigan State
Michigan Memories - online collections from cultural institutions across the state
Seeking Michigan Indexes - online indexes and information about the Archives of Michigan
Seeking Michigan Guides - online guides to the Archives of Michigan

Civil War

Record of Michigan Volunteers in the Civil War, 1861-1865.
- Volumes 1-46, Full text, Searchable
- Provides some background on all infantry companies and listings of all who served
- Provided by the Hathi Trust Digital Library
Michigan in the Civil War

General Genealogy

FindAGrave : Locate graves across the world
National Archives Catalog Guide for Genealogists and Family Historians
Online Census Records : 1790 – 1940 as of March 16, 2022
Research Military Records: provided by the National Archives, search by branch or conflict

General United States

Federal Land Records Site - Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior, 1788 - present

Filed under: local history, genealogy