GenealogyFamily history is one of our specialties. Available resources:
1) Biographical Card File Alphabetical file of over 80,000 names of area residents, based on newspaper accounts of births, deaths, marriages and anniversaries. Collection ranges from 1868 to the present. Articles are on each name card and can be photocopied. This is the most valuable genealogy resource in the collection and an easy and quick way to find family members. 2) City and County Directories Directories are available from 1873 to the present. Books arranged by town and then name. Great source for names, addresses, occupations and general information about communities, such as locations of churches, schools, iron ore mines, etc. 3) Chase Biographical Records and Interviews Over 350 area pioneers were interviewed in the 1920’s. Included are family charts, plus stories of early years in Marquette County. 4) Burial Permits Registrar’s permits for burials and removals in the cemeteries of Marquette, 1889-1932, alphabetically listed. 5) Cemetery Records Records for many of the 27 cemeteries in Marquette County. Tombstone transcriptions include cemeteries in Marquette, Ishpeming, Negaunee, Big Bay, Champion, Ely Township, Humboldt Township, Gwinn, Michigamme, Richmond Township, Republic, Skandia, Turin, Wells and West Branch Townships. Collection especially good for the cemeteries in the city of Marquette. 6) Church Records Marriage records from St. John’s Catholic Church, Marquette, from 1872-1899. Marriage and burial records for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Marquette from 1867-1875. Index file of Catholic and Protestant church members in Marquette, 1935 7) School Yearbooks Excellent collection of yearbooks from Marquette, Ishpeming and Negaunee High Schools beginning around 1903, with smaller collection of books from National Mine, Republic, and Michigamme. Parochial schools include, Bishop Baraga High School and St. Paul’s High School. Northern Michigan University yearbooks also available. 8) Marquette County Telephone Directories Alphabetical listing of names by communities, from 1914 to the present 9) Iron Mine Records Inspector of the Mines reports from 1889 to the 1970’s. Index of mining fatalities in Marquette County, by name, date, and mine, beginning in the 1860’s. Employment records for a few iron mine companies 10) Military Records Newspaper clippings pertaining to Marquette County men and women who served in the military from the Civil War to Iraqi Freedom. Collection includes World War II index to thousands of articles on area servicemen by name, 1940-1946. Other resources include scrapbooks, photographs, veteran papers and interviews 11) U.S. Federal Censuses Microfilm of Marquette County Censuses -1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930. Index available for certain years Microfilm of Chippewa and Mackinac County Censuses-1840 12) Michigan State Census Rare 1864 Census document listing residents of Marquette and Schoolcraft Counties including Grand Island The J.M. Longyear Research Library also houses a general collection of local history books, centennial books of various communities and many published family histories. Many genealogists have success researching the photograph and map collection. If we cannot find information on your family, we will refer you to someone who can. The staff is happy to research any of the above resources at an hourly research rate. |
Home & PropertySome of the main records pertaining to homes, buildings and property are:
1) Sanborn Maps Microfilm and bound copies of Marquette County towns from the 1880’s to the 1940’s show physical characteristics of a home and the property 2) Photograph collection filed by street address, city scenes, birds-eye views, and people 3) Mining Journal index files of newspaper articles about residences by city and street 4) Marquette County and City Directories, a way to find out who lived in your home, using books available from 1873 to the present 5) U.S. Federal Census records, Marquette County 1850-1880 and 1900 -1930 6) “National Register of Historic Places, Arch and Ridge Street Historic District” 7) Pamphlet files of residential neighborhoods by street 8) Home appraisal ledger, documenting home value and year built 9) Centennial booklets and published histories of Marquette County communities 10) Blueprints of selected homes You can review any of the above documents at the Longyear Library while searching for information about your home. Call (906) 226-3571 for specific questions Other written records are available at the following government offices: 1) Marquette County Register of Deeds office, (906) 225-8415 for list of owners and sale of property 2) City Assessors records, for homes by address, with size of property, assessed value and year built. Marquette (906) 228-0425 Ishpeming (906) 485-1091 Negaunee (906) 475-7200 |
Photos & MapsWith more than 100,000 images, the Longyear Library’s historic photograph collection is one of the finest in the Upper Great Lakes.
Besides photographs, the collection includes postcards, stereographs and photo albums. Most prevalent are photographs of people, local buildings, businesses, Native Americans, iron mining, lumbering, town scenes, railroads, docks, and all modes of transportation from snowshoes to sailing ships, to automobiles. The collection is very comprehensive, so most subjects pertaining to area history beginning in the 1860’s are captured in our photographs. Patrons access the collection in the library by using a finding aid by subject matter. Over 1,000 maps are catalogued in the collection by subject or cartographer from the late 1700’s French exploration maps to current road maps. The library catalog lists all maps by call number and drawer number. Other graphic materials include architectural drawings, maritime charts, atlases and plat books. Due to the fragile condition of the photograph and map collection, xerographic copying or digital photography is not allowed. All images and maps can be reproduced by using our photograph reproduction service. Reprints of the collection are copyright protected and may be subject to a use fee. |