Local History and Genealogy
News, comments, resources, and more.
We have some exciting new additions to report, beginning with our new Regional Publications & Images database! This new database will allow users to browse and perform online keyword searches of historic newspapers, photographs, and other Kalamazoo Public Library holdings that were previously only available as hard copy or on microfilm.
For starters, the database includes freshly digitized issues of the Kalamazoo Daily Telegraph from the years between 1868 and 1885, plus issues of the (weekly) Kalamazoo Saturday Telegraph from 1893 to 1899. And more issues of the Telegraph are being digitized “as we speak.” Additional publications (and eventually images) will be digitized and added to the database as resources allow.
Telegraph Building on South Street, c.1920
The Kalamazoo Telegraph was published under varying ownership between 1844 and 1916. Somewhat of a mirror to the staunchly Democratic Gazette, the Kalamazoo Telegraph reflected local happenings from a Republican perspective, which can be a boon for researchers. Many times, the two competing papers offered strikingly different accounts of local events; from politics to sports, entertainment, and most everything else in between. An event that appeared rather insignificant in the pages of the Gazette might have received in-depth coverage by the Telegraph, and of course vice versa.
Learn more about the Kalamazoo Telegraph in a newly written essay, which is part of the State History Award-winning “All About Kalamazoo History” section of KPL’s website. And now, search issues of the historic Kalamazoo Telegraph newspaper in our new Regional Publications & Images database. Give it a try!
And as if that’s not exciting enough, yet another project coming down the pike will be a newly digitized version of the Grand Army Memorial Record, a book “designed expressly for Grand Army posts throughout the national department of the Grand Army of the Republic for the purpose of securing and perpetuating the military history of every Grand Army comrade.” Created in 1884, the book is a handwritten account of those who served in the Grand Army of the Republic, Department of Michigan, Orcutt Post No. 79 at Kalamazoo. Once digitized, this book should be a welcome addition for family genealogists and Civil War historians. Watch for it soon!
Book
Regional Publications & Images: 1868-1899
kalamazoo-telegraph-2-160
http://www.kpl.gov/local-history/regional-publications/
A runaway slave of African and Native American ancestry, Crispus Attucks was immortalized as the first casualty of the 1770 Boston Massacre. But who was Attucks anyway, and why would a fugitive dockworker be revered as a martyr and colonial American hero? Attucks’ story is shrouded in mystery and what is known about his background is more speculation than fact.
WMU associate professor Mitch Kachun has added Attucks’ story to his long list of research projects, hoping to help ensure what he describes as “Crispus Attucks’ place in American history and memory.”
Join us at the Oshtemo Branch Library on Tuesday evening, February 14th, 6 pm, as Dr. Kachun reveals his recent research on Attucks as he lays the groundwork for a major new book about one of America’s most well-known—yet virtually unknown folk heroes.
Book
Mitch Kachun presents Crispus Attucks in American History and Memory
crispus-attucks-160
/events/crispus-attucks/
Our next Genealogy Lock-In is coming up soon! If you’ve never been to one and are curious, here’s how they work: Lock-Ins are held on Friday nights from 6 to 10 pm three times a year. They begin after the Library closes so that genealogists can have the computers and resources all to themselves. Printing and copying are free during Lock-Ins and there are staff members available to answer questions and give research advice. Lock-ins are fun and friendly, providing a comfortable atmosphere in which to research. The collaborative environment is ideal for both new and experienced genealogists alike, and researchers often help each other solve perplexing genealogical problems. Lock-Ins are not intended to be instructional, although participants often learn a great deal. For those looking for help getting started, the Intro to Genealogy program might be a good option – and there is one coming up at the Alma Powell Branch in February. So if spending a cold winter night searching for clues to your family history sounds good to you, go online or call the History Room desk (269-553-7808) to register for the next Genealogy Lock-In on Friday, January 20.
Book
Genealogy Lock-In
Lock-in-image
http://www.kpl.gov/local-history/room.aspx
A few weeks ago I went to Covert, Michigan to be interviewed by Deborah Tulani Salahu-Din, the Project Director for the Smithsonian Institution African American Museum of History & Culture, and Michele Gates Moresi, the Curator for the museum. They had requested a meeting with the descendants of the early black and white settlers of Covert, Michigan. My great-great grandfathers William Bright Conner and his family, and Dawson Pompey and his family were the first African Americans to settle in Covert, Michigan after the Civil War ended. My great grandfather John Conner and his brother Frank, and his two brother-in-laws Himebrick Tyler and Joseph Seaton and my great grandfather Washington Pompey and his brother Napoleon were all veterans of the Civil War.
Our library has a book titled A Stronger Kinship: One Town’s Extraordinary Story of Hope and Faith by Ann Lisa-Cox which tells the story of Covert’s unique history as a racially integrated community during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Covert was a town where blacks and whites went to church and school together. They lived among each other and intermarried. Blacks held public offices and owned businesses. My great grandmother Annis Pompey owned and operated a cider mill and was the first female in Covert to have her own business. Anna Lisa-Cox was instrumental in getting the Smithsonian to take a look at this community.
Valerie Osborne and Deborah Tulani Salahu-Din
The new Smithsonian African American Museum of History & Culture will have an exhibition titled “Making a Way Out of No Way” which will include eleven communities from across the United States and Covert, Michigan will be one of the eleven exhibits.
I’m very excited that my ancestors will be a part of this exhibit and proud of the contributions they made to society. If you are interested in learning more about the new Smithsonian Museum of African American History & Culture that will open in 2015, you can visit this website: http://nmaahc.si.edu/
Book
A Stronger Kinship
0316110183
Good news, genealogists and Kalamazoo local history enthusiasts! We are excited to announce a digitization project that has begun here at KPL. We will soon be making digital images of the Kalamazoo Telegraph available through our website with full keyword searching. Daily Telegraph issues from April 6, 1868 to July 24, 1885 have already been scanned, and more will follow in the months to come. We have a bit more work to do before we can get them online, so keep watch on our website for more information in the coming weeks. This valuable resource will soon be just a click away!
book
Kalamazoo Telegraph
kalamazoo-telegraph-1868-160
http://www.kpl.gov/local-history/
If you’ve visited the “All About Kalamazoo History” section of the KPL website lately, you’ve probably noticed a few changes here and there—most notably the addition of a State History Award “gold medal” banner! “All About Kalamazoo History” (KPL’s online collection of local history essays) has been awarded a 2011 State History Award by the Historical Society of Michigan (HSM)! State History Awards are presented to those individuals and organizations that “have made outstanding contributions to the appreciation and understanding of Michigan history.” The State History Awards are the highest recognition presented by the state’s official historical society.
When asked what prompted the judges to select KPL for this prestigious award, Dr. Sharon Carlson, HSM board secretary and director of the WMU Archives & Regional History Collections, responded without hesitation by saying, “it was the breadth and depth of the collection. I regularly refer people to these information rich pages. They are an appropriate resource for researchers ranging from a middle school student competing in History Day to genealogists to more serious researchers looking for core publications about a topic.” HSM education and awards coordinator, Emily Asbenson, added, “the judges were extremely impressed with the way KPL presents and teaches local history.”
“All About Kalamazoo History” has grown considerably since its inception, and now consists of more than 600 pages in twenty one different categories, which collect and preserve the stories of those who helped shape Kalamazoo and its environs. Some are brief vignettes while others offer richly detailed cultural histories; all are painstakingly written and researched by members of the Kalamazoo Public Library staff. These pages attempt to provide interesting reading and valuable research tools for local and regional genealogists, historians, educators, and library patrons.
According to retired KPL Local History librarian Catherine Larson, “we have tried to answer the most frequently asked questions about each topic, (both) for the convenience of our patrons, and to make efficient use of staff time. We have tried to design a structure that is sufficiently flexible that it can grow in any direction that seems appropriate, even if we can’t foresee it right now. As I recall, we established the web site in 1998 or 1999. The initial Local History offering was three essays each in four categories. We have grown quite a bit since then, and the structure has served us well. It feels good to be part of a team that puts out such a useful product.”
“One of the great things about the website,” says current Local History specialist Beth Timmerman, “is that it has allowed us to collaborate with other institutions in Kalamazoo. Many of the house and building histories are from the 1973 Initial Inventory of Historic Sites and Buildings in Kalamazoo which was made available to us by Sharon Ferraro, the city’s historic preservation coordinator. Another great collaboration has given us one of our most popular sections—the Kalamazoo: Then and Now photo gallery. This is an ongoing project with Professor William Davis at WMU and his photography students who re-create historic photos from our collection.” In addition, staff at Kalamazoo Valley Museum and WMU Archives & Regional History Collections have been extremely helpful with providing photographs and information, as have our patrons. Comments and valuable additions to these essays have been received from across the United States, Canada and abroad.
Congratulations to Beth, the Local History staff, and everyone else who contributes to KPL’s virtual branch! Your award-winning library now has an award-winning website!
Read the official Kalamazoo Public Library press release. PDF
Read the official Historical Society of Michigan press release. PDF
Book
2011 State History Award
2011-state-history-award-plaque-160
/local-history/all-about-kalamazoo/2011-state-history-award.aspx
After reading the article about Social Music in 19th Century Kalamazoo, part of the “All About Kalamazoo History” section of the Kalamazoo Public Library website, a KPL patron alerted us to an artifact that provides some interesting information about Hull & Arnold’s Quadrille Band.
While searching through some family items, Ray Buhl wrote that he had found a letter written to his great-great-grandfather, James Crawford, by John Hull, a highly respected violinist and leader of Hull & Arnold’s Quadrille Band of Constantine. Hull & Arnold’s Band was well known throughout Michigan and Indiana during the mid-nineteenth century and the group performed often in Kalamazoo.
The letter, written in John Hull’s own hand on band stationery, reads as follows:
Florence, Mich. Feb 26th, 1882
Friend Jas. Crawford,
Enclosed please find two violin strings. I had them on my violin and when I got my Italian strings, I changed them. I hope they will please you and make your old Amati ring. With regard to you and your amiable wife,
I am as ever your friend,
John Hull.
While the text is of little historical significance, the printed letterhead provides important clues about the membership of Hull and Arnold’s band during the 1880s. At the time the letter was written (and the letterhead was printed), band members were John Hull, violin; Daniel Arnold, Clarionet(sic); Charles H. Arnold (replacing Morris Arnold), trombone; and (importantly), Charles E. Rogers, cornet.
Charles Rogers was the leader of the Constantine (Michigan) Cornet Band, and he later formed the Rogers Cornet Band of Goshen, Indiana. During the late 1880s, Rogers’ Band became the “official” musical performance group of the Chautauqua movement in upstate New York. Several prominent Kalamazoo musicians, including Chester Z. Bronson and his brother, William Bronson, were members of Rogers’ bands at one time or another. C. Z. Bronson was, of course, the first director of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to the band roster, the letterhead also verifies that Hull & Arnold’s band was indeed organized in 1838, a fact that that was generally understood, but remained unconfirmed until now, and that as of 1882, Hull was living in Florence Township just east of Constantine in St. Joseph County.
After reading the article on the KPL website, Mr. Buhl was kind enough to provide the library with a copy of the letter and a note explaining that the letter was found in his great-grandfather Norman Crawford’s violin case (having been passed down from his father, James), but sadly the violin in the case was not an Amati.
Our sincere thanks to Mr. Buhl for sharing his findings. No matter how small, items such as this help fill the missing pieces of the mosaic that makes up our local history. Like the store owner says during the Pawn Stars program on the History Channel, “You never know what is going to walk through that door.”
Book
Violinist John Hull, ca. 1875
john-hull-03-0275-160
/local-history/arts-entertainment/social-music.aspx
On Monday evening, September 26, at 6 pm, the Southwest Michigan Postcard Club will host a presentation by Madeline Okerman Adie at the Oshtemo Branch Library entitled “A Historical Timeline of Michilimackinac.” Madeline is the author of Mackinaw City, part of the Postcard History Series from Arcadia Publishing.
The Mackinac Straits Area, including Colonial Michilimackinac, St. Ignace, Mackinaw City, and Mackinac Island, has captivated tourists for generations. Madeline will discuss three different theories about the meaning of Michilimackinac, and then take the audience on an excursion through the history of the Mackinac area from the 1600s until the opening of the Mackinac Bridge in 1957, illustrated with dozens of historic postcard images. “I think I have some interesting trivia about the Mackinac area that many folks don't know!” says Adie.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about one of Michigan’s favorite getaway destinations!
Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, lithograph postcard by Burkhard Bros., ca. 1904. Courtesy Madeline Okerman Adie
Book
Mackinaw City
0738551341
While genealogy is a great pursuit any time of year, many people take a break from serious research in the summer. But that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all the thrills of a genealogical search. Whether you’re soaking up sun at the beach, on your way to a fantastic vacation destination, or just hiding inside your air conditioned house, there are many engaging books related to genealogy to enjoy. Buzzy Jackson’s Shaking the Family Tree: Blue Bloods, Black Sheep, and Other Obsessions of an Accidental Genealogist is a fun account of a historian-turned-genealogist and her quest to track down her Jackson (20th most common American surname) ancestors. With chapters entitled “Information Wants to be Free; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love DNA Testing” and “Beaches and Burke’s Peerage; or, The Genealogy Cruise” you know you’re in for an entertaining read that is definitely NOT a typical genealogy how-to.
If you prefer your leisure reading in the form of a mystery, there are many books and series to choose from. The Torie O’Shea Mysteries by Rett MacPherson and the Family Tree Mysteries by Patricia Sprinkle are both series that feature a main character who is a genealogist. A keyword search in the library catalog for ‘genealogy and mystery’ or ‘genealogy and fiction’ will turn up many other genealogy-themed summer reads like; Legacy by Danielle Steel and Out of the Shadows by Joanne Rendell.
So while you’re enjoying your break, keep sharp by reading about someone else’s family search – whether it be fact or fiction.
Book
Shaking the Family Tree
9781439112991
Whether you like baseball or not (ok… there might be one or two), you must admit that it was exciting when Kalamazoo native Derek Jeter belted the 3,000th hit of his career in grand style on Saturday with a solo home run, a feat that only a handful of others have achieved—and the first New York Yankee to do so. Gazette writer Joyce Pines called for city-wide recognition for the “Kid from Kalamazoo. ” He deserves it.
But believe it or not, Jeter was not the first Kalamazoo kid to make significant “firsts” for the same New York team. Just over a century ago, “Big John” Ganzel, nicknamed for his imposing six foot, 195 pound stature (a truly BIG man by 19th century standards), signed a three year contract with the New York Highlanders (later Yankees) in 1903 and proceeded to make his mark with the team during its inaugural season. On May 5th of that year, John was responsible for the Highlander’s first ever triple play, and a week later, John belted the Highlander’s first ever home run against the Detroit team in his home state on May 11th.
John Ganzel was one of five brothers who made names for themselves in “America’s game” during the late 1800s and the early decades of the twentieth century. All five played local, regional and state league ball. John had a very successful career as player and later as a manager, and his brother Charlie, “one of the greatest catchers the world has ever produced” (Gazette), became one of the most famous ball players of his day with four National League Championships and one World Series championship to his credit. Charlie’s son, Foster Pirie “Babe” Ganzel, later carried on the tradition through the 1920s. Read the full story of the Ganzel Brothers, Michigan’s “First Family” of baseball in the “All About Kalamazoo History” section of the KPL website.
Once again, congratulations Derek! You continue to make Kalamazoo (and the rest of the country) very proud!
Book
John Ganzel
john-ganzel-ny-1903-2-160
http://www.kpl.gov/local-history/biographies/ganzel-brothers.aspx