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Special Projects
The Special Projects
Committee of the Kalamazoo Valley Genealogical Society
focuses on preservation of Kalamazoo County records.
Volunteers are invited to participate in projects to ensure
records will continue to be available to genealogical
researchers.
The Special Projects Committee includes Chair Ardis Pierce,
and members Jan Getz and Sue Norton. Persons
interested in volunteering for a records preservation
project are encouraged to
contact
Mary Hodges.
Parking assistance is available, and volunteers will be
recognized for their contributions.
Many valuable records in
Kalamazoo County are waiting to be preserved and shared.
Our community has a fine working relationship within each
entity of government and all repositories. We have the
advantage of technological devices to allow us to make these
records available. These projects in turn will be
directed to websites, publications, newsletters and/or CDs.
The KVGS board will determine the end result of the product,
based on the recommendations of the Special Projects
Committee, with input from volunteers who create and
complete projects. You are encouraged to invest
volunteer time and energy in the Kalamazoo Valley
Genealogical Society Special Projects! Please
contact
Mary to express
your interest.
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Current
Projects
Kalamazoo County Clerk Vital Records Indexes
County Clerk Tim Snow has a new scanner in his Register of Deeds
office, and volunteers scan the vital records indexes. These
will be posted on the
Kalamazoo County Clerk website. Some
volunteers will stand and scan large indexes (one sheet at a time),
and others will transfer files and rename them for permanent
storage. This project, involving original documents and
computer equipment, takes place at the clerk's office.
Kalamazoo County Probate
Court Indexes
This four-volume index will be scanned on the clerk's equipment.
Ultimately the badly deteriorating index books can be removed to
permanent storage.
Kalamazoo County Poor Farm
A proofreader is needed to work on two volumes of Kalamazoo County
Poor Farm residents. The records are difficult to read and
entries need to be verified. This project, which involves working on
original records at the clerk's office, is a good opportunity for
someone who prefers to sit at a desk.
Sue Sanders began this project
and has devoted many hours to making this a possibility.
Obituary File at Western Michigan University
Archives
KVGS has thousands of obituaries stored in files at the
WMU
Archives. Recent contributions need to be trimmed,
alphabetized, and filed in the drawers. This ongoing project,
managed by Sue Norton, only needs occasional work, when obituaries
come in.
KVGS Vertical Files at WMU
Archives
KVGS has accumulated material in vertical files during the last
thirty years—many members are unaware of this resource. A
master finding aid of the surnames exists for these files. As
new family records come in, the surname list and the actual files
need to be kept up. This ongoing project can be managed by one
or two people. Some of the work can be done at home, with
filing done at the WMU Archives. This project is managed by
Ken and Carole Baker.
1884 Michigan State Census
Four Kalamazoo County townships have been transcribed, proofread,
and printed in our newsletter. Four more townships await
transcription and proofreading. This tedious, slow-moving work
can be done at home at your own speed. The 1884 census is an
extremely valuable resource for Kalamazoo County researchers.
Jan Getz guides the volunteers.
Births
and Deaths in Township Records
County Clerk Tim Snow has several birth and death records from
jurisdictions within Kalamazoo County. These ledgers, which were
retained by the smaller cities or townships, were recalled by Mr.
Snow to his office. Volunteers compare the ledger information
with the county's records to determine if the information has been
previously recorded at the county level. This project, which
involves working on original records at the clerk's office, is a
good opportunity for someone who prefers to sit at a desk. If
a ledger is too heavy, someone will bring the ledger to the
volunteer. Volunteers, who have completed about half the work
on this project, describe it as “very easy to do.”
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