Linking oneself to the past is an excellent way of building family
pride and
self-esteem. We hope you will join in our effort to record and
preserve our
early Kent County history. Proudly display your Kent County Pioneer
Millennium Centennial Certificate.
| Eligibility:
To qualify for a Pioneer Certificate, an applicant must be directly
descended
from an ancestor who settled in Kent County as follows:
Pioneers (Prior to 1841) Gold Seal
Settlers (Prior to 1881) Silver Seal
Early Family (Prior
to 1921) Blue Seal
Each ancestor in the direct line must be proved. Anyone may apply.
Applicants
need not have ever been residents of Kent County. After proof of
direct
descent has been submitted and eligibility has been determined, we
will mail
the appropriate certificate. Separate certificates will be issued
for each ancestor properly submitted. The fee for each application is $10. |
Receive a packet one of 3 ways: Come to a work shop and get one without paying the application fee;
or to
have one mailed to you, please remit the $10 application fee to: WMGS Pioneer Certificates, c/o GRPL, 111 Library NE, Grand Rapids, MI
49503 Or download here:
Get Adobe Acrobat Reader:
|
 Purpose:
In cooperation with the Secchia Millennium Commission and to honor
our
pioneer forefathers, Western Michigan Genealogical Society, (WMGS),
is
promoting a Pioneer Certificate Program. Our threefold objects are
as follows:
- We hope to recognize pioneers and early residents who otherwise
would go
unnoticed in our county's history. Each builder and craftsperson
brought us
one step closer to the county we know today.
- We encourage a basic knowledge of genealogical research by asking
any
direct descendant to put together their family history and apply for
a
certificate. We will provide easy instructions and help in
researching early
Kent County residents.
- We know the recorded information will become a valuable addition
to the
history of early Kent County citizens providing a source of
genealogical
information for future research.
Document copies submitted as proofs will be kept in the Michigan
Room of GRPL
and available to help others family history researchers. Documents
pertaining
to living relatives will be noted and returned.
A Growing List: Kent County Pioneer, Settler and Early Family
Ancestors
| Name of
Ancestor |
Year
Arrived |
Bailey, Sluman S
Bell, Digby Valentine
Berkenpas, Leendert
Bird, Martha E
Brooks, Justin
*Byrne, William
Carew, David
Carey, Charles W
Champenoy, William James
Clinton, Simeon A
Coffee, John
Collins, Ezra
Collins, Simon
Cordes, Eberhard
*Crawford, Samuel
DenBraber, Willem
Dutmer, Jacob
Ellsworth, John C
Evans, George Arthur
Hall, Jonathan B
Harmon, John
Hartwell, Robert
*Hill, Hughes S.
Hills (Hill), Loan
Idema, Hendrick C
Irwin, Samuel
Irwin, Thomas H P & Lucinda
Krzyzanowski, Casmir
Lapham, Smith
Lyon, Morgan
Magennis, Charles Hudson
Miller, Alexander
Miller, Rachel T (Steele)
Minisee, James
Moffit, Eber
*Moore, Hiram
Osgood, Harry
Parks, Edwin Ellsworth
Reed, Nathaniel
Sneden, Benjamin
Starbuck, Delia Gertrude
Terpstra, Geert P
Thompson, Calvin
Tuttle, Hirman
*VanderLaan, John
VanderWeele, Neeltje
VanEvery, George Wheaton
Walters, James
Warner, Andrew
Warnock, William
Weller, Lucinda
Weller, Obediah & Nancy |
1846
1836
1904
1869
1835
1839
1894
1873
1900
1860
1840
1844
1857
1840
1860
1886
1904
1869
1912
1844
1837
1846
1860
1840
1860
1845
1845
1887
1843
1838
1885
1853
1844
1852
1848
1860
1849
1892
1850
1860
1846
1900
1844
1850
1900
1885
1850
1870
1851
1860
1845
1844 |
* Latest Added July 2010
|
