Celebrating 17 years of promoting family/local history research and preservation in the Michigan counties of Allegan, Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, and Van Buren.
President, Joan Jaco 427-7408
Vice-President, Ken Elston 468-4948
Secretary, Helen Leich
Treasurer, Norma Strickler 423-6114
Membership, Amelia Castle 782-6673
Newsletter, Carole Kiernan 463-4696
FGS Delegate, Judith Grime
MGC Delegate, Virginia Van Horn 521-6432
Librarian, Toni Benson 423-8045
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Submissions and queries should be turned in no later than August 1, November 1, February 1, and May 1, respectively.
Items accepted include family stories/anecdotes, original source material, history, etc. VBRGS will publish a book/item review for any newly published material in exchange for a copy of the book/item. Please include description, cost, and address.
Please send all submissions, queries, or review books/items to:
VBRGS, P.O. Box 143, Decatur, Michigan 49045.
Donations of materials in any form relating to the counties of Allegan, Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Van Buren, as well as general Michigan materials are welcome. VBRGS reserves the right to use these materials at its discretion. Those items that are not catalogued may be reproduced onto archival quality materials, or may be sold as part of funding.
The VBRGS library is housed in the Local History Room of the Webster Memorial Library, Van Buren Dictrict Library, 200 N. Phelps Street, Decatur, Michigan. Phone (269) 423-4771. The Local History Room is open any time during the library's business hours. Summer hours are: Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The library is partially staffed by Local History Librarian Toni Benson and partially by Local History Room volunteers.
The VBRGS collection includes:
Allegan County Vital Records (microfilm)
Berrien County Vital Records (microfilm)
Berrien County Record (microfilm)
Kalamazoo County Vital Records (microfilm)
Bloomingdale Leader newspaper (microfilm)
Cass County Vital Records (microfilm)
Covert Times newspaper (microfilm)
Marcellus News newspaper (microfilm)
South Haven Daily Tribune newspaper (microfilm)
Van Buren County Vital Records
Manuals and guidebooks (How to do...)
Area histories
Family histories
Census and census indexes (state and federal)
Periodicals (VBRGS has a periodical exchange with many
of the genealogical societies in Michigan)
All items are non-circulating. A complete bibliography of all catalogued items is available at the Van Buren GenWeb website. (Use Ctrl-F to help locate keywords.)
The Pioneer Certificate Project is sponsored by the Van Buren Regional Genealogical Society. The objective is to encourage the preservation of family history of Allegan, Cass, Berrien, Kalamazoo, and Van Buren County's early settlers by documenting their participation in county history and their lines of descent.
Direct descendants of Allegan, Cass, Berrien, Kalamazoo, and Van Buren County settlers may make application for a pioneer certificate in four categories by proving their ancestor's residence prior to the following dates:
Each category will be issued a frameable certificate with seal (gold for Pioneer, silver for Founder, red for Settler, silver for Builder). Applicants may apply with as many ancestors as they wish, in as many categories as they wish.
Fee: Each category must submit $10.00 with each application. This is non-refundable. Additional certificates for parents or descendants of applicant may be obtained for $3.00 each, but must also be submitted with proof of relationship. For those who wish to submit multiple applications, the fee will be waived after the first two if no certificate is desired. Certificates for 3 or more applications, if desired, will be $3.00 each.
Procedure:
Applicants are encouraged to include proofs for all information submitted on application, but are required only to show blood descent.
VBRGS - Pioneer Certificate Project
P.O. Box 143
Decatur, MI 49045
NOTE:
All proofs must include complete source, i.e. book, page, volume, location of original documentation, etc. This may be printed on back of each proof. Please do not send original documents. Copies are acceptable, but must be legible.
Applicants do not need to be members of VBRGS to apply. Any applications in need of corrections or additions will be returned to applicant with instructions. Applications will be subject to approval of the Pioneer Project Committee. All applications and proofs become the property of VBRGS.
Applicants are encouraged to submit any additional family information, group sheets, biographies, photos, etc.
The project database can now be accessed online at http://www.rootsweb.com/~mivanbur/military.htm.
Participation may consist of any service of any length for the United States or any foreign country, but that participant must have resided in southwest Michigan at some time during his/her lifetime.
The goal of the Military Registry project is to provide a central collection of information on southwest Michigan's servicemen and women. Registries will be placed in the project archives housed as part of the Van Buren Regional Genealogical Society (VBRGS) collection in the Local History Room of the Van Buren District Library, Decatur, Michigan. Entries will be indexed in a project database on the Van Buren County GenWeb internet site, and lists will be published in the Van Buren Echoes, quarterly of VBRGS, and selected local newspapers.
Registration is free and may be done by anyone who can provide proof of service for a partcipant living or deceased. Such proof of service must accompany the registration and may consist of a newspaper item, obituary, service papers, pension papers, phto of tombstone with military reference, cemetery records, unit histories & rosters, military organization records (such as American Legion, GAR, etc.), or any other printed documentation describing service.
Registration forms may be duplicated as needed and should be filled out as completely and accurately as possible. Submission of supplemental personal and family information is encouraged. Such items may include family group sheets, pedigree charts, photos, obituaries, vital records, bible records, etc.
Completed registrations with service proof and supplemental information should be mailed to: VBRGS - Military Registry, P.O. Box 143, Decatur, MI 49045.
Van Buren Regional Genealogical Society is a regional family/local history interest group whose objectives include the collection and preservation of materials relating to the Michigan counties of Allegan, Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, and Van Buren. Membership runs from June 1 to May 31. For more information regarding membership, write VBRGS, P.O> Box 143, Decatur, MI 49045.
VBRGS also conducts on ongoing project of newspaper clipping for the obituary and local history files in its holdings. Through gift subscriptions, currents items are clipped by volunteers from the following newspapers: Paw Paw, Decatur, Marcellus, Watervliet, Plainwell, Allegan, Saugatuck, Buchanan, Niles, New Buffalo, South Haven, and Dowagiac. The other newspapers of southwest Michigan, except the Kalamazoo Gazette and Herald-Palladium, are still needed. Also, VBRGS will accept any past issues for clipping.
If you have any knowledge of original newspapers that you suspect may be unmicrofilmed or wish to donate a subscription or past issues of any southwest Michigan newspaper, please contact VBRGS at tbenson@vbdl.org.
VBRGS volunteers support the Van Buren District Library's Southwest Michigan obituary project. Watch for news about this project going online.
If you are interested in providing any kind of volunteer assistance either at home or at the Local
History Room of the Webster Memorial Library, please contact tbenson@vbdl.org.
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Membership is $14.00 for single or $17.00 for family. Students (12 or more credit hours or under
age 18) are $9.00. And out of the United States is $19.00. Membership fees may be sent by check or
money order to The Van Buren Regional Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 143, Decatur, Michigan 49045.
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Greenman Family of Prospect Lake: Van Buren County Genealogies, Volume 2, by Shirley Swift Howe. Softcover, 152p., illus., index.
Cemetery Records of Van Buren County, Paw Paw Township, Volume 3 - Pioneer, Clap and St. Mary's Cemeteries. Includes complete stone transcriptions merged with sexton records and past readings, 1997. CD-Rom.
Cemetery Records of Van Buren County, South Haven Township, Lakeview Cemetery Burial
Records.
Includes complete list of burials and lot owners as taken directly from the burial records, 1997, 3 volumes. CD-Rom.
Cemetery Records of Van Buren County, Paw Paw Township, Volume 2 - Cuddeback & Wildey Cemeteries. Includes complete stone transcriptions merged with sexton records and readings done in the past by other local historians, 1995. CD-Rom.
Cemetery Records of Van Buren County, Porter Township. Complete stone transcriptions merged with available sexton records and previous readings for the only two cemeteries in Porter Township: Chamberlain and Kern. CD-Rom.
Cemetery Records of Van Buren County, Pine Grove Township. Complete stone transcriptions merged
with township sexton records and previious readings for all the cemeteries of Pine Grove Township:
Old Pine Grove, Earl, Kendall. CD-Rom.
Van Buren County, Michigan, Pictorial History. A delightful photo history of the county with over 450 photos and descriptions. Completely indexed. First printing sold out. Check status of second printing.
For more information about the Van Buren Regional Genealogical Society, send e-mail to:
tbenson@vbdl.org.