History of Muskegon County Genealogical Society
Updated January 2025
The first meeting of individuals interested in genealogy was held in October of 1971. The “Muskegon Ward Genealogy Meeting” was held with an officer election and Paul Bunnell elected President, and Georgia Kieft elected Secretary. The individuals present were Gerald Tripp, Renee Anderson, Alice Walters, Georgia Kieft, Linda Hart, Gaylord Hart, Paul Bunnell, Joyce Bunnell, LeRoy Gilbert and Julia Gilbert. Membership fee was $7.00 for the year, and included all mentioned and Ronald Hanes, Fern Hanes, Diane Hanes, and Roger Workman. For the membership year from October 1972 to Sept 1973, the fee was $2.00 per person or $4.00 per family. The Society was officially established in 1972 and thereafter known as the Muskegon County Genealogical Society. The officers consisted of President Gerald Trip, Vice President Renee Anderson, Secretary-Treasurer Joyce Bunnell, Advertising Chairman Fern Hanes and Program Chairman Mildred Morris. They began publishing the periodical ‘Family Tree Talk’ with the first issue dated December 1972. Donations from the Society to the Local History Department at Hackley Public Library followed and continues to this day. The new Society was encouraged from the beginning in their endeavors by the Michigan Genealogical Council, of which we are still a member today.
The United States National Bicentennial in 1976 stirred more people to look for their ancestors to see whether they could trace them back to 1776 or not. As with many of us, history comes alive when we know how our ancestors lived at the time. Genealogy interest rose dramatically during this time, with genealogy now being one of the top hobbies nationwide. To support this interest the Society has provided monthly membership meetings, also open and free to the public, on topics such as genealogy research, local history, and technology skill building.
On June 27, 1997, the Society received approval from the IRS to become a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, effective back to December 1972.
PROJECTS: Genealogical Society member Evelyn Buckingham spearheaded a committee for one of the major projects undertaken by the Society during the late 1970s. Gathering the burial data on all the cemeteries in Muskegon County proved to be a monumental project. The committee provided even the location and a short history of each cemetery. The result culminated with the publication of the four volumes of Muskegon County cemetery records in 1983.
Another major project occurred in 2009 involved copying the record books from Clock Funeral Home. Being one of the oldest funeral homes in the county, their records go from 1894 to 1948. Dawn Kelley provided most of the energy for this project. The 26-volume set became part of the Genealogical Collection at Hackley Public Library.
An indexing project started by our member Kay Deuster and continued for many more years by Matthew Burns is the indexing of the Muskegon Chronicle’s births, deaths, marriages and probate. This project has provided important vital information to researchers and is a valuable asset to our community. The books are available at Hackley Public Library by year, from 1869 to 1882, and 1918 to 2024. These indexes are also available on the MCGS website.
Numerous other indexing projects were conducted by Society volunteers including Sharon Miller, Tressa LaFayette, Carol Anderson, Evelyn Tolley Buckingham, Ronald Riley, Dawn Kelley, and many others. The hours and hours of volunteer time and effort cannot be calculated. Our organization would not be what it is today without the tremendous effort and time of our awesome volunteers!
PIONEER CERTIFICATES: Michigan celebrated its Sesquicentennial in 1987 with a year-long slate of events. The Michigan Genealogical Council set up a program to grant certificates to individuals who could prove their ancestors resided in Michigan on or before 1837. The Muskegon County Genealogical Society proposed to recognize those who could prove their lineage back to an ancestor who resided in Muskegon County before 1894. Thus began the MCGS Pioneer Certificate project, spearheaded by Jane Schapka and later Barbara Martin. During a special event in August 1987, “The Big Birthday Party,” many were presented with their Pioneer Certificates in person. This program continues and as of 2024, sixty-four Pioneer Certificates have been presented to descendants of Muskegon County pioneers.
PUBLIC EDUCATION: In the fall of 1988, Muskegon County Genealogical Society hosted a seminar for the members of the Michigan Genealogical Council. Held at the newly constructed Harbor Hilton, the seminar lasted three days, October 6, 7 and 8. Dr. George Schweitzer, authority on military history, and Dr. Russell M. Magnaghi, Northern Michigan University professor, were the featured speakers. Some of the speakers from the local society included: Sharon Miller, on Civil War soldiers from Muskegon County and local sources for doing research; Dr. Eric Bourdo, on researching French-Canadian ancestors; Tressa LaFayette, on Dutch family sources and using computers in research; and Ella Soelberg on Latter Day Saints sources for genealogy.
Around 2007, the Saturday ‘Basic Genealogy” classes were started. This was a popular session for individuals new to genealogy. With the support of Dawn Kelley, Kathy DeCormier, Nancy Spoon and Barb Martin this training continued up to 2019 when COVID shut all meetings down.
The Society over the years has held “Photo Scanning” workshops, for people to bring in their photos to get scanned. Most recently in 2024 the Society donated the top technology for scanning, the Vivid Pix Memory Station and computer, to HPL-Torrent House to further assist the public with scanning their precious memories.
In 2025 the Society is launching new workshops, including a monthly Writer’s Group and Genealogy: Step by Step Workshops and will continue the Genetic Genies Focus Group. The Society continues to support educational resources for our community and members.
FAMILY TREE TALK AND TWIG TALK: Tressa LaFayette started working on the Family Tree Talk Committee in 1983 and become editor in 1985. She served in this position for the next ten years, when she turned the job over to William J. Brewer in 1997. He continued with the publishing of Family Tree Talks for seven years, until his retirement in 2004. The quarterly Family Tree Talk periodical was suspended from 2008 to 2012, eventually ending with the last issue being Summer of 2013.
Beginning in 2000 and continuing today, our Society publishes a monthly newsletter, first called ‘Muskegon County Genealogical Society Newsletter’, later renamed ‘Twig Talk’, that encompasses both pertinent information for local events, statewide genealogy seminars, both basic and modern genealogy techniques, and the development of DNA analysis skills. This newsletter has included many articles written and submitted by our member, Francis Harrington, related to important Muskegon County Pioneers and Businessmen, and the occasional House History! Many of these articles are available on our website.
LIFETIME MEMBERS & HALL OF FAME: For his years of helping visitors find their genealogical roots in the Local History Department at Hackley Public Library, the Muskegon County Genealogical Society made John Harris a life member. A retired history teacher from Muskegon High School, John fully supports the work of the Genealogy and Local History Department at Hackley Public Library, continually purchasing books from his own funds to supplement the library’s collection.
Other members who received the life member award over the years include: Gerald Tripp for his contribution in establishing the Society and serving as President for many years; Almeda Boulton, for her years of volunteer service helping genealogy visitors find their ancestors at Hackley Public Library; Jane Gates, who served on the Family Tree Talk Committee for many years overseeing printing and mailing, and also submitting articles for publication; Ann Wirtz, working as an officer, on committees and giving of over 30 years of service; Joanne Wood, another loyal member of over 30 years and also active as an officer and on committees, particularly on the Library Committee for many years.
An official policy was established in 2024 for future consideration of Lifetime Members and a Genealogy Hall of Fame.
PARTNERING WITH LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS: As the microfilm for each Federal Census became available, the Society provided part of the funds for the purchase of the State of Michigan sections for Muskegon County and donated to Hackley Public Library. In conjunction with Hackley Public Library, these were made available to the public in the Local History Department. The Society continues to purchase books and support the computer-generated sources available through Hackley Public Library. Most recently in 2024 the Society donated the Vivid Pix Memory Station, to enhance the public’s ability to digitize important records, photos and keepsakes.
Around 1974 the Society started providing volunteers for the Muskegon County Clerk’s Office at the County Building, originally five days a week! Later changing to Wednesday afternoons. This volunteer program is ongoing, providing a Society member every Wednesday afternoon to assist visitors and relieve the clerks of overseeing the public research. It also serves as security that the records are used in the appropriate manner.
PUBLICATIONS: In 2009, the Society published its first book ‘History of Muskegon: A Proud Legacy’. The Book Committee included Cheri Miller, Sandra Kelley, Eileen Wojewodzki, Dawn Westcomb Kelley, Karen Towne, Nancy Clark Spoon, Fracis Harrington, Kathy Broughton DeCormier, Josephine Henderson Grieve, Barbara LaBatt Martin, Jane Appleton Schapka, Kay Neibarger Bosch and Mary Beth Halloran. The 2nd book ‘History of Muskegon: Footprints in History’ was published in 2024. This Book Committee included Dawn Westcomb Kelley, Janes Richard Harkness, William Hansen, Barbara LaBatt Martin, Kathie Broughton DeCormier, Judith Mackay Tierney, Maria Ishtokova Chmelarova, Paula Krug Halloran, Karen Page Frazier, Pamela Stough Schaner, and Frances Harrington. Both volumes were produced with the monumental efforts of Kathy DeCormier and Dawn Kelley for Book 1, and Kathy DeCormier and Jim Harkness for Book 2, along with many other volunteers. These publications are a rich source of history on both individuals/families, military veterans, neighborhoods, businesses, churches, and civic groups
ROAD TRIPS: Throughout our history, our Society has sponsored research “Road Trips”, coordinating day visits to the Archives of Michigan in Lansing, and 4 day/3 night trips to the Ft Wayne Allen County Genealogy Library in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. It’s an important message to our members that not all genealogy data is on the computer. Research Road Trips are a fun and exciting past time for genealogy buffs.
SOCIAL MEDIA & WEBSITE The Society established a Facebook page in 2012, with Norman Dagen volunteering as our Facebook coordinator from 2012 to the present. Modern techniques are required to spread the word on the preservation of historical records, updates specific to Muskegon County historical stories, and news of our society. Our website was established around 2006 and continues to provide information on the Society’s events and activities, Muskegon County related information on historical vital records, and research assistance.
DIGITIZING & THE INTERNET: Genealogy records, research, and organizing have changed dramatically over the years since 1972. Back then every genealogist used paper logs for their research, researching in paper books, newspapers, and records. Then came microfilm, then the internet and websites with digital databases. Our Society supports all forms of individual skill level and computer expertise, providing training on both organizing paper files and digital files, and instruction on genealogy software including online sites. Most recently in 2024 there was a proposal from Jennifer Lamkin to launch a focus group on skill training for DNA testing results which resulted in Jennifer establishing the ‘Genetic Genies’ and becoming our resident DNA expert! This group, and others like it, will continue into our future.