The Local History and Genealogy Collection at the Northville District Library
The Northville Genealogical Society has donated many books and research documents to the Library. These and other research materials are available for circulation and reference in the Local History Room. Reference books may not be checked out of the library. Below is a little tour of what you will find there:
DATABASES ON LOCAL HISTORY COMPUTERS
– The Northville Record – Search and view issues from 1869 – 2013.
– Northville Record Index – Search by name or subject for articles published from 1869 to 1924.
– Master Index to Local History Documents – Search more than 100 printed sources for information.
– The Detroit Free Press – Search and view issues from 1831 – 1922.
– Search Northville High School’s Yearbook, The Palladium – 1921 to present.
– Voices of Northville – Read or listen to interviews of more than 100 long-time residents from the 1980s.
Genealogy and Local History Resources
Ancestry Library Edition
This online database contains a huge array of resources and records, including U.S. Census information from 1790 through 1950 and Passenger Immigration Lists to name a few. It is accessible on the computers in the Local History Room and elsewhere in the library
MyHeritage via the Internet
This database is located in Online Resources A to Z and is available remotely from your home using your Northville library card.
*Complete U.S. Federal Census, 1790-1950
*City Directories
*1850 and 1860 Slave Schedules
*U. S. Indian Census Rolls
*Mortality Schedules
*Agricultural and Industrial Schedules
*1890 Veterans’ Census
*Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files.
*Freedman’s Bank Records. At the close of the Civil War, the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company was the primary bank for America’s freed slaves and others from 1865-1874. This MyHeritage collection documents more than 70,000 bank depositors and nearly 480,000 of their dependants and heirs. It is considered one of the most important resources for African-American genealogical research..
New Databases
Located in Online Resources A to Z and available remotely from your home using your library card.
*Fold 3 (U.S. Military Records and Documents)
*Sanborn Maps of Michigan – Digital Sanborn® Maps (1867-1970) delivers detailed property and land-use records that depict the grid of everyday life in Michigan towns and cities across a century of change. The Sanborn Map Company was the primary American publisher of fire insurance maps for nearly 100 years, repeatedly mapping towns and cities as they changed. The maps provide a wealth of information, such as building outline, size and shape, windows and doors, street and sidewalk widths, boundaries, and property numbers.
Genealogy Directories, Dictionaries, and Guides
The Local History Room contains a collection of print resources.
Copies
A copier is located near the elevator on the lower level. Copies are 10 cents per page.
The Local History Room is supported by gifts from Dr. Herbert Weston and family, Friends of the Northville District Library, and Northville Genealogical Society.