Newspapers and Indexes

Tools to find the information you need

Information Files

Biography and Portrait Files
Hundreds of files on West Michigan people.

Subject Files
A wealth of information on hundreds of local subjects.

Grand Rapids Homes and Architects
Index to articles and ephemera from over 2,800 houses and buildings

Carl Bajema Subject Index
Newspaper articles covering various topics from the 19th and 20th centuries, compiled by Carl Bajema.

Photograph index – people
A name index to photographs.

Robinson Studio Herald photos
Index to Robinson photos taken for the Grand Rapids Herald.

*Additional photographs can be located through our finding aids.

City Plat Map Index
An index to the plat maps in Collection 240.

Master Map Index
Maps held in the archives, including Collection 240.

Grand Rapids Herald digitized (1894-1916)

Full microfilm copies of the publication are also available for viewing.

Courtesy of the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Only available at the Main Library.

Available courtesy of the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Only available at the Main Library

Name	Date Range	Description
African American Bajema clippings	1830-1935	Newspaper clippings relating to African Americans in West Michigan
Women’s history Bajema clippings	1840s-1930s	Newspaper clippings relating to women in West Michigan
Grand Rapids Enquirer index	1841-1844	Weekly newspaper beginning May 1841; became The Daily Enquirer in 1855
Civil War Index	1858-1943	Index to Civil War-related articles in local newspapers
Furniture and Business Periodical index	1883-1949	Indexes the Michigan Tradesman, Furniture Manufacturer/Artisan, Grand Rapids Furniture Record and Michigan Artisan
Lyden’s File Index	1880s-1956	Selected articles from local newspapers, mostly the Grand Rapids Press.
Arab American/Syrian clipping index	1905-1951	Articles relating to the Arab American/Syrian community in Grand Rapids
Grandville Avenue Record	1911-1918	Neighborhood newspaper
Peninsular Club Magazine index	1934-1971	Monthly magazine for members of the Peninsular Club
Urban Renewal index	1946-1975	Articles relating to development in downtown Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids Magazine index	1964-1996	Articles center on newsworthy events in the Greater Grand Rapids area
Grand Rapids Press index	1982-2005	Select indexing of keywords, topics, and names

The Detroit News Index
Offered through the Archives of Michigan.

Digital Public Library of America
Search primary resources from across the country

Grand Rapids Press Index (1893-1990s)
An historical archive available through NewsBank (subscription required for full access)

Lowell Ledger
Browse or search KDL’s digital archive of The Lowell Ledger from 1870–2013.

Michigan Digital Newspaper Portal
Links to digitized newspapers from across Michigan.

Michigan Business Entity Search
Search for records of companies registered to do business in the State of Michigan.

Michigan County Histories and Atlases
Search over 400 digitized volumes, all published before 1923.

WMGS Databases
Thousands of local records including obituaries, marriages, funeral records, and more.