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Several stops can lead to the same repository. Maps show selected verified locations, not every guide stop or every community represented in the records. Use each stop’s access instructions, including for online and out-of-county collections. Check access before traveling.
Consult Special Collections on the library’s second floor at 211 N. 1st Avenue, Alpena. Email specialcollections@alpenalibrary.org with a name, date and collection reference before travel.
Repository information · Map position sourceUse the museum’s research-request form for a particular photograph or local-history question. Collections staff are at collections@bessermuseum.org; the museum is at 491 Johnson Street, Alpena. Confirm research arrangements separately from admission.
Repository information · Map position sourceCounty outlines: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 cartographic boundaries . Selected major roads: 2024 TIGER/Line primary and secondary roads . Public repository addresses checked against the sources above, with approximate Census geocoder positions. Unmatched addresses and out-of-county repositories are listed in the key rather than assigned a guessed position. Markers identify contact locations, not collection coverage. Historical boundaries, township lines and current traffic conditions are not shown. Prepared November 1, 2026.
Digitized city directories cover 1884–1920; later volumes from 1924 are held in the History Room. Carl R. Henry’s diary series spans 66 years, while Fred R. Trelfa’s files supply photographs and local-history articles.
Directory dates describe the published holdings span, not a volume for every year. Diaries and photographs are selective accounts, not complete resident lists.
Catholic extractions span 1864–1925 with parish-specific limits. The library also lists Temple Beth-El material, 1875–1954, and Evert-Hunter Funeral Home records, 1915–1943.
The Catholic index does not cover all events: St. Mary supplied burials only; St. Bernard baptisms end in 1894 and St. Anne in 1896. Ask what record types survive within each church collection.
The maritime database connects vessel histories, photographs and archival references. The City of Alpena transcription includes trips in 1899–1902, cargo and named people. Start with a ship or trip, then investigate the people linked to it.
A vessel database is not a comprehensive crew or passenger index. Confirm a transcription against its source and ask whether the original entry can be consulted.
The Green School building, Alpena Motor Car Company material, Besser Company exhibit and Great Lakes fishing vessels provide context for school and working lives. The online collection represents only a selection of museum holdings.
Schoolhouse and industry exhibits do not establish surviving pupil registers or employee files. Ask about a specific collection rather than assuming those records exist.
Give the repository the locality, year, collection and specific question. Ask about the relevant volume or folder, gaps, access restrictions and copying costs. Save the citation and record what you searched, including searches with no result.
Presque Isle County · Montmorency County · Alcona County · All Michigan guides
Use these dated holdings to choose a next search. This is a selection of cataloged collections, not a complete inventory of Alpena County records.
A range is a lead, not a guarantee. Bars show the dates stated by the cited catalog or inventory. They do not establish uninterrupted coverage, complete reporting or online image access. Unmarked years mean not represented in this selection, not that records were destroyed. Indexes and abstracts still need to be followed to the underlying record.
Listed years: 1884–1920.
Consult Special Collections on the library’s second floor at 211 N. 1st Avenue, Alpena. Email specialcollections@alpenalibrary.org with a name, date and collection reference before travel.
Keep in mind: Directory dates describe the published holdings span, not a volume for every year. Diaries and photographs are selective accounts, not complete resident lists.
Listed years: 1875–1954.
Consult Special Collections on the library’s second floor at 211 N. 1st Avenue, Alpena. Email specialcollections@alpenalibrary.org with a name, date and collection reference before travel.
Keep in mind: Not a claim of continuous membership registers; ask staff for the specific series.
Listed years: 1915–1943.
Consult Special Collections on the library’s second floor at 211 N. 1st Avenue, Alpena. Email specialcollections@alpenalibrary.org with a name, date and collection reference before travel.
Keep in mind: Verify the individual entry and any missing volumes.
Listed years: 1899–1902.
Consult Special Collections on the library’s second floor at 211 N. 1st Avenue, Alpena. Email specialcollections@alpenalibrary.org with a name, date and collection reference before travel.
Keep in mind: A vessel database is not a comprehensive crew or passenger index. Confirm a transcription against its source and ask whether the original entry can be consulted.
Confirm the historical jurisdiction as well as the date. A record may be held outside today’s county, and an inventory’s ending year does not mean recordkeeping stopped.
Check historical jurisdiction → · Find collections for my years →
Suggest a correction, an overlooked collection or an updated access detail. An official link or source helps us check it before making a change. Please leave out private family documents and sensitive personal information.
Suggest a correction or collectionWatch the Short. Open the protocol. Follow the evidence.