Selected repository locations for present-day orientation. Numbers match the research stops below. Select a marker to open its stop. Locations are approximate, not entrances or driving directions. Grouped numbers identify nearby repositories; use the address key for individual locations.
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.
Stop 1, Stop 2: Traverse Area District Library 610 Woodmere Avenue, Traverse City, MI 49686
Request closed-archive material at least 72 hours ahead using the library research form. Most genealogy reference books are on Woodmere’s second floor.
Stop 3, Stop 4: Peninsula Community Library 2893 Island View Road, Traverse City, MI 49686
Arrange a Local History Room appointment and cite collection LHC002 with the school or district and folder. The finding aid says the collection is open without restriction.
County 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 3, 2026.
Collection and access sources reviewed 2026-11-01. These are selected research routes, not complete county holdings or completed name-level searches.
RESEARCH STOP 01
Family papers and house-history working files
Collection details
The published archive list includes Foote/Ferrell family records (1880–1999), Courtney family papers (1750–1890), and Historic Traverse City Houses by Wakefield working papers (1870–1970). These are collection spans, useful for identifying family or building context before requesting specific folders.
What to confirm
Closed archive means staff retrieval. Date spans do not establish continuous coverage or that every family is named. Publication permission is separate from research access.
RESEARCH STOP 02
Aerial photographs and regional-government documents
Collection details
Northwest Michigan Development District aerial photographs are listed for 1938 and 1973. Regional Government Documents cover 1940–1980. Compare a known address with these geographic and government sources when names alone do not locate a family.
What to confirm
The two aerial years are discrete holdings, not a continuous 1938–1973 series. Some individual finding-aid links currently fail, so use the library’s collection list and staff request form.
RESEARCH STOP 03
Old Mission pupil records and school-inspector minutes
Collection details
The school finding aid identifies an Old Mission attendance and examination book (1913–1916), District 2 and District 7 records (1918–1920), and inspector minutes for District 5 (1860–1884) and Peninsula Township (1865–1910). Teacher contracts and treasurer books offer additional school administration context.
What to confirm
Dates belong to individual listed volumes, not all pupils or all township schools. Finding aids generally describe boxes and folders rather than indexing every name. Dates were previously checked in the 2025 finding aid. Library staff supplied this replacement catalog link on November 2, 2026 following a software migration; the new catalog’s automated-access check prevented an independent contents recheck.
RESEARCH STOP 04
Township, grange and farm-family collections
Collection details
The Local History Room lists Peninsula Township government records (LHC005), grange-hall records (LHC003), men’s and women’s club records (LHC004), and farm letters (LHC010). These offer routes into local participation and community connections beyond vital records.
What to confirm
The collection landing page does not provide dates for these series. Do not treat uninspected individual finding aids as verified coverage.
Prepare one focused request
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.
Use these dated holdings to choose a next search. This is a selection of cataloged collections, not a complete inventory of Grand Traverse 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.
Sources reviewed November 1, 2026. Blue shows cataloged holdings; rust identifies indexes or compiled publications where the source specifies them. Read the format label and access notes for each row.
1750180018501900195020002026
Collection inventory or finding aid
Foote/Ferrell family records
Listed years: 1880–1999.
Source, access and coverage limits
Request closed-archive material at least 72 hours ahead using the library research form. Most genealogy reference books are on Woodmere’s second floor.
Keep in mind: Broad collection span; request folder-level details.
Request closed-archive material at least 72 hours ahead using the library research form. Most genealogy reference books are on Woodmere’s second floor.
Keep in mind: Broad collection span, not countywide vital records.
Request closed-archive material at least 72 hours ahead using the library research form. Most genealogy reference books are on Woodmere’s second floor.
Keep in mind: Working-paper span; coverage varies by property.
Appointment requested; collection described as unrestricted.
Keep in mind: Specific described volume; inspect for gaps and district applicability. Request current finding aid; direct record page unavailable at live check.
Appointment requested; collection described as unrestricted.
Keep in mind: Specific described volume; inspect for gaps and district applicability. Request current finding aid; direct record page unavailable at live check.
Appointment requested; collection described as unrestricted.
Keep in mind: Specific described volume; inspect for gaps and district applicability. Request current finding aid; direct record page unavailable at live check.
Appointment requested; collection described as unrestricted.
Keep in mind: Specific described volume; inspect for gaps and district applicability. Request current finding aid; direct record page unavailable at live check.
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.
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.