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 4: Midland County Historical Society / Midland Center for the Arts 1801 W Saint Andrews Road, Midland, MI 48640
Contact location only. Research room closed; remote assistance first.
Stop 3: Archives of Michigan See collection access instructions Not plotted.
Ask Archives staff in Lansing for the finding aid and relevant township or journal within the record group. Confirm retrieval and access before travel; photo ID is required for archival material.
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 November 1, 2026. These are selected research routes, not complete county holdings or completed name-level searches.
RESEARCH STOP 01
Family, business and neighborhood photographs while the research room is closed
Collection details
The online catalog contains photographs, documents and collection records from across Midland County. The archives page illustrates its historic photograph collection with Michigan Bell personnel in 1953 and a Hope Township residence around 1900.
What to confirm
The online catalog is growing and is not a complete digitization of the collection. The research room is currently closed for in-person use; museum events do not establish archive availability.
RESEARCH STOP 02
Newspaper scans, citations and local industry context
Collection details
The local-history room includes Midland microfilm and reference material about county development, industries and people. Its genealogy page links early newspaper scans for 1870–1922, citations from 1963 onward, and a separate Midland Daily News subscription collection described as covering 1881 to the present.
What to confirm
Scans, citations and subscription full text are different access routes. A collection’s stated span does not promise every issue or the same format for every year. Some databases require a library card or in-library use.
RESEARCH STOP 03
Township officers and business journals held in Lansing
Collection details
The county guide lists township officers, 1887–1963, and elections, 1877–1921, in RG 77-91. That group also includes the Exchange Bank journal, 1902–1905, and M. Anderson and Co. journal, 1898–1902. A Rural Property Inventory, 1936–1939, is listed under RG 76-88.
What to confirm
These are catalog spans, not guarantees of continuous coverage or a name index. Business journals may record transactions without proving residence or employment.
RESEARCH STOP 04
School archives beyond the yearbook: Eastlawn, Mapleton and Wright
Collection details
The May 2023 finding-aid list identifies Eastlawn Elementary, 1947–2007; Mapleton Elementary, 1970–1985; and Wright School, 1942–1943. It also lists Midland District Nurses, 1940–1966, for a different community-service route.
What to confirm
Collection spans do not establish pupil-level coverage. The same list contains a reversed Carpenter date and conflicting Sugnet dates; neither should be used for automatic year matching without clarification.
RESEARCH STOP 05
Jerome Township ledgers: school boundaries, court business and working lives
Collection details
The itemized inventory includes receipts and payments with school boundaries and inspector meetings, 1856–1908 (2012.014.07); a court docket including marriage licenses, 1879–1917 (2012.014.04); and a chattel mortgage index with sugar-beet and log contracts, 1897–1906 (2012.014.18).
What to confirm
The online table is an inventory, not scanned ledger pages. A mortgage index is a lead to a transaction, not the complete contract or proof of an occupation.
RESEARCH STOP 06
1965 aerial photographs: locate the farm before searching the family
Collection details
The society inventories USDA black-and-white aerial photographs from 1965 by township and section. Jerome Township coverage lists sections 1–2 and 5–36, leaving sections 3–4 unlisted. Other townships have their own section coverage.
What to confirm
These are images of land, not owner-name indexes. The online inventory is not a full image viewer, and missing sections differ by township. Match a legal land description before requesting a sheet.
RESEARCH STOP 07
Sanford Express issue inventory for smaller-community news
Collection details
The museum describes a substantial Sanford Express collection spanning 1969–2009, serving Sanford, Averill, Edenville, Hope, Olson and Wixom Lake. Its downloadable issue inventory can help locate local school, business and community coverage.
What to confirm
The searchable PDF lists issues; it is not searchable newspaper article text. The date span does not promise every issue survives.
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 Midland 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.
180018501900195020002026
Collection finding aid
Eastlawn Elementary collection
Listed years: 1947–2007.
Source, access and coverage limits
Remote staff inquiry; research room closed
Keep in mind: Collection-level span, not individual pupil or patient files.
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.