Michigan Collections & Archives

Presque Isle District Library houses two Michigan Collections at the Rogers City and Onaway locations of books and resources on local -regional history and genealogy. Grand Lake has a growing collection of archival materials covering Presque Isle township and Grand Lake areas.

Presque Isle District Library subscribes to Ancestry Library Edition and is available only at the five branch locations.

MyHeritage Library Edition - Family history resource including more than 6 billion historical records from the United States, Europe, Latin America, and other regions. Includes the full USA federal census (1790-1940); census of England and Wales (1841-1901); U.S. World War II Army Enlistment as well as records of Union and Confederate Civil War soldiers. Only available for Michigan residents.

Michiganology is the online platform for the Michigan Historical Center. It includes Archives of Michigan research guides and indexes, a blog, and educator resources – all from the Michigan Historical Center and Archives of Michigan staff. Also, check out www.michigan.gov/familyhistory for more resources.

Grand Lake library

Grand Lake has a growing collection of archival materials focused on the history of the Grand Lake area and Presque Isle Township. These records include but are not limited to lighthouse station logs, PI Parks and Recreation meeting minutes, the ownership evolution of the Rockport, Stoneport, and LaFarge Quarries; scrapbooks, photographs, and an extensive set of records and obituaries of former Township residents. The Local History area has a brand new reading and research area with computer access to genealogical research databases, as well as books and resource materials on Michigan and the Great Lakes.

Grand Lake Archives Collection Inventory

Onaway library

The Onaway Library has useful information for researchers within our ‘Michigan Room’ which has a diverse collection regarding the “History of Onaway” including the steering wheel factory and books about our great state of Michigan. The Steering Wheel Booklets are interesting reads regarding the history, culture, and events of local families of the Onaway area. There are archived newspapers to view online that date as far back as the late 1800s. This includes The Presque Isle County Advance, The Onaway News, The Onaway Outlook, The Millersburg Tribune, The Tower Press, Forty Mile Point Lighthouse and the PI County Democrat. There are also record books of the Presque Isle County Cemeteries.