Hi Norma, Here are some sources you could use to find the house: 1. Census records. You might find the family in the 1884 or 1894 State census. Their listing may include the street and house number, or if not it will at least give you an approximate location. You may also be able to narrow down the area if some information is known about the houses of their neighbors. If you do find the census data check to see if they owned or rented the home. 2. Property tax records for the city of Zeeland. If the family owned the home there should be a record of the taxes they paid. The old tax booklets are found in the vault in the basement of the Zeeland City Hall. You have to call ahead and make sure the staff has the time to dig them out for you. I might have time this winter to do some searching if you're interested, but I can't guarantee anything. 3. Deeds from the Register of Deeds for Ottawa County. Any property transfers are recorded in Grand Haven at the Register of Deeds. If the family owned the property on which the house was located you can find a record of when they bought it and when they sold it, and a property description will be included. 4. Old newspapers. Back in the old days every bit of news was printed. The local newspapers would make mention of people making a trip to Grand Rapids (now about a half hour drive), or buying a new automobile, or moving into a new house. Unfortunately, the Zeeland Record didn't begin until the 1890s, which is too late for this family's arrival, but there's a chance there could be mention of their departure. I would suggest getting more accurate dates before sifting through issue after issue of the newspaper on microfilm. 5. City directories. Holland had directories back into the 1890s, but I believe the first volume to list Zeeland addresses was the 1924-25 Polk directory. There may be earlier listings of residents, but most likely just their occupation is given. Specific street addresses weren't used much before 1900. I'll see if I can find anything this weekend at the museum or library. Chris ----- Original Message ----- From: <Njwier@aol.com> To: <MIOTTAWA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2004 6:46 AM Subject: Re: [MIOTTAWA] House histories for the city of Zeeland > Chris, > I have no information on Zeeland houses but, rather, am seeking some. My > great-grandparents, Willem and Maria Stehouwer, lived in Zeeland at some point > after immigrating from the Netherlands in 1883. My grandfather, Cornelius, > would sometimes take his children on business trips to Zeeland and show them the > house that he had lived in as a child. My youngest uncle, who was born in > 1918, remembers such a trip, so the house was still standing @ 1923. > What would be the best way to find out where this house was? My knowledge of > Zeeland resources is scant. I have tried such city directories as are > available in the Michigan State Library in Lansing with no luck, and am really > seeking direction for further research. > Thank you > Norma > > > ============================== > You can manage your RootsWeb-Review subscription from > http://newsletters.rootsweb.com/ > >