The History of Our Library
Orson Olds
Mr. Olds was born in Connecticut in 1802. He moved to Niagara County, N.Y. around 1841 where he was married to Miss Renew Scoville. They moved to Hartford in 1843, settling on two hundred and seventy acres of farm land. The Olds’ had ten children , a few of whom stayed in the Hartford area. Mr. Olds purchased the land on Franklin Street on April 2, 1873 from Edwin R. Olds for Four hundred dollars. In 1883 he sold the property to George Merriman for sixteen hundred dollars. Mrs. Renew Olds passed away that same year, followed by her husband on March 30, 1884.
George W. and Jennie Merriman
George W. Merriman was born in Savannah, N.Y. on February 4th, 1851 to Elijah and Maria (Winger )Merriman. His early working years were as a teacher, principal, and banker. In 1872 he moved to Plainwell, Mi, for a position at the Exchange Bank. In 1880, he attended University of Michigan’s law school, graduating in 1882. That same year, he was given the position of manager of the newly opened Exchange Bank in Hartford, MI. George married Miss Jennie Sherman in 1882 and they had one child, a son, Harry born July 25, 1883 in Hartford. Mrs. Merriman died in 1888, and is buried in Hartford.
On December 5th, 1894, George married again, this time to a wealthy Hartford widow, Mrs. Jennie Phelps. Jennie Phelps was born on September 25th, 1849 in South Avon, N.Y. To Mr. And Mrs. Mitchell Smiley who settled in Arlington Township in 1851. Jennie was married to Henry P. Phelps in 1869. Mr. Phelps died in 1887.
Mr. Merriman was highly active in local and state politics, serving as a state senator from 1895 to 1899, as well as on the state’s prison board for several years, and Hartford’s board of education.
Mrs. Merriman was a member of the Hartford Women’s Club, the Benevolence chapter O.E.S.,. As a member of the Women’s club, she was instrumental in the beginning of the Ladies’ Library association. Mrs. Merriman passed away on March 24, 1920 several days after being suddenly stricken ill on her way home from a Benevolence meeting.
George Merriman passed away October 25, 1924 after a heart attack.
In her will, Jennie Merriman deeded the property next door to her home and $5,000 towards building a new library. Her husband, and later her step-son Harry offered to the Hartford Ladies’ Association an alternative: They take position of the residence on Franklin, in exchange for the land and cash. It was accepted , and decided to open the library as the Jennie Merriman Memorial Library.
The Hartford Ladies' Library
The Hartford Ladies’ Library began in 1895 after a remark made by a Methodist minister to his congregation that it was a shame that Hartford had no library. Mrs. Elenora Chamberlin, a member of the newly founded Hartford Women’s Club responded by proposing to it’s members that they start a library. Each member donated one book and Mrs. Crosby was elected president of the now formed Library board. George W. Merriman offered the library space in the back of the bank, which was it’s home until the bank needed the space. For years after, the Library was moved around to various locations, only “open” on Saturdays, sometimes lending out over a hundred books in an afternoon. In 1920, Jennie Merriman, a founding member of the Hartford Ladies’ Association left in her will a plot of land on the corner of Main and Franklin and $5,000 to the library to build a new and permanent Library. After her husband, George Merriman passed away in 1924, his son offered to exchange the plot of land and money for the house on
left to the library for the residence on Franklin Street. Through subscription donations for the upkeep of the building it was made possible for the Hartford Ladies’ Association to accept the offer, and moved in to it’s new home in 1925. The Library became the Jennie Merriman Memorial Library, and a plaque was installed on the front of the building.
On April 2, 1903 the Library became associated with Michigan State Library, it was not until 1939 that the library approached the state library board for state aid. In 1940, the library received aid from the City and Townships of Hartford, and first received state aid in 1941, allowing it to become a free library . In 1965 the Library became a District Library under the name, Hartford Public Library.
New Beginnings
The Hartford Public Library and the Arthur and Bonna Vanderlyn Community Center, at 12 Church St., broke ground for the new 8,900 sq. ft. facility on October 16, 2019. The site of the new facility is where the Red Arrow Elementary school stood until 2019 when it was removed. Construction continued throughout 2020 despite the pandemic shut-down and supply chain issues. The building was completed by mid-August and the move from 15 Franklin Street had begun. The road to completion has been a rocky one as in any major undertaking, but we persevered. This project could not have been possible without the $1.3 million dollar commitment from Bonna Vanderlyn. With this commitment we were able to secure $400,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Pokagon Fund has committed $40,000 for the children’s area. The Van Buren Regional
Genealogical Society committed funds for the project and are included in our facility. Families and individuals from the
community has also generously donated toward the facility. All donations are recognized on the donor wall in the main entry.
The Arthur & Bonna Vanderlyn Community Center is a facility that combines the past, with the inclusion of the Van Buren Regional Genealogical Society, the present, all the services of the Hartford Public Library, and the future, which includes meeting rooms equipped with modern media capabilities, a state-of-the-art children’s literacy center, fast internet and computer access, creative 3D lab, study areas, hospitality and lounge areas. The dedication of the Arthur & Bonna Vanderlyn Community Center, the Hartford Public Library and the Van Buren Regional Genealogical Center was Sunday, October 18, 2020. We hope that you will visit our facility and see all the services that are available.