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Welcome to the Michigan page,
the Wolverine State
- Detroit Public Library has a worldwide scope genealogy collection.[1]
- Michigan Censuses 1710-1830 indexes 16 pre-statehood censuses.[2]
- Michigan's county and township governments were patterned after New England and New York.[3]
Counties
For published works see:
- A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF AMERICAN COUNTY HISTORIES by P. William Filby.
- MICHIGAN COUNTY HISTORIES: A BIBLIOGRAPHY by the Michigan Department of Education, State Library Services.

Extinct or Renamed Counties: Aishcum · Anamickee · Bleeker · Brown · Cheonoquet · Des Moines · Dubuque · Forest · Iowa · Isle Royal · Kanotin · Kautawaubet · Kaykakee · Keskkauko · Manitou · Meegisee · Michilimackinac · Mikenauk · Neewago · Notipekago · Okkuddo · Omeena · Shawano · Tonedagana · Unwattin · Wabassee · Washington · Wyandot
Family Histories / Genealogies:
- GENEALOGIES IN THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS: A BIBLIOGRAPHY, 2 VOLS. -1 SUPPLEMENT, ed. by Marion J. Kaminkov.
- COMPLEMENT TO GENEALOGIES IN THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS: A BIBLIOGRAPHY ed. by Marion J. Kaminkov.
- DIRECTORY OF FAMILY ASSOCIATIONS, by Elizabeth P. Bentley. (out of date)
- DIRECTORY OF FAMILY "ONE-NAME" PERIODICALS, by J. Konrad. (out of date)
- FAMILY ASSOCIATIONS, SOCIETIES AND REUNIONS, by J. Konrad. (out of date)
- INDEX TO AMERICAN GENEALOGIES: AND TO GENEALOGICAL MATERIAL CONTAINED IN ALL WORKS by Joel Munsell's Sons publishers.
- GENEALOGICAL PERIODICAL ANNUAL INDEX published by Heritage Books
- INDEX TO GENEALOGICAL PERIODICALS by Donald L. Jacobus.
- BIBLIOGRAPHIA GENEALOGICA AMERICANA: AN ALPHABETICAL INDEX TO AMERICAN GENEALOGIES AND PEDIGREES by Daniel S. Durrie.
- AMERICAN & BRITISH GENEALOGY AND HERALDRY: A SELECTED LIST OF BOOKS by P. William Filby.
- A LIST OF SOME AMERICAN GENEALOGIES WHICH HAVE BEEN PRINTED IN BOOK FORM comp. by Thomas A. Glenn.
- AMERICAN GENEALOGIST: BEING A CATALOGUE OF FAMILY HISTORIES & PUBLICATIONS by William H. Whitmore.
- See also the various who's who... (ie. WHO'S WHO IN THE MIDWEST)
- MICHIGAN'S CENTENNIAL FAMILY FARM HERITAGE,1986:A MICHIGAN SESQUICENTENNIAL HISTORY by Mary L. Wermuth.
- PERSI (Periodical Source Index) by the Allen Co. Public Library in Ft. Wayne, IN. (online through Heritage Quest)
Guides
Guides geared specifically for Michigan genealogy research:.
- GENEALOGIST'S GUIDE TO... NORTHWEST MICHIGAN, ...THE CAPITOL
REGION OF MICHIGAN, . . .SOUTHWESTERN MICHIGAN, .. .THE THUMB AREA
OF MICHIGAN, ...THE MIDDLE OF MICHIGAN, ...NORTHEASTERN MICHIGAN
and ...UPPER PENINSULA MICHIGAN; all compiled by Victoria Wilson.
- GENEALOGY IN MICHIGAN: WHAT, WHEN, WHERE by Alloa Anderson & Polly Bender.
- MICHIGAN GENEALOGY by C. McGinnis
- TRACING YOUR ANCESTORS IN MICHIGAN by Ethel W. Williams.
Legal Materials -
Probate records such as wills often provide useful information, see: SEARCHING AMERICAN PROBATE RECORDS, by Fran Carter. Other records, such as various legal cases might be of use - see "HOW TO FIND SERIES #12: FINDING MICHIGAN LAWS & CASES IN THE MSU LIBRARIES", published by MSU Libraries, 1983.
Major Repositories
Archives of Michigan · Library of Michgan · Detroit Public Library · 6 regional repositories · National Archives Great Lakes Region (Chicago) · Newberry Library · Allen County Public Library
Migration Routes
Erie Canal · Lake Erie · Lake Huron · Lake Michigan · Lake Superior · Soo Locks · Detroit-Chicago Road · Detroit-Vincennes Road · Ft. Gratiot Road · Grand River Road · Great Trail or Great Path · La Plaissance Bay Road · Lake Shore Path or Lake Trail · Maumee-Jonesville Road · Monroe Road · Saginaw Road · Sauk Trail · Tennessee, Ohio and Great Lakes Trail · Vincennes-Indianapolis-Detroit Road · Erie-Kalamazoo Railroad
Photos
- MEN OF MICHIGAN: A COLLECTION OF THE PORTRAITS OF MEN PROMINENT IN BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL LIFE IN MICHIGAN, pub. By Michigan Art Co., 1904
Featured Content
1894 Michigan State Census This Internet site lists soldiers by name with their ward, township, and county as shown on the census of United States Soldiers of the Civil War Residing in Michigan, June 1, 1894, part of a state census. Since the 1890 federal census was partially destroyed in a fire, researchers can use this list of names as an additional tool beyond the census, to document their ancestor's whereabouts during the 1890's. There are approximately 50,000 names listed. For further details, see the Michigan Census Wiki page.Research Tools
- The The Michigan GenWeb Project provides county information about formation date, parent county, county seat, bibliography, cemeteries, census, churches, towns, history, look ups, obituaries, queries, repositories, surname registry, and many Internet links.
- Family History 101 - My Michigan Genealogy contains Michigan state history, links to counties and county histories, where to find records in each county and online links.
- Michigan, My Michigan is a new course on FamilySearch.org.
- Looking 4 Kin Genealogy & Family History Network - Michigan
Did You Know?
- Michigan is comprised of an Upper Peninsula and Lower Peninsula, with shoreline longer than every other state except Alaska. The peninsulas are surrounded by the Great Lakes: Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Ontario, the largest freshwater lakes in the world.
- Many famous and interesting people grew up in Michigan. Henry Ford grew up there. He was the inventor of the automobile. The first automobile was driven in Michigan. President Gerald Ford and Thomas Edison grew up in Michigan. Charles Lindburgh lived in Michigan.
Wiki articles describing online collections are found at:
- Michigan 1894 State Census (FamilySearch Historical Records)
- Michigan Births and Christenings (FamilySearch Historical Records)
- Michigan Birth Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
- Michigan, County Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)
- Michigan Deaths and Burials (FamilySearch Historical Records)
- Michigan Death Records (FamilySearch Histoical Records)
- Michigan, Detroit Manifests of Individuals Entering Through the Port of Detroit (FamilySearch HistoricalRecords)
- Michigan Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)
- Michigan Marriage Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
- Michigan Probate Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
Obtain additional help
- Call or chat with an experienced researcher
- Join a Facebook Group
- Consult a Professional Genealogist
Help Wanted
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Sources
- ↑ Shirley M. De Boer, Research in Michigan (Arlington, Va.: National Genealogical Society, 2008) (FHL Collection 977.4 D27d), 13. WorldCat entry.
- ↑ De Boer, 22.
- ↑ De Boer, 25.
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- This page was last modified on 20 May 2013, at 18:34.
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