Michigan Genealogical Archives - It is wise to acquaint yourself with any repository which you might visit by writing to the appropriate archive or library in advance. Every repository has published materials that introduce its collections and research policy. State archives and historical agencies also have Internet sites that provide the same information. Some even have downloadable databases for some or parts of their collections.

• State Archives of Michigan, 702 W Kalamazoo Str, P.O. Box 30738, Lansing, MI 48909-8238; (517) 373-1408
  Original material generated by government offices at the state and/or local level, including census records, tax assessment rolls, military records and photographs are among the extensive holdings. They also have some naturalization files, correctional facility records, school records, and depression era agency files. The archives distribute information circulars on many topics. The circulars act as finding aids to their extensive collection.
• National Archives - Great Lakes Region (Chicago), 7358 South Pulaski Road, Chicago, Illinois 60629-5898; 773-948-9001; E-mail: (Maintains retired records from Federal agencies and courts in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.)
  General Information Leaflet
• Archives and Historical Collections, Michigan Technological University
  1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931; Phone number (906) 487-2505
  This depository is responsible for Gogebic, Ontonagon, Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga, and Iron counties; it currently holds vital records for Houghton and Keweenaw counties, but has inventories for and will be acquiring records of the other counties. Special collections include those of the Michigan Technological University and the Copper County Historical Collection, the latter containing records of the mining companies and benevolent societies.
• Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library, 5201 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202
  This, the largest collection in Michigan, includes diverse and extensive holdings of original, printed, and micrographic historical and genealogical material. The emphasis of the collection is on Detroit and Michigan beginning with the seventeenth century.
• Michigan Historical Collections, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan,
  1150 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2113
  The focus for genealogical work in this collection is original source materials for Michigan history and church records for almost all Protestant denominations, including discontinued churches.
• Archives and Regional History Collections, Western Michigan University
  Kalamazoo, MI 49008; Phone number (616) 387-3990
  This collection includes township and county records from Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Cass, Calhoun, St. Joseph, Kalamazoo, Kent, Muskegon, Ottawa, and Van Buren counties and 8,000 catalogued photographs.

Back to top

   "Genealogists are generally positive and energetic, and most are ready to share their findings or research experience with anyone they can help. There are hundreds of genealogical societies at the grass-roots level. Knowledge of the genealogical community will place you in the midst of much activity, increase your productivity, and alert you to the importance of research standards and etiquette."
Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, Editor of FGS Forum,
Co-editor of The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy

Michigan Historical & Genealogical Societies - Because family history research relies greatly upon records found at the county level, many local societies represent counties. Organizations also form around shared interests. Ethnic or religious origins account for many groups, such as the Polish Genealogical Society of America and P.O.I.N.T. (Pursuing Our Italian Names Together). Societies also form around common locales of origin for members? ancestors; hence, the Palatines to America and Germans from Russia societies. To locate these and other societies, consult Juliana Szucs Smith?s The Ancestry Family Historian?s Address Book. It lists addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and Internet addresses of thousands of organizations throughout the United States.

For almost every state there is a state genealogical society, a state genealogical council, or both. In addition to their own work, state-level groups sometimes help coordinate the efforts of local societies within the state. Their publications, newsletters and quarterlies, supplement those produced by the local societies.

• The Historical Society of Michigan, 1305 Abbott Rd., East Lansing, MI 48823; (517) 324-1828,
  Fax: (517) 324-4370, e-mail:
• Western Michigan Genealogical Society c/o Grand Rapids Public Library
  111 Library Street NE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503-3268;
• Library of Michigan, : 702 W. Kalamazoo St, Lansing, MI 48909
  Holdings here include an extensive genealogical and historical collection including books, microforms, manuscripts, newspapers, surname index, Centennial and Sesquicentennial Certificate applications, and diaries. Records are housed in a new building with card catalog. See: http://michigan.gov/hal/libraryofmichigan for more information/services. Limited reference service to mail request. They also offer online reference services at:
• Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859, Phone number (517) 774-3352
  Resources of particular interest to genealogists in this repository include records of Native Americans in Michigan, extensive material on Isabella County, and the James Jesse Strang Mormon Collection.
• Allen County Library, Reynolds Historical Genealogy Collection
  P.O. Box 2270, 900 Webster Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46801
  As a major repository for the midwest as well as other areas of the country, the collection includes significant Michigan source material.
• Michigan Historical Collections, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan
  1150 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2113
  The focus for genealogical work in this collection is original source materials for Michigan history and church records for almost all Protestant denominations, including discontinued churches.
• Michigan Room, Grand Rapids Public Library
  60 Library Plaza, Grand Rapids, MI 49503; Phone number (616) 456-3640
  This library has local history books, microforms, newspapers, cemetery records, manuscripts, diaries, and considerable material on Kent County history and people.
• Mid-Michigan Genealogical Society, MMGS; P 0 BOX 16033, Lansing, MI 48901-6033

Back to top

Michigan Genealogical Publications -  Statewide or regional publications include the following:
 [ see specific county page for individual county list ]

• Search The PERiodical Source Index
• Michigan History
  Published bimonthly by Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State, this contains state history articles, book reviews, and information pertinent to historical research.
• The Detroit Society for Genealogical Research Magazine

  published by the society, with a mailing address at the Burton Historical Collection of the Detroit Public Library, has been published since 1937. It is not limited to Detroit but also publishes family histories and source material for the entire state, as well as states or areas from which Michigan residents came: New York, New England, Pennsylvania, and Canada, particularly Ontario and Quebec.

Back to top

   While records of birth, marriage, and death are the most commonly sought and the most consistently helpful records, only the genealogist?s imagination and resourcefulness limit newspapers? usefulness in supplying clues about historical events, local history, probate court and legal notices, real estate transactions, political biographies, announcements, notices of new and terminated partnerships, business advertisements, and notices for settling debts.

   Newspapers can provide at least a partial substitute for nonexistent civil records. For example, a person?s obituary may have appeared in a newspaper even when civil death records for that person do not exist. And newspapers are an important source of marriage records, particularly in those states where civil recording of marriages was essentially nonexistent until the twentieth century.

   Unlike official records, newspapers are not limited to a particular geographical area. They often include reports of the weddings of local citizens (even those that occurred in a neighboring county or another state), and they sometimes report visits of geographically distant relatives or the visits of former local residents. They often published death notices of individuals who had left the area long before but who still had local family or friends as well. In each case the newspaper account can identify the date and place of an event, thus opening the possibility of turning up additional documentation in other sources.

   The first step in searching a newspaper is to identify those which served the area of interest and which have survived. The three most necessary tools are bibliographies (What was published?), inventories of library and depository holdings (Where is it?), and indexes (How do I find what I want in it?).

• Search Historical Newspapers at Ancestry.com
• Find your family history In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive! Find News, Births and Deaths - Find tens of millions of historical newspaper articles, dating back to 1759. Search for newspaper articles about a deadly earthquake or one that mentions a past relative. Newspaper articles are easily accessible with online research tools.
• Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers throughout the world.
• Search Historical Newspapers (1690 - 1980) - Quickly find names and keywords in over 125 million articles, obituaries, marriage notices, birth announcements and other items published in more than 500,000 issues of over 2,500 historical U.S. newspapers. New content added monthly!

Back to top