Michigan Genealogy Search

Michigan family history is anchored by the Archives of Michigan in Lansing, whose Michiganology site offers free digitized death records from 1897 to 1952, Civil War records, naturalization indexes and more. Michigan began statewide vital registration in 1867, with county clerks keeping the registers, and its counties, formed from 1796 onward, kept marriage and deed records from the start. French Catholic registers from Detroit go back to 1701, the oldest continuous records in the Midwest.

The state censuses of 1884 and 1894 survive for many counties and substitute for the lost 1890 federal count.

Official sources on this page were checked on September 25, 2026.

Michigan statewide genealogy links

• Archives of MichiganMichigan Historical State Archives
• Department of Community Health Birth, Death, Marriage and Divorce RecordsMichigan Vital Records
• Michigan State Archives and Libraries SearchMichigan Archives and Libraries Search
• Library and Archives of Michigan CollectionsSeeking Michigan Archival Records Collections
• Archives of Michigan Online Finding AidsFind Michigan Archives From Individuals and Government
• Michigan Department of Education Genealogy ResearchGenealogy Research at the State Library
• Detroit Public LibraryDetroit Library Genealogical Resources

Michigan began statewide birth, death and marriage registration in 1867, with county clerks keeping the registers and the state receiving copies, and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Vital Records office in Lansing holds the state copies while county clerks hold the county registers, which are public after 100 years for births and immediately for deaths and marriages in most counties. The Archives of Michigan's Michiganology site posts free images of death certificates from 1897 to 1952 and death registers from 1867 to 1897, and the Michigan Death Index and Marriage Index for later years are available through the state and FamilySearch. Divorce records sit with the county clerk.

• MichiganologyFree digitized Michigan death records 1867 to 1952, naturalizations and military records
• Michigan Vital RecordsBirth, death, marriage and divorce certificates from 1867
• Michigan Vital Records guideHow to order certificates and what is public

The Archives of Michigan holds the 1884 and 1894 state censuses, Michigan's Civil War, Spanish-American War and World War I service records, county naturalization records with a statewide index, state prison registers, land office tract books for Michigan's public land sales, and county records on microfilm, with the Abrams Foundation Historical Collection making it one of the largest genealogy libraries in the Midwest. Michigan took state censuses in 1854, 1864, 1874, 1884 and 1894, though only 1884 and 1894 survive widely. The Burton Historical Collection at the Detroit Public Library holds French period records and Detroit family papers, and the National Archives at Chicago holds Michigan's federal court records.

• Archives of MichiganState censuses, military, naturalization and county records
• Burton Historical CollectionDetroit and French period records at the Detroit Public Library
• National Archives at ChicagoFederal court and naturalization records for Michigan

Michigan county clerks hold the birth, death and marriage registers from 1867, marriage licenses from each county's founding, divorce files and naturalization records, and registers of deeds hold land records, most with online indexes. Probate courts hold wills, estates and guardianships. The Archives of Michigan has microfilmed the older books of most of the 83 counties, and Wayne County's records, covering Detroit, are the largest set, with the county clerk's vital records office holding Detroit's registers from 1867.

• Michigan County Public RecordsCounty clerks, registers of deeds and probate courts for all 83 counties
• Michigan Court RecordsCircuit and probate court case searches

• National Archives, genealogyCensus, military, immigration and land records
• Library of Congress, genealogy guidesResearch guides for family history