Mason County, Michigan Genealogy

Guide to Mason County, Michigan ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Description
The County was named for Stevens T. Mason, Governor of Michigan. The County is located in the west area of the state.

County Courthouse
Mason County Courthouse 304 E Ludington Avenue Ludington, MI 49431 Phone: 231-843-8202 Fax: 231-843-1972 Mason County Website

County Clerk has birth, marriage, death, divorce and court records from 1867. City Clerks have burial records. Probate Court has probate records. Register of Deeds has land records.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Cemeteries

 * County History Companion - Database with over 25,000 residents of Mason County Cemeteries. Click "Cemetery Database" under "Navigation" on the right hand side of the page.

Census Records
 State Census


 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1894 - Michigan Department of State. Census of the State of Michigan, 1894. Vol 3. Lansing, MI: R. Smith & co., state printers, 1896. (Civil War veterans only) Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 1819-1991 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * Mason County History Companion - List of Mason County Churches and Links
 * FamilySearch Places

Directories

 * 1863-1922 Michigan State Gazetteers and Business Directories at Hathi Trust Digital Library — images

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1929-1966 at FamilySearch  - How to Use this Collection

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
American Indian
 * Mason County, Native American: Births, Deaths, and Marriage by Oceana County Historical and Genealogical Society.  WorldCat


 * Mason County Indian Church Records: Registers of Baptisms and Marriages. manuscript located in the Rose Hawley Museum. WorldCat

Local Histories
Mason County History Companion - A listing of printed matter and published books pertaining to the Mason County Area. Ludington Car Ferries, Goggle Books by by David K Petersen.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Mason County History Companion - Mason County Maps
 * Maps of Michigan (1790-1897)
 * 1863-1922 Michigan State Gazetteers and Business Directories at Hathi Trust, images – includes business directories for towns across the state
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * Mason County History Companion - Military Related Links

Civil War
 * 1861-1865 Record of Service of the Michigan Volunteers in the Civil War 1861-1865 at Michiganology — images, multiple volumes organized alphabetically by surname
 * 1876-1945 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1894 - Michigan Department of State. Census of the State of Michigan, 1894. Vol 3. Lansing, MI: R. Smith & co., state printers, 1896. (Civil War veterans only) Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

World War I
 * 1917-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1837-1993 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Newspapers

 * Digital Michigan Newspapers at Central Michigan University
 * Ludington Daily News; Archives from 1867 to 2007 are available on the Google News Archives. Google News Archive "L" Section
 * Ludington Daily News; Archives from 1930 to 1977 are available on newspapers.com
 * Ludington Daily News; Archives from 1998 to 2013 are available on genealogybank.com
 * Mason County Record; Archives from 1879-1880; Google News Archive

Obituaries

 * 1820-2006 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1784-1980 Michigan, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1784-1980 at Ancestry.com ($) — index & images
 * 1797-1973 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images
 * 1855-1976 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1865-1923 (*); Register of Deeds at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Birth

 * 1867-1902 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1867-1917 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Marriage

 * 1585-1945 Michigan, United States Marriages at Findmypast $
 * 1820-1937 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1820-1940 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1868-1925 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Death

 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1867-1897 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1867-1952 Michigan, Death Records, 1867-1952 at Ancestry ($) — index and images
 * 1897-1952 Michigan Death Records at Michiganology - index and images, organized by county and then last name.

Divorce

 * 1897-1952 Michigan, Divorce Records, 1897-1952 at Ancestry ($) — index and images

FamilySearch Centers

 * Hart Michigan FamilySearch Center
 * Ludington Michigan FamilySearch Center
 * Muskegon Michigan FamilySearch Center


 * Hackley Public Library - an affiliate library

Museums

 * Mason Area Historical Society and Museum PO Box 44 200 E Oak Street Mason, MI 48854 Phone (Museum): 517-676-5974 Website

Societies

 * Mason County Historical Society 1687 S. Lakeshore Drive Ludington, MI 49431 Phone: 231-843-4808 Email: [mailto:rebecca@mchshistory.org rebecca@mchshistory.org] Website

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
 * Mason County History Companion - Lots of information about the Mason County Michigan area and resources for researchers and history buffs.
 * Mason County MI Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.