Michigan Archives and Libraries

United States   Michigan    Archives and Libraries

The following archives, libraries, and societies have collections or services helpful to genealogical researchers.

State Archives of Michigan
Department of State 717 West Allegan Lansing, MI 48918-1837 Telephone: 517-373-1408

National Archives
National Archives Great Lake Region (Chicago) 7358 South Pulaski Road Chicago, IL 60629 Telephone: 312-581-7816 National Archives at Chicago and Dayton

Libraries and Archives
Library of Michigan 702 W. Kalamazoo St. P.O. Box 30007 Lansing, MI 48909-7507 Telephone: 517-373-1300 Email: librarian@michigan.gov Hours: Monday - Friday 10 am - 5 pm

Archives of Michigan 702 W. Kalamazoo Street Lansing, Michigan 48913 Telephone: 517-373-1408 Email: archives@michigan.gov Hours: Monday - Friday 1 - 5 pm

https://www.facebook.com/MichiganHistoricalMuseum

The Michigan Genealogical Council has published Guide to the Michigan Genealogical and Historical Collections at the Library of Michigan and the State Archives of Michigan. This book is organized by county and then by towns within the county. It lists county and church histories, atlases, censuses, newspapers, vital records, indexes to transcribed cemetery records, land records, probate records, naturalization records, church records, genealogical and historical society newsletters, and various other genealogical materials located at the two facilities. The book is also available at the both in book and microfilm. (See the "Societies" section for the address of the Michigan Genealogical Council.)

Bentley Historical Library University of Michigan 1150 Beal Avenue Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2113 Telephone: 313-764-3482 Burton Historical Collection (accessed 12 August 2014) Detroit Public Library 5201 Woodward Avenue Detroit, MI 48202 Telephone: 313-481-1401
 * The Burton Historical Collection contains records pertaining to Detroit’s history from her days as a 17th century settlement to present day, with information about the Great Lakes Region including the role of Canada, the French and English influence. There are atlases, maps, photographs, pamphlets, bound newspapers, personal papers and much more. Some Vital records such as marriage, birth and death records are available. Federal population schedules along with family histories, personal papers, immigration records, some Detroit high school yearbooks, probate indexes and records plus city directories for most years and other supporting resources are also available.
 * An inventory of this collection is:


 * Sprenger, Bernice Cox. Guide to the Manuscripts in the Burton Historical Collection. Detroit, Michigan: Detroit Public Library, Detroit, Michigan1985. (Family History Library .)


 * A sample of Onsite resources include:
 * Records of Service of Michigan Volunteers in the Civil War, 1861-1865, First Michigan Colored Infantry
 * Burial Transit Permits 1941–1953
 * Wayne County Coroner’s Files 1865–1906
 * Wayne County Death Record Indexes 1934–1953
 * The Burton Historical Online collection includes:
 * To access these, click on the word "Resources" at the bottom of their web page.
 * (accessed 28 August 2014)
 * Michigan and Detroit Select Genealogical resources
 * Roman Catholic Church records from the Archdiocese of Detroit
 * Selected resources for Civil War research
 * Selected African American resources
 * War of 1812 resources, and
 * Wayne County Death Record Indexes

Guides
A useful guide to other collections of Michigan is Stevens, Wystan. Directory of Historical Collections and Societies in Michigan. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Historical Society of Michigan, 1973. (Family History Library .)

The Family History Library has other guides to archives with genealogical collections. For example, the library has numerous state and local inventories compiled by the Historical Records Survey and indexes to the manuscript holdings at the Library of Michigan.

Web Sites
You can find computerized research tips and information about ancestors from Michigan in a variety of sources at local, state, national, and international levels. The list of sources is growing rapidly. Most of the information is available at no cost.

Addresses on the Internet change frequently. The following sites are important gateways linking you to many more sites:

USGenWeb

 * UsGenWeb.com

A cooperative effort by many volunteers to list genealogical databases, libraries, bulletin boards, and other resources available on the Internet for each county, state, and country.

Roots-L

 * Rootsweb.com

A useful list of sites and resources. Includes a large, regularly-updated research coordination list.

[www.genealogytoolbox.com Helm's Genealogical Toolbox]: Michigan

Lists genealogical societies, mailing lists, and publications.

Cyndi Howell's List

 * CyndisList.com

Extensive links to other Internet sites touching on Michigan family history.

FamilySearch™

 * FamilySearch.org

The Family History Library and some Family History Centers have computers with FamilySearch™. FamilySearch is a collection of computer files containing several million names. FamilySearch is a good place to begin your research. Some of the records come from compiled sources; some have been automated from original sources.

Computers with FamilySearch do not have access to computer on-line services, networks, or bulletin boards. However, those services are available at many public libraries, college libraries, and private locations.