St. Joseph County, Michigan Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for St. Joseph. The County is located in the east area of the state.

County Courthouse
St. Joseph County Courthouse 125 W Main St. Centreville, MI 49032-0189 Phone: 616-467-5602 St. Joseph County Website County Clerk has birth and death records from 1867, marriage records from 1832, divorce and court records from 1900 and naturalization 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:

Bible Records

 * Bible Records at Genealogy Trails

Biographies

 * St. Joseph County Biographies by MiGenWeb Project

Census Records
Federal Census
 * 1830 Census 1830 Census of Michigan: St. Joseph County MiGenWeb Project
 * 1845 Census 1845 St. Joseph County Census MiGenWeb Project
 * 1850 Census 1850 Census St. Joseph County MiGenWeb Project
 * 1850 Census 1850 Burr Oak Township Census MiGenWeb Project

State Census


 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch -How to Use this Collection
 * 1894 1894 State Census Index, St. Joseph County. MiGenWeb Project
 * 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
 * St. Joseph County Churches by MiGenWeb Project
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1879-1942 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Directories

 * 1863-1922 Michigan State Gazetteers and Business Directories at Hathi Trust Digital Library — images
 * The Farm Journal Illustrated Rural Directory of St. Joseph County Michigan. By Wilmer Atkinson Company. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : Wilmer Atkinson Company, 1919. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
 * St. Joseph County Directory. Mendon, Michigan : Globe Publishing Co., 1880. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library

Emigration and Immigration

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

Funeral Homes

 * 1908-1933 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images


 * 1934-1942 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Local Histories

 * Portrait and biographical album of St. Joseph County, Michiga FamilySearch Digital Library is a 606 page history of St. Joseph County that was published by Chapman brothers in 1889.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * 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
Civil War Civil War service men from St. Joseph County served in various regiments. Men often joined a regiment or a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are the military units that were formed in or had many men from St. Joseph County.


 * - 17th Regiment, Michigan Infantry, Company C


 * 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
 * Civil War Vets by MiGenWeb Project
 * Civil War Veterans' Biographies. MiGenWeb Project

World War I
 * 1917-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1917-1919 Record of St. Joseph County, Michigan, soldiers and sailors in service in the Great War. (1919)

World War II
 * Veteran Index WWII to 2001 at MiGenWeb Project

Naturalization and Citizenship

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

Newspapers

 * Digital Michigan Newspapers at Central Michigan University
 * St Joseph County Newspapers at MiGenWeb Project

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

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.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Birth

 * 1867-1917 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1867-1902 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
 * 1867-2008, and 1993-current - Michigan Death Record Search. An index to deaths that occurred in St. Joseph county, Michigan is available at the County Clerk's death records Website.
 * 1867-1998 St. Joseph County Death Indexes at MiGenWeb Project
 * 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

 * South Bend Indiana FamilySearch Center
 * Sturgis Michigan FamilySearch Center


 * St Joseph Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Van Buren District Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Colon Township Library 128 S Blackstone Ave Colon, MI 49040 Phone: 269-432-3958 Email: [mailto:julie.censke@monroe.lib.mi.us julie.censke@monroe.lib.mi.us] Website Facebook Constantine Township Library 165 Canaris St Constantine, MI 49042 Phone: 269-435-7957 Email: [mailto:constantinetwplibrary@live.com constantinetwplibrary@live.com] Website Facebook Glen Oaks Community College Learning Commons 62249 Shimmel Rd Centreville, MI 49032 Phone: 269-294-4295 Email: [mailto:learningcommons@glenoaks.edu learningcommons@glenoaks.edu] Website Mendon Township Library 314 W Main Mendon MI 49072 Phone: 269-496-4865 Email: [mailto:mendon@woodlands.lib.mi.us mendon@woodlands.lib.mi.us] Website Facebook Nottawa Township Library 685 E Main St Centreville, MI 49032 Phone: 269-467-6289 Text: 269-206-8262 Email: [mailto:ntlibrarycirculation@gmail.com ntlibrarycirculation@gmail.com] Website Facebook Sturgis District Library 255 North St Sturgis, MI 49091 Phone: 269-659-7224 Email: [mailto:research@sturgis-library.org research@sturgis-library.org] Website Facebook Three Rivers Public Library 88 N Main Ste Three Rivers, MI 49093 Phone: 269-273-8666 Text: 269-222-2854 Email: [mailto:info@threeriverslibrary.org info@threeriverslibrary.org] Website Facebook White Pigeon Library 102 N Kalamazoo St White Pigeon, MI 49099 Phone: 269-483-7409 Text: 269-464-9246 Email: [mailto:whitepigeonlibrary@gmail.com whitepigeonlibrary@gmail.com] Website Facebook

Museums
Governor John S. Barry House 300 N Washington St Constantine, MI 49093 Phone: 269-506-1575 Email: [mailto:kevinm1963@comcast.net kevinm1963@comcast.net] Facebook Wikipedia

Societies
Colon Historical Society 219 N Blackstone Ave Colon, MI 49040 Website John S. Barry Historical Society 300 N Washington St Constantine, MI 49093 Phone: 269-506-1575 Email:[mailto:kevinm1963@comcast.net kevinm1963@comcast.net] Facebook St. Joseph County Genealogical Society PO Box 486 White Pigeon, MI 49099-9734 Website St. Joseph County Historical Society of Michigan 34 N Main St PO Box 492 Three Rivers, MI 49093 Phone: 269-273-6003 Email: [mailto:sjchs34@gmail.com sjchs34@gmail.com] Website Facebook

Websites

 * St. Joseph County, MI-Roots Michigan Roots is a member of the PA-Roots family of websites.
 * US GenWeb Project, St. Joseph MI
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
 * St Joseph 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.