Michigan Census

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Indexes: fiche, film, or book
For a list of microform and book indexes for the population schedules of Michigan, click here

Indexes: fiche, film, or book
For a list of microform and book indexes for the non-population schedules of Michigan, click here.

State, territorial, and colonial censuses
More than 20 early territorial censuses were taken in various areas of Michigan. Historical background and the names found in the early lists are given in:


 * Russell, Donna Valley.Michigan Censuses, 1710–1830. Detroit, Michigan: Detroit Society for Genealogical Research, 1982. (Family History Library book 977.4 X2r.)

1827, 1834, 1837, 1845, 1854, 1864, 1874, 1884, 1894, and 1904--Other territorial and state enumerations were made in these years.

1827, 1837, and 1845-- Indexes for the territorial and state censuses have been published. The original schedules are housed in many different local repositories. The schedules of many counties are missing.

1884, 1894-- The most complete collections are for these censuses, which include detailed information on each family member.

More detailed information on Michigan census records is in "Michigan Census Schedules and Records," printed in the Summer-Fall 1978 issue of Family Trails.

Existing and lost censuses
For a list of available and missing Michigan censuses, click here.

Why use a census?
A well-indexed census is one of the easiest ways to locate where an ancestor's family lived and when they lived there. You can also use censuses to follow the changes in a family over time, and identify neighbors. These and other clues provided by censuses are important because they help find additional kinds of records about the family.

More about censuses
Click here for additional details about how to use censuses, such as:


 * index searching tips
 * analyzing and using what you find
 * census accuracy
 * historical background
 * contents of various census years and types