Monroe County, Michigan Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for James Monroe. The County has Monroe as its seat and the County was created July 14, 1817. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
County Clerk has birth records from 1874, marriage records from 1818, death records from 1867, divorce and court records to 1945. Probate Court has probate records. Register of Deeds has land records.

Parent County
1817--Monroe County was created 14 July 1817 from Wayne County. County seat: Monroe

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Michigan county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Michigan County Boundary Maps" (1790-1897) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

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:

Neighboring Counties
Lenawee •  Lucas County, Ohio  •  Washtenaw  •  Wayne

Cemeteries
Listing of Cemeteries by Township, City or Village

Census
 State Census
 * 1894 - at FamilySearch — index

Church

 * 1819-1991 - at FamilySearch — index
 * The Monroe County Library System has microfilm of county church records running back to the 18th century. They are housed at the Ellis Library &amp; Reference Center.

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1929 - 1966 at FamilySearch — index and images

Maps

 * Maps of Michigan (1790-1897)

Civil War
Civil War service men from Monroe 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 Monroe County.


 * - 17th Regiment, Michigan Infantry, Companies C and i

Online Records
 * at FamilySearch — index
 * War of 1812 Veterans Buried in Monroe County
 * 1876-1945 - at FamilySearch — index

War of 1812

 * River Raisin Battlefield Visitors Center

World War I

 * 1917-1919 - at FamilySearch — index

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1837-1993 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers
Bygones of Monroe: Glimpses of Life in Monroe County History Taken from Area Newspapers.

Obituaries

 * 1820-2006 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1821-2012 - Monroe County Obituary Index at Ancestry ($)

Other Records

 * Laurant Durocher Account Book Index, an active citizen in the founding of Frenchtown, later known as Monroe, Michigan.

Probate
Online Probate Records


 * 1784 – 1980 Michigan Wills and Probate Records 1784-1980 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1797 – 1973 at FamilySearch — images

Vital Records

 * How to order Michigan Vital Records

Birth

 * 1867-1917 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1867-1902 - Michigan Birth Registrations, 1867-1902 — index and images

Marriage

 * 1585-1945 - Michigan, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1820-1937 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1820-1940 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1868-1925 - Michigan Marriage Registrations, 1868-1925 — index and images

Death

 * 1850-1880 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1867-1897 - Michigan Death Registrations, 1867-1897 — index and images

Societies and Libraries

 * Genealogical Society of Monroe County PO Box 1428 Monroe, MI 48161-6428 E-mail: [mailto:gsmcmi@gsmcmi.org gsmcmi@gsmcmi.org] Website
 * Monroe County Historical Museum 126 South Monroe Street Monroe, MI 48161 Phone: 734-240-7780 Website
 * Monroe County Historical Museum Archives and Collections Website
 * Daughters of the American Revolution Nancy DeGraff Toll Chapter Website
 * Monroe County Library System Website Branch links, locations and hours

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers

Websites

 * Michigan Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Michigan Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
 * Monroe County MI Genealogy (Michigan Genealogy)
 * Monroe County MI Genealogy (Michigan Genealogy)