Chippewa County, Michigan Genealogy

United States Michigan  Chippewa County

Guide to Chippewa County Michigan ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Courthouse
County Clerk has birth records from 1869, marriage records from 1868, death records from 1870, divorce records from 1891 and court records. Probate Court has probate records. Register of Deeds has land records.

Parent County
1827--Chippewa County was created 1 February 1827 from Mackinac County. County seat: Sault Sainte Marie

Boundary Changes
See COUNTY EVOLUTION IN MICHIGAN, 1790-1897 by Richard W. Welch for the development of the counties in the state. This will help you to determine place of residence of your ancestors and under whose civil jurisdiction they resided. It is also useful for when you start to read the census records. 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
For a list of record loss in Michigan counties see: Michigan Counties with Burned Courthouses

Populated Places

 * City: Sault Ste. Marie
 * Village: De Tour Village
 * Townships: Bay Mills . Bruce . Chippewa . Dafter . Detour . Drummond . Hulbert . Kinross . Pickford . Raber . Rudyard . Soo . Sugar Island . Superior . Trout Lake . Whitefish
 * Communities: Barbeau . Bay Mills . Bay Mills Indian Community . Brimley . Dafter . Drummond . Keldon . Kincheloe . Paradise . Pickford . Rudyard . Stirlingville

Neighboring Counties
Luce • Mackinac |

Maps

 * Maps of Michigan (1790-1897)

Civil War
Civil War service men from Chippewa 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 Chippewa County.



Newspapers
The Sault Evening News

Vital Records

 * How to order Michigan Vital Records
 * Michigan Birth Registrations, 1867-1902 -- Free name indexes and images at FamilySearch. Records include such information as name of child, birthdate and place, if still-born, illegitimate or twin, gender, race and record number.
 * Michigan Marriage Registrations, 1868-1925 -- Free name indexes at FamilySearch. Records include such information as names of bride and groom, date of license, ages, race, residences, birthplaces, occupations and names of the fathers of the bride and groom.
 * Michigan Death Registrations, 1867-1897 -- Free name indexes and images at FamilySearch.  Records include such information as name of deceased, date and place of death, gender, color, marital status, age in years, months and days, disease or apparent cause of death, birthplace, names and occupations of parents, and the date the record was made.

Societies and Libraries

 * List of Michigan Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies
 * Chippewa County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 219 Trout Lake, MI 49793-0219 Biographies, births and deaths, Census records, Naturalizations, Obituaries, Voters lists for 1870 and Sugar Island, and a surname list.
 * Chippewa County Historical Society P. O. Box 342 Sault Ste. Marie 49783 PHONE: (906) 635-7082 EMAIL: cchs@sault.com The Society was established in 1919 and is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of local history through exhibits, research, and publication. The office houses permanent and rotating exhibits and a small research library. Call or email ahead for hours or an appointment.
 * Pickford Area Historical Society P. O. Box 572 Pickford, MI 49744 PHONE: (906) 647-2045 There is some family history, oral histories and archives available for people doing research.
 * DeTour Passage Historical Museum P. O. Box 111 De Tour, MI 49725 PHONE: (906) 297-3404 The museum features displays relating to early marine operations, social and governmental activities, pioneer families, Native American history, churches, schools, business and life in the early years of the DeTour area.
 * Drummond Island Historical Society P. O. Box 293 Drummond Island, MI 49726 PHONE: (906) 493-5746 A museum on the early settlers of Drummond Island, Native American history, Fort Drummond history and lumbering. There are some genealogy resources but very limited.


 * LAKE SUPERIOR STATE UNIVERSITY Kenneth J. Shouldice Library 906 Ryan Avenue Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783 PHONE: (906) 635-2815 Special Collections areas are open for research by appointment, Monday through Friday 8 AM to 5 PM. MICHIGAN COLLECTION This collection documents Michigan from Indian occupation to the present with emphasis on the tri-county area of the Eastern Upper Peninsula. Included are documents and publications by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, pictures and photographs, information about Fort Brady, and a vertical file. MARINE COLLECTION This collection consists of printed materials on the history of water transportation on the Great Lakes and material on individual vessels, including pictures, photographs, maps and vertical file. THE OCHSNER COLLECTION The collection includes books on archeology and cultural history as well as an extensive collection of Native American, European and African artifacts. GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH Some helpful resources are available. A bibliography is available from the Reference Desk.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Web Sites

 * Chippewa County, MI History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Michigan Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Michigan Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * The Chippewa County MIGenWeb Project, an member of The MIGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The Chippewa County MIGenWeb Project, an member of The MIGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.