Allegan County, Michigan Genealogy

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

Description
The county name was coined by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft to sound like a Native American word. The county is located in the southwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Allegan County Courthouse 113 Chestnut St. Allegan, MI 49010-1362 Phone: 616-673-0450 Allegan County Website County Clerk has birth and death records from from 1867, marriage records from 1835, divorce, court and land records from 1836 and military discharge records. Probate Court has probate records from 1836.

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 of Allegan County at MIGenWeb — transcriptions
 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Cemeteries

 * 1799-1999 at FamilySearch — index and images

Census Records
 State Census


 * 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
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 1819-1991 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1847-1937 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1849-1900 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1934-1949 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Directories

 * 1863-1922 Michigan State Gazetteers and Business Directory at Hathi Trust Digital Library — images
 * 1898- South Haven Directories at Google Books
 * This directory includes Casco Township residents and lists the township section number, whether owned or rented, and number of acres.

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1929 - 1966 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection — index and images

Funeral Homes

 * Avink McCowen Secord Funeral Home and Cremation Society in Plainwell.
 * Chappell Funeral Home in Fennville.
 * Dykstra Funeral Home in Holland and Saugatuck.
 * Gorden Funeral Residence in Allegan and Hopkins.
 * Kubiak-Cook Funeral Services in Dorr and Wayland.
 * Langeland-Sterenberg Funeral Home in Holland.
 * Winkel Funeral Home in Otsego.

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

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

 * Then and Now Historical & Genealogical Society of Eastern Allegan County. Card file of veterans, Allegan County, Michigan : Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican War, Spanish-American War, WW I, WW II, Korean, and Viet Nam War, ca. 1776-1975

Civil War
 * Then and Now Historical & Genealogical Society of Eastern Allegan County, Civil War card file, Allegan County, Michigan, ca. 1862-1915


 * - 17th Regiment, Michigan Infantry, Company E


 * at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
 * 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

World War I
 * 1917-1919 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1837-1993 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection — index and images

Newspapers

 * Digital Michigan Newspapers at Central Michigan University

Obituaries

 * Southwest Michigan Obituary Index at Ancestry($) from the earliest date to 2000.
 * 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
 * 1833-1934 (*); Register of Deeds at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1835-1872 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

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
 * 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

 * Alpena Michigan FamilySearch Center
 * South Haven Michigan FamilySearch Center


 * Hartford Public Library - an affiliate library

Museums
Allegan County Old Jail Museum 113 Walnut St Allegan, MI 49010 Phone: 269-673-8292 Email: [mailto:alleganoldjail@gmail.com alleganoldjail@gmail.com] Website Facebook

Societies
Allegan County Historical Society 113 Walnut St Allegan, MI 49010 Phone: 269-673-8292 Email: [mailto:oldjailmuseum06@yahoo.com oldjailmuseum06@yahoo.com] Website Facebook Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society 130 W Center St PO Box 617 Douglas, MI 49406 Phone: 269-857-5751 Email: [mailto:info@sdhistoricalsociety.org info@sdhistoricalsociety.org] Website Facebook Then and Now Historical and Genealogical Society of Allegan County 1807 142nd Ave PO Box 389 Dorr, MI 49323 Phone: 616-681-0333 Email: [mailto:thenandnow1807@yahoo.com thenandnow1807@yahoo.com] Western Michigan Genealogical Society  c/o Grand Rapids Public Library 111 Library St NE Grand Rapids, MI 49503-3268 Email: [mailto:wmgs@wmgs.org wmgs@wmgs.org] Website Facebook

Websites

 * AlleganCounty, MI-Roots Michigan Roots is a member of the PA-Roots family of websites.
 * The Allegan County MIGenWeb Project, an member of The MIGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * Allegan County MI Genealogy (Michigan Genealogy)
 * – 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.