Ionia County, Michigan Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for Ionia. The County is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Ionia County Courthouse 100 E Main Street Ionia, MI 48846 Phone: 616-527-5322 Ionia County Website County Clerk has birth and death records from 1867, marriage records from 1837, divorce and court records from 1890.

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:

Census Records
 State Census


 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Article
 * 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 Article
 * FamilySearch Places

Directories

 * 1863-1922 Michigan State Gazetteers and Business Directories at Hathi Trust Digital Library — images
 * The Farm Journal Illustrated Rural Directory of Ionia County, Michigan : (With a Complete Road Map of the County); Ionia County, Michigan, Rural Directory. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : Wilmer Atkinson Co., 1917. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1929-1966 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Article

Local Histories

 * Portrait and Biographical Album of Ionia and Montcalm Counties, Mich. 1891. Chicago, Illinois : Chapman Brothers. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

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
 * 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 Article
 * 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 Article

Civil War service men from Ionia 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 Ionia County.


 * 1st Regiment, Engineers and Mechanics, Company E

World War I
 * 1917-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Article

 World War II 
 * A collection of memories : personal stories from WWII veterans of Ionia CountyLake Odessa, Michigan : Ionia County Genealogical Society, c2008 FS Library 977.454 M2a

Naturalization and Citizenship

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

Newspapers

 * Digital Michigan Newspapers at Central Michigan University

Obituaries

 * 1820-2006 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Article

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
 * 1837-1958 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & 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 Article
 * 1867-1902 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Article

Marriage

 * 1585-1945 Michigan, United States Marriages at Findmypast $
 * 1820-1937 at FamilySearch - How To Use This Article
 * 1820-1940 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Article
 * 1868-1925 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Article

Death

 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Article
 * 1867-1897 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Article
 * 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

 * Grand Rapids Michigan FamilySearch Center
 * Greenville Michigan FamilySearch Center


 * Grand Rapids Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Library of Michigan - an affiliate library

Societies
Ionia County Genealogical Society PO Box 516 Lake Odessa, MI 48849-0516 Phone: 616-374-8455 Email: [mailto:ioniacogensoc@yahoo.com ioniacogensoc@yahoo.com] Website Facebook Ionia County Historical Society 251 E Main St PO Box 176 Ionia, MI 48846 Phone: 616-527-6281 Email: [mailto:info@ioniahistory.org info@ioniahistory.org] Website Facebook 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

 * Ionia County, MI-Roots Michigan Roots is a member of the PA-Roots family of websites.
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
 * Ionia County MI Genealogy (Michigan Genealogy at 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.