Wayne County, Michigan Genealogy

Guide to Wayne County, Michigan ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records. Michigan Online Genealogy Records



Description
The County was named for the U.S. general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
County Clerk has birth and death records for events that occurred in all of Wayne County. Wayne County Clerk Records Division at Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in Detroit, has marriage and divorce records. Probate Court at Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in Detroit, has probate records for all of Wayne County and the City of Detroit. Register of Deeds has land records for all of Wayne County and the City of Detroit.

History
The county is named after Revolutionary War General "Mad" Anthony Wayne (1745-1796).

Wayne County is the oldest county in the area known now as the State of Michigan and originally included areas that are counties in their own right. It includes the City of Detroit which was founded by the French on 24 July 1701 and which is now the state's largest.

Parent County
1815--Wayne County was created 21 November 1815 as an original county. County seat: Detroit

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:

See the list of places on Wikipedia: Places in Wayne County, Michigan

Neighboring Counties
Macomb •  Monroe  •  Oakland  •  Washtenaw County

Cemeteries

 * 1799-1999 - at FamilySearch — index and images


 * Old Baptist Cemetery, Plymouth
 * Presbyterian Cemetery, Plymouth
 * Riverside Cemetery, Plymouth
 * Shearer Cemetery, Plymouth
 * Woodmere Cemetery, Detroit 1868-2004 (Research Blog - personal research only. The site is copyrighted


 * Elmwood Cemetery Genealogy Inquiries (cost $)

Also available at the Burton Historical Collection at the Detroit Public Library are:


 * Detroit City Cemetery Burial Records, 1854-1861
 * Elmwood Cemetery Record of Interments, 1846-1992
 * Mt. Elliot Cemetery Record of Interments, 1845-1861, 1865-1997
 * Woodmere Cemetery, 1868-1888

Census

 * 1796 Stuart, Donna Valley. "Detroit 1796 Census," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 69 (1981):185-194. Digital version at National Genealogical Society website ($);.

State Census
 * 1894 - at FamilySearch — index

Church

 * 1819-1991 - at FamilySearch — index

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


 * Detroit Dist
 * Detroit
 * Detroit E.
 * Detroit S.
 * Detroit W.
 * Mack

Lutheran
Detroit


 * Records of the American Lutheran Church, Detroit, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Wayne County


 * Records of the American Lutheran Church, Wayne County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Catholic

 * A large number of Roman Catholic church records from the Archdiocese of Detroit are available on microfilm at the Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library. Depending on the church, the records range from 1704-1930 and can include baptisms, marriages, deaths, first communions, and confirmations. A guide to the churches and their available records is located at www.detroit.lib.mi.us/featuredcollection/burton-historical-collection (Free).

Directories
Fold3.com ($) has Detroit City Directories 1861-1923 available online.

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1929 - 1966 at FamilySearch — index and images

Maps
Detroit streets were renumbered 1 January 1921 (same house/different numbers). Keep that in mind when looking at various records, such as the US Census.


 * Maps of Michigan (1790-1897)
 * Map of Detroit Land Annexation 1806 – 1926
 * Detroit annexations 1915-1925: because of Detroit's annexations 1806-1926, especially during 1915-1925, MANY community names became extinct.

City maps are often found in city directories.

Civil War
Civil War service men from Wayne 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 Wayne County.


 * - 1st Regiment, Michigan Cavalry, Companies A, C, G, H, K, and Unassigned Company
 * - 12th Regiment, Michigan Infantry, Unassigned Company
 * - 17th Regiment, Michigan Infantry, Company F

Online Records
 * at FamilySearch — index
 * Civil War Veteran Burials, Plymouth
 * 1876-1945 - at FamilySearch — index

World War I

 * 1917-1919 - at FamilySearch — index

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1837-1993 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * 1817-1830 - Detroit Gazette at Google News - free.

Obituaries

 * 1820-2006 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Probate
Probate records for Wayne County are available on microfilm at the Archives of Michigan,located in the Michigan Library and Historical Center, 702 W. Kalamazoo Street, Lansing, MI. The Archives holds Wayne County estate case files from 1797-1901 and the Probate calendar books from 1797-1914.

Online Probate Records


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

Birth Records

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

Marriage Records

 * 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 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1803-1893 - Wayne County Marriage Returns, 1803-1867 and 1868-1893. Original records are held at the Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library. These records include marriages throughout Wayne County, including the City of Detroit.

Death Records

 * 1850-1880 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1867-1897 - Michigan Death Registrations, 1867-1897 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1934-1953 Wayne County Death Index. An index to original records held at the Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library. These records do not include deaths that occurred within the City of Detroit.
 * Detroit Death Index, 1920 - current. Microfiche index of all deaths occurring in the City of Detroit.
 * Wayne County and Detroit Death Records and Obituaries - A Genealogy Records Guide

Societies and Libraries
Wayne County Irish Society 31975 Cowan Westland 48185

Western Wayne County Genealogical Society PO Box 530063 Livonia 48153-0063

West Side Detroit Polish American Historical Society 3245 Junction Street Detroit MI. 4821 Website

Romulus Historical Society  11121 Wayne Rd. Romulus 48174

Northville Genealogical Society PO Box 932 Northville, MI 48167-0932 Website

Polish Genealogical Society Of Michigan 5201 Woodward Ave. Detroit 48202-4007 Website

Lincoln Park Historical Museum Jerr Day, Curator 1335 Southfield Road Lincoln Pary, Michigan 48146 Telephone: 313-386-3137 Website

Fred Hart Williams Genealogical Society c/o Burton Historical Collection Detroit Public Library 5201 Woodward Avenue Detroit MI 48202

Dearborn Genealogical Society PO Box 1112 Dearborn Michigan 48121-1112 E-mail:[mailto:dbngs@comcast.net dbngs@comcast.net] Website

Genealogical Societies

 * Western Wayne County Genealogical Society
 * Dearborn Genealogical Society
 * Dearborn Genealogical Society

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers


 * Palmer Park Michigan Family History Center 17400 Second Ave, Detroit, MI 48203 United States


 * Riverview Michigan Family History Center 18701 Grange Rd, Riverview, MI 48192 United States


 * Westland Michigan Family History Center 7575 N Hix Rd, Westland, MI 48185 United States

Websites

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