Manistee County, Michigan Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for the name "Manistee" is from an Ojibwe word first applied to the principal river of the county. The County is located in the west area of the state.

County Courthouse
Manistee County Courthouse 415 Third Street Manistee, MI 49660 Phone: 231-723-3331 Manistee County Website

County Clerk has birth and death records from 1867, marriage and divorce records from 1856 and court records from 1855. Probate Court has probate records. Register of Deeds has land records.

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 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

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

Directories

 * 1863-1922 Michigan State Gazetteers and Business Directories at Hathi Trust, images – includes business directories for towns across the state

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1929-1966 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Local Histories

 * Lamont Family Barn Pleasanton Township, Manistee County, MI a Blog post by Linda Holm, a history from 1884-2008

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 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
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

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

Naturalization and Citizenship

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

Newspapers

 * Digital Michigan Newspapers at Central Michigan University
 * 1934 Pleasanton Methodist Church, article was written for their 40th Anniversary and printed in the Bear Lake Newspaper.

Obituaries

 * 1820-2006 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * 1784-1980 Michigan Wills and Probate Records 1784-1980 at Ancestry $
 * 1797-1973 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

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.

Birth

 * 1867-1902 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1867-1917 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

Archives

 * Hart Michigan Family History Center
 * Manitowoc Wisconsin Family History Center
 * Muskegon Michigan Family History Center
 * Sheboygan Wisconsin Family History Center


 * Hackley Public Library: Torrant House - an affiliate library

Family History Centers

 * Big Rapids Michigan Family History Center
 * Hart Michigan Family History Center
 * Muskegon Michigan Family History Center


 * Hackley Public Library - an affiliate library

Museums
Manistee Genealogical and Historical Society/Museum 425 River Street Manistee, MI 49660 Phone Number: 231-723–5531 Website

Societies

 * Kaleva Historical Society 14551 Wuoski Ave. Kaleva MI 49645 Phone: 616-362-2080 Website


 * Manistee County Historical Society and Museum 425 River Street Manistee, MI 49660 Phone: 231-723–5531 Email: [mailto:manisteemuseum@gmail.com manisteemuseum@gmail.com] Website Facebook

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
 * Manistee County MI Genealogy (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.