Bay County, Michigan Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for Saginaw Bay. The County is located in the east area of the state.

County Courthouse
Bay County Courthouse 515 Center Avenue, Ste. 101 Bay City, MI 48708-5122 Phone: 989-895-4280 Fax: 989-895-4284 Bay County Website County Clerk has birth records from 1868, marriage records from 1857, death records from 1867, divorce records from 1883, and court records from 1965. 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:

Cemeteries

 * 1799-1999 at FamilySearch — index and images

Census Records
 State Census
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
 * 1894 at FamilySearch - How to Use this CollectionThis is one of 17 counties that have a full, searchable census with links to images.
 * 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
 * Bay County is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saginaw.
 * FamilySearch Places

Directories

 * 1863-1922 Michigan State Gazetteers and Business Directories at Hathi Trust Digital Library — images

Emigration and Immigration

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

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

Obituaries

 * 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
 * 1857-1870 (*); County Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1858-1900 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1858-1923 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1858-1973 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1868-1915 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1868-1916 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — 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.

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

 * Caro Michigan FamilySearch Center
 * Midland Michigan FamilySearch Center
 * Saginaw Michigan FamilySearch Center


 * Gladwin County District Library - an affiliate library
 * Hoyt Public Library - an affiliate library

Societies

 * Bay County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 1366 Bay City MI 48706-0366 Email: [mailto:bcgs13@yahoo.com bcgs13@yahoo.com] Website Facebook


 * Bay County Historical Society 321 Washington Ave Bay City, MI 48708 Phone: 989-893-5733 Email: [mailto:info@bchsmuseum.org binfo@bchsmuseum.org] Website Facebook


 * Saginaw River Marine Historical Society Dept. P.O. Box 2051 Bay City, MI 48707-2051 989-545-9425 Email: [mailto:secretary.srmhs@gmail.com secretary.srmhs@gmail.com] Website Facebook

Websites

 * The Bay County MIGenWeb Project, a member of The MIGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * Bay 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.