Thursday, January 26, 2012

Michigan Resources - Online Hidden Gems

I have been researching in the state of Michigan for many years.  Much of my ancestry can be traced to several counties in lower Michigan: Ingham, Eaton, Shiawassee, Livingston, Kent, Mecosta, and Saginaw.  Below are several small or local resources I have found helpful, either online or in person.

Ingham

Ingham County Genealogical Society offers publications for sale, including cemetery transcriptions and newspaper reels on CD; Ingham County Democrat obituary index online

MIGenWeb Ingham County the "official" GenWeb site offering many record transcriptions, including early marriages

Eaton

Grand Ledge Area Historical Society has a HUGE vital statistics online card file and many old photos

Shiawassee

Shiawassee County Surname File includes cemetery records

Shiawassee County Obituary Index  Argus-Press obituary index with ordering instructions, dates to 1862

Livingston

Livingston County, MI many online early vital records, cemetery, and biographical transcription databases

Kent

Western Michigan Genealogical Society a fantastic treasure trove of data, including the city of Grand Rapids; includes online record ordering

Mecosta

Mecosta County Genealogical Society online obituary index; index to society holdings by record type

Saginaw

Saginaw Obituary Database has ordering instructions for copies

Saginaw Public Library has links to online databases of local records, including cemeteries and city directories

Don't forget!

One of the latest online resources for the state of Michigan is SeekingMichigan. Use the "Seek" feature to search for viewable death certificates from 1897-1920.  Other records include photos and Civil War records.  This is a joint project of the Library of Michigan and the Archives of Michigan.



royalty free clip art maps provided by Free US and World Maps


Please share if you have other helpful sites!