Washtenaw County, Michigan Genealogy
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Guide to Washtenaw County, Michigan ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Washtenaw County, Michigan | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Michigan | |
 Location of Michigan in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | September 10, 1822 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Ann Arbor |
| Courthouse | |
| Address | Washtenaw County Courthouse 200 N Main St. Suite 120 P. O. Box 8645 Ann Arbor, MI 48107-8645 Phone: (734) 222-6700 Washtenaw County Website |
Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 County Courthouse
- 3 History
- 4 Places/Localities
- 5 Resources
- 6 Societies and Libraries
- 7 Websites
- 8 References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for Washtenaw is a variant of the Ojibwa word: "Wash-ten-ong," meaning what is now called the "Grand River". The County is located in the southeast area of the state.[1]
Washtenaw County, Michigan Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1867 | 1867 | 1867 | 1835 | 1835 | 1837 | 1820 |
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
County Clerk has birth, marriage and death records
from 1867, divorce, court and land records,
naturalization records and supervisors records from 1835. [3]
A Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County volunteer is at Vital Records Office every Thursday (except holidays) between 10a.m.-2p.m. to assist people using death and marriage records.
History[edit | edit source]
Washtenaw County is directly west of Detroit, and is situated on the old 'Chicago Road' which today is US Highway 12. One of the first things that took place after the town of Ann Arbor was formed was to start the University of Michigan, which is today one of the largest in the United States. It contains a significant collection of historical documents in its library given the nearly 200 years it has been in existence, having been formed in the 1820s.
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1822--Washtenaw County was created 10 September 1822 from Wayne and Oakland Counties. It was attached to Wayne County prior to organization 31 December 1826. County seat: Ann Arbor [4]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Places/Localities[edit | edit source]
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
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:[5]
| Cities | ||
| Villages | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
|
|
|
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Ingham • Jackson • Lenawee • Livingston • Monroe • Oakland • Wayne
Resources[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
| Tombstone Transcriptions Online | Tombstone Transcriptions in Print | List of Cemeteries in the county |
| Findagrave.com | Family History Library | Findagrave.com |
| USGenWeb | WorldCat | Billion Graves |
| MIGenWeb Archives | ||
| Tombstone Project | ||
| MIInterment | ||
| EPodunk | ||
| Billion Graves | ||
| See Michigan Cemeteries for more information. | ||
- Dolph Funeral Home Records: Courtesy of the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan. this funeral home is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Coverage: June, 1937-September, 1952.
- Genealogical Society of Washtneaw County Research Section: Cemetery Records
Census[edit | edit source]
Federal Census
- 1820 Census - 1820 Federal Population Census for Michigan for the Territory of Michigan. MiGenWeb Project
- 1830 Census - 1830 Census of Michigan Territory: Washtenaw County. MiGenWeb Project
- 1840 Census - 1840 Superior Township, Washtenaw County, Michigan Census, Page 1, Page 2. MiGenWeb Project
- 1860 Census - Washtenaw, MI 1860 Federal Census, Freedom Township, Sylvan Township. MiGenWeb Project
- 1870 Census - City of Ann Arbor. MiGenWeb Project
State Census
- 1894 - Michigan State Census, 1894 at FamilySearch — index
Church[edit | edit source]
Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Michigan denominations, view the Michigan Church Records wiki page.
- 1819-1991 - Michigan, Church Records, 1819-1991 at FamilySearch — index
Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Ann Arbor
Court[edit | edit source]
Washtenaw Clerk/Register of Deeds Vital Records
Phone: 734-222-6720
200 N. Main
P.O. Box 8645
Ann Arbor, MI 48107
Phone: 734-222-6700
Fax: 734-222-6528
Washtenaw County Courthouse
200 North Main Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48107
Ethnic[edit | edit source]
American Indian[edit | edit source]
The Indians of Washtenaw County, Michigan. By Wilbert B. Hinsdale. FHL| 45162 | FHL book 970.1 H596i WorldCat
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
- 1929 - 1966 Michigan, Crew Lists for various ports, 1929-1966 at FamilySearch — index and images
Land[edit | edit source]
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
See Michigan Land and Property for additional information about early Michigan land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Washtenaw County, Michigan Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Michigan Local Histories.
Maps[edit | edit source]
Click a neighboring county
for more resources
for more resources
- Family Maps of Washtenaw County, Michigan Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
- Maps of Michigan (1790-1897)
Military[edit | edit source]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Civil War service men from Washtenaw 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 Washtenaw County.
- -1st Regiment, Michigan Cavalry, Company E
- -14th Regiment, Michigan Infantry, Company H
- -17th Regiment, Michigan Infantry, Companies B and E
Online Records
- Michigan, Civil War Centennial Observance Commission, Committee on Civil War Grave Registration, Burial Records at FamilySearch — index
Spanish American War[edit | edit source]
- Michigan Volunteers in the Spanish American War - Veterans by County. MiGenWeb Project
World War I[edit | edit source]
- 1917-1919 - Michigan, Census of World War I Veterans with Card Index, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch — index
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
- Ann Arbor Argus - full-text digital issues in Google News Archive; covers 1889-1896
- Ann Arbor Argus-Democrat - Google News Archive; covers 1902-1906
- Ann Arbor Journal - Google News Archive; covers 1855-1863
- Ann Arbor Record - Google News Archive; covers 1902-1903
- Ann Arbor Register - Google News Archive; 1875-1897
Finding More Michigan Newspapers[edit source]
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Washtenaw County, Michigan Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- The Saginaw News
- Do a Washtenaw County, Michigan Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the Family History Library Catalog (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search).
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- 1820-2006 - Michigan Obituaries, 1820-2006 at FamilySearch — index and images
Probate[edit | edit source]
In most counties in Michigan, probate records have been kept by the county judge. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate packets, and dockets. The records are available at the county courthouse.
The FamilySearch Catalog lists films of probate records. To find the records for this county, use the Place Search for Michigan, Washtenaw and search for Probate records in the list.
- Note: Not every county in Michigan will have Probate Records in the FamilySearch Catalog.
Older probate records are located at the Archives of Michigan in Lansing.
Probate Court
101 East Huron St. - Rm 314
PO Box 8645
Ann Arbor, MI 48107-8645
Telephone: (734) 222-3072
email: probate@ewashtenaw.org
Online Probate Records
- 1784 – 1980 Michigan Wills and Probate Records 1784-1980 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
- 1797 – 1973 Michigan Probate Records 1797-1973 at FamilySearch — images
Taxation[edit | edit source]
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased as shown below:
- Birth Records and Death Records from the Michigan Department of Community Health (from 1867) or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred.
- Marriage Records (from 1867) and Divorce Records (from 1897) from the County Clerk.
- Marriage Records (from 1867) and Divorce Records (from 1897) from the County Clerk.
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1867-1917 - Michigan, County Births, 1867-1917 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1867-1902 - Michigan Birth Registrations, 1867-1902-- Free name indexes and images at FamilySearch. Records include such information as name of child, birthdate and place, if still-born, illegitimate or twin, gender, race and record number.
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1585-1945 - Michigan, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 1820-1937 - Michigan, County Marriages Index, 1820-1937 at FamilySearch — index
- 1820-1940 - Michigan, County Marriages, 1820-1940 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1868-1925 - Michigan Marriage Registrations, 1868-1925 -- Free name indexes at FamilySearch. Records include such information as names of bride and groom, date of license, ages, race, residences, birthplaces, occupations and names of the fathers of the bride and groom.
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1850-1880 - Michigan Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1867-1897 - Michigan Death Registrations, 1867-1897 - Free name indexes and images at FamilySearch. Records include such information as name of deceased, date and place of death, gender, color, marital status, age in years, months and days, disease or apparent cause of death, birthplace, names and occupations of parents, and the date the record was made.
- Washtenaw County Death Resources. MiGenWeb Project
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Inc.
PO Box 7155
Ann Arbor, MI 48107-7155
E-mail:info@washtenawgenealogy.org
Website
Washtenaw County Historical Society
PO Box 3336
Ann Arbor 48106-3336
- FamilySearch Wiki: Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County
- Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County Library.
- Washtenaw County Historical & Genealogical Societies. MiGenWeb Project
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.
- For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map
- Ann Arbor Michigan Family History Center 525 E Woodland Dr, Rear Entrance, Saline ,MI 48176 United States
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Washtenaw County, MI History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Michigan Genealogy Network Community on Google+
- Michigan Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- USGenWeb Michigan: May have maps, name indexes, history or other information
- Washtenaw County Genealogy (Michigan Genealogy): Links to online records
- Finding Your Washtenaw County Ancestors (on the Website of the Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County)
- FamilySearch Catalog
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Washtenaw County, Georgia" in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washtenaw_County,_Michigan accessed 8 Nov 2018
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Washtenaw County, Michigan . Page 343-351 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 346-349.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Washtenaw County, Michigan page 351, At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, " Washtenaw County, Michigan," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washtenaw_County%2C_Michigan, accessed 16 November 2019.
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