Adoption FAQ
Maintained by the Michigan Department of Human Services, this site links to questions and answers relating to adoption. The first part of the page lists questions useful to those interested in adopting, and the second part has questions that may be of interest to adoptees.
Central Adoption Registry
Maintained by the Michigan Department of Human Services, this site contains former parent and adult former sibling statements giving consent or denial to have information about themselves released to an adult adopted person.
Closed Adoption Record Information
Maintained by the Michigan Department of Human Services, this site has resources for searchers.
International Soundex Reunion Registry
A mutual consent reunion registry for family members who have been separated from each other by adoption, divorce, foster care institutional care, abandonment, etc.
Michigan Searching
Adoption search and support information for those affected by the closed records adoption system in Michigan.
Michigan Vital Records: Adoptees Requesting a Birth Record
Release of Adoption Information
Information about Michigan's adoption laws from the Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange.
Reunite.com
Information for searchers, including information on laws for each state.
Top of Page
1930 Census Microfilm Finding Guide
Search by geographic location to find enumeration district number and roll number for 1930 census microfilm.
Cyndi's List: U.S. Census
Enumeration Forms
1850 to 2000.
Historical Census Browser
Statistical data from the census at the state and county level, 1790 to 1960.
U.S. Census Bureau: Genealogy
Top of Page
Lou Kessler's Genealogy Software Links
Genealogist provides an extensive list of computer programs and provides his reviews.
Genealogy Software Review 2008
From Top Ten Reviews consumer site.
Genealogy Software Reviews: Product Reviews, Comparison Reports
Consumer Search compares program reviews.
Top of Page
English Versions of Foreign Names
Includes Czech, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Slovakian, Russian and Yiddish names.
Information Wanted
A database of advertisements for Irish immigrants published in the Boston Pilot from October 1831 to October 1921.
Irish Ancestors
Surnames, magazine searching, and place names.
Italian Genealogy
Useful starting points for exploring Italian heritage.
Jewish Genealogy Home Page
JewishGen Discussion Group, the JewishGen Family Finder (a database of nearly 200,000 surnames and towns), the comprehensive directory of InfoFiles, ShtetLinks for more than 200 communities, and a variety of databases such as the ShtetlSeeker and Jewish Records Indexing-Poland.
Native Nations
Links to pages that have either been set up by the nations themselves, or are pages devoted to a particular nation, and are alphabetical by tribal name.
Top of Page
Ancestry.com
Genealogy databases. The Social Security Death Index is available for no charge.
Cyndi's List
Comprehensive collection of Internet genealogy resources.
Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter
Genealogy news and events.
Everton Publishers Inc.
Forty databases with more than 85 million names. Some members-only.
Family History Archive
Digitized collection of family histories and other books significant to genealogists, such as biographies, city and county histories, city directories and more. Search by surname, title or author. Narrow your search by keyword to search the full text of documents.
FamilySearch
Genealogy resources from the Church of Latter-day Saints.
FamilySearch Labs
Showcases new family history technologies to solicit user feedback to help refine ideas and bring them to market.
Find a Grave
Search for graves.
Librarians Serving Genealogists
Links to genealogy libraries, reference sources, continuing education and Listservs.
MeL Genealogy
From the Michigan eLibrary. Web sites recommended by librarians.
One-Step Web Pages by Stephen P. Morse
Additional tools for searching databases such as Ellis Island, Castle Garden and the census.
RootsWeb
Genealogy databases, message boards and research tips.
Social Security Enrollment Applications
Describes information contained in application; generates request to Social Security Administration.
USGenWeb Project
Grassroots project to put genealogy information online for each county in the United States. Each state has a page listing types of records available.
USGenWeb Search Us
Search each state's genealogy Web pages on USGenWeb.
Top of Page
American Colonist's Library - Primary Documents
Includes philosophical and religious works, historical works on earlier residents, early legal actions, reference works and personal accounts.
American History and Genealogy Project
Network of independent sites covering North America.
Top of Page
1819 to 1820 U.S. Passenger List
Arrivals in 35 ports in 14 states and the District of Columbia between October 1819 and September 1820.
Archives of Michigan Naturalization Indexes
Indexes to naturalization records for some Michigan counties.
CastleGarden.org
A database of information on 10 million immigrants from 1830 to 1892.
Ellis Island Records
Original ship manifests including more than 22 million passengers and ship crew members that passed through Ellis Island and the Port of New York between 1892 and 1924.
Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild
Transcripts by year and ship. Not searchable by name.
National Archives Naturalization Records
Name indexes to some naturalization records.
Top of Page
1901 Census of England and Wales
Comprehensive name index to more than 32 million individuals.
Australian Family History Compendium
Australian genealogical records on the Internet.
Automated Genealogy
Indexes to 1901, 1906 and 1911 Canadian censuses, as well as other Canadian resources.
Automated Genealogy 1911 Census of Canada Indexing Project
The Canada Directory
Names in municipality directories of Canada and a post office directory to November 1851.
Canadian Census of 1851 (Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia)
Search by geographic location only, not by family name. The digital images within this database are copies of the original microfilm records held by Library and Archives Canada.
Canadian Census of 1871, Ontario Index
The names of the heads of households in the Province of Ontario.
Canadian Genealogical Sources
From the Library and Archives Canada.
Census of Canada, 1911
Search by geographic location only; it is not searchable by name.
Early Canadiana Online
GENUKI: UK and Ireland Genealogy
In Search of your Canadian Past
County atlas project.
List of Quebec Counties
List of the historic counties and territories in Quebec, Canada, and their respective county seats.
Library and Archives Canada Miscellaneous Immigration Index
Information from the Library and Archives Canada card index of about 15,000 names. Mostly immigrants from Great Britain arriving in Canada between 1801 and 1849.
That's My Family
Search engine accesses genealogy and family history databases hosted by Canadian federal, provincial or territorial archives centres and libraries. Maintained by Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec in partnership with the Library and Archives Canada and the Council of Provincial and Territorial Archivists of Canada. Available in French and in English.
Worldwide Genealogy Resources
Sites for individual countries and regions.
Top of Page
Historical Maps of the United States
From the University of Texas at Austin.
Land Patents
Bureau of Land Management's General Land Office land patents prior to 1908.
Top of Page
Allen County (Ind.) Public Library Genealogy Department
Archives of Michigan Circulars
Guides identify records on a given topic.
Bentley Historical Library
Part of the University of Michigan.
Brigham Young University Family History Archive
Burton Historical Collection
Part of the Detroit Public Library.
Clarke Historical Library
Part of Central Michigan University.
Cyndi's List: Libraries, Archives and Museums Index
Illinois State Archives
Indiana State Library Genealogy Section
LDS Family History Centers
Library of Michigan Genealogy Collection Guides
Library of Michigan Genealogy Collection virtual tour
Michigan Technological University Archives & Copper Country Historical Collections
National Archives
National Archives Access to Archival Databases
Access online indexes and records from the National Archives. Only a small percentage of NARA's records and indexes are available online.
National Archives Archival Research Catalog
Search for keyword, digitized image or location. Search by organization, person or topic using advanced function.
National Archives Genealogy Page
Finding aids, guides and research tools to prepare for a visit or request records.
National Archives Microfilm Rental Program
National Archives Passport Records
Passport applications from October 1795 to March 1925. The U.S. Department of State has passport applications from April 1925 to present.
National Archives Records Available Online on Footnote
Digital images of some records preserved in the National Archives.
Public Libraries of Saginaw
Western Michigan University Archives and Regional History
Top of Page
50 Best Michigan Genealogical Resources
Wide range of resources covering different time periods and groups of people.
1870 Michigan Census
Indexes family names in each household in every county and township in Michigan in 1870. Compiled by the Library of Michigan.
African American Clippings Index Search
Includes about 70 newspapers from around Michigan, as well as Chicago. From the Grand Rapids Public Library.
American Ancestors of Michigan Governors
Information available in several formats.
Index to the Battle Creek Enquirer
Battle Creek newspapers indexed from 1852 to 1962, and 1975 to present.
Kalamazoo Public Library Local Indexes & Community Information
Kalamazoo Gazette, complete subject and name index, 1972 to 2005; Kalamazoo Gazette obituaries, 1857 to 1888, with more date information available from the Kalamazoo Public Library. When searching the database, select Local Indexes & Community Information under the library drop-down menu and choose a subject search.
Leelanau Cemetery Database
A listing of the text on every gravestone in the county. Ongoing project.
Macomb County Cemetery Master Index
A guide to the cemetery transcription work done by the Mount Clemens Public Library and the Macomb County Genealogy Group.
Making of Modern Michigan
Digitized local history materials, such as photographs, family papers, oral histories and genealogical materials, from around the state.
Michigan Biographical Index
Name index of many Michigan publications and manuscripts.
Michigan Cemetery Sources
Lists published cemetery transcriptions located at the Library of Michigan. Identifies the location of more 3,700 cemeteries in Michigan. Links to online cemetery transcriptions.
Michigan County Clerks Directory
Contact information, hours and genealogy research procedures.
Michigan County Histories
Digitized reproductions of Michigan county atlases and histories dating from 1866 to 1926. Ongoing project.
Michigan Genealogist Newsletter
Genealogy newsletter from the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries.
Michigan Grand Army of the Republic Records
List of known Michigan G.A.R. records and location.
Michigan Historical Collections
Digitized reproduction of Michigan Historical/Pioneer Collection.
Michigan Newspaper Holdings at the Library of Michigan
List of Michigan newspapers on microfilm, organized by county.
Michigan Poorhouse History
Photos and links to more information on Michigan poorhouses.
MIGenWeb Project
Mount Clemens City Directory Master Index
Business and personal names, 1896 to 1897, 1899 to 1906, 1911 to 1924. Ongoing.
Sault Ste. Marie Evening News Index
Evening News, 1888 to present; other Sault Ste. Marie papers, 1887 to 1903. Ongoing.
Statewide Search for Subdivision Plats
Includes all plats in the State of Michigan beginning with the plats created under the 1821 territorial act for recording town plats. From the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth.
Women's History Clippings Index Search
Includes about 70 newspapers from around Michigan, as well as Chicago. From the Grand Rapids Public Library.
Top of Page
American Battle Monuments Commission Burial Listings
Burial information for some soldiers in the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II and the Korean War.
American Civil War Homepage
Histories, bibliographies, documentary records, rosters and regimental histories.
Index to Descriptive Recruitment Lists of Volunteers for the United States Colored Troops for the State of Missouri, 1863-1865
More than 5,500 entries. Browse by recruits' names or by slave owners' names.
Nationwide Gravesite Locator
Database listing burial locations of veterans and their family members in Veterans Affairs' national cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries and other military cemeteries, and for veterans buried in private cemeteries when the grave is marked with a government grave marker.
Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion
30-volume set. Browse down first page to see links to individual volumes listed under "United States. Naval War Records Office."
United States Army War College Library
U.S. Army Heritage Collection Online
From the Special Collections Branch of United States Army Military History Institute. Users may search for books and digitized manuscripts, letters and photos.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
The Virtual Wall of the 58,000 who are listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Maintained by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.
The Wall USA: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Database of those listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Maintained by veterans of the 4th Battalion 9th Infantry Regiment.
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies
70-volume set. Browse down page to links to individual volumes listed under "United States. War Dept."
Top of Page
Association of Professional Genealogists
Cyndi's List: Societies and Groups
Education, events, activities, libraries, archives and museums, professional researchers, message boards and volunteer online regional projects.
Federation of Genealogical Societies
Gratiot County Historical and Genealogical Society
Michigan Genealogical Council
Michigan Genealogical Council: Member Organizations
Contact information for member genealogy societies.
National Genealogical Society
Service organization for the national genealogical community. Provides online classes and genealogical standards.
Top of Page
Atlases of New York City
1850s to 1940s. From the New York Public Library.
Colonial Connecticut Records
Digitized volumes of the Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, 1636 to 1776.
Freedmen's Bureau Online
Transcribed records of the Bureau arranged by state.
Indiana WPA Vital Records Microfilm Index
Guide lists county, record type and date range for each microfilm reel of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Indexes to Indiana County Vital Records. This microfilm set is available at the Library of Michigan.
Iowa Old Press
Transcriptions of many Iowa newspapers from the 1800s and early 1900s.
New England Historic Genealogical Society
The homepage of one of the nation's largest genealogical organizations. Access the society's databases at the Library of Michigan.
New York State Newspaper Project
New York newspapers on microfilm at the New York State Library by city of publication.
Ohio Memory
Primary sources from archives, historical societies, libraries and museums.
Pennsylvania State Archives
Card files for Civil War veterans, Revolutionary War, World War I and more.
Rediscovering New York History and Culture
From the New York State Archives. Lists organizations collecting and making historical records available around New York. Provides contact information for record holders.
Richmond Daily Dispatch
November 1860 to December 1865.
University of Wisconsin Digital Collections
Historical county plat maps from South Central Wisconsin and early Madison city directories.
Top of Page
Arizona Genealogy Birth and Death Certificates
Digitized images of original records. Births, 1887 to 1931; deaths, 1878 to 1956.
British Columbia Archives Vital Events Indexes
Search by geographic location only, not by family name. Births, 1872 to 1903; marriages, 1872 to 1930; deaths, 1872 to 1985; colonial marriages, 1859 to 1872; baptisms, more than 120 years old.
California Births, 1905-1995
From Family Tree Legends.
California Deaths, 1940-1997
From Family Tree Legends.
Free Obituaries Online
Links organized by country and state to sites containing obituaries, and death and funeral notices.
Georgia Death Certificates, 1919-1927
The collection also includes a number of certificates from 1914-1918, with the bulk dating from 1917 and 1918.
Illinois State Archives Records
Statewide death and marriage indexes, as well as local records and Illinois veterans records.
Kentucky Vital Statistics Index
Births, 1911 to 1912; deaths, 1911 to 2000; marriages, 1973 to 2000.
Maine State Archives: Deaths
Index, 1960 to 1996.
Maine State Archives: Marriages
Index, 1892 to 1996; there is a gap from 1967 to 1976.
Massachusetts Vital Records Search
Birth and death indexes, 1841 to 1911.
Minnesota Birth Certificates Index
1900 to 1929.
Minnesota Death Certificates Index
1904 to 2001.
Missouri Death Certificates
Index is complete for 1910 to 1956; images are available for 1910 to 1939 and 1945 to 1956.
MortalitySchedules.com
Transcriptions of some of the census mortality schedules for Michigan and other states. Michigan mortality records are available for every census year between 1850-1880. Information given regarding those who died within the 12 months preceding the census.
New Jersey Index to Marriage Records, 1666-1799
Index includes the Secretary of State's Marriage Bonds and Licenses, 1711 to 1795, and marriages recorded in colonial deed books and other collections.
New Jersey Index to Marriage Records, 1848-1867
May 1, 1848 to May 31, 1867.
New York City Death Index
Manhattan only, 1891 to 1894; Manhattan and Brooklyn only, 1895 to 1897; all boroughs, 1898 to 1948.
New York City Grooms Index
Kings County, 1864 to 1907; Manhattan, 1895 to 1897; New York City, 1908 to 1936.
New York City Brides Index
Bronx County, 1899 to 1937; Kings County, 1871 to 1910, 1931 to 1937; Manhattan, 1866 to 1905; Richmond County, 1898 to 1937; Queens County, 1905 to 1937.
Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics
Birth records, 1864 to 1877; death records, 1864 to 1877 and 1908 to 1955; marriage records, 1864 to 1930.
Ohio Online Death Certificate Index
Death index, 1913 to 1944.
Ohio Obituary Index
Obituaries, death and marriage notices, and other sources; 1810s to present.
Online Searchable Death Indexes & Records
A directory of online indexes by state and county.
Public Record Databases
More than 1,525 searchable public record databases. Includes national, state, regional and Canadian. Some fee-based.
Social Security Death Index (SSDI)
From RootsWeb.
South Dakota Birth Records Index
Births more than 100 years old.
Texas Births, 1926-1995
From Family Tree Legends.
Texas Deaths, 1964-1998
From Family Tree Legends.
Texas Marriages
From Family Tree Legends.
Utah Death Certificates
Death certificates from 1905 to 1956.
Virginia Death Records Index
1853 to 1896 for some counties.
Washington State Digital Archives
Births, deaths and marriages for some counties, as well as naturalization records, military records and more.
West Virginia Veterans Memorial Archives Database
Information on more than ten thousand men and women from West Virginia who died during 20th century military actions.
West Virginia Vital Records
Births, marriages and deaths. Deaths cover 1917 to 1957, plus some additional years for some counties. Births and marriages available for some counties for some years.
Western States Marriage Records Index
Pre-1900 marriages for Arizona, Idaho and Nevada, as well as many counties in those states into the 1930s and beyond. Marriages for selected counties in California, Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Windsor (Ont.) Star Obituary Index
1938 to 1940 and 1946 to 2007. From the Windsor Public Library.
Wisconsin Vital Records
Birth, marriage and death indexes, 1840s to 1907, as well as 150,000 Wisconsin Name Index records, including biographical sketches, obituaries and newspaper articles published before 2000.
Top of Page
Barry County Clerk's Office Vital Records Indexes
Death index starts in 1867; marriage index in 1839.
Biography and Genealogy Master Index
Access at the Library of Michigan or outside the Library via MeL.
Branch County Clerk's Office Vital Records
Death index.
Brighton District Library Obituary Index
Livingston County Press & Argus (formerly the Brighton Argus), 1880 to 2008.
Charlevoix Courier Obituary Database
Cheboygan County Index to Deaths and Marriages
Deaths, 1867 to 1933; marriages, 1869 to 1925.
Chelsea District Library Family History Index Online
15,500 obituary entries for Chelsea residents from its founding in 1834 to the present. Records include name information about the decedent, parents, spouses and children, as well as dates of birth and death, places of birth and death, cemetery, funeral home, date of obituary and an image of the complete obituary where available.
Clinton County Births to 1900 from Newspapers and Other Sources
Abstracted and compiled by the Genealogists of the Clinton County Historical Society.
Clinton County Death Record Search
1934 to present.
Clinton County Deaths from Newspapers and Other Sources
Abstracted and compiled by the Genealogists of the Clinton County Historical Society.
Clinton County Marriages 1863 to 1900
Abstracted and compiled by the Genealogists of the Clinton County Historical Society.
Clinton County Marriages 1901 to 1940
Abstracted and compiled by the Genealogists of the Clinton County Historical Society.
Delta County Genealogical Society Indexes
Births, 1867 to 1915; divorces, 1883 to 1949; marriages, 1862 to 1927; probates, 1873to 1975.
Diamond Drill (Iron County) Obituary Index
1907 to 1996. Browsable.
Free Obituaries Online: Michigan
Links to sites containing obituaries, and death and funeral notices.
GENDIS (Genealogical Death Indexing System)
Michigan Department of Community Health Death Index, 1867 to 1882.
Genesee County Clerk's Vital Records Services
Death index begins in 1930; marriage index in 1963.
Genesee County Birth Index
1878 to 1907.
Genesee County Death Index
1867 to 1930.
Genesee County Marriage Index
1867 to 1934.
Grand Traverse County Records
Death and marriage indexes.
Ingham County Democrat Newspaper Index
Name index to the deceased, 1901 to 1915.
Ingham County Records
Indexes to deaths, 1986 to present, and marriages, 1992 to present. Users must register at no charge to search the indexes.
Isabella County Enterprise: Births, Deaths, Marriage Licences and Marriages
Newspaper transcriptions, 1875 to 1900.
Isabella County Obituary Index
Obituaries published in Mount Pleasant newspapers.
Isabella County Online Vital Statistics Index
Transcriptions of births, 1867 to 1904; deaths, 1867 to 1924; marriages, 1857 to 1890.
Leelanau Enterprise Obituary Archive
1999 to May 2003.
Lenawee County Newspaper Extractions
Death and marriage notices transcribed from Adrian and other area newspapers, 1850s to 1870s.
Livingston County Michigan Death Index
1867 to 1948.
Macomb County Clerk
Death index, 1960 to present. Includes some pre-1960 deaths.
Macomb County Obituary Index
Complete coverage, 1968 to 2004; some coverage, 1880 to present.
Manistee County Records of Death Index
1869 to 1973.
Michigan Obituary Project
Links to Michigan counties with user-contributed, transcribed obituaries.
Michigan Vital Records
Michigan birth, death and marriage records since 1867; Michigan divorce records since 1897.
Muskegon County Death Index
1867 to 1965; in progress.
Newaygo County Local Records Database
Obituaries, marriages, births, anniversaries and military service.
Online Michigan Death Records & Indexes
Guide to Web sites.
Ottawa County Death Records
Transcriptions of ledger books, 1867 to 1901.
Saginaw County Death and Marriage Indexes
1995 to present.
Saginaw News Obituary Index
More than 200,000 obituaries. Project is ongoing.
Saint Clair County Obituaries & Deaths
User-submitted obituaries transcriptions.
Saint Clair County Vital Records
Death index, 1868 to 1974. Transcribed marriage ledger books, 1838 to 1898.
Saint Joseph County Death Index
1867 to 1929; 1997 to 1998.
Schoolcraft County Death Index
1870 to 1899.
Southwest Michigan Obituary Index
More than 70,000 entries through 2000. Includes newspapers from Allegan, Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties. Project is ongoing.
Stockbridge Newspaper Death Index
1886 to 1955, 1960 to 1966 and 1968 to 1999.
Traverse City Record-Eagle Obituaries
May 1, 1999 to present.
Trenton Historical Online Databases
Index to city death certificates, 1908 to 2005; index to obituaries of city residents, 1905 to present; transcriptions of Bloomdale, Butler and the Old Burial Ground Cemeteries.
Tuscola County Death Index
About 1872 to 1902.
Washtenaw County Clerk/Register's Office
Death index, 1960 to present; marriage index, 1965 to present.
Washtenaw County Newspaper Notices
Index of obituaries, deaths, marriages, birthdays and other notices. Begins with the 1840s.
Western Michigan Genealogical Society Online Databases
Indexes to marriages, obituaries and more.
Top of Page
Updated 04/26/2008
Department of History, Arts and Libraries
Contact us with your question or comment about this page.
Printer Friendly
Text Version 
Email Page
