Genealogy and Local History
Use your library card number to access these resources if requested.
Local History / Genealogy Room
The Local History / Genealogy Room houses the historical collections of the Library. These include the Reference Michigan collection (RM), Reference Genealogy (RG), Midland newspapers on microfilm, and other microform materials. The Reference Michigan collection is comprised of materials pertinent to the City of Midland and Midland County, materials important to the development and history of the county, major industries, and major personages.
Library Subscriptions
Family history resource including more than 6 billion historical records from the United States, Europe, Latin America, and other regions. Includes the full USA federal census (1790-1940).
(1870-1922) View digital scan of the early years of Midland newspapers. You can also see citations for the paper, 1963 - current.
Search historical newspapers for Michigan. Explore to find news, notices of birth, marriages and death, sports, comics and high quality digital images.
American Ancestors
(In-Library use only) Access records spanning the United States, the British Isles, continental Europe, and beyond. Includes Early American genealogical records.
Other Midland Resources
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The John Alden Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution
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The Midland Genealogical Society - Pioneer Record Newsletter
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Plat Maps from the 1831 Survey of Midland County/Little Forks
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Portrait and Biographical Album of Midland County, Mich.: Containing Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the County ... Also Containing a Complete History of the County from Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time (1884)
Great Lakes Bay Area Resources
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Bay County Library System - Local History and Genealogy | Bay County Genealogical Society
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Clare - Pere Marquette District Library | Clare County Historical Society
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Gladwin County Library Genealogical Society | Gladwin County Historical Society
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Isabella County - Chippewa River District Library | Genealogical Society of Isabella County
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Public Libraries of Saginaw Local History & Genealogy Collection | Saginaw Genealogical Society
Michigan Resources
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Archives of Michigan | Getting Started in Genealogy | Michigan Historical Center
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Bentley Historical Library - Historical Materials relating to the State of Michigan and the University of Michigan.
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Clarke Historical Library | CONDOR (Clark Online Digital Object Repository) - Includes historical newspapers, CMU yearbooks, and other historical documents.
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Detroit Public Library Digital Collections - Including the Burton Historical Collection (Detroit, Michigan and the Old Northwest, Canada, and New France).
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GENDIS - the Michigan Genealogical Death Indexing System, containing 460,000 Michigan death records from 1867-1897.
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Great Lakes Maritime Collection - Information about 14,000 19th-century Great Lakes sailing ships, hosted by the Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library.
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Michigan County Histories and Atlases Digitization Project - 428 digitized titles dated between 1866 and 1926.
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Michigan Plat Maps - General Land Office (GLO) plat maps documenting the original land surveys that the federal government conducted in the early-to-mid-1800s.
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Michiganology - Gateway for research from the Michigan History Center | Michigan Death Certificates (Formerly SeekingMichigan.org).
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UPLink - A large collection of Upper Peninsula historical newspapers freely available online. [Cloverland Magazine, Escanaba (Daily Mirror, Morning Press and Daily Press, Tribune, and Iron Port), Grand Marais (Gazette, Herald, and Superior Sun [Grand Marais High School]), Ishpeming, Manistique (Courier, Pioneer Tribune, Saturday & Sunday Morning Star), Marquette, Negaunee, Nishnawbe News.]
National Resources
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Castle Garden - No longer available online, check Ancestry Library edition (In-Library use only) to find similar information.
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Ellis Island Foundation - Free registration required
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FamilySearch.org - The largest collection of genealogical and historical records in the world; a free service provided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Fold3 - Dedicated to U.S Military Records. Pay site, but with some free material
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General Land Records Office - Bureau of Land Management
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We Relate Wiki - Free online tutorial videos. You will need headphones to listen to the tutorial. You may bring your own or check out a set from the Checkout Desk.
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Where to Write for Vital Records - online from the CDC
Genealogy Libraries & Organizations
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Internet Archive - Contains free images of many old books, texts, films, etc.
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Linkpendium - Family Discoverer search engine
Local Genealogical Societies
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Cornish Connection of Lower Michigan
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Detroit Society for Genealogical Research
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Fred Hart Williams Genealogical Society
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French-Canadian Heritage Society of Michigan
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Genealogical Society of Flemish Americans
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Hungarian Genealogical Society of Michigan
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Irish Genealogical Society of Michigan
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Jewish Genealogical Society of Michigan
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Michigan Germanic Genealogical Society
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Michigan Italian Genealogy Society
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Michigan Society of the Order of Founders and Patriots of America
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Ontario Ancestors: the Ontario Genealogical Society
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Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan
updated 04/20/2020