Genealogy
Looking For A Washtenaw County Obituary?
To request an obituary for the greater Ann Arbor area, email the Ann Arbor District Library Archives at archives@aadl.org. Staff will conduct a search and contact you with any results.
Explore our essential databases for researching your ancestors & family history.
Access billions of names in thousands of genealogical databases including Census and Vital Records, birth, marriage and death notices, the Social Security Death Index, Passenger lists and naturalizations, Military and Holocaust Records, City Directories, and African American and Native American Records. Library version of Ancestry.com.
(Access available onsite at any AADL building.)
Visitors to FamilySearch.org can search billions of digital images and indexes of genealogy records from all over the world: government and church records for births, marriages, and deaths; censuses; probate records, land records, draft cards, etc. (As a FamilySearch affiliate library, AADL patrons have onsite access to more than two billion digitized records, including millions of images that are not currently available to the general public)
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 (1790-1950); census of England and Wales (1841-1901); U.S. World War II Army Enlistment as well as records of Union and Confederate Civil War soldiers. Over 2 billion family trees.
Digitized Local Newspaper Resources - Washtenaw County
Ann Arbor News - Full-text NewsBank database beginning June 11, 2003-July 23, 2009, then again starting in January 2016-current. The Ann Arbor News serves Washtenaw County and parts of Livingston, Lenawee and Wayne Counties, Michigan.
Ann Arbor News Collection - In-progress collection of photographs, articles, advertisements, obituaries, and more from the original run of the Ann Arbor News. From the 1930s through 2009. AADL Archives staff continually adds to this collection. To request specific topics for digitization, please email archives@aadl.org.
Chronicling America - Michigan Collection - Search newspaper pages digitized through the National Digital Newspaper Project or find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present.
Digital Michigan Newspaper Portal - A comprehensive list of Michigan newspaper titles available online from various institutions including the Clarke Historical Library and Library of Congress.
Signal Of Liberty - Ann Arbor's prominent abolitionist newspaper, with issues from 1841-1847 now available online. Browse the articles in the original or search all newspaper items.
Additional Genealogy Resources We Recommend
Access Genealogy: Native American History and Genealogy - A comprehensive guide for those starting their research into Native American ancestry.
Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center – Highlights include the African-American gateway, the Native American gateway, and Periodical Source Index (PERSI)
Archives of Michigan - With documents dating back to 1792, the Archives of Michigan houses much of Michigan's record heritage. More than 80 million state and local government records and private papers, 300,000 photographs and 500,000 maps, plus films and audio tapes are available for research.
Cyndi's List - A categorized and cross-referenced index to genealogical resources on the Internet.
Find A Grave - An expansive family history database of records and images from the world's cemeteries.
GENDIS (Genealogical Death Indexing System) - Michigan death index service hosted by Michigan's Division of Vital Records and Health Statistics. Contains Michigan death records from 1867 - 1897.
Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County – Founded in 1974, promoting family history in Washtenaw County and throughout the State of Michigan.
Legacy.com – Global network of online obituaries.
Library of Michigan: Family History Resources
Michigan County Histories and Atlases - Searchable county histories and atlases published before 1923, from the University of Michigan.
Michiganology (formerly Seeking Michigan) - The online platform for the Archives of Michigan, including death certificates (1897-1952), land records, military records, and much more.
National Archives Genealogy - Resources for genealogists from The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
Sanborn Maps - Michigan - A searchable digital archive of Michigan Sanborn Fire Insurance maps brought to you by the Library of Congress.
Washtenaw County Clerk - Searchable Washtenaw County indexes for death certificates (1959-present) & marriage records.
Washtenaw County Historical Society - Founded in 1857, dedicated to preserving and sharing Washtenaw County history.
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Subjects
Genealogy
City History
Family
Old News Features
Comments No Subject
It would be helpful if we…
It would be helpful if we could have a Zoom meeting or in-person meeting explaining the many resources that are available and how we can access this information.