The holdings of the Archives include:
- 80 million state and local government and private papers
- 300,000 photographs
- 500,000 maps
- Films
- Audio tapes
- and more
Anyone who plans to visit the Archives of Michigan will make better use of their time with some advanced planning. This research checklist will give you the information you need for a visit.
The staff at the Archives of Michigan is awesome and available to help you, but if you want to make your research go smoother you will need to bring some information with you. Knowing dates and places and how your research subject interacted with the government helps. It helps if you know what specific records you would like to search. If you are looking for land records, land descriptions help. If you are looking for probate records, the date of death and county of death are needed. If you are looking for Prison Records, the time period of incarceration is helpful. The more information you can bring with you, the better your chance of success will be.
The Archives of Michigan offers guides and indexes to make your preparation easier. The Guides do just that-guide you to archival material by subject matter. The Genealogy Research Guide #64 explains what resources are available for family history researchers. There are over 60 guides available to help you plan your trip.
The Archives of Michigan has one of a kind items. For example, Guide #61-Diaries and Personal Journals has the list of what is in their holdings, subject and dates. Your ancestor's diary may not be here, but someone else during the time period is and has written about the Civil War, Spanish American War, WWI, farming, etc. They are fascinating reads.
Guide #3 is for those who have black sheep in their family! The Correctional Records have prison registers back to 1839. In addition to individual records, some with mug shots, the Archives has information on the Prison itself. Maybe your ancestor received a Pardon, Guide 48 has Pardons, Paroles, Warrants and Extradition information.
Guide #22 Infirmaries, Sanatoria, and Poor Homes has institutional information. Records that provide confidential information will need a copy of the person's death certificate to access. County infirmaries and county poor home records do not have such restrictions. If you are interested in this type of information, a call, or email, to the Archives may be best.
Lumbering, Logging and Forestry is an important part of Michigan History. Guide #28 shows what is available in that subject. Were your ancestors involved in mining? Guide #25 is the one you want.
A variety of school records are available at the Archives. Check Guide #11 for what schools and dates are covered.
I have highlighted just a few of the over 60 guides available in .pdf format. Please contact the Archives of Michigan for more information.
A little preparation will make your trip to the Archives successful. Archives staff is available to help you from 8-5, Monday through Friday, via telephone at 517-373-3559 or email them at archives@michigan.gov Onsite research hours are 1-5 Monday through Friday and Saturdays 10-4.
Read more about preparing for a trip at the Archives of Michigan website.
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