Michigan Census

Portal:United States Census >Michigan

Availability

1820-1930--The Family History Library has the U.S. federal censuses of Michigan.

1810-- The census was destroyed except for fragments for Detroit and Michilimackinac.

1890-- The census was also destroyed, but the 1890 list of Union veterans still exists and has been indexed.

Historical Background

1668--Sault Ste. Marie, the oldest community in Michigan was founded by the French.

1701--Detroit was founded.

1763--The British took possession of the area but discouraged settlers.

1787--Michigan became part of the U.S. Northwest Territory, but the British still controlled Detroit and Mackinac.

1796--The British withdrew from their remaining posts, including Detroit.

1800--The area became part of the Indiana Territory.

1805--Congress created Michigan Territory.

1837--Michigan became a state.

Indexes

Statewide indexes are at the Family History Library for the 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses, in book or microfiche format. The 1880 census has a partial soundex (phonetic index) on microfilm. It only lists families with children under age ten. The 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930 censuses have complete soundex indexes on microfilm.

County-wide indexes sometimes help you locate names overlooked in statewide indexes. Dozens of county-wide indexes for various years are identified in:

Callard, Carole, ed. Sourcebook of Michigan Census, County Histories, and Vital Records. Lansing, Michigan: Library of Michigan, 1986. (FHL book 977.4 A3sm; fiche 6101261.)

Many countywide indexes are listed in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under MICHIGAN, [COUNTY] - CENSUS.

When indexes are not available or omit a name, you can still look for the name in the census.

If your ancestor lived in a large city:

Find your ancestor's address. Look in a city directory for the same year as the census (see the "Directories" section).
Find the enumeration district for that address. (Citites were divided into enumeration districts. Before 1880, the divisions were called wards.
Find the enumeration district on the census microfilm (look in the upper right corner of the census page).
Look for your ancestor in the enumeration district.
If you cannot find the ward or enumeration district, you may still search the census for that city line by line, but it is time-consuming.
In smaller towns or rural areas:

Find the town or, for rural areas, a nearby town on the census. (Look in the upper-left corner of the census page.)
Look for your ancestor in that town.
The following reference tools may help you find the enumeration district for a specific address:

Kirkham, E. Kay. A Handy Guide to Record- Searching in the Larger Cities of the United States. Logan, Utah: Everton, 1974. (FHL book 973 D27kc; fiche 6020059–60.) Includes ward map and street index for Detroit in 1878.

United States. Census Office. Census Descriptions of Geographic Subdivisions and Enumerations Districts, T1224 and T1210. Contains the items below:

1830 FHL 1402857 item 1
1840 FHL 1402857 item 2
1850 FHL 1402858 item 1
1860 FHL 1402858 item 2
1870 FHL 1402859
1880 FHL 1402861
1900 FHL 1303023
1910 FHL 1374005
1920 FHL 1842709
United States. Bureau of the Census. Cross Index to Selected City Streets and Enumeration Districts, 1910 Census, M1283. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, [1984]. (51 FHL fiche 6331481.) Lists street addresses for Detroit on fiche 17. Lists street addresses with corresponding enumeration districts for Grand Rapids on fiche 20.

Special Censuses

Mortality Schedules. Mortality schedules (lists of deaths in the year before the census) exist for 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880. The schedules are available at the National Archives, the Library of Michigan, and the Michigan State Archives. The Family History Library has the 1850 schedule and index and the 1860, 1870, and 1880 schedules. Mortality schedules were also taken as part of the 1884 and 1894 state censuses.

State Censuses

Territorial and State Censuses

More than 20 early territorial censuses were taken in various areas of Michigan. Historical background and the names found in the early lists are given in:

Russell, Donna Valley. Michigan Censuses, 1710–1830. Detroit, Michigan: Detroit Society for Genealogical Research, 1982. (FHL book 977.4 X2r.)

Other territorial and state enumerations were made in the years 1827, 1834, 1837, 1845, 1854, 1864, 1874, 1884, 1894, and 1904. Indexes for the 1827, 1837, and 1845 territorial and state censuses have been published. The original schedules are housed in many different local repositories. The schedules of many counties are missing. The most complete collections are for the 1884 and 1894 censuses, which include detailed information on each family member. To see which territorial or state censuses are available at the Family History Library, look in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under MICHIGAN - CENSUS - [YEAR] or in:

Buckway, G. Eileen. U.S. State and Special Census Register. Salt Lake City, Utah: Family History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1992. (FHL book 973 X2be; fiche 6104851-52.)

More detailed information on Michigan census records is in "Michigan Census Schedules and Records," printed in the Summer-Fall 1978 issue of Family Trails (see the "Periodicals" section).

Web Sites

Ancestry: http://www.ancestry.com

Heritage Quest Online: http://www.heritagequestonline.com

Census Online: http://www.census-online.com/links/MI/

Genealogy Today: http://dir.genealogytoday.com/usa/mi/census.html

Access Genealogy: http://www.accessgenealogy.com/census/michigan.htm

National Archives: http://www.archives.gov/

Bibliographic Citations

Michigan Research Outline. Salt Lake City, Utah: Intellectual Reserve, Inc., Family History Department, 1998, 2006.

Family History Library (FHL); now called, FamilySearch Library (FSL)