Ingham County Genealogical Society

About the Library/Resource Room

 
The Ingham County Genealogical Society’s (ICGS) Resource Room has moved from the Capital Area District Library - Mason, 145 W. Ash Street, Mason, Michigan to 2224 Catholic Church Road, Bunkerhill Township.  Please contact the ICGS Librarian at librarian@icgsweb.org to schedule an appointment. ICGS materials are available for use in the Resource Room only.
 
Resource Room holdings include some City of Lansing records, but primarily focuses on Ingham's out-county records. Many of the records have been compiled by volunteers from various sources of interest to family research. Leading the list is an extensive collection of obituary clippings from the Ingham County News as well as other local papers whose date will vary by newspaper within the time frame 1998 to present, indexed by year.  Volunteers are working to get as many of the index files as possible added to this website so check back often for new information. 
 
If you do not find what you're looking for on-line, check out the catalog of holdings found under the Library/Archives section of this webpsite.  The catalog listing is also a work in progress - information not yet listed in the catalog may be available. Email the ICGS Librarian at librarian@icgsweb.org to learn of availability.
 
 
ARCHIVES OF MICHIGAN RESEARCH GUIDES
To learn what sources of genealogy research are available in the Archives of Michigan, the Seeking Michigan website has a list of research guides that give an overview of material at the Archives by subject. The guides typically contain a record group number or manuscript number, date range, and brief description of the content.  The Genealogy Research guide includes information on early vital records, state censuses, county government records, probate court records to name a few.
 
 
COUNTY LEVEL RESOURCES
Ingham County offices are located in various locations around the County.  However, the Register of Deeds and County Clerk are located in the Historical County Courthouse, 315 S. Jefferson Avenue, Mason, Michigan.  The Courthouse is within walking distance of the CADL-Mason library. 
 
LAND RECORDS
A limited number of land records can be found online on the Family Search website. Otherwise, the records will be at the 315 S. Jefferson. For records before Ingham County was organized, keep in mind it was first part of Wayne (until 1826) and then Washtenaw County until 1838.  See County Chronology section of this website. The Family Search records include:
  •  Deed records, 1836-1918; index, 1835-1903,
  •  Land tract book, Vol 1, 1835-1848,
  •  Mortgage index 1837 –1902,
  •  Miscellaneous records, Vols. 1-2 1838-1894
 
VITAL RECORDS
Ingham County birth, death, and marriage records from 1867 can be obtained at the Ingham County Clerk’s Office  315 S. Jefferson Avenue, Mason.
 
Birth records are restricted in Michigan. Only a person or parent named on the record or a court-appointed legal guardian may request a copy of a birth record that is LESS than 100 years old.
 
Vital records, including divorce records from 1897, can be requested online (through VitalCheck) from the State of Michigan Vital Records Office. For additional information visit michigan.gov/mdhhs/. The cost is slightly higher when going through the State of Michigan.
 
COURT RECORDS
Michigan has County Probate records from 1835 and Circuit Court records from 1839. Most of the County’s court records can be found at the Archives of Michigan.
 
NATURALIZATION RECORDS
The Archives of Michigan recently announced a digitization and indexing project to make naturalization records from Ingham and other Michigan counties freely available at the Seeking Michigan website.  Indexing these records is a partnership project with Family Search, Archives of Michigan, and the Michigan Genealogical Council.