Alpena County, Michigan Genealogy Records

Listed record inventories

Selected holdings and indexes for Alpena County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.

See the repository's descriptions and search options

Repository access note: Selected holdings described by the Archives of Michigan. Preserve the record-group (RG) reference when requesting records. Some collections are held at partner repositories; consult the guide before traveling. Asterisks and other qualifiers refer to access or location notes in that guide. Some records have privacy restrictions or require proof of death. A date span may contain gaps and does not establish that images are online.

Sources: the catalogs and repository descriptions linked on the entries above. Selected inventories do not establish complete coverage of every record type or online access to original documents. Read the repository access note for source dates and limitations.

Where to find the records

• Alpena County official website

  Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the county clerk, the register of deeds and the probate court, and any online record search the county offers.

• The county clerk

  Births, deaths and marriages registered in the county, and court records.

• The register of deeds

  Deeds, mortgages and other land records.

• The probate court

  Wills, estates and guardianships.

• The Archives of Michigan

  In Lansing: state and county records, and Michigan death certificates from 1897 to 1952 online at Michiganology.

• Archives of Michiganfree

  The state archives in Lansing, with county and state records, military records and Michigan death records.

• FamilySearch Catalogfree

  Search by place for "Michigan, Alpena" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.

Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.

Boundaries and parent counties

Formed from: Michilimackinac County (now Mackinac)

Check the parent county for earlier records: Mackinac County

Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1840, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.