Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Berrien County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.
Business Records
Cemetery Records
- Berrien County files · RG 83-531968 to 1976
Census Records
Court Records
- Chancery rule and order book · RG 67-24*1847 to 1886
- Circuit Court common rule book · RG 67-24*1843 to 1912
- Circuit Court exhibits · RG 67-48*1921 to 1922
- Circuit Court proceedings · RG 67-109*1839 to 1841
- List of petit jury · RG 67-24*1905 to 1940
- Justice and Circuit Court decisions · RG 67-24*1841 to 1864
- Justice Court journals · RG 67-24*1832 to 1893
- Justice Court transcripts · RG 67-24*1864 to 1929
- Record of Justices of the Peace & notaries · RG 67-24*1837 to 1888
Land Records
- Index to deeds · RG 67-109*not dated
- Township plats · RG 67-109*1943 to 1945
Military Records
- Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) post records · RG 63-191876 to 1945
- Record of soldiers discharged · RG 67-24*service, from 1866 to 1899
- Report of burial of indigent soldiers, sailors, and Marines · RG 67-24*1885 to 1921
Occupational Records
- Statements of medical practitioners · RG 67-24*1898 to 1899
Political Records
- Bonds and oaths of office · RG 67-24*1915 to 1916
- Election ballot (Lincoln Township) · RG 2024-21939
- Election breakdown · RG 67-24*1936 to 1948
- Election returns for village and township officers · RG 67- 24*1912 to 1954
- List of county officers · RG 67-24*1836 to 1839
- Oaths of office (New Buffalo) · RG 79-1001928 to 1945
Poor Home / Relief Records
Prison Records
- Reports of jail inspection · RG 67-24*1897 to 1918
Probate Records
- Proceedings of probate court · RG 67-109*1832 to 1838
- Vouchers and receipts within case files · RG 67-109*1927 to 1937
Recreation Records
- Record of docked horses · RG 67-24*1901 to 1902
School Records
Tax Records
- Abstract of taxable inheritances · RG 67-109*1902 to 1930
- Assessment roll (St. Joseph) · RG 67-24*1868
- Record of tax receipts · RG 67-24*1850 to 1879
- Record of tax redemption notices · RG 67-24*1898 to 1910
- Register of delinquent tax receipts countersigned by county clerk · RG 67-24*1882 to 1901
- Tax records (Lincoln Township) · RG 2024-21941
- Treasurer’s account book (Lincoln Township) · RG 2024-21930 to 1941
Vital Records
- Marriage records (Berrien Springs) · RG 79-1001939 to 1968
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
- Berrien 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, Berrien" 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: Land not yet in any county
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1829, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
Michigan began registering births and deaths in 1867, much earlier than most states, with county clerks keeping the registers and sending copies to the state. Ask the county clerk for the early registers.