Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Ottawa 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
- Account book (Plugger Sawmill, Holland) · RG 71-40*1863 to 1866
- Articles of association · RG 2021-621893 to 1927
- Index record of articles of association · RG 2022-271922 to 1939
- Record of milk dealers labels and design · RG 2021-621927 to 1950
- Record of estrays · RG 71-40*1871 to 1874 and from 1907
Cemetery Records
Census Records
Court Records
- Chancery calendars · RG 2022-271838 to 1952
- Chancery calendars divorces · RG 2022-271897 to 1962
- Chancery case files · RG 2021-621847 to 1941
- Chancery record · RG 2022-271850 to 1861
- Circuit Court calendar · RG 2022-271847 to 1857
- Circuit Court journal · RG 2022-271848 to 1857
- Civil docket · RG 2022-271963 to 1988
- Civil docket (Grand Haven) · RG 71-40*1876 to 1879
- Civil docket supplemental divorce · RG 2022-271963 to 1975
- Court calendars · RG 2021-621899 to 1945
- Criminal calendars · RG 2022-271859 to 1960
- Criminal case files · RG 2021-621841 to 1941
- Criminal docket · RG 2022-271887 to 1907
- Divorce case files · RG 2021-621901 to 1942
- Divorce decrees · RG 2022-271908 to 1918
- Judgements of divorce · RG 2022-271976
- Justice dockets · RG 71-40*1846 to 1890
- Justice of Peace ledger (Georgetown Township) · RG 2019- 641884 to 1933
- Law calendars · RG 2022-271868 to 1962
- Law case files · RG 2021-621838 to 1953
- Record of appeals to Appellate Court · RG 2022-271931 to 1999
- Record of criminal proceedings · RG 2022-271986 to 1990
Land Records
Military Records
Naturalization Records
- Circuit Court journal · RG 2000-721894 to 1906
- Declarations of Intention · RG 2000-721852 to 1961
- Naturalization oaths · RG 2021-621875 to 1896
- Petitions · RG 2000-721907 to 1962
Occupational Records
- Record of appointment of deputy sheriffs · RG 71-40*1904 to 1927
- Nurses registrations · RG 2021-621914 to 1956
- Statements of medical practitioners · RG 71-40*1883 to 1899
Political Records
- Bonds and oaths (Georgetown Township) · RG 2019-641920 to 1927
- Discharge of duty (Georgetown Township) · RG 2019-641881 to 1918
- Oaths · RG 2022-271897 to 1909
Poor Home / Relief Records
- Superintendent of the Poor records · RG 2021-621928 to 1942
Recreation Records
School Records
Tax Records
- Assessment rolls · RG 71-40*1838 to 1873
- Statement of lands upon unpaid taxes · RG 71-40*1841 to 1849
- Tax assessment rolls (Robinson Township) · RG 2022-191871 to 1975
- Tax roll · RG 2019-64#1853 to 1962
- Tax roll (Georgetown Township) · RG 2019-64 # Not all years and townships are available. See Reference Archivist for further assistance.1878 to 1947
Vital Records
Voter Records
- Register book of male voters (Georgetown Township) · RG 2019-641910 to 1924 and from 1938 to 1944
- Registration book of men electors (Georgetown Township) · RG 2019-641920 to 1931
- Voter registration book (Georgetown Township) · RG 2019-641859 to 1875
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
- Find Ottawa County's official website
We haven't checked this county's website yet, so this opens a web search. Look for an address ending in .gov, then find the county clerk, the register of deeds and the probate court.
- 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, Ottawa" 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
Later formed partly from Ottawa County: Muskegon County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1831, 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.