Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Washtenaw County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.
Cemetery Records
- Washtenaw County files · RG 83-531931 to 1979
Court Records
- Chancery calendar index · RG 98-101827 to 1876
- Chancery calendars · RG 96-2261838 to 1885
- Chancery case files · RG 96-1781834 to 1876
- Chancery journals · RG 96-2261838 to 1870
- Circuit Court blotters · RG 2009-101932 to 1940
- Circuit Court dockets · RG 96-2261840 to 1844
- Circuit Court journals · RG 96-2261827 to 1873
- Circuit Court rule books · RG 2009-101839 to 1927
- Civil dockets (Ann Arbor) · RG 78-1101948 to 1956
- Commissioners docket · RG 76-221895 to 1920
Court Records Cont.
- Consumer complaints · RG 96-1771985 to 1995
- County coroner records · RG 2009-101895 and from 1908 to 1928
- County court calendars · RG 96-2261847 to 1851
- County court case files · RG 96-1781834 and from 1847 to 1851
- County court journals · RG 96-2261847 to 1851
- Criminal calendars · RG 96-2261835 to 1880
- Criminal case files · RG 96-1781834 to 1876
- Justice of the Peace case files · RG 96-2291827 to 1869
- Justice of the Peace transcripts · RG 96-2261841 to 1869
- Justices’ docket (Ann Arbor) · RG 78-1101837 to 1887
- Justices’ docket (Augusta Township) · RG 68-131851 to 1922
- Juvenile court calendars · RG 2009-101907 to 1935
- Law calendar index · RG 98-101827 to 1877
- Law calendars · RG 96-2261832 to 1859
- Law case files · RG 96-1781828 to 1873
- Law journals · RG 96-2261836 to 1844
- Record of fines (Ann Arbor) · RG 78-1101953 to 1955
- Record of jurors’ fees · RG 96-2261839 to 1878
- Sampling of case files · RG 97-416circa 1870 to 1933
- Special motion books · RG 96-2261838 to 1877
Health Records
Land Records
Military Records
- Burial records · RG 2009-101900 to 1903 and from 1911 to 1915
- Claims for exemption · RG 62-15draft, from 1863 to 1864
- Enlistments · RG 2009-101917
- Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) post records · RG 63-191876 to 1945
- World War I service record · RG 2009-10not dated
Naturalization Records
- Certificate stubs · RG 90-2781909 to 1926
- Declarations of Intention · RG 90-2781855 to 1975
- Depositions · RG 90-2781830 to 1931
- Index · RG 90-2781832 to 1959
- Index · RG 96-2261833 to 1873
- Index cards · RG 90-2781932 to 1983
- Petitions · RG 90-2781853 to 1983
- Petitions granted · RG 90-2781929 to 1985
- Records contained in court journals · RG 96-2261833 to 1873
- Repatriation oaths · RG 90-2781937 to 1983
- Transfer petitions · RG 90-2781954 to 1981
Occupational Records
- Auctioneer licenses · RG 91-361circa 1838 to 1893
- Physician and clergy credentials · RG 91-361circa 1838 to 1893
- Record of sheriff commissions · RG 91-361circa 1838 to 1931
Political Records
- Bonds and oaths (Freedom Township) · RG 73-371924 to 1932
Prison Records
- Jail records · RG 66-41883 to 1963
Probate Records
- Bond of administrator · RG 2017-601930 to 1965
- Bond of executor · RG 2017-601930 to 1963
- Bond of special administrator · RG 2017-601935 to 1965
- Calendars · RG 2009-101842 to 1941
- Estate files · RG 2005-791828 to 1889
Recreation Records
- English sparrow bounty · RG 98-101916 to 1917
- Receipt stubs of sparrow bounty (Augusta Township) · RG 68-131906 to 1907
School Records
- Attendance & scholarship registers (Northfield Township) · RG 84-41889 to 1949
- School register (Freedom Township) · RG 73-371861, from 1885, from 1888, and from 1931
Tax Records
- Assessment rolls (York Township) · RG 71- 1391839 to 1871 and from 1882
- Assessment & tax rolls (Augusta Township) · RG 68-131844 to 1910
- Liquor tax collected · RG 98-101914
- Recorded tax returns · RG 2009-101845 to 1904 and from 1925
- Tax assessment rolls · RG 55-221830 to 1871
- Tax assessment rolls (Lyndon Township) · RG 90-2381903 to 1933
- Tax assessment rolls (Northfield Township) · RG 2000-691877 to 1935
- Tax record journal · RG 2009-101849 to 1879
Vital Records
- Birth index · RG 2009-101914 to 1922
- Death index · RG 2009-101867 to 1933
- Marriage index · RG 2009-101833 to 1934
Voter Records
- Party enrollment book (Freedom Township) · RG 73-371912 to 1913
- Record of party enrollment (Augusta Township) · RG 68-131906 to 1908 and from 1912
- Record of voter registration (Augusta Township) · RG 68- 131875 to 1932
- Register of electors (Northfield Township) · RG 2000-691912 and from 1936 to 1946
- Voting register (Freedom Township) · RG 73-371860 to 1910
- Women electors (Freedom Township) · RG 73-371919 to 1921
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
- Washtenaw 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, Washtenaw" 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: Monroe County, Oakland County, Wayne County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Monroe County, Oakland County, Wayne County
Later formed partly from Washtenaw County: Jackson County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1822, 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.