Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Wayne 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
- Burial transit permits (Canton Township) · RG 88-221930 to 1956
- Wayne County files · RG 83-531961 to 1979
Court Records
- Chancery calendars · RG 85-341851 to 1901
- Chancery case files · RG 97-322*1873 to 1874 and from 1890 to 1892
- Chancery case files (1st District) · RG 85-34circa 1836 to 1850
- Chancery entry books · RG 2012-321937 to 1962
- Chancery indexes · RG 85-341847 to 1903
- Chancery uniform support calendars · RG 2022-941952 to 1963
- Circuit Court calendars · RG 85-341851 to 1901
- Civil dockets · RG 2022-941963 to 1974
- Criminal calendars · RG 85-341837 to 1909
- Criminal case files · RG 2012-32circa 1841 to 1950
- Criminal indexes · RG 85-341833 to 1879
- Law calendars · RG 2022-941932 to 1962
- Law entry books · RG 2012-321924 to 1925 and from 1937 to 1962
- Law indexes · RG 85-341855 to 1908
- Register of decrees · RG 2022-94 Recorder’s Court (Detroit)1940 to 1962
- Copies of court calls · RG 2022-781981 to 1987
- Criminal calendars · RG 2011-371858 to 1949
- Criminal case files · RG 2011-37circa 1858 to 1949
- Criminal docket · RG 68-191930 to 1941
- Criminal indexes · RG 2011-371918 to 1944
- Criminal journals · RG 2011-371909 to 1965
- General index to criminal calendars · RG 2022-781945 to 1973
- Index to 36th District Court appeals · RG 2022-781982 to 1994
- Index to docket journals felony · RG 2022-781962 to 1968
- Index to misdemeanor calendars · RG 2022-781969 to 1979
- Misdemeanor calendars · RG 2022-781972 to 1981
- Motions for new trial · RG 2022-78 Superior Court1972 to 1979
- Calendars · RG 85-341873 to 1889
- Chancery decrees · RG 85-341873 to 1887
- Chancery journals · RG 85-341873 to 1884
- Indexes · RG 85-341873 to 1889
- Journals · RG 85-34 Miscellaneous1873 to 1887
- Justices’ docket (Dearborn) · RG 83-681879 to 1881
- Justices’ docket (Van Buren Township) · RG 2020-351862 to 1882
- Roll of attorneys · RG 85-341824 to 1929
- Territorial Court judgment record · RG 85-341825 to 1834
- Writs of habeas corpus · RG 87-1621879
Land Records
- Assessor cards (Detroit) · RG 2015-132circa 1920 to 2000
Military Records
Naturalization Records
- Declarations of Intention · RG 85-361837 to 1946
- Petitions for Naturalization · RG 85-361818 to 1935
- Sample of naturalization records · RG 97-322*circa 1839 to 1895
Occupational Records
- Chiropractor registrations · RG 85-381934 to 1953
- Nurse registrations · RG 85-381915 to 1966
- Oaths and bonds of township officers (Dearborn Township) · RG 71-1571854 and from 1857 to 1889
- Optometrist registrations · RG 85-381910 to 1945
- Osteopath registrations · RG 85-381910 to 1936
- Physician registrations · RG 85-381894 to 1950
- Record of dentistry · RG 2014-961907 to 1966
- Record of volunteer enrollment for civil defense (Dearborn Township) · RG 71-1571942
- Veterans’ licenses to vend · RG 85-381933 to 1948
Probate Records
- Bonds · RG 85-351841 to 1846
- Calendars · RG 85-351797 to 1914
- Case files · RG 85-351797 to 1901
- Estate case files · RG 2018-671901 to 1968
- Estate case files (refiles) · RG 2020-471900 to 1969
- Inventories and accounts · RG 85-351825 to 1845
- Journal of wills · RG 2013-721870 to 1955
- Journals · RG 85-351821 to 1926
- Letters of administration · RG 85-351837 to 1848
- Probate birth determination · RG 2021-141942 to 1943
- Probate birth registration · RG 2021-141940 to 1943
- Probate register · RG 2021-141849 to 1900
Tax Records
- Assessment rolls (Dearborn Township) · RG 71-1571864 and from 1871
- Assessment rolls (Ecorse) · RG 2024-1231904
- Assessment rolls (Ford) · RG 68-301903 to 1923
- Assessment rolls (Glenwood) · RG 68-301900 to 1905
- Assessment rolls (Sumpter Township) · RG 2019-671865 to 1932
- Assessment rolls (Wyandotte) · RG 68-301868 to 1911
- Delinquent tax roll · RG 2019-1631869
Vital Records
- Marriage records (Dearborn) · RG 83-681881 to 1883
- Register of deaths (Dearborn Township) · RG 71-1571897 to 1938
Voter Records
- Register of electors (Dearborn Township) · RG 71-1571888 and from 1892 to 1895
- Register of electors (Sumpter Township) · RG 2019-671884 to 1888
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
- Wayne 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, Wayne" 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: Hamilton County (Ohio), Knox County (Ind.)
Later formed partly from Wayne County: Mackinac County, Macomb County, Monroe County, Washtenaw County
The Atlas data for Wayne County begins in 1815, later than the 1796 date above, so this is the earliest boundary on file, not its original one.
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1796, 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.