ONLINE RESEARCH LINKS

Below are a number of web site links that have been useful in conducting research over the last several years. These sites provide a wealth of free information including vital records, maps, biographies, histories, images, and much more.

 

 

AERIAL VIEWS: Google Earth
Displays aerial views of an entered location as well as historical views. Also provides street view of many locations.
www.google.com/earth/

 

AERIAL VIEWS: Vintage Aerial
Search for historical aerial photos of properties.
vintageaerial.com/photos



CERAMICS: The Staffordshire Potteries
Provides background to pottery manufacturers in Staffordshire along samples, maker's marks, dates of operation, methods for identifying ceramics and much more.
thepotteries.org

 

CERAMICS: Maryland Diagnostic Artifacts
An incredible resource for identifying colonial and post colonial ceramics.
apps.jefpat.maryland.gov/diagnostic/index-Ceramics.html

 

CERAMICS: The Transferware Collectors Club
Examples with associated information on thousands of transferware decorated ceramics along with articles and message board for inquiries.
www.transcollectorsclub.org

 

CERAMICS: Flow Blue International Collectors Club
Enthusiats of flow blue and mulberry decorated pottery provide articles, background information, and a message board for inquiries.
www.flowblue.org/

 

CERAMICS: UK National Archives
Search the archives for registered patterns and designs.  Information on the history of registering designs also provided.
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/registered-designs-1839-1991/

Direct search page:
discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

 

CERAMICS: Printed British Pottery & Porcelain
An online exhibition on the history and process for making British pottery and porcelain.
printedbritishpotteryandporcelain.com/

 

DEATH RECORDS: Find-A-Grave

Allows users to search by name, death date, birth date, country, state, and county that provides listing of internments and often times images of headstones. Can also search by cemetery.
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gs&

 

DEATH RECORDS: MI DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Search on name to receive scanned death certificates , county, and date range to return death record information.
michiganology.org/index.php?name=collection_46bdcc6d-d136-48b9-8c8a-8f7252503292

 

DEATH RECORDS: MI Genealogical Death Indexing System
Search on name, county, and date range to return death record information.
vitalstats.michigan.gov/osr/gendisx/search2.asp

 

DEATH RECORDS: ObitsArchive
Search newspapers throughout the US for modern obituaries and death notices.
www.obitsarchive.com/



DEATH RECORDS: Brighton Obituary Index
The Brighton Obituary Index is a list of obituary and death notice entries from all existing Brighton Argus and Livingston County Daily Press and Argus newspapers covering the years 1880-current.
brightonlibrary.info/genealogy-local-history/



GENEALOGY: Family Search Record Search
Along with census records, this site provides the scanned images of birth certificates, death certificates, marriages, and other vital information by searching on name, county, state, parent’s names, etc.
www.familysearch.org/#p=home

 

GENEALOGY: Howell Area Archives at Howell Carnegie District Library
A resource for local pictures, newspaper clippings, family histories, personal accounts, etc.
howelllibrary.org/howell-area-archives/

 

GENEALOGY: Michigan Biographical Index
Provides an index by name to over 1000 Michigan publications, including portrait and biographical albums from counties around the state.
michlist.com

 

GENEALOGY: Michigan County Histories and Atlas Search
Provides listing to scanned county Michigan histories, biographical albums, and plat maps by searching on name.
quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=micounty;rgn=full%20text;page=simple

GENEALOGY: Dibean Michigan Marriage Index
Contains marriages in text files by county for all counties in Michigan. Many, many marriages included, (though not all) with some going back to 1836.
www.mifamilyhistory.org/dibeanindex/



GENEALOGY: MIGenWeb Archives
Search by name or county to return information from bibles, census records, court records, deeds, historical documents, newspapers, vital records, & wills.
www.usgwarchives.net/search/search.cgi/searchmi.htm

 

GENEALOGY: Bentley Library Vertical File
The vertical file contains clippings, pamphlets, reprints, and other miscellaneous materials relating to persons, places, organizations, and topical subjects relating to Michigan.
bentley.umich.edu/legacy-support/vertical_file/

 

GENEALOGY: State of Michigan Portrait Collection
Index containing a list of the approximately 15,000 portraits of individuals available at the Archives of Michigan.
seekingmichigan.org/about/indexes/photographs-portrait-collection

 

GENEALOGY: Michigan State University Digital Collections Search
Digital collection including history, Michigan Farm News, and much more.
www.lib.msu.edu/branches/dmc/digital/

 

GENEALOGY: USGenWeb New York Archives Search Engine
Search by name or county to return information from bibles, census records, court records, deeds, historical documents, newspapers, vital records, & wills. 
www.usgwarchives.net/search/search.cgi/searchny.htm

 

GENEALOGY: Michigan State University Michigan Pioneer and Historical Collections: Research Guide and Digitized Volumes
View digitized documents from the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Collections from 1876 to 1929.
libguides.lib.msu.edu/MPHC

 

GENEALOGY: USGenWeb New York Archives Search Engine
Search for passenger information, ship manifests, and ship images for immigrant ancestors who arrived through Ellis Island.

www.ellisisland.org/search/passSearch.asp

Researchers can also order passenger information from the National Archives at https://eservices.archives.gov/orderonline/start.swe?SWECmd=Start&SWEHo=eservices.archives.gov

 

MAPS: Historic Mapworks Residential Genealogy
Provides images of historic plat maps based on city/state search criteria.
www.historicmapworks.com/Search/search.php

 

MAPS: David Rumsey Map Collection
Search antique maps by keyword such as town, township, or county.
www.davidrumsey.com/

 

MAPS: Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection
Search antique maps by keyword such as town, township, or county.
www.raremaps.com/inventory/search?q=michigan

 

MAPS: Michigan County Atlas Search
Provides listing to scanned county Michigan histories, biographical albums, and plat maps by searching on name.
quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=micounty;rgn=full%20text;page=simple



MAPS: Map Geeks
Old historical city, county, and state mapes of Michigan.
mapgeeks.org/michigan/?fbclid=IwAR3OV9Q6P3yfyg7lCPpAlw8ESmUsxsPZXGHxiEVtvWxtM3TtruH4ehE1COo

 

MAPS: Michigan Maps at University of Alabama
Historical Michigan maps including out of print quadrangles.
alabamamaps.ua.edu/historicalmaps/us_states/michigan/index.html

 

MAPS: Library of Congress Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Historical Sanborn searchable by state.
www.loc.gov/rr/geogmap/sanborn/



MAPS: List of Sanborn maps by city
Lists historical Sanborn maps with dates by city.
www.lib.berkeley.edu/EART/sanbul_MI_D.html#Detroit%2020

 

MAPS: USGS
Historical USGS maps.
ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/

 

MAPS: National Geographic USGS
Free USGS quad pdf maps.
www.natgeomaps.com/trail-maps/pdf-quads

 

MILITARY: Online Military Indexes & Records
List of links regarding military records online from the Revolutionary War to Vietnam.
www.militaryindexes.com/index.html

 

MILITARY: National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution Patriot Grave Search
Search on first name, last name, and burial state to provide cemetery location, birth & death dates, and other substantiating information.
memberinfo.sar.org/patriotsearch/search.aspx

 

MILITARY: National Park Service Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System
Search by name, side, unit, and/or state that provides basic information such as regiment, company, rank in and rank out.
www.nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-database.htm

 

MILITARY: Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
Search the grave database by name, unit, state, cemetery, city, state, and/or county to
provide location of burial, unit, birth/death dates as well as other information.
suvcw.org/graves/graves.htm

 

MILITARY: Michigan in the Civil War
Web page contains a list of Michigan units, the members of the unit and the history of each unit.
www.migenweb.org/michiganinthewar/

 

MILITARY: Fold3
US military records and documents.
www.fold3.com

 

NEWSPAPERS: Newspapers.com
This website has lots of digitized newspapers from around the country and is continuously adding more.  The service does have a fee, however, it is well worth the money to the serious researcher.
newspapers.com



NEWSPAPERS: Central Michigan University
Search digitized Michigan newspapers.
digmichnews.cmich.edu

 

NEWSPAPERS: Fulton Search
Search local digitized newspapers.  The search can be finicky at times, so if you don't receive results, be sure to try again.
fultonsearch.org

 

NEWSPAPERS: Chronicling America
Digitized newspapers at the Library of Congress.  Search by state, year, and other criteria.
chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/newspapers/

 

ORGANIZATIONS: Michigan Archaeological Society
An organization of professional and avocational members who research Michigan's past using archaeological techniques.
www.micharch.org/wp/

 

ORGANIZATIONS: Michigan Historic Preservation Network
An organization dedicated to preserving Michigan's rich cultural and architectural heritage.
www.mhpn.org

 

ORGANIZATIONS: Michigan One-Room School Association
An organization founded foster an understanding and appreciation of Michigan's surving one-room schools.
www.miorsa.org

 

ORGANIZATIONS: Michigan Barn Preservation Network
An organization dedicated to the preservation and rehabilitation of barns.
mibarn.net/

 

ORGANIZATIONS: Michigan Centennial Farm Association
Search on last name, county, township, or city to find information on centennial and sesquicentennial farms.
www.hsmichigan.org/michigan-centennial-farm-association

 

ORGANIZATIONS: Brighton Area Historical Society
The Brighton Area Historical Society is committed to preserving the local history.  It is located in the Lyon one-room school just quarter mile west of the Warner homestead.
www.brightonareahistorical.com/

 

PHOTOGRAPHY: David Tinder Michigan Photographer Directory
A directory of Michigan photograhpers with dates of operation.
clements.umich.edu/files/tinder_directory.pdf

 

PHOTOGRAPHY: Langdon's List of 19th and 20th Century Photographers
Site provides detailed information on indexed photographers around the country including dates of operation.
www.langdonroad.com



PHOTOGRAPHY: Michigan Photographic Historical Society

Information on identifying, dating, and preserving 19th century photos.
miphs.org/education/photograph-identification/



PHOTOGRAPHY: PhotoTree
Information on identifying and dating 19th century photos.
www.phototree.com/identify.htm



PROPERTY: Land Patent Search
Allows the user to enter a name, state, county, etc and provides images of issued land patents.
glorecords.blm.gov/search/default.aspx

 

PROPERTY: Land Entry Case Files
Search and order from the National Archives copies of the original land entry files.
www.archives.gov/research/land



PROPERTY: GIS Viewer, Livingston County, MI
Aerial views with property line overlays.
www.livgov.com/gis/Pages/GIS-viewer.aspx

 

PROPERTY: Livingston County, MI Deeds 1836-1941
Scanned indexes and property deeds.
www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/213796?availability=Family%20History%20Library



PROPERTY: New York Land Records, 1630-1975
Scanned indexes and records including land grants, patents, deeds, and mortgages.
www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2078654

 

Google Books
Search digitized books by subject, author, or other keyword.
books.google.com/books

 

National Register of Historic Places Search
Search on state, county, and/or city to list sites on the National Register of Historic Places.
www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/index.htm

 

Michigan Historical Markers
Search for historical markers around the state of Michigan.
www.michigan.gov/mhc/0,9075,7-361-85150---,00.html

 

Michigan Barn and Farmstead Survey
Search on name to display pictures of historic houses, barns, out buildings along with other information from the survey.
michiganbarns.org/

 

A Guide to Researching the History of a House
Lots of resources on how to slueth the background of a historic home.
www.homeadvisor.com/r/a-guide-to-researching-the-history-of-a-house/