Benzie County, Michigan Genealogy

Historical populations
	Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Guide to Benzie County, Michigan ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Michigan Online Genealogy Records

County Facts
County seat:	Beulah
Organized:	March 30, 1869
Parent County(s):	Leelanau^[1]
Neighboring Counties
Grand Traverse • Leelanau • Manistee • Wexford See County Maps
Courthouse

Location Map

Adoption
This page is available for adoption

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The County was named for the Betsie River. The County is located in the northwest area of the state.^[2]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Benzie County Courthouse
448 Court Place
Beulah, MI 49617-0377
Phone: (231) 882-9671
Benzie County Website

County Clerk has birth and death records from 1868, marriage and court records from 1869, divorce and probate records from 1870, naturalization records from 1871, and burial records from 1934.^[3]

Benzie County, Michigan Record Dates[edit | edit source]

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records^[4]
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1868	1869	1868	1969	1854	1870	1820
Statewide registration started in 1867 for births and deaths. General compliance by 1915.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

1863--Benzie County was created 27 February 1863 from Leelanau County. It was attached to Grand Traverse County prior to organization 30 March 1869.
County seat: Beulah^[5]
Interactive Map of Michigan County Formation History (1790-1897) - animated maps illustrating Michigan county boundary changes
County Evolution In Michigan, 1790-1897 by Richard W. Welch for the development of the counties in the state.
Michigan Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:^[6]

Cities
Frankfort
Villages
Benzonia Beulah	Elberta Honor	Lake Ann Thompsonville
Native American communities
Grand Traverse Indian Reservation
Census-designated places
Bendon Crystal Downs Country Club Crystal Mountain	Hardwood Acres Maple Grove	Nessen City Pilgrim
Townships
Almira Benzonia Blaine Colfax	Crystal Lake Gilmore Homestead Inland	Joyfield Lake Platte Weldon
Ghost towns
Allyn Station (Pratts) Almira Aral Cedar Run Edgewater Gilmore Grant House (Homestead)	Homestead Inland Joyfield Kentville Melva Osborn Oviat	Platte Playtte River (Melva) Pratts Stormer Success (Ransom Creek) Wallin Weldon

History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Benzie County, Michigan online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Find A Grave USGenWeb MIGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project MIInterment Billion Graves
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com FamilySearch Places
See Michigan Cemeteries for more information

1799-1999 - Michigan, Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), Cemetery Index, 1799-1999 at FamilySearch — index and images

Census Records[edit | edit source]

State Census

1894 Michigan State Census, 1894 at FamilySearch - How to Use this CollectionThis is one of 17 counties that have a full, searchable census with links to images.
1894 Michigan Department of State. Census of the State of Michigan, 1894. Vol 3. Lansing, MI: R. Smith & co., state printers, 1896. (Civil War veterans only) Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library
1850-1880 - Michigan Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection

Church Records[edit | edit source]

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Michigan denominations, view the Michigan Church Records wiki page.

1819-1991 - Michigan, Church Records, 1819-1991 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection

List of Churches and Church Parishes

FamilySearch Places

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

1929-1966 Michigan, Crew Lists for various ports, 1929-1966 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Michigan Land and Property for additional information about early Michigan land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the Benzie County courthouse and where records are currently housed.

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Local histories are available for Benzie County. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Michigan Local Histories.

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Maps of Michigan (1790-1897)
FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Civil War

Online Indexes and Records

1876-1945 - Michigan, Grand Army of the Republic Membership Records, 1876-1945 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
1894 Michigan Department of State. Census of the State of Michigan, 1894. Vol 3. Lansing, MI: R. Smith & co., state printers, 1896. (Civil War veterans only) Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library
Michigan, Civil War Centennial Observance Commission, Committee on Civil War Grave Registration, Burial Records at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection

World War I

1917-1919 - Michigan, Census of World War I Veterans with Card Index, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

1837-1993 - Michigan, Eastern and Western Districts, Naturalization Records, 1837-1993 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

1820-2006 Michigan Obituaries, 1820-2006 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

In most counties in Michigan, probate records have been kept by the county judge. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate packets, and dockets. The records are available at the county courthouse.

Online Indexes and Records

1784-1980 Michigan Wills and Probate Records 1784-1980 at Ancestry.com($)
1797-1973 Michigan Probate Records 1797-1973 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection

School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

Michigan tax records complement land records and can be used to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information see the Wiki page, Michigan Taxation.

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

Birth Records and Death Records from 1867 can be obtained from the Michigan Department of Community Health or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred.
Marriage Records from 1867 and Divorce Records from 1897 can be obtained from the County Clerk.

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

Listed below are archives in Benzie County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Michigan Archives and Libraries.

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Libraries

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Listed below are libraries in Benzie County. For state-wide library facilities, see Michigan Archives and Libraries.

Museums[edit | edit source]

Benzie Area Historical Society
PO Box 185/ 6941 Traverse Avenue
Benzonia MI 49616
Phone: 231-882-5539
Facebook website

Societies[edit | edit source]

Listed below are societies in Benzie County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Michigan Societies.