Genealogy

The Monroe County Library System strives to maintain a well-rounded and accessible Genealogy Collection at the Ellis Library and Reference Center.  Focusing on the families of Monroe County, Michigan, materials extend to coverage of surrounding counties (including those in Northwest Ohio) and their ties to Monroe.  Other fields of concentration follow family lines to French Canada, New England and the Atlantic states, and areas near Eastern Tennessee.  While the focus is on Monroe County, the collection includes resources from over 30 other states and Canada.

The Genealogy Collection includes print, electronic and microfilm resources.  These include:

• Birth, Marriage and Death Records
• Church Records
• Cemetery Records
• Census Transcriptions
• City Directories
• Probate Records
• Land Records & Plat Maps
• Naturalization Records
• Passenger Lists & Ship Identification
• Family Histories
• Oral Histories
• County
• Township & Village Histories
• Surnames
• Heraldry

Other Resources Available

• Laurent Durocher Account Books – Laurent Durocher was an active citizen in the founding of Frenchtown, later to be known as Monroe, Michigan.  If your ancestor was an early pioneer in this area he may have done business with Laurent.  If the list provides a span of time, example 1818- Sept 1821, this shows that this person did business with Laurent during this time period. This is the only information available, but what it does for your research is that it proves that your ancestor was in this area at a particular time.
• Books
• Cemetery Listings
• Donate Your Family History
• Indexes
• Microfilm
• Newspapers
• Tombstone Meanings

Databases

The following databases may require a password to access their information. All passwords are available in our Online Resources Brochure that can be found at any of our 16 branches. You can also call your local branch library for more information.

• Ancestry Plus
• Family Search
• LaFrance
• Seeking Michigan