Genealogy and Waterford History

The Waterford Genealogical Society meets at the library. You are welcome to attend their meetings. Check the Library Calendar for dates and times.

Access Online Genealogy Databases

Waterford & Oakland County Information 

• Waterford Historical Timeline
• Lakeland's Paradise: a story of Waterford Township for children - Digitized edition (Print edition available in library)
• Index to Death Notices from 19th Century Pontiac, Michigan, Newspapers - Last Names A-L
• Index to Death Notices from 19th Century Pontiac, Michigan Newspapers - Last Names M-Z
• Waterford Township Cemetery Index, ca. 1820 - 1990 [PDF]
• Index to  Probate Notices from 19th Century Pontiac, Michigan, Newspapers - Last Names A-L
• Index to Probate Notices from 19th Century Pontiac, Michigan, Newspapers - Last Names M-Z
• Index to Marriage Notices from 19th Century Pontiac, Michigan Newspapers
• U.S. Census for Waterford Township, 1850  
• U.S. Census, Agriculture Schedule, for Waterford Township, 1850 -  Transcription listing farmers, farms & products [PDF]
• Waterford Township Landowners, 1857 [PDF]
• U.S. Census for Waterford Township, 1860 [PDF]
• Business Notices from Waterford Township, 1872 [PDF]
• Business Notices from Waterford Township Villages, 1872 [PDF]
• Waterford Historical Maps
• Oakland County Pioneer Death Index from the Late 19th & early 20th Centuries [PDF]
• Waterford Biographies [From the Biographical Record...of Oakland County Michigan (1903)]
• Oakland County Obituary and Death Notice Index, 1999 [PDF]
• Oakland County Obituary and Death Notice Index, 2000  [PDF]
• Death Notice Information

 Library Resources

• State & Year Coverage of CD-ROM Census Indexes held by WTPL.  Part 1: A-L [PDF], Part 2: M-N [PDF], and Part 3: O-W [PDF]
• Genealogy CD-ROM Databases held by WTPL 
• Waterford High School Yearbooks held by WTPL
• Books Donated to the Waterford Library by the Waterford Genealogical Society [PDF]
• Area Genealogy Research Collections

 Other Links

• Oakland County Historical Resources - links to digital resources
• The Waterford Twp. Historical Society and History of Waterford Village - early developments to the 1870s
• 1820 Oakland County Census - online transcription
• Oakland County Atlas, 1872 - maps are for sale, but can also be viewed on the website
• Oakland County GenWeb
• Barnes Potter Chapter - Waterford area chapter of the Daughter of the American Revolution

OTHER USEFUL LINKS ON THE WEB

Great Places to Start

• FamilySearch - provides record indexing and pedigrees for tens of millions of individuals. We are a FamilySearch Affiliate Library, which means when you use familysearch.org at our library, you have access to millions of digitized records and images which are only available at FamilySearch Family History Centers and other affiliate libraries. You will need to create a free account if you don’t already have one.
• USGenWeb - free access to state and county level data
• Social Security Death Index - search for individuals receiving social security benefits before death
• American Local History Network - check out info on the state you're researching

 General Collections of Genealogy Links

• Cyndi's List [The top site for links]
• Helm's Genealogy Toolbox
• Olive Tree Genealogy

 Michigan Links

• Michigan Death Records 1867-1882 - contains full records 
• State of Michigan Vital Records Application Forms - for ordering birth, marriage, death and divorce records
• Michigan County Clerks Directory - contact information for all the counties.
• St. Clair County, Michigan Death Index, 1868-1974
• Michigan Civil War Regimental Rosters - online transcriptions
• Michigan History Center
• Michiganology - Michigan History Center's companion website, includes online digital collections and information designed for young learners

 Great Lakes Links

• Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950
• Illinois Public Domain Land Sales Archive - 19th century
• Illinois Statewide Marriage Index 1763-1900 - searchable index from the State of Illinois
• Indiana Marriages Through 1850 - searchable database from the Indiana State Library
• Minnesota Historical Society People Finder - searchable index of many types of records/items, including birth and death records
• Select Ohio Public Records Index - mainly death certificates, including 1913-1944 and 1954-1963 
• Wisconsin Family History Resources - more than 3,000,000 records including birth, death, and marriage record indexes

Canada

• Genealogical and Family History Research at the Library and Archives of Canada
• Genealogy Quebec - fee based service featuring Quebec historical and genealogy documents
• PRDH - the comprehensive site of Quebec French-Canadian genealogy of the =17th & =18th centuries
• Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• Genealogical Research at the Archives of Ontario

 Ethnic Links

• JewishGen Family Finder - database of towns and surnames being researched by Jewish genealogists worldwide
• Afrigeneas - African ancestored genealogy
• Christine's Genealogy Site - a wealth of information for African-American genealogical research
• African-American Genealogy on Cyndi's List - includes full text how-to articles

 Immigration & Naturalization Links

• The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation - search passenger arrivals at Ellis Island
• Ellis Island Database One-Step Search Tool on JewishGen - try these tools if you're having trouble locating your Ellis Island immigrants
• Passenger Ship Information - includes arrival dates, ports of entry and embarkation, and much more

 Links to Useful Tools

• American Memory - Historical Collections for the National Digital Library @ the Library of Congress - you may find that old book you need on this site
• Webpages by Stephen P. Morse - includes Census & Soundex, Ellis Island, Ship Arrivals, Birth Death, and other Vital Records search tools
• Print a free Ancestral Chart as well as other useful forms