GENEALOGY

The Longyear Library is one of the best places to begin your search for a Marquette County ancestor. We can help you fill in the branches on your family tree!

Resources

1) Biographical Card File
Alphabetical file of over 80,000 names of area residents, based on newspaper accounts of births, deaths, marriages and anniversaries. Collection ranges from 1868 to the present. Articles are on each name card and can be photocopied. This is the most valuable genealogy resource in the collection and an easy and quick way to find family members.

2) City and County Directories
Directories are available from 1873 to the present. Books arranged by town and then name. Great source for names, addresses, occupations and general information about communities, such as locations of churches, schools, iron ore mines, etc.

3) Chase Biographical Records and Interviews
Over 350 area pioneers were interviewed in the 1920’s. Included are family charts, plus stories of early years in Marquette County.

4) Burial Permits
Registrar’s permits for burials and removals in the cemeteries of Marquette, 1889-1932, alphabetically listed.

5) Cemetery Records
Records for many of the 27 cemeteries in Marquette County. Tombstone transcriptions include cemeteries in Marquette, Ishpeming, Negaunee, Big Bay, Champion, Ely Township, Humboldt Township, Gwinn, Michigamme, Richmond Township, Republic, Skandia, Turin, Wells and West Branch Townships. Collection especially good for the cemeteries in the city of Marquette.

6) Church Records
Marriage records from St. John’s Catholic Church, Marquette, from 1872-1899. Marriage and burial records for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Marquette from 1867-1875. Index file of Catholic and Protestant church members in Marquette, 1935

7) School Yearbooks
Excellent collection of yearbooks from Marquette, Ishpeming and Negaunee High Schools beginning around 1903, with smaller collection of books from National Mine, Republic, and Michigamme. Parochial schools include, Bishop Baraga High School and St. Paul’s High School. Northern Michigan University yearbooks also available.

8) Marquette County Telephone Directories
Alphabetical listing of names by communities, from 1914 to the present

9) Iron Mine Records
Inspector of the Mines reports from 1889 to the 1970’s.
Index of mining fatalities in Marquette County, by name, date, and mine, beginning in the 1860’s. Employment records for a few iron mine companies

10) Military Records
Newspaper clippings pertaining to Marquette County men and women who served in the military from the Civil War to Iraqi Freedom. Collection includes World War II index to thousands of articles on area servicemen by name, 1940-1946. Other resources include scrapbooks, photographs, veteran papers and interviews

11) U.S. Federal Censuses
Microfilm of Marquette County Censuses -1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930. Index available for certain years
Microfilm of Chippewa and Mackinac County Censuses-1840

12) Michigan State Census
Rare 1864 Census document listing residents of Marquette and Schoolcraft Counties including Grand Island



The J.M. Longyear Research Library also houses a general collection of local history books, centennial books of various communities and many published family histories. Many genealogists have success researching the photograph and map collection.

Family history is one of our specialties. If we cannot find information on your family, we will refer you to someone who can. The staff is happy to research any of the above resources at an hourly research rate. Policies and Services