The Shiawassee District Library maintains materials of interest to genealogists, primarily related to Shiawassee County and the State of Michigan. Various reference books are available at both the Durand Memorial and Owosso Branches. A complete catalog of available materials is available online. Microfilm of the Owosso Argus-Press (1862- ) is available in Owosso and the Durand Express (1897-July 21, 2002) in Durand. In addition, incomplete runs of the Shiawassee County Journal (1892-1996) and the Owosso Times (1881-1926) are available in Owosso.

The Shiawassee County Obituary Index covers obituaries published in the Owosso Argus-Press. This index covers 1862-the present. Recently published obituaries are being added on a regular basis; full text of some recent obituaries are available on the Argus-Press' web site.

The Shiawassee County Surname File contains information from family group sheets from Shiawassee County Genealogical Society members and Shiawassee County cemetery records. This information was provided by the Genealogy Society. Data Source Codes refer to the individual providing the information; limited contact information may be available from the library upon request.

   Genealogical Reference Policy

Genealogical questions will not be taken over the phone, but may be researched if requested in writing from people outside Shiawassee County. Shiawassee County residents will generally be expected to come into the library to do their own research. Research done by staff is limited to in-house materials. The library will not provide staff to look at census microfilm as this is available to local public libraries through a rental program or through various Internet accessible databases. Written requests may be e-mailed to [email protected] or mailed to Shiawassee District Library--Owosso Branch, 502 W. Main, Owosso, MI 48867.

The library does not charge for scanned files sent via e-mail.  There is a charge of $1.00 for the first page and 50 cents for each additional page sent via the mail to cover copy charges and postage.  Copies are available in the library for 10 cents per page.

   Additional Genealogical Resources

Ancestry Library Edition--United States and the United Kingdom, including census, vital, church, court, and immigration records, as well as record collections from Canada and other areas.

CLIO--Approximately 1,000 full-text genealogical titles from the U.S. and England.  Available on 5 computers in the Owosso branch.
CLIO Group Catalog
CLIO Individual Title Catalog

Central Michigan University, Clarke Historical Library--Full-text of Michigan Local History Resources.

Michigan County Histories and Atlases--Searchable full-text of Michigan local histories and atlases. 

Michigan Digital Newspaper Portal--Access to either digitized versions of newspapers or links to digitized newspapers made available from a variety of sources.  Among these links are papers held by the Clarke Historical Library and also Michigan newspapers found in Chronicling America, a database maintained by the Library of Congress.

My Heritage--Family history resource including more than 6 billion historical ​records from the United States, Europe, Latin America, and other regions. Includes the full USA federal census (1790-1940); census of England and Wales (1841-1901); U.S. World War II Army Enlistment and records of Union and Confederate Civil War soldiers. Over 2 billion family trees.

Seeking Michigan--Includes material from the State of Michigan Archives.

Shiawassee County Historical Society

Local Funeral Homes

Nelson-House Funeral Home
Smith Family Funeral Homes
Watkins Brothers Funeral Homes