ROSCOMMON COUNTY, MI HISTORY AND LOOKUP
County History Books
*None Listed
Roscommon County, Michigan: A Genealogical Overview
Located in the north-central region of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, Roscommon County is a land defined by its abundant water and forests. It is home to Michigan’s largest inland lake, Houghton Lake, the exceptionally clear Higgins Lake, and Lake St. Helen, making it a major center for tourism and recreation. The county’s history is a classic Michigan story: first inhabited by Native American tribes, then transformed by the 19th-century lumber boom that cleared its virgin pine forests, and finally reborn as a popular natural getaway.
I. County Formation and Evolution
Understanding Roscommon County’s original name and its period of attachment to other counties for administrative purposes is essential for locating the earliest records of its settlers.
- 1840: County Laid Out: The county was first demarcated by an act of the Michigan Legislature on April 1, 1840, and was named Meguisee County, in honor of a local Ojibwa (Chippewa) chief. In 1843, its name was changed to Roscommon, after County Roscommon in Ireland.
- Parent Counties: For 35 years, Roscommon was an “unorganized county,” meaning it lacked its own government and was attached to other counties for judicial and administrative purposes. Records for this period can be found in the parent county of the time. It was attached to Mackinac County, then Cheboygan County, and finally Midland County prior to its own organization.
- 1875: County Organized: Roscommon County was formally organized with its own government in 1875. Records created from this date forward are held within Roscommon County itself.
- Name Origin: As noted, it was originally named Meguisee County. The current name, Roscommon, was part of a wave of Irish names given to Michigan counties in 1843.
- County Seat History: The village of Roscommon was established as the county seat upon the county’s organization in 1875 and has remained the seat of government ever since.
II. Settlement and Early History
- Early Inhabitants: The area was the ancestral homeland of the Anishinaabe peoples, specifically the Ottawa and Ojibwa (Chippewa), who used the dense forests and numerous lakes for hunting, fishing, and gathering.
- Pioneer Settlement and Economy: Significant non-native settlement did not begin until after the Civil War, driven entirely by the logging industry. The county’s vast stands of white and red pine were harvested, with the Muskegon River serving as the primary means of floating logs to sawmills. The first settlements were logging camps and small villages that grew up to support the lumbermen. After the pine was depleted around the turn of the 20th century (a period known as “the cutover”), the economy collapsed. The sandy, stump-filled land proved unsuitable for large-scale agriculture. The county’s modern economy was born from the efforts to reforest the land (including extensive work by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s) and promote the area’s natural beauty, leading to a robust tourism and recreational industry.
III. Genealogical Records and Resources
This section provides practical information for locating ancestral records specific to Roscommon County.
- Courthouse: The Roscommon County Building is located at 500 Lake Street, Roscommon, MI 48653. This building houses the key county offices for genealogical research:
- The County Clerk holds vital records (births, deaths, marriages) and court records.
- The Register of Deeds holds all land records.
- The Probate Court holds wills, estate files, and guardianship records.
- Vital Records:
- Birth and Death Records: Statewide registration in Michigan began in 1867. Records from 1867 to the present are held by the Roscommon County Clerk. Copies can also be obtained from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).
- Marriage Records: Marriage records from the county’s organization in 1875 to the present are held by the Roscommon County Clerk.
- Libraries with Genealogy Collections:
- Roscommon Area District Library: Located in the village of Roscommon, this library has a local history collection with resources for family research.
- Houghton Lake Public Library and Gerrish-Higgins School District Public Library are other important local repositories.
- The Library of Michigan: (Located in Lansing) This is the most important single repository for Michigan genealogy. It holds extensive collections including Roscommon County newspapers on microfilm, plat maps, state census records, and published family histories.
- Bordering Jurisdictions:
- Crawford County, MI
- Ogemaw County, MI
- Gladwin County, MI
- Clare County, MI
- Missaukee County, MI
- Kalkaska County, MI