Find Your Family.
Discover Yourself.
Search our Databases
Brighton District Library offers a variety of ways to learn more about your family. Library staff and volunteers have compiled indexed lists of many of our resources including obituaries, birth and marriage announcements from all existing Brighton Argus, the Livingston County Argus-Dispatch, the Livingston County Daily Press and Argus and the Livingston Daily Press & Argus newspapers from 1880 to the present. Begin exploring our resources by searching one of our indexes below.
Birth Records Index Search
Obituary Index Search
Marriage Index Search
Featured Research Resources
The following services are free and available to Brighton District Library patrons.
If you do not have a library card with us and are a current resident, please fill out our online library card application.
MyHeritage Library Edition
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 as well as records of Union and Confederate Civil War soldiers. Over 2 billion family trees.
Ancestry.com
Includes digitized images of the U.S. Federal Census from 1790 forward, the American Genealogical Biographical Index, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, and more.
The Brighton Room
The Genealogy and Local History Collection of the Brighton Room has developed over time to become one of the largest collections of family and local history information in Livingston County. It provides a full range of services and materials for genealogists, historians, teachers and other interested hobbyists and scholars.
What do we collect? The collection includes 3,000+ printed items composed of family histories, indexes to records, how-to books, cemetery transcriptions, obituaries, family history magazines, photographs, microfilm of Livingston County vital records and more. Additionally the Brighton Room houses microfilm of the Brighton Argus from its beginning in 1880 to its present incarnation entitled the Livingston Daily Press & Argus which was formed in 2000 by a merger of the Brighton Argus and the Livingston County Press.
The emphasis of the Brighton Room collection is on Brighton and Livingston County, as well as bordering counties and the state of Michigan overall.
To that end, the Brighton Room’s extensive collection of print and microfilm items continues to grow through library purchases and donations from appreciative genealogists and historians.
Brighton Local History
Brighton Area Women’s History Roll of Honor
The first Brighton-area celebration of women’s accomplishments occurred in March 2002, when books, photographs and posters of notable women were displayed in the Brighton Area Schools Board of Education meeting room.
The original collection assembled by former school board Secretary Joyce Powers and assistant to the superintendent Sheryl Lohmiller informed, enlightened and inspired the general public.
In March, 2003, the Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce and downtown merchants joined the celebration by displaying pictures and details about various women of achievement in their business establishments.
The Women’s History Advisory Council was formed, and seven local women were named to the first Brighton Area Women’s Roll of Honor at the Womenfest event held in the Brighton Center for the Performing Arts.
Since 2003, the Roll of Honor has grown every year and now includes not only notable women from the greater Brighton area, but also girls’ state champion teams from Brighton High School.
–from Livingston Daily Press & Argus, February 24, 2015
Livingston County
Genealogy and History Resources
Men and Pioneers by Everts and Abbots (1880) is available as a downloadable pdf file. The pdf file is
large and may take several minutes to download depending on the speed of your internet connection.
Cemeteries in Livingston County, Michigan from FindaGrave.com.
A guide to Livingston County, Michigan ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records from FamilySearch.
A volunteer run website devoted to Livingston county genealogy. Includes information on vital records, cemeteries, military records, and much more including downloadable eBooks about Livingston county’s history.
The following three websites are in neighboring counties and contain some Livingston County information.
Cities and Villages of
Livingston County
The City of Brighton is located approximately forty-five miles northwest of Downtown Detroit. It was incorporated as a village in 1867 and became a Home Rule City in 1928. Brighton encompasses an area of approximately 3.65 square miles, has an estimated household population of approximately 7,442, and is the central business hub for approximately 54% of Livingston County’s approximate 180,102 household population, who reside in its southeast quadrant. The City’s estimated 3,603 households reflect an approximate average of 2.00 persons per household, which is the lowest in Livingston County.
The City is primarily residential and commercial in nature, with residential land uses comprising 35% of the land area and contributing 48% of the total ad valorem tax base. Although commercial uses comprise only 18% of the City’s land, they generate approximately 38.5% of the tax base. Industrial land uses occupy 11% of the land and contribute 4.2% to the property tax base. The remaining 9.3% of the ad valorem tax base is comprised of Personal Property Taxes on Commercial and Industrial real estate.
Brighton has the quality of life of a small city, but also has the advantage of being ideally located with easy access to the metropolitan areas of Ann Arbor, Detroit, Flint, and Lansing. The City operates under the Council-Manager form of government. The Mayor is chosen by the seven-member elected City Council from among its members. The City Council appoints the City Manager who is responsible for the administration of the City’s activities. The City Council also appoint the City Attorney, City Planner, and City Engineer.
–From City of Brighton, Michigan: Comprehensive Annual financial Report for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2012, p. ii.
As the county seat, the City of Howell is centrally located within Livingston County. It was platted in 1835 and later incorporated in 1863. The City of Howell is the most populated city in the county. The City currently has a land area of approximately 4.9 square miles and a population of 9,489 based on the 2010 census. The government is empowered to levy a property tax on both real and personal property located within its boundaries. The government also has the power by state statute to extend its corporate limits by annexation, which is done periodically, when deemed appropriate by the City Council.
The City has operated under the council-manager form of government since 1955. All powers of the City shall be vested in and all matters of policy of the City shall be exercised and determined by a Council of seven members composed of the Mayor and six Council members. The Council shall hold at least two regular meetings per month. The Council is the City’s legislative and policymaking body. Council is responsible for adopting the annual budget, contracts, laws, ordinances and resolutions; approving purchases; and granting permits and license terms. Council members are elected at large to four year, staggered terms; elections are held in November of odd years. City Council serves as the direct citizen’s link to City Hall. City Council appoints the City Manager, Clerk, Treasurer, Attorney and Assessor. The City Manager is responsible for carrying out the policies and ordinances of the governing council, for supervising the day-to-day operations of the government, and for appointing the heads of the government’s departments.
The City provides a full range of services, including: police; the construction and maintenance of highways, streets and other infrastructure; sanitary sewage treatment and disposal; water treatment and distribution; economic development; recreational activities; and cultural events. The City is also financially accountable for certain legally separate entities, which are reported separately within the City’s financial statements. Additional information on each of these legally separate entities can be found in the notes to the basic financial statements.
–From City of Howell, Michigan: Comprehensive Annual Financial Report For the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2014, p. 1-2.
Located in the heart of Livingston County, one of Michigan’s fastest growing counties, the Village of Fowlerville stands in the path of development as it grows from the surrounding cities of Lansing, Brighton and Flint. While much of the Village is already developed, recent activity includes redevelopment of the downtown and general commercial areas, and development within the industrial districts. This has led to additional attention from residential developers; however, the majority of activity remains in the Village’s commercial areas. Most of the residential development occurred prior to 1940, leaving the Village with an historic charm and development pattern that has contributed to the Village’s close-knit, small town community spirit.
Since the 1950’s, Livingston County and the Village of Fowlerville have experienced steady population growth. Like many communities in suburban southeast Michigan, the County experienced a surge in development during the 1970’s and 1980’s. Centrally located between several of the State’s metropolitan centers–Detroit, Lansing, Ann Arbor, and Flint–Livingston County has become an attractive place for residents looking for a less hectic lifestyle and for businesses seeking a location at the bustling crossroads of commerce. As development migrates eastward from Lansing and westward from Metro Detroit, the Village has emerged as a desirable location for commuters.
–From Village of Fowlerville, Livingston County, Michigan: Master Plan, Adopted September 14, 2009, pp. 1-1, 2-1.
The Village of Pinckney is located in southern Livingston County along M-36, a major east-west road
corridor through the County. Pinckney’s location offers its residents convenient access to the major
metropolitan centers of Lansing, Flint, Detroit, and Ann Arbor via the major expressways of I-96, US 23,
and I-94. Interstate 96 is approximately 12 miles north of Pinckney, US-23, 13 miles to the east and
Interstate 94, nine miles to the south. This convenient location is advantageous for the Village’s economic
prosperity and the general quality of life for its residents.
The 2010 Census reported 869 households within the Village of Pinckney, representing an 18.9 percent
increase from the number reported in 2000. Seventy-eight percent (78%) of households in Pinckney are
categorized as “family households,” meaning that they consist of a householder and one or more other
people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. Conversely, “non-family households”
consist of people living alone or households which do not have any members related to the householder.
The average household
size in Pinckney was reported at 2.78 in 2010, down by 4 percent from the 2000 size.
–From Village of Pinckney Master Plan, May, 2015, pp. 3,10.