Search Iosco County Genealogy Records

Iosco County genealogy records are kept at the County Clerk's office in Tawas City. Records here date back to 1857 when the county was first organized, and they cover births, deaths, and marriages for this northeastern Lower Peninsula county along Lake Huron.

Iosco County Clerk - Vital Records

The Iosco County Clerk in Tawas City is the main office for vital genealogy records. Staff can look up records by name and date. Certified copies are issued for legal and personal use. The office is open weekdays and can also respond to written mail requests.

Birth records in Iosco County go back to 1867, though the county was not organized until 1857. These records are restricted for 100 years under MCL 333.2882. Only qualified requestors may get a certified copy of a recent birth record. Death records and marriage records are public. Anyone may request a copy of a death or marriage record without showing a relationship to the person named. Certified copies cost $15 per record under MCL 333.2884.

Marriage records date from 1857. Iosco County is a smaller county, but its records can be important for families with roots in northeastern Michigan and the Lake Huron shoreline area.

Iosco County Vital Records

The county clerk's office holds three main types of vital records. Each has a different access level depending on how old the record is and who is asking.

Certified copies under MCL 333.2885 carry an official seal and are accepted for legal purposes. To order by mail, write to the county clerk with the name, event type, date, and your contact information. Include a check or money order made out to the Iosco County Clerk for the correct amount.

Huron Shores Genealogical Society

The Huron Shores Genealogical Society serves both Alcona and Iosco counties. This volunteer group offers research assistance to those tracing family lines in northeastern Michigan. They can help with cemetery records, local newspaper abstracts, and other materials that are not easily found through state databases. Their mailing address is P.O. Box 41, Oscoda, MI 48750.

Local genealogical societies often have unique materials that state databases do not carry. Township records, church registers, and local cemetery transcriptions are commonly held at these groups. If you are stuck on an Iosco County family line, the Huron Shores Genealogical Society is a good next step after checking the county clerk and state online tools.

Note: Contact the society by mail to ask about available resources and any research fee they may charge for assistance.

Online Tools for Iosco County Research

The state's free genealogy portal is Michiganology. It holds death certificates from across Michigan from 1897 onward. Iosco County death records from 1897 to 1952 are available at no cost through this site. You can search by name and view the digital image of the original record. This is one of the fastest ways to find death information for ancestors who lived in Iosco County in the early 1900s.

The Iosco County FamilySearch wiki explains what records exist and where to find them. FamilySearch has free access to many Michigan genealogy records, and some Iosco County collections are already digitized there. FamilySearch is particularly strong for land, probate, and some vital records. Ancestry.com also has Michigan collections that cover Iosco County, though a subscription is needed.

The Iosco MIGenWeb page offers free transcriptions and local data gathered by volunteers. These databases often include cemetery records and early vital records not found elsewhere. Check MIGenWeb before spending money on records requests.

The Michiganology vital records database gives free access to early death certificates that are too old to order from the county clerk and are no longer restricted under state law.

The Library of Michigan in Lansing holds newspapers and local history collections that are useful for filling in gaps in Iosco County family research.

Communities in Iosco County

Iosco County includes Tawas City, East Tawas, Oscoda, and other small communities along Lake Huron. All vital records requests for these communities go through the County Clerk in Tawas City.

None of the communities in Iosco County reach the population threshold for a dedicated city page. All genealogy records for the county are available through the County Clerk's office at the courthouse in Tawas City.

Nearby Counties

Iosco County borders several other northeastern Michigan counties. If family records are not found here, check adjacent counties, particularly Alcona to the north and Arenac to the south.