1. Which plant?
Record the factory, city and any transfer. A company name alone is not a location.
OCCUPATIONS & EMPLOYERSYour ancestor worked for Ford.
Your ancestor worked for Ford.
Where are the records?
Start with the plant, the years and the kind of work. Personnel records, union collections and local sources answer different questions.
Three details that change the search
2. Which years?
Use pay slips, directories, obituaries or family papers to establish a date range. Label family recollections as leads.
3. Which role?
Distinguish hourly from salaried employment. Record the department, employee number or union local if known.
Ford Motor Company Archives
The Henry Ford’s employee-record FAQ directs relatives to Ford Motor Company, which retains the personnel records. The museum does not hold them. Its published corporate-archive coverage is limited:
- Rouge hourly workers: approximately 1918–1947, including some workers transferred from Highland Park, Iron Mountain, Willow Run and Village Industries.
- Highland Park and Rouge salaried workers: approximately 1907–1947.
- Highland Park hourly workers: approximately 1911–1919.
How to request a search
The instructions call for a signed genealogy request stating your relationship and enclosing a death certificate or obituary. They list Archives@Ford.com and Ford Motor Company Archives, FEL Building, Mail Drop 400, 21500 Oakwood Boulevard, Dearborn, MI 48124. Check the instructions before submitting.
Available information may include hiring, job, pay and employment dates. Family, health, disciplinary and Social Security information is excluded. Survival of a series does not establish that a particular worker’s file survives. This is not a comprehensive employee database.
Read the employee-record coverage and request instructions (FAQ updated January 12, 2024).
Benson Ford Research Center at The Henry Ford
In an August 21, 2026 reply to Brick Wall Protocol, a reference archivist described the center’s company historical records as spanning roughly 1903–1955 and directed employee-record requests to Ford. This broad description does not establish coverage for every series or worker. Use the museum’s finding aids, library catalog and digital collections to investigate a plant, department or working environment. Search the plant name together with terms such as employees, photographs or publications. A catalog description is not an individual employment record.
Plan access before traveling
In-person research is by appointment. The appointment FAQ requires at least two weeks’ notice and a material list in advance. It gives inconsistent weekday descriptions, so confirm the actual date with staff rather than relying on a weekday schedule here. Ask about remote assistance and any charges before commissioning work.
A focused collection lead: women workers
The museum’s Rosie the Riveter FAQ points to a bibliography and a Women Workers (1939–1949) photograph collection. Follow those links for wartime workplace context; an unidentified person in a factory image is not proof of an ancestor’s identity.
Check the Reuther Library’s current catalog
November 6, 2026: We have withdrawn our earlier UAW Local 600 collection description, older finding-aid link and service instructions pending verification against current holdings. Do not rely on the former description to request materials.
Use the library’s current search and access information . A surviving older finding-aid PDF does not establish current custody or access.
No personnel file? Follow the worker into the community.
The following are search strategies, not verified holdings for every plant:
- Check city directories near the factory for addresses and employer or occupation entries.
- Ask the local library about newspaper coverage during the employment years. Search for retirements, service awards, obituaries and plant events.
- Ask whether employee newsletters or union publications survive for that particular plant and period. Request a title and date range before assuming a collection exists.
- Compare names with addresses, ages and relatives. A name in a newsletter can be a lead without establishing identity.
Make one useful request
“I am researching a deceased relative who worked at [plant] around [years], possibly as [role]. My evidence is [record and citation]. Does your collection cover this location and period? What identifiers, documentation, restrictions and fees apply?”
Send supporting personal documents directly to the verified custodian when required. Keep a private request log with the source, date, search scope and result. A negative search applies to the material searched, not to all possible employment evidence.
Know a collection or correction? Suggest a correction to this guide.
Was your ancestor running a business?
Follow a shop, partnership or company through business registries and historical archives in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky.
HELP KEEP THIS GUIDE USEFUL
Know a collection we should include?
Suggest a correction, an overlooked collection or an updated access detail. An official link or source helps us check it before making a change. Please leave out private family documents and sensitive personal information.
Suggest a correction or collection