Searching collections:
Million Record March
Introducing the Michigan Death Records Collection
Welcome to Seeking Michigan! As a partner in the site, The Library of Michigan is excited to make these Michigan death certificates for the years 1897 to 1920 freely available online. The years 1915 to 1920 are particularly significant, as a readily available statewide index did not exist previously.
There are terrific ancestral discoveries just waiting to be made in this statewide collection. Take Guy Robinson, for example. His death certificate is exceptionally detailed, even more so than usual. Guy died 17 May 1914 in Delta Township, Eaton County. In addition to both his parents’ names (his mother’s maiden name, too), the certificate identifies his mother’s specific county of birth – Dodge County, Wisc. Guy’s father’s birthplace is even more specific – Woodland Township, Barry County, Mich., as is his own – Oneida Township, Eaton County, Mich. Guy’s burial was at Union Cemetery in Eaton County, perhaps at a family plot there. The certificate’s informant was Guy’s father, Loell Robinson, giving a certain validity to the information. If this were your “Guy,” you’d be ecstatic.
Currently, there are about 250,000 of the approximately 1,000,000 certificates on this site, or about 25 percent of the total collection. We’ll be adding additional records regularly in the next few weeks, so check back often.
So what years and counties are here? The list below details what records are currently available; [incomplete] means that particular county (or Detroit) is not yet fully loaded, not that the whole run of counties listed is incomplete. Remember that the Library of Michigan will be regularly adding records in the coming weeks.
1901:
- Lenawee – Midland [incomplete]
- Detroit [incomplete]
1902:
- Alcona – St. Clair
1904:
- Detroit [incomplete]
1905:
- St. Joseph – Wexford
- Detroit [incomplete]
1911
- Gratiot – Ionia [incomplete]
1912:
- Menominee – Washtenaw [incomplete]
- Detroit [incomplete]
1913:
- Alcona – Crawford
- Midland – Wexford
1914:
- Alcona – WexfordDetroit [incomplete]
1915:
- Alcona – Wexford
1916:
- Berrien [incomplete]
- Delta – Gratiot [incomplete]
- Lapeer [incomplete] – Detroit [incomplete]
1917:
- Genesee [incomplete] – Wexford
1918:
- Alcona – Berrien [incomplete]
- Kalamazoo [incomplete] – Wexford
- Detroit [incomplete]
We hope you enjoy Seeking Michigan and wish you happy searching. I hope you find your “Guy!”
Kris: Since this is the only way I can contact you, I want to THANK YOU for the information as how I can obtain a legible copy of my ancestors death certificate. You and your team can be proud of what you have accomplished for the citizens of Michigan and the users of this site. Good Luck with the remaining project.
Bob
Hi! The following link is to the cert for my great great grandfather … should be Christian Uebele! Father Geo Uebele … son John A Uebele gave the info, and gave his mother Mary Waters as Christian’s mother, LOL … here’s the link … can transcription be corrected?
http://haldigitalcollections.cdmhost.com/seeking_michigan/discover_item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/p129401coll7&CISOPTR=686134&search=CISOOP1%3Dany%26CISOFIELD1%3DCISOSEARCHALL%26CISOROOT%3D%252Fp129401coll7%26CISOBOX1%3Dchristian%26CISOSTART%3D31%2C761&search_position=778
Thanx!!!
Mary L Stewart
I’ve located a death certificate here before but tonight can’t get there. I don’t seem to be able to find out why?
The names are:
Johann Heinrich (John Henry) Hartz
died 9/06/1907
Sanilac County
Delaware township
Marie (Mary) Hartz, Wife of JHH
died 8/11/1905
phartz@keene.edu
Peter H. Hartz-
Try these links for your Johann and Mary Hartz:
http://seekingmichigan.org/u?/p129401coll7,298615
http://seekingmichigan.org/u?/p129401coll7,222536
Thank you to all who are working to put MI genealogy online. Does anyone know if there are any patient records still in exsistence (1885-1890)for the Traverse City State Hospital? I understand some of the patients were admitted just because they had only medical problems and/or had no available caregiver.They were not all mentally ill.It has been closed for years.Does anyone know what happened to the records/charts?
Nancy – mental health patient files are restricted. For access questions on these files, contact Mary Greco at the Department of Community Health. Her phone number is (517) 373-3772. Her e-mail address is GrecoM@michigan.gov
Hi,
Thanks for the wonderful information now available. Could you tell me if Sanilac and Huron Counties are complete? Still looking for several death certificates from these counties.
looking for (french) Martin lineage,(Polish) Boza lineage (Hungary) Schupp,Supp and Nusser Nuser love to hear back.
looking for Charles Samuel Knapp 1900to 1910 I have him on the 1900 fed census at age 72 in Ottawa county but not on the 1910. I am assuming that he died soon after the 1900 census When do estimate ottawa county available on line
GREAT JOB Raphael
This is the best site I have found for geneological records,I have found over 40 ancestors death certificates and hope to find more. Good job to all involved in this project!!!
I received the following comment from a cousin in Michigan about the Library of Michigan, “Right now there is a mandate to break up the library and disperse its genealogy collections to various agencies about Lansing. Of course there are many researchers against this but our governor ordered it done and if the legislature doesn’t stop her order by October 1st it will be done.” If correct, will all online records still be available? Please advise. Thanks for a wonderful resource – especially for those, like me, who live in another state.
This is the best site yet. I’ve been waiting a long time for information like this. I can’t wait till the rest of the city of detroit is added, my luck the info I wanted is at the middle of 1920,,,but I’m waiting…….Chris
To Marina Yeager: Seeking Michigan has been funded with private money. Currently, funding is in place for the next ten years.
To Christopher I. Maciolek: Death records are complete for 1920, and Wayne County (including Detroit) is complete for the entire span of 1897-1920. For more information, see the most recent update here: http://seekingmichigan.org/look/2009/07/28/million-record-finish-line
BOB GARRETT, I’m having some problems locating death records for an aunt of mine, would you help me. Her name; Angelam Maciolek, and according to St. Hedwigs records she was born August 19,1908 and baptised August 23, 1908. Holy Cross Cemetery has an Amela Maciolek, date of death April 4,1920, which sounds right because she was only 11 years old when she died. The 1910 census shows her name as Nellie I think the church records should be accurate. The cemetery told me that years ago polish immigrants used any name cause they had trouble communicating in English. Ive been trying to locate her records for years, would you please help me. Thanking you so much, Christopher l. Maciolek (she was born and died in the city of detroit
To Christopher Maciolek-
Try this link for your aunt’s death record.
http://seekingmichigan.org/u?/p129401coll7,470302
To Karen J……..Thank you for your help,I’m a little green on the computer….Christopher.
To Christopher-
Glad I was able to help! Good luck with your research.
I can’t find the record for Maria Visconti, death mar 17 1912, detroit mi. can someone help.
What a wonderful site. I’ve found several death certificates of relatives. One that I can’t find is of Maxime Plante who died in Delta County September 16, 1899. Has this year been completed or was this record missed. I believe it is in Book B, Page 9 of Delta County records.
Betty P. -
The citation you have – Book B, page 9 – likely is for the county record of death, a different source than the state death records available here at Seeking Michigan. That county record is available either via the Delta County county clerk’s office or via the LDS network of Family History Centers.
There are several reasons why you haven’t found the record here. Indexing errors, spelling error on the record itself, etc. Also, please note that although this project is largely completed, there are still a number of records here and there that have not yet been loaded. I encourage you to check back as we finish this project in the near future.
I did find a Louise Plante’s death record for October 1899, perhaps that is a record of interest.
Thanks for your comments, and good luck with your research.
Kris, I did locate the Maxime Plante death certificate. It was labeled Maraine Olarte. I appreciate your comments.
I just keep coming back to the Michigan Death Records again and again. I have made many trips over the last 20-30 yrs to various places in Michigan to get documents….many times the records are in an adjoining county. This database has saved me grief and time…thanks to all who have made this possible.
By the way, who do I contact when a name is incorrect? For example, http://seekingmichigan.org/u?/p129401coll7,281422
is indexed as Gertrude Carhumu who is actually Gertrude CUSHMAN. She died 27 Feb 1907 in Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County. Also her father was WELTON Harrington not Wetton.
I could not find a place to send corrections.
Keep up the good work and God Bless!
Karen D -
Thanks for your comments, I’m glad that you’ve had some success.
If you come across a transcription error, please contact the Library of Michigan at librarian@michigan.gov. We’ll be making scheduled updates/corrections to the index as we move forward.
Thanks for your interest in the Seeking Michigan site.
What an incredible resource site!!! The documents are absolutely a treasure and substantiated clues to many unanswered questions!! I am on this site five or six days a week for hours each day. Thank you for some great finds I have made.
Looking for divorce and or death record of Fannie Cochrane
Howland Colton Moon (1831-?)lived in Kalamazoo and Muskegon
Michigan.
My Great Great Grandmother died in St. Clair County, Michigan in 1874. Will these records be made available also. If so, when.
Thank you.
Jean Hammond -
Early Michigan deaths from 1867-1897 – including St. Clair County in 1874 – can be found at the FamilySearch Labs page: http://pilot.familysearch.org.
Thanks for using the site.
This is a Great resource. Seems like you are having much trouble as it has been uploading for a year now. You should have had the Family Search imaging team help you with this project, maybe not too late. Well thanks again.
What an excellent resource. Thanks so much.
I really appreciate this site and all the work that has gone into it. I started out searching for my Grandfather who died when my Dad was 12 years old and we knew nothing about him nor where he was buried. I found his death certificate on this site and with the information on it I found not only where he is buried but also his parents and siblings. Thank you for this resource!
I reside in Michigan and found out about this site from a German genealogy forum!
I have located many German immigrants on your site but I must tell you to be more careful when transcribing surnames.
I was searching for Schuhrke which I didn’t find but when I looked for alternate spellings i.e. Shurke, Schurke, Sharkey, I noticed you had inadverdantly listed someone by the name of Shaskey under Sharkey; I just hope family researchers think of checking alternate spellings for the surnames they’re looking for.
Thanks for puttin the death cert. online, i have found a lot of cert. of my family, and what was the kicker was i was able to find the two death certs. of my Grandpa’s two siblings that died and no one know anything about them thanks again. and cant wait to see more add
Thank you! I seemed at a dead end on ancestral family members in Bay City. Finding copies of their on-line death certificates has been immensely helpful.
Has there been any more updates to the data base? Still looking for people from Macomb (1911) and Keweenaw and Houghton counties (1897-1900).
Vanessa they said they are still working on it but basically said if you want to find one of the many records for the counties or years that are missing you will have to travel there and look it up yourself.
One alternative is familysearch:
pilot.familysearch.org/
As they have many records for Michigan. Michigan Deaths, 1867-1897; Michigan Deaths and Burials, 1800-1995; Michigan Births, 1867-1902; Michigan Births and Christenings, 1775-1995; Michigan Marriages, 1868-1925 and Michigan Marriages, 1822-1995. Not sure how complete these are either but they do have many of the records there. It’s kind of a shame this project here wasn’t incorporated into that project. Oh well.
So…..where is the search engine? I’d like to search for names also. I can’t figure out how to get to it.
I recommend using the advanced search engine. It can get to it directly by clicking on this link:
http://seekingmichigan.cdmhost.com/seeking_michigan/seek_advanced.php
You can also reach it indirectly by going to http://seekingmichigan.org/ Look to the “Seek” section on the left, and then click on the “Search Advanced” button.
In Advanced Search, you search death records by last name, first name, year of death, county or with a combination of these choices. You’ll find those choices on the “All fields” pulldown menu on the right.
I love this site! I stumbled across it a few months back. Check in regular!
Keep the good work up!
I’d like to see the Million Record March page brought up to date (currently shows only 25% complete with only a few counties).
Thank you for your great site. I have found records of a number of my family.
I did notice a number of voids in the Maybee, Monroe Co listing.
Do you have a program, like the Church of LDS, to have volunteers digitize records? I, for one, would gladly volunteer.
How about Michigan deaths for 1998 ??
Gerald, Anchorage, AK
HI;
I am looking for the death certificate for Theodule Bellemare/Bellemore died in 1914 in ( Spalding) Menominee county.
raymond
I can not tell you how happy I am to have found your site.
I have been looking for my great grandfathers family and may have found his brother, with names of father. This is
wonderful. Yeah Michigan seeking. I will be back.
I am looking for the death record for Andrew Schaupp, who died 1910-1920 in Wayne County. Have all of the Detroit deaths been entered for Wayne County?
Hi, excellent site. i found my great great grandmother’s death certificate and really helped me get more info. However I have a question, When are records after 1920 going to be added? I need a death certificate from 1939. Thanks
The Library of Michigan does not house post-1920 death records. Currently, then, there are no plans to add such records to Seeking Michigan.
Copies of later death records can be obtained from Michigan county clerks or from the Michigan Department of Community Health.
For the County Clerk directory, click here: http://bit.ly/beRG9b
To order from the Department of Community Health, click here: http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132-4645—,00.html
I am looking for a Michigan death certificate for Myrtle Elliott. Born 1883 in Allegan, Michigan.
Phillip
http://beta.familysearch.org/s/recordDetails/show?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fpilot.familysearch.org%2Frecords%2Ftrk%3A%2Ffsrs%2Frr_745600627%2Fp1&hash=MPAfKvgWGXfZ5STyuqUCQxOVNk8%253D
Is this her? You can order Death Certificate from this county if so.
Name Myrtle Chandler Elliott
Gender Female
Burial Date 03 Jul 1949
Burial Place Allegan, Michigan
Death Date 01 Jul 1949
Death Place Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Age 67
Birth Date 13 Apr 1882
Birthplace Allegan, Michigan
Occupation Housewife
Race White
Marital Status Married
Spouse’s Name George Elliott
Father’s Name John Chandler
Father’s Birthplace Allegan, Michigan
Mother’s Name Ella Dempsey
Mother’s Birthplace Ohio
Indexing Project (Batch) Number B01386-1
System Origin Michigan-EASy
Source Film Number 2075138
Reference Number rn 421
Looking for the death record of Julliette (Brackett)Obrien
Born July 24, 1838, in Walpole Is., Canada. She died in Hopkins, Michigan.
Looking for the death record for Kathleen Mary Arnold.