Onward! The Million Record March Continues

162 Responses to Onward! The Million Record March Continues

1. 

   Dena April 10, 2009 at 11:21 am

   I am really enjoying this site- however, there are many many many misspelled names. I am currently using your information for people who are buried in the Union City area of Branch county, and am finding that possibly more names are not correct than are. The names are not copied correctly from the certificates. I can help with corrections, but need to know how. I am currently photographing the graves and I feel like I know these families. How can I help?

   Thanks for what you are doing. It’s a wonderful thing!
   Dena
2. 

   Susan April 10, 2009 at 9:36 pm

   When will the uploading begin for the death records between 1897 and 1900?
3. 

   Judi April 10, 2009 at 9:40 pm

   Kris,

   I have a quick question for you. I was trying to see if a relative’s death certificate from Detroit was downloaded. Her last name was “Zabkiewicz”, unfortunately as of now it hasn’t been, but I was thinking maybe they may have misspelled her name so I was looking under the Death year of 1920, with her first name and City, no look.

   My question is I found some death certificates for the years of 1928 and 1929, I thought they were only doing the death certificates until 1920, how come there are some in later years???? I pulled up the one from 1928 and it was a boy who was born in 1920.

   Also you state that 1906 was completed for the entire state, but my great grandfather passed away in 1906 and his death certificate is not here. His name is Joseph Patalon from Detroit. Are the still downloading????
4. 

   Dean April 10, 2009 at 11:48 pm

   Judi your g-grandfather is indexed as ‘Joseph Patalan’ and yes they are supposedly still uploading the last update.
5. 

   Anne Wares April 11, 2009 at 12:20 pm

   This is a great site! I found a stillborn son of my grandparents that I’d never heard about, and I am trying to work through, gradually, the Civil War documents in search of some of my ancestors. Are there Michigan death records prior to 1897, and are there plans to digitize these? Most of my mother’s family were in Michigan from about 1837-1950-ish.
6. 

   Kris Rzepczynski April 11, 2009 at 9:19 pm

   Judi -

   Yes, the records for 1920 Detroit available here are incomplete, so I encourage you to check back after we’ve added additional records.

   You’re right, there are a number of renegade records from 1928-1929. They are the exception, though, as this collection runs only from January 1, 1897 to December 31, 1920. Those records you found are part of our microfilm set of 1897-1920 records, from which this online collection is based.

   Looks like Dean found your elusive Patalon/Patalan record.
7. 

   Judi April 12, 2009 at 12:30 am

   Dean,

   Thank you for finding my great grandfather and Kris thank you for the information about the records from 1928-1929.

   Judi
8. 

   Nancy Knoll April 12, 2009 at 11:49 am

   Thankyou so much…are you getting tired of hearing that yet. These records are special to me because I live in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. My grandmother came from Michigan in 1912 with her parents from Montmorency County, Michigan. They were originally from Hillsdale County. I now have found certificates for some of the family. I would love to come to Michigan and do the research but at this time it is not feasible. So this has saved me money and hours. It is so easy to sit at the computer and type in the name and there it is. Keep up the good work.
   Nancy
9. 

   Marilyn April 13, 2009 at 1:44 am

   Kris,
   I am still not being able to find people in Ingham County, Washtenaw county, Oakland County and Wayne County that I know should be there. I have called the counties and they told me I can request a copy for a fee. I don’t want to pay if they are going to be here, but it is looking pretty grim for me. Can you say for sure that every death record for say Washtenaw County in this time frame will be here? I have also tried Family Search and they do not come up. I have even searched page after page by just county, in the case names were spelled wrong and they are not there. With only a few hundred thousand not up yet, I can’t imagine all the ones I am looking for are in those few thousand.
   Thanks!
10. 

    Kris Rzepczynski April 13, 2009 at 9:15 am

    Marilyn,

    It depends on what year and what county you are looking for. As you can see in the list above, there are lots of records already online for the counties you’re looking for. Note that as the second batch of records finishes, we’re only about 2/3 complete. That’s a lot of records still to be loaded, about 300,000+.

    What I can say is that this collection is based on our microfilm collection of Michigan death records from 1897-1920. If your record(s) was registered with the State of Michigan, you should be able to locate it here at Seeking Michigan.

    If you’re not finding a record, I encourage you to check back at the site, we’ll be adding records regularly until we finish the project. Thanks for using the site.
11. 

    Joseph April 13, 2009 at 9:31 am

    This follows the message from Marilyn. All sides of my families are from Michigan, so I have a great interest in these records. So far, I have located only 8 death records here. I am still looking for 25 to 30 more that fall within the range of years for this project. I do not consider these missing, just not posted yet. Hang in there, Marilyn!! We need to wait for all the records to be posted.
12. 

    William Southard April 13, 2009 at 10:17 am

    Is it possible that not everyone had a death certificate issued? I have it on good authority (published books and obituaries) that I’ve had a few different ancestors pass away within this time period, but I cannot find their records…but according to your database, they should be available. I have two in particular who died in 1905 in Lenawee County whose surname is Matthews, but I can’t find them at all.

    Bill Southard
13. 

    Julie April 13, 2009 at 11:26 am

    Any idea when the collection will be complete??? I am still missing some!!!
    Love the collection!!!!!
14. 

    Kris Rzepczynski, Library of Michigan April 13, 2009 at 11:40 am

    Julie -

    I hesitate to give a date when we’ll be finished, but rest assured we’re working as quickly as we can. We’re as anxious as anyone to get this wrapped up.

    I encourage you to check back here for the latest information on new records being added. There will be a new Look article when that moment arrives.

    In the meantime, I encourage you to sign up for our newsletter – the Michigan Genealogist – for updates. You can sign up here: http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-18835_18895_38271—,00.html. You can also follow us on Facebook, under the group name “Michigan Genealogy”.

    Thanks for using the site, and keep checking back!
15. 

    Mark Harvey, Archives of Michigan April 13, 2009 at 12:33 pm

    We are working correctly to fix this. We may have broke a link in uploading the second batch of death records.
16. 

    Kris Rzepczynski April 13, 2009 at 12:48 pm

    Bill Southard -

    There has been a snag with the uploading of the second batch, not everything that should be there actually is. Specifically, that includes the 1905 Lenawee records you’re looking for.

    There will be an update here when the second batch has been completed and is working properly. Thank you for your patience.

    Keep in mind, too, that the names may also have a spelling variation. I encourage you to check back often, thanks for using the site.
17. 

    Kris Rzepczynski April 13, 2009 at 12:58 pm

    Nancy,

    We never get tired to hearing “thank you!” I’m happy that you’ve had some success with the site. Your example perfectly illustrates why we put these records online here.
    The Library of Michigan is happy to offer these records to researchers for free, wherever they may be. Saskatoon, Lansing, or anywhere in-between.

    Thanks for your comments.
18. 

    John April 13, 2009 at 12:58 pm

    Nothing for 1903 or nothing new for 1904 either, but you probably know. Appreciating all the hard work that’s being put into this project though. Thank you.
19. 

    Kris Rzepczynski April 13, 2009 at 1:01 pm

    Anne -

    Earlier Michigan deaths from 1867-1897 are available at the FamilySearch Labs page: http://pilot.familysearch.org.

    Michigan began recording vital records at the state level in 1867. Earlier records, specifically marriages, may be available earlier at the county level. Check with the county clerk, local library, or genealogy society for those records.

    Thanks for using the site.
20. 

    Kris Rzepczynski April 13, 2009 at 1:04 pm

    Susan -

    The records from 1897-1900 will be part of the third batch to be uploaded. We’re working as quickly as we can, thank you for your patience.

    I encourage you to check back here for the latest information on new records being added. There will be a new Look article when that moment arrives.

    Thanks for using the site.
21. 

    Kris Rzepczynski April 13, 2009 at 1:09 pm

    Dena -

    If you come across a transcription error, please contact the Library of Michigan at librarian@michigan.gov with the appropriate information. We’ll be making scheduled updates/corrections to the index as we move forward.

    We certainly want the index to be as accurate as possible. Thanks for using the site.
22. 

    Kris Rzepczynski April 13, 2009 at 1:13 pm

    Sue –

    There has been a snag with the uploading of the second batch, not everything that should be there actually is. Specifically, that includes the 1903 Detroit records you’re looking for.

    There will be an update here when the second batch has been completed and is working properly. Thank you for your patience.

    Earlier Michigan deaths from 1867-1897 are available at the FamilySearch Labs page: http://pilot.familysearch.org. Those images at the LDS site are not certificates like these at Seeking Michigan. Instead, they are ledger book entries, but serve as the official state record.

    Thanks for using the site.
23. 

    Kris Rzepczynski April 13, 2009 at 8:36 pm

    John –

    As indicated above, there has been a snag with the uploading of the second batch, not everything that should be there actually is. Specifically, that includes the 1903-1904 records you’re looking for.

    There will be an update here when the second batch has been completed and is working properly. Thank you for your patience.

    We’re working as quickly as we can. We’re as anxious as anyone to finish this project and get started on the next one.

    I encourage you to check back here for the latest information on new records being added. There will be a new Look article when that moment arrives

    Thanks for using the site.
24. 

    Ruth Ann April 14, 2009 at 6:41 pm

    Thank you for solving a mystery that my cousin and I have had for over 40 years. Our gg-grandparents last name was changed 3 times. Thru your site we have found our gg-grandparents death records. Our mystery is solved this has helped find many of their children thru Family Search Records and Census records. We live in California so this has made it possible to continue with our genealogy research on line.
    We appreciate all of your hard work.
25. 

    Kris Rzepczynski April 15, 2009 at 9:00 am

    Ruth Ann -

    Thanks for your comments. The Library of Michigan is happy to offer these records to researchers for free, wherever they may be.

    Thanks for using the site.
26. 

    James April 15, 2009 at 10:53 am

    Is 1000 results the most the advanced search will allow? Because if I put in a year of death say 1915 or any other year in the advanced search with nothing else 1000 results is the most that will come back, or is this the problem you are working on? Thanks.
27. 

    Marge April 15, 2009 at 5:47 pm

    Kris, Extermely pleased that you are responding to everyone’s postings on this site. Like everyone else, I am waiting for the rest of the uploading. Most interested in the City of Detroit. Do have a question. In responding to “John” you said you “anxious as anyone to finish this project and get started on the next one”. So what is the next project that is in the workings and coming soon? Please tell us!!! Birth certificates meeting the State year limits would be super if you would like a suggestion.

    Great job to you and everyone involved.
28. 

    mark April 15, 2009 at 11:18 pm

    I bookmarked this site, Thank you for good job!
29. 

    Dawn April 17, 2009 at 8:41 pm

    Thank you so much for all the work you guys have done. It is awesome. I was able to find one of my brick walls thanks to this site.
30. 

    Kris Rzepczynski April 17, 2009 at 11:22 pm

    Marge -

    Thanks for your comments. We’re especially happy with the blog feature here at Seeking Michigan.

    As far as the next project, we’d like to finish this one first! Looking ahead, though, we’re keeping our options open, there are lots of terrific Michigan genealogy resources that we can choose from. A good problem to have, I think.

    Thanks again for using the site.
31. 

    Judi April 18, 2009 at 1:24 am

    Kris,

    I tried to go onto the site this evening, the 17th, and I was having some problems accessing any death certificates and I was wondering if the site was down. I would input a last name and I tried to click on death certificates at the bottom but it would not move over and when I clicked on search nothing comes up. I tried for names I knew that I had seen before and I am getting nothing.

    I have tried on AOL, IE and Mozilla and I’m getting nothing.
32. 

    Jo Marie April 18, 2009 at 4:59 pm

    Great Site! Found some information I’ve been looking for. I’ll be checking back often. Thank you so much for making this site available. Can’t wait to see what’s next.
33. 

    Ila Ezop April 20, 2009 at 1:25 am

    I’m looking for birth/death records of my mother’s brother George Johns, born May 5,1906, died April 21, 1909, buried in Woodmere Cemetery April 24, 1909. All this information is handwritten in a book, yet I’m unable to find it as a public record. How do I reach the correct website?
34. 

    Judi April 20, 2009 at 3:28 am

    Kris,

    Just to tell you I still can’t do an Advance Search. I can do a regular search, but my family names I know would be misspelled and that’s why I wanted to do an Advance Search. Is it still down???
35. 

    Bridget April 21, 2009 at 9:25 pm

    Ila,
    Click on the red, “Seek” tab at the top of this page and type “George Johns” into the top line of the form. The record you are looking for is the only one that comes up. The birthdate is listed as May 5, 1905, but everything else looks as you listed it.
36. 

    Mark Harvey, Archives of Michigan April 22, 2009 at 10:10 am

    We love this! Researchers helping researchers on the site. Heck, you guys don’t need us…carry on!
37. 

    Kris Rzepczynski April 22, 2009 at 2:22 pm

    James -

    You might want to try it again. I’ve tried several different searches – including 1915 – with results going well over 1,000 records. Keep using the Previous and Next tabs on the upper right side of the Search Results page.

    Good luck, and thanks for using the site.
38. 

    Kris Rzepczynski April 22, 2009 at 2:24 pm

    Judi –

    Well, it seems that everything is working smoothly when I try a search. You might want to try again.

    Good luck, thanks for using the site.
39. 

    Joseph April 23, 2009 at 7:41 am

    Just wanted to send a word of encouragement to those who are still looking. This week I found 10 more death records for my families, bringing my total to 15 so far. I am still looking for 19 others, but I know that some years are still not posted. This is a great project from the Library of Michigan. I appreciate all the time and effort that the staff has given to this database. Despite the inevitable glitches and delays, it is well worth it. Congratulations to the staff of the Library of Michigan!! Thank you.
40. 

    Kris Rzepczynski April 23, 2009 at 8:55 am

    Joseph –

    Thanks for your comment, we appreciate it.

    We expect the last big chunk of records to be uploaded in the next few weeks. As always, there will be an updated article at the Look section of seeking Michigan detailing exactly what is available.

    That article won’t be posted, though, until the upload is complete. Stay tuned, and thanks for using the site.
41. 

    Karen April 24, 2009 at 12:25 pm

    How do we report errors in the metadata tagging?
42. 

    Pattie April 24, 2009 at 10:12 pm

    Again, thanks for all the hard work involved in this project. As genealogist living in Oregon, sites like this make the search much easier.

    I am having some problems locating a death record. I am looking for Henry Souden, my great-great grandfather. I don’t have a date of death for him but I found him on the 1910 census in Houghton County. He was living in Calumet. I tried looking for the last name Souden and got nothing. Then I tried Sowden, Sonden, and Sarden in case the name was misspelled. Still nothing. I have even looked for the first name Henry in Houghton County. Nothing (well, I couldn’t find MY Henry). Is there a web site that I can use to see if I can find him on the death index?
43. 

    Kris Rzepczynski April 27, 2009 at 9:35 am

    Pattie -

    Thanks for your comments.

    Remember that not all the records have been loaded for this project. We still have about 300,000+ records to go. This would include Houghton County for 1913.

    I’d keep an open mind about spelling, and try different combinations as you’ve already indicated. You might also want to look through directories for the time period. We have several here at the Library of Michigan during the 1910-1920 time period that might be of interest.
44. 

    Kris Rzepczynski April 27, 2009 at 9:38 am

    Everyone -

    The second batch of records should now be complete. We appreciate everyone’s patience as the records loaded.

    This death records project now totals more than 600,000 records, with more on the way. For a listing of what years and counties are available, please look above at the top of this page.

    Stay tuned, and we’ll post another blog article here when the third batch upload has been completed.
45. 

    Kris Rzepczynski April 27, 2009 at 3:33 pm

    Karen –

    If you come across a transcription error, please contact the Library of Michigan at librarian@michigan.gov with the appropriate information. We’ll be making scheduled updates/corrections to the index as we move forward.

    We certainly want the index to be as accurate as possible. Thanks for using the site.
46. 

    Everett April 27, 2009 at 6:28 pm

    Mark & Kris,

    I am so excited to see that the Michigan Library (state of Michigan) is finally making efforts to make public (easily accessible) the vital records that are now considered public domain. I have about 24 family lines that I research and they are all based in the state of Michigan! Actual documentation has been hard to come by for those relatives that remained in Michigan their entire lives. I have had an ancestry.com account for almost 3 years and I’m an avid browser of the familysearch.org Pilot Site. Gaining access to death records is huge as it allows people to see the parent’s names of the deceased. I can’t thank-you for your efforts! I’m so glad that the state of Michigan is finally getting it together concerning the ease of access of public domain vital statistics! Keep at it!

    If you could, would you mind posting (as a reply in this blog) the available years for the vital statistic dates (birth, marriage & death) that are considered public domain as of 2009? I’m sure there are some ameture seriously interested researchers out there like myself who would appreciate having this information posted here. Thanks!
47. 

    Everett April 27, 2009 at 6:38 pm

    TWO corrections to the above post in the blog…

    I can’t thank you ENOUGH for your efforts! [I thought you'd like that phrase repeated anyway... ]

    If you could, would you mind posting (as a reply in this blog) the available years for the vital statistic dates (birth, death & marriage) that are considered public domain as of 2009? I’m sure there are some ameture AND seriously interested researchers out there like myself who would appreciate having this information posted here. Thanks!
48. 

    Molly April 27, 2009 at 11:21 pm

    Thank you for this wonderful site…I had been searching for over a year on one family member, and in one evening I was able to locate her married name and pull up her death certificate. Not certain how I located SeekingMichigan.org but so glad I did…certainly will tell others about and will be visiting often! Your hard work is appreciated by many!!!
49. 

    Sue April 28, 2009 at 10:31 am

    For those who haven’t heard, Woodmere Cemetery in Detroit is putting its records online. The website is
    woodmerecemeteryresearch.com
50. 

    Julie April 30, 2009 at 9:33 am

    Kris,
    There is some kind of glitch with the red search box. If I search for “Lutomski” with the document box checked , I only get Eleanor, If I search without the check I get both Eleanor and Helen. If I search under advanced both came up. I couldn’t figure it out at first as I had been searching for Helen, for quite some time before I figured this out.
    Thanks

    PS LOVE THIS COLLECTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    would like to see 1920-1930 in the future, even just an index!!!!!!!!!!!!