Comments

1. Laura Bien

   July 28th, 2009 : 10:56 am

   An astounding project that I’ve been reading updates of…and now it’s nearly done! Kudos to the work of those who put these invaluable research materials into the hands of writers and researchers across the state–brilliant!

2. carole lang

   July 28th, 2009 : 4:10 pm

   I went through 1,020, names looking for my greatgrandmother Sarah Jane Shemer’s death cert Can you help? Sarah Jane Shemer died July 14, 1910 in Riverside twp. in Missaukee Co. Mich. She was married to William C. Shemer

3. Richard Hills

   July 28th, 2009 : 4:33 pm

   Originally from Lansing, now from Ohio, I REALLY appreciate your hard work. Thanks, Dick

4. Pat Kauffman

   July 28th, 2009 : 4:43 pm

   Sarah Jane Shemer
   The URL for this item is http://seekingmichigan.org/u?/p129401coll7,358395

5. Bill

   July 28th, 2009 : 5:24 pm

   Carole here is the link for you great grandmother hopefully this works for you:

   http://seekingmichigan.org/u?/p129401coll7,358395

   County Missaukee
   City/village/township Riverside
   Last Name Shemer
   Given Name Sarah Jane
   Birth Year 1857
   Age41
   Death Day 14
   Death Month Jul
   Death Year 1910
   Father’s Given Name Ambrose
   Father’s Last Name Logsdon

6. Joyce

   July 28th, 2009 : 7:31 pm

   I have been searching your death records looking for a relative, Erick H. Ringquist who was born Oct 1897 in Ironwood, Gogebic, Michigan. He was listed on the 1900 census along with his mother, Carrie Ringquist and other brothers and sisters. Erick died sometime before 1911 but I have not been able to locate the date or his death information on your website.

7. Merlaine Gould Latham

   July 28th, 2009 : 7:53 pm

   Have been looking for years for the records of my G/Grandfather, Walter John Gould Wayne County Detroit, MI.
   He was born in England in 1832 emigrated to Detroit when he was a child. Would love to find his death certificate. It would tell me so much. Two wives, my G/Grandmother, Margaret Hill from Baden, Baden Germany. 2nd marriage to Lona in 1882, both Walter and lona in the 1900 census. Death certificate for Margaret? I tried to search but was prevented from going into Wayne County. Any relatives? and can anyone help? Would really appreiate it!

8. Joyce Grant

   July 28th, 2009 : 9:57 pm

   I hope you can find my great grandmother’s death certificate. Alpena County and the State have no record for her. I have her obituary that states she died in Alpena.
   Name Thankful Grant (Mrs. James F. Grant)
   Maiden Name Carson
   Died December 28, 1907
   Age 61
   Where Alpena City, Alpena County
   Evergreen Cemetery in Alpena

9. Denise Crawford

   July 29th, 2009 : 12:13 am

   Thank you Michigan – these death certificates have been filling in many holes that I have had in my research. Finding mother’s maiden names has been especially exciting. Now that the collection is 99% complete – I can’t wait to see who else I can find! Fabulous.

10. Gert Scholten

    July 29th, 2009 : 7:12 am

    Great project!! Found some certificates which were very usefull. However I cann’t find a death certificate of Beertje (Bertha) van den Brink, married to Cornelius Dykgraaf, who died in 1899. She remarried with Martin A. Witteveen in 1906. I’m told she died abt. 1910 in probably Holland, Ottawa.

11. Nancy

    July 29th, 2009 : 10:18 am

    Similar to the handful of others that have recently posted comments, I am having trouble finding a few relatives. So, my question is- will the search menu be updated soon? I recall a prior blog post where I believe this was mentioned. In my case, I know the death dates,but when I search by city or county and year, I think I’m getting an incomplete list. (Searches by surname don’t bring results- the name- Bombacz- is almost always misspelled and I never know what variation will turn up!) Thanks for all the work in getting this site together– it really is terrific to have these records available! I have found many other relatives, including some we didn’t even know about… This has really helped my research. Many thanks!

12. Joseph

    July 29th, 2009 : 12:10 pm

    This is a great resource, but some people are not showing up. I wonder if everyone complied with the law to have deaths recorded, especially in the early years. Yet, I cannot find the record for my John Kazmierski born in October 1884 in Bay City who died there on 22 June 1908. he was the son of Andrew Kazmierski.

13. Patricia

    July 29th, 2009 : 2:41 pm

    Thanks for all the work that has been put into this project. It is a great tool for us long-distance researchers!

14. JoAnn

    July 29th, 2009 : 10:31 pm

    This has been great! As an older person who does not have the best of health for searching for hours in the library after the 2 hr ride there, I can now find so many of my family members, which has led me to further connections on their lines! I am so appreciative and I continue to pray these and other records all remain INTACT at the wonderful library there in Michigan!!!! Thanks to everyone for the countless hours of dedication you have provided us all! GOD BLESS

15. Ann

    July 30th, 2009 : 12:14 am

    These records have helped so much! Thank you for working so hard and being patient with our eagerness to discover more. This collection has shown light on family circumstances that we were unaware of, it has brought endings to stories we couldn’t finish. I was sad to find Mary Rogers Mighan, my great grandmother’s sister, dead at 35 years old and married only two years; but I also am happy to now know what happened to her and where she is buried. Before that she was a mystery. Thanks to you and all of the people who worked so hard on this amazing project. I am so glad my family comes from Michigan!

16. Sue

    July 30th, 2009 : 12:33 am

    Kris – Are the 1897 Detroit records some of the ones that are problematic? I see September through December, but do not see ones earlier in the year (like my dad’s uncle, who died in May, 1897).

17. Sue

    July 30th, 2009 : 5:47 am

    There are only 2 death certificates in the database for Alpena County for 1908. Is there a problem with that year?? Other counties seem to have a small number of deaths that year also. I also cannot find a death certificate for my grandfather’s brother Stanley, who died in Presque Isle County in 1900. Only a few deaths are recorded for the township he died in.

18. Kris Rzepczynski

    July 30th, 2009 : 9:43 am

    Sue -

    Excellent question. This digital collection is based on our microfilm collection of Michigan death records. I hadn’t noticed it before, but our films for 1897 Wayne County start in September. What’s online here is what we’ve got on film.

    My understanding is that 1897 was a transitional year for the recording of Michigan death records, the movement from the ledger books to the certificates. The Michigan Returns of Death (ledger books) for 1867-1897 are available at the FamilySearch Labs site: http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#start; your dad’s uncle is likely found there.

    Folks looking for 1897 death records should be looking at both the FamilySearch page and here at Seeking Michigan. Some researchers have found 1897 records at one site and not the other, at both sites, or at neither.

    Thanks for noticing that, and good luck!

19. Lori Miller

    July 30th, 2009 : 9:45 am

    thank you so much for the hard work all have put in on the web site. have been looking for information on great grandfather, and great uncle for years. 2 minutes after finding this web site, i have copies of death certificates for both. i live in florida and they are from houghton county, so hard to research.

    thanks again

20. Kris Rzepczynski

    July 30th, 2009 : 9:50 am

    Joseph -

    Statewide registration of Michigan births, marriages, and deaths began with Public Act 194 of 1867. There was not immediate full compliance to the law, but by the time period we’re using here (1897-1920), there likely was.

    One of my Library colleagues – Charles Hagler – wrote an interesting article about this for the Michigan Genealogist, in Volume 3 (2007), No. 4, page 18. Here is the link: http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-18835_18895_38271—,00.html. I encourage you to subscribe to this newsletter, which you can do straight from the web site.

    Although we’d like to believe there are no errors with indexing and record transcriptions, there of course are. With an ethnic name like Kazmierski (or Rzepczynski!), there are lots of spelling variations.

    Good luck.

21. Kris Rzepczynski

    July 30th, 2009 : 10:02 am

    Nancy -

    Yes, you’re right, there will be some search enhancements coming soon.

    A note to everyone that wildcard searching is already available. A search for Rob* will pull up Rob, Robert, Robt, Robin, etc. That is especially helpful for surnames with challenging spellings.

    Remember that users can search any combination of up to 4 fields at once. Click on the dropdown menus on the right hand side of the Seek page, and scroll to the bottom. The fields specific to the Death Records Collection can be found there.

    Good luck.

22. Kris Rzepczynski

    July 30th, 2009 : 10:57 am

    Sue -

    There should be about 250 death records for Alpena County in 1908. I’m not sure where they’re hiding here at Seeking Michigan, but we’ll look into it. Thanks for letting us know.

23. Vanessa J.A.Warbler

    July 30th, 2009 : 2:58 pm

    Well, after looking through each year by county, I have yet to find Elizabeth Elias (b.1830 d. after 1890 & before 1900) in Houghton County and Paulina Bammert 1870-1900/1901 who died in Keweenaw County. I have personally visited Paulina’s grave and the information on Elizabeth is important because there is nothing after 1880 on her. She is my great-great grandmother and finding her burial place is very important. I have tried using just first name, using just year of birth, looking at all the deaths in a year per county, all to no avail. I did read that most should be there, however am I missing something?

24. Vanessa J.A.Warbler

    July 30th, 2009 : 3:14 pm

    Also looking for this death in Macomb County, village/township of Warren: Henry Willis, born October 10, 1848-died Aug. 31, 1911. The actual last name is “Wills” but I have seen it as Will/Wihl/Wells and even Weller. I have tried various ways of looking it up, but like my Houghton & Keweenaw relatives, I have come up bust. Thanks again.

25. Jennifer

    July 30th, 2009 : 5:06 pm

    I’m having trouble finding the record of a death that occurred in Detroit in March of 1911 (Wilhelmina or Minnie Reckling, d. 29 Mar 1911). It looks to me like the records for that year don’t start until early April. Any idea what happened to January thru March? Thanks so much for this site–it has been a tremendous help to my research!

26. Joseph

    July 30th, 2009 : 7:39 pm

    I wonder if anyone would have search suggestions for finding Polish people when the year or date of death is unknown. I am seeking the record for Anastasia Kowalski born in Poland about 1833 who died in Detroit soon after 1904, and for Jan/John Siemowski born in Poland about 1834 who died in Calumet or in Detroit soon after 1902. Finally, the real tough one is Albert/George Schultz born in Bay City in 1883, son of Frank and Agnes, and we have no idea where he died. I would be happy to hear any research ideas. Thanks.

27. Bill

    July 30th, 2009 : 11:19 pm

    If you know the death year and county of death for your relatives you can’t find you should see if any deaths for that county are in the database for that year. When trying to look up for Vanessa I see that there are no records uploaded for Macomb County in 1911, many other counties are missing in 1911 as well. Many counties missing in 1908 also.

    Only person I can help is Merlaine (Walter J. Gould):
    http://seekingmichigan.org/u?/p129401coll7,829366

28. Karen

    July 31st, 2009 : 11:50 am

    Joyce-
    Try putting in first name Eric and last name Harold. It appears the last name Ringquist was not written on the certificate. Born 07 Oct 1897, died 10 Sept 1900, parents Peter Ringquist and Karin Erikson. This might be your Erick H. Ringquist.

29. Vanessa J.A.Warbler

    July 31st, 2009 : 4:20 pm

    Bill: Thanks, I thought I was crazy. Well, I will keep trying and see what happens. I’ve even transposed first/last name in hopes of finding them to no avail. Oh, and Bammert is spelled numerous ways, so I tried her first name (Paulina) w/variants, even Polly. I haven’t given up yet. Thanks for giving it a shot, though. I might try and see if I can find some of the people others are looking for. If I can’t find mine, maybe I can someone elses.

30. Delia Furrer

    August 1st, 2009 : 12:27 pm

    This collection is so valuable to me! I have so many family members that resided in Michigan from it’s earliest years to recent. Thank you STATE OF MICHIGAN for the funds that were set aside to digitize them and to make them available for FREE!! So very grateful!

31. Joyce

    August 1st, 2009 : 3:18 pm

    Karen,

    Karen:
    Thanks so much for the information on Eric Harold. I’m sure that this is the child that I have been looking for because of the close match of the information I have on his birth date and parents, both Peter and Karin. I went back to the “Seeking Michigan” search but could not find his record. Is that where you got the information? If you could tell me how you got the information of his death date I would appreciate it so much.

32. Karen

    August 1st, 2009 : 5:52 pm

    Joyce,
    I found it on Seeking Michigan using the advanced search. Here’s the link for the certificate. If I did it correctly, it should take you right to it.
    http://seekingmichigan.org/u?/p129401coll7,778094

33. Nancy

    August 1st, 2009 : 7:13 pm

    A few months ago I was going through the Berrien county death records and noticed that they repeated themselves a few times. I was just wondering why?

34. Joyce

    August 1st, 2009 : 7:52 pm

    You have been a great help. I have been able to print the death certificate for my records. This is one of the pieces of the puzzle I have been working on for over ten years. Thanks again to you Karen and to all who have made this information available to us.

35. Karen

    August 1st, 2009 : 11:03 pm

    Joyce,
    So glad I was able to help and you now have one more piece to the puzzle. And I agree, this is a phenomenal website!

36. Candy

    August 4th, 2009 : 8:49 am

    Thank you. In just a few minutes, I have added several ancestors to my family tree. This is so much easier than microfilm. Thank you.

37. Julie

    August 6th, 2009 : 9:47 am

    To: Joseph Joseph Joseph
    I am researching in both Bay and Wayne Counties. If you would like to contact me I can try to help you. Please email me direct heyjuliebean at yahoodotcom.

38. Peggy

    August 6th, 2009 : 5:12 pm

    Thank you for all of your hard work. I am trying to find my great grandfather, Andrew Schaupp. He was born in November 1864 and he died in 1910 or later in Detroit, Michigan (Wayne County). I have searched the records and have not been able to find him. I greatly appreciate your help!

39. Nancy

    August 7th, 2009 : 11:31 am

    I have relatives that I know died in Houghton & Keweenaw Counties during the time period you have and none of them are in there. Any particular reason?

40. rose

    August 8th, 2009 : 3:08 pm

    Thanks for all the hard work. I have found a lot of records for my research. Any chance it can go before 1897 and after 1920?

41. Karen Borton

    August 9th, 2009 : 12:36 am

    Is there a way to save the images of death certificates as a jpg file? All I’ve found I can do is print the certificate and then scan it. The paper is just sopping wet with black ink. There must be another way.

42. Vanessa J.A.Warbler

    August 11th, 2009 : 2:57 pm

    Karen Borton: all I have done is send the image as an e-mail to myself. Not the most expedient, but it gets the job done – sort of.

    Nancy: I, too, have relatives in both Houghton and Keweenaw Counties that do not show up in here, although I know they died there and I have even visited the grave of one. I am also having problems with all of 1911 for Macomb County, so there is probably still more work to be done.

    Rose: the GENDIS shows deaths from 1867-1897 – although I am not finding people that I know died during that time frame in the data base. As for after 1920, they might not have those ready for upload yet and not sure how long or even if they have to wait a certain time period before they can post them.

43. Kevin Handy

    August 11th, 2009 : 4:24 pm

    I’m searching for a William and Addie Palmer. They may have died in Genesee or Tuscola County but I’m uncertain as to when – probably before 1920. I have had considerable difficulty. Ancestry.com’s resources have not been helpful and I struck out with Familysearch.org.

44. Peggy

    August 11th, 2009 : 6:15 pm

    Karen Borton: After you double click the image and can see the certificate, then RIGHT CLICK THE CERTIFICATE and then CLICK “SAVE PICTURE AS”. This will open a window that lets you save the image as a JPG file and also lets you select where to save the file on your computer and change the name.

    Hope this helps.

45. Kris Rzepczynski

    August 12th, 2009 : 9:59 am

    Rose –

    Michigan death records from 1867-1897 can be found at the FamilySearch Labs page: http://search.labs.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#start.

    The collection here (1897-1920) is based on our current holdings available here at the Library of Michigan. We’re always looking for new additions to the site, but at this point, we’re only going up to 1920.

46. Kris Rzepczynski

    August 12th, 2009 : 10:02 am

    Vanessa (commenting to Rose) -

    The GENDIS site is nice, but very incomplete. My understanding is that records are loaded up to about the mid-1880’s.

    I would encourage researchers to use the FamilySearch Labs site for early Michigan deaths, since that site contains the records themselves (all of them), not an abstraction as found at the GENDIS site.

47. Kris Rzepczynski

    August 12th, 2009 : 10:06 am

    Kevin Handy -

    If your ancestors died before 1910 and after 1896, you should be able to find them here at Seeking Michigan.

    Ancestry and FamilySearch are wonderful, but based on your time period and family specifics, those state records would not be found at those sites; they’d only be available here at Seeking Michigan.

    You’re certainly welcome to visit the Library and use the microfilms, too! Thanks for using the site.

48. richard j mills

    August 12th, 2009 : 10:45 pm

    how do you skip from a to s for instance, while searching.

49. david

    August 13th, 2009 : 9:59 am

    thank you. i have been looking for info on my great grandfather and was able to locate the year of his death and the place he was buried on your web site.

50. Nancy

    August 13th, 2009 : 3:01 pm

    To Kevin Handy: Have you tried the Flint Genealogical Society website? There are a number of Palmers listed in their index of Genessee County Deaths.

    General: As a couple of other people mentioned, I am also having trouble with 1911, particularly Detroit. Perhaps there are missing records?

51. Anne

    August 13th, 2009 : 4:36 pm

    I’m not finding any death records for Iosco County in 1909. In particular I am looking for Clarence Zimmeth died 1909 (born 1908) and George Zimmeth also born and died in 1909.

    These are both sons of George Zimmeth.

52. John Pierce

    August 14th, 2009 : 12:03 pm

    When I couldn’t find a John Whorley death record in Ionia County for 1909 I checked the list of all deaths in Ionia County for 1909 and the search says No Matches. Am I doing something wrong or is there a glich in the system. I’ve gotten the same results when checking other years too.

    Great site!!! Thanks so much.

53. Vanessa J.A.Warbler

    August 14th, 2009 : 2:03 pm

    I realize GENDIS in not by any means definitive, but I have had some success with it nonetheless so I wouldn’t discount that as a resource entirely. Although the records on this site may be loaded, I still am not getting ANY records from Macomb County for 1911. Am I searching wrong? I broadened the parameters as much as I could and put in the least amount of information possible and still no go.

54. Sue

    August 14th, 2009 : 3:16 pm

    Peggy – re: Andrew Schaupp – In the Detroit city directory for 1912, it states that he removed to Foley, Ala that year. However, the 1915 directory lists Anna as his widow, living with Chas B, Clara A, and Lawrence at 122 Hawthorne av in Detroit. Hope this helps.
    BTW, city directories are available online from footnote.com at a pretty reasonable price.
    Good luck.

55. Karen

    August 14th, 2009 : 4:14 pm

    Vanessa you were told a couple weeks ago that Macomb County records for 1911 aren’t visable yet. They are aware of this and it says in the blog entry there are some problematic records that will be added in the near future. As of yet they haven’t.

56. Peggy

    August 14th, 2009 : 8:10 pm

    Sue – Thank you so very much for the information you found re:Andrew Schaupp in the 1912 Detroit city directory. Do you know what the word “removed” means? Have you seen this word used in a city directory before or was this a typo for “moved”?

57. Sue

    August 14th, 2009 : 8:35 pm

    Peggy – I believe that “removed” means removed from the directory – not deceased (it would be stated as such, along with the date, in the pre-1910 directories), and not a typo. In the Detroit city directories, there is a section for “Removals, Alterations, and Additions.” However, your g-grandfather was in the regular alphabetical listing.

58. Peggy

    August 14th, 2009 : 9:44 pm

    Sue – Again, thank you for all of your help. This explains why I was unable to locate his death certificate in Michigan. He must have passed away in Alabama between 1912 and 1915. I am now directing my searches to Foley, Baldwin County, Alabama, but haven’t had any luck so far. Do you think I should invest in a subscription to Footnote.com to help me locate him in Alabama?

59. Sue

    August 15th, 2009 : 10:17 am

    Peggy – At this time, Footnote has city directories for large cities only. If you are interested in checking it out, you can sign up for a free trial – see footnote.com for information.

60. dawn downey

    August 17th, 2009 : 12:48 pm

    looking for lucy gifford married to willard buckley

61. Vanessa J.A.Warbler

    August 18th, 2009 : 4:59 pm

    If possible, please let us know where we can send inquiries when we do not find large groups of records online (i.e. Macomb County 1911 deaths – none of those are listed). That way, I won’t be asking here since I was told that my inquiry was mentioned as not being updated although in checking back blogs I don’t show that Macomb County 1911 was problematic, only that another researcher had the same results I did. Thank you.

62. Jim

    August 19th, 2009 : 11:10 pm

    We are aware of the problems with 1911 thank you.

63. Steve

    August 22nd, 2009 : 11:57 pm

    It doesn’t seem that some records are listed – Bay County for year 1908 doesn’t seem to be online (and probably some other years). Or, at least they aren’t searchable.

64. Carol Sovey Baldwin

    August 23rd, 2009 : 11:20 am

    I am looking for my great grandfathers death certificate. His name is Paul Sovey. He was born in Canada but he died in Michigan. He lived in Bay City, Bay Co, MI and that is the last I can find on him. His son lived in Flint, Genesee Co, MI. and maybe he died there. Could you please help me find him?

65. John Pierce

    August 24th, 2009 : 7:37 pm

    Carol Sovey Baldwin search for you great grandfather on family search labs, I got three hits for him there. I used the dates of 1850 to 1940 and place – Michigan, United States. He was still living in 1920 according to the Federal Census.

    Use this address to go directly to the search page: http://search.labs.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#start

    Hope this helps and lots of luck

66. Jeff Ford

    August 26th, 2009 : 3:30 pm

    I am looking for the death certificate for a Edward James McCormack. My best information had it that he died in Feb 1899 and I assume near Atlanta in Montmorency County. I say Feb 1899 because his last daughter was born in Jul 1898 and his wife is listed as a widow in the 1900 census. He is supposedly buried at the family farm about 6 miles SW of Atlanta. I have used almost every variation that I can think and I have come up empty. Any suggestions?

67. Ginger Peckham

    August 26th, 2009 : 9:42 pm

    What a wonderful site. I have filled in quite a few gaps. I really appreciate all the work that hasd been done. Is there a way to input corrections? I have at least two that I am aware of that need to be corrected. Also, when I search Plymouth, Wayne County for the year 1911 there seem to be no one listed. I find it hard to believe that no one died in Plymouth in 1911. I happen to have the burial records for Elmira Andrews and also an obit that state she died in Plymouth in 1911. Is there a possible gap for that year?

68. Vanessa J.A.Warbler

    August 27th, 2009 : 12:50 pm

    Ginger: 1911 seems to be problematic; I am having problems with Macomb County as well. I have been told they are aware of the problem, but haven’t heard any other updates. I just keep trying.

69. Sandra Miller

    August 29th, 2009 : 5:29 pm

    I want to thank you for this site. Because of it I have been able to find the death record of my mother’s little sister. No one else remembered her amoung my cousins etc.
    Now I can add her to the family tree. She was born and lived one day. Listed as Infant no first name. At least she is now with the rest of the family on the Family Tree and not forgotten after all.
    I have found others in the family here also, but this was the best!
    S.M.

70. Robin

    September 3rd, 2009 : 7:21 pm

    I THANK EACH OF ONE OF YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THIS PROJECT !!! The first time I used the Michigan Death Records search I found ELEVEN family members on what have long remained dead-end lines in my research. Maiden names shown on some records have given me wings to fly over formerly impassable brick walls in my family tree. I love y’all forever for making these records accessible to us!

71. DB

    September 3rd, 2009 : 8:40 pm

    Thanks for this site!!!
    You have made my genealogical search so much easier.

72. Ann Rose

    September 8th, 2009 : 6:14 pm

    Thank you, Thank you. I have tried to find the death record of my husband’s great, great grandmother to no avail. I have check your site periodically. TODAY, I found it. The very first one to pop up. What excitement. Thank you. Ann

73. Pat

    September 11th, 2009 : 12:31 pm

    This has been a wonderful resource for genealogy, both my own and for the others I’ve been working on. One comment: As of today, the death records are all mixed up, no longer by county. There doesn’t seem to be any sequence for them. This just happened recently, I believe. Thanks again, though, for putting this on-line. Is Kent County complete through 1919? Pat

74. Carol Yocom

    September 16th, 2009 : 3:51 am

    I was able to locate a death certificate by looking for the first name and date, but the last name was horrendously mis-transcribed. Is there a method for submitting corrections. I’ve found information on many family members and am finally able to tie up loose ends for several families. Thanks!

75. Mark Harvey, Archives of Michigan

    September 17th, 2009 : 8:48 pm

    Send corrections to seekingmichigan@gmail.com

76. Jeff

    September 27th, 2009 : 3:31 pm

    This has shaped up to be a great resource for those of us who gather our families together… I’ve been helped by numerous of these records, and for that, much thanks!

    I may have a curveball for you though…I have a funeral record for my person in question, but can’t seem to find the death record here, no matter how creatively I try to search for it (it may be mis-transcribed and so won’t show up)

    Anyway I’m looking for:

    Ephraim Schuyler Williams
    b. 28 Sep 1835 in Saginaw, MI
    d. 25 Mar 1911 in Detroit, Wayne County, MI
    buried in Elmwood Cemetery (allegedly)

    (record from Detroit’s Wm. R. Hamilton funeral home – at that time William Hamilton was also connected with Elmwood Cemetery in some administrative capacity I believe)

    Thanks for any help with this mystery…

77. Kate

    October 5th, 2009 : 1:17 pm

    These are really great. I figured HIPPA laws would prohibit such information from being on-line.
    Why just records thru 1920? Is there some law that prohibits publishing of these if they are less than so many years old? Or is this the goal of the initial project and we can expect more records (after 1920) in the future?

78. Bob Garrett, Archives of Michigan

    October 7th, 2009 : 10:19 am

    Kate -

    Currently, death record information that dates after 1930 can not be made public. That status will change at some point, but for now, the “cut off date” is 1930.

    Why did we stop at 1920? The Library of Michigan holds microfilmed copies of death records, and the 1920 records are the last ones on the microfilm. Later information is not available to the Library at present, nor will it be so in the near future.

    Original Michigan death records – for ALL years – are held by the Vital Records section for the Michigan Department of Community Health. A copy is also held by the clerk of the county in which the person in question died.

    To order death records from the Department of Community Health, click here: http://www.vitalchek.com/content/sitemap_MI.aspx

    To order copies from a county clerk, click this link to the Michigan County Clerks Directory: http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17449_18635_20736—,00.html

79. Joseph

    October 7th, 2009 : 3:16 pm

    Thanks to all who made this site available and who worked to set it up. I have located death records for 40 people in my families, but then I had people in Detroit, Bay City and Calumet. I have not been able to locate 4 death records, but there could be many reasons for that.

80. Vanessa J.A.Warbler

    October 13th, 2009 : 2:01 pm

    Any word as to when Macomb County 1911 will be online? I wanted to wait before I wrote again to ask but have not seen it yet. Also looking for some records pre-1902 for Houghton and Keweenaw Counties. Will there be more updates or is what is here now going to be it? Thanks.

81. Kris Rzepczynski

    October 13th, 2009 : 2:46 pm

    We’re still looking at the 1911 Macomb records, please be patient as we resolve that problem.

    Pre-1902, but only back to 1897, for Houghton and Keweenaw Counties are already online here at Seeking Michigan. Earlier years can be found at FamiylSearch Labs: http://pilot.familysearch.org.

    There will be another update in the future detailing the project’s status. Thanks for using the site.

82. Joe

    October 13th, 2009 : 7:24 pm

    As you know its not just Macomb County there are many counties missing in 1911, 1908 also.

83. Anne

    October 29th, 2009 : 3:26 pm

    I’m also finding 1909 in Iosco County is MIA.

84. Thom

    October 30th, 2009 : 8:54 am

    Kris … MANY MANY THANKS for making this project a reality. Everyone involved deserves our gratitude.

    In a July 30, 2009, post above, Jennifer noted the absence of Detroit/Wayne Co. death records for Jan., Feb. and March 1911. The death certificates begin in April of that year. When might we expect to see the missing months added to the system?

    Also, does the collection include Detroit city rcords, or are the death records for Wayne County only?

    Thanks for your valuable work!

85. Julie

    October 31st, 2009 : 11:48 am

    I love this site and this collection. I’ve found 20+ records pertaining to my extended family.

    Unfortunately, I can not find one great grandparent. I’ve been creative in how I search. Still nothing.

    I’ve discovered that there is a gap in the records covering more than half of that year so his records must be lost in that black hole.

    Barry County – 1897 – I see no records prior to the very end of August.

86. Julie

    October 31st, 2009 : 1:54 pm

    It just occurred to me to check the entire state for the year 1897 and this collection begins at the end of August 1897 and not at the beginning of the year.

    Its too bad that the first eight months are not included. Maybe you should note that in the general information so people are aware of this limitation.

87. Kris Rzepczynski

    November 2nd, 2009 : 11:09 am

    Julie -

    This digital collection is based on our microfilm collection of Michigan death records. Our films for 1897 Barry County start in September. What’s online here is what we’ve got on film.

    My understanding is that 1897 was a transitional year for the recording of Michigan death records, the movement from the ledger books to the certificates. The Michigan Returns of Death (ledger books) for 1867-1897 are available at the FamilySearch Labs site: http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#start.

    Folks looking for 1897 death records should be looking at both the FamilySearch page and here at Seeking Michigan. Some researchers have found 1897 records at one site and not the other, at both sites, or at neither.

    Thanks for noticing that, and good luck!

88. Kris Rzepczynski

    November 2nd, 2009 : 11:14 am

    Thom-

    The microfilms that this collection is based on do contain Detroit/Wayne County for Jan-March 1911, but for whatever reason, they are not appearing here online. We’ll look into it, thanks for bringing it to our attention.

89. Julie

    November 4th, 2009 : 5:22 pm

    Thanks, Kris.

    I have looked at FamilySearch also to no avail. Of course, as luck would have it this great grandfather has been a mystery man all throughout my years of research. It would have been great to have gleaned information from his death record. There are so many answers I could have received within that document so I’d hoped this collection would be a big break in the case.

    I’ll just keep at it. Thanks again.

    I did find so many of my people in the collection and I deeply appreciate it being made available online.

90. John

    November 8th, 2009 : 1:47 pm

    Looking for a death record for May 1906 in Kent County. Found only death records for that year from August (just a few)-December. I am using the drop down tabs in all different configurations but still no luck. Am I doing something wrong? Thanks though for a great website!!

91. Harold

    November 16th, 2009 : 8:32 pm

    I am looking for the death record of a Michael Negblom in 1918. I have a church record in Dickinson county that has a death date of August 10, 1918.

92. Karen Shepard

    December 15th, 2009 : 1:41 pm

    Hi,
    I’ve found several death records for my family (thank you so much!) but am still looking for my g-grandmother, Christine Geiger, who died 1916 in Huron County. Any chance there are still some outstanding records?
    Thanks,

    Karen

93. Chris

    December 15th, 2009 : 2:44 pm

    Hello,

    This is a terrific site! Thank you, Archives of Michigan!
    Unfortunately, it appears that records for Detroit March-December 1913 aren’t showing up. There’s a specific individual I’m looking for who died in Detroit in March, 1913 and I cannot find him or any listings from March-December 1913 in Detroit.

    Thank you,
    Chris

94. Alice

    December 18th, 2009 : 9:06 am

    Like Chris (Dec. 15) I am also looking for a death which occurred in Detroit in 1913. It appears that either the relevant records have not yet been uploaded, or they are in the database but inaccessible to searchers.

95. Kris Rzepczynski

    December 18th, 2009 : 10:27 am

    Chris & Alice -

    Seeking Michigan is a collaboration of the Library of Michigan and the Archives of Michigan. The death records collection here is the Library’s contribution to the web site. Thank you for your comments.

    It appears that the roll of microfilm covering 1913 Detroit deaths (Sept. – Dec.) was indexed incorrectly as 1915.

    We will get the index corrected, but in the meantime, try using 1915 as the year of death, you will likely have more success.

    Thanks for using Seeking Michigan, and good luck!

96. Kris Rzepczynski

    December 18th, 2009 : 10:47 am

    Chris & Alice: Part II

    The two previous microfilms are also indexed incorrectly as 1915. Until we get the index corrected/updated, I would encourage you to use 1915 as your year of death when searching.

    Thanks for using the site.

97. Carole Martin

    January 5th, 2010 : 10:21 pm

    I am delighted to identify photograph #343 Eighth Michigan Infantry, is my great-great grandfather Pvt. Samuel H. Loveland. He enlisted in Company C, 8th Mich. Infantry, on August 30, 1862 and served for 3 yrs. He was wounded in action May 1864 in the Wilderness Campaign and discharged June 2, 1865. He was a furniture dealer in Pine River, Gratiot Co. at his death in 1901. His death cert. #661 says place of burial is Mt. Pleasant, but I have not been able to locate a cemetery where he is buried. Any help? Thanks, Carole

98. Earl Duthler

    January 11th, 2010 : 6:14 pm

    My grateful thanks to all that worked on this project. I have found a number of both paternal and maternal family, mostly having immigrated, and information on them is not always accurate or complete.

    This site is a genealogist’s dream.

    Once again, Thank You.

    Earl Duthler
    Amsterdam, Netherlands
    formerly Grand Rapids, Michigan

99. Thom D

    January 20th, 2010 : 11:09 am

    Kris …

    On Oct 30, 2009, I inquired about the absence of Detroit/Wayne Co. death records for January-March 1911. On Nov 2 you indicated that the records are part of the collection but for some reason are not appearing online. I checked today and they’re still MIA. When might we expect to see them?

    Many thanks to the Library for your important contribution to Michigan genealogy.

100. Sal

     January 20th, 2010 : 9:14 pm

     Thom this database has never been finished, your missing records are among thousands of missing from the years 1909 and 1911 etc. There are whole counties missing in many years, this database needs to be gone through and re-checked but hasn’t been done. Who knows the records are probably there but just indexed wrong, whichever this database was never properly finished.

101. Kris Rzepczynski

     January 26th, 2010 : 9:36 am

     Thom -

     I don’t have an estimated date for the errors to be fixed. We are aware of the errors as you describe, and we certainly want the index to be the best it can be. Thank you for your patience.

     We recognize everyone is anxious to see this project completed and wrapped up. In the meantime, researchers are encouraged to take advantage of the existing microfilm indexes from 1897-1914.

     Thanks for your patience.

102. Kris Rzepczynski

     January 26th, 2010 : 9:46 am

     Sal –

     As detailed above, we are aware of existing indexing problems/errors. Staff continues to work on them, we want the index to be as accurate as possible for researchers.

     Contrary to your comments, the death records project is not finished. We continue to address some of the larger problems, such as the one mentioned in an earlier post by Thom.

     I encourage you to check back with us. Thank you for using the site.

103. Marie McCurdy

     February 3rd, 2010 : 1:47 pm

     I am thrilled with all the death certificates that I have found for my genealogy research. I have been looking for Hugh McCurdy for a long time and I finally found it, but the info I was hoping for ( the names of his parents) was left as unknown. But for medical purposes, finding out the cause of death is good to know.what a great project.
     will more years be put online at some point?

104. Kris Rzepczynski

     February 3rd, 2010 : 3:04 pm

     Marie -

     This collection (1897-1920) is based on our current holdings available here at the Library of Michigan. We’re always looking for new additions to the site, but at this point, we’re only going up to 1920.

     Thanks for your comments.

105. CRC

     February 15th, 2010 : 6:12 pm

     Hi, I found this site through the Library of Michigan about a week ago. I’ve been having quite fun discovering some unknowns of relatives of my husbands, as well as finding puzzle piece for my sis in law’s family!!
     I have found that nothing is showing for some 1908 Benzie County records??? I was hoping to see if there was further info on the records.
     Is the year missing or just not available. The other years are there.
     Thanks in advance!!

106. Angi

     February 27th, 2010 : 11:03 am

     There are no death records for Jackson County 1906. Why???

107. Ray Ruswinkle

     March 8th, 2010 : 5:30 pm

     Are there any plans for someone to double check the indexers work for the death records? I realize there is a lot of information to index for this site and really do appreciate the time invested. However,after I finally did find the records I was looking for,it was by guess and by gosh. The names on two of the death records were nowhere near what they were indexed under. I was looking for Ruswinkle and I eventually found them under Ruscvenkle and Ruseomkel. In looking at the certificate copies,one was very clear and one is iffy. Was this perhaps done too quickly to meet an impossible deadline?
     I look forward to your response. Thank you,and I really do appreciate this effort.

108. Lisa

     March 19th, 2010 : 10:28 pm

     I really am thankful for this website. I was able to find the names of my great,great,great-grandparents! I had been at a dead end! I really wish the records up to 1930 were available online!

109. Lisa D.

     March 30th, 2010 : 1:01 pm

     What a huge project this was, and it is a real gift to those of us searching for our ancestors! Thank you for all the effort this required. I cannot find any records for 1909 in Jackson County. Will these be posted soon?

110. juliep

     April 11th, 2010 : 8:48 pm

     To Karen Shepard comment on Dec 15th 2009,
     You have probably found this by now , but there is a
     death record for a “Christina Jeiger”, could this be what you are looking for?

111. K. DeLuca

     May 16th, 2010 : 11:55 pm

     I was stuck on my family tree until I found this wonderful project! Now I know so much more about my family and am so grateful the information was free. I have paid a lot of money to the City of Chicago blindly to find out information, sometimes correct-sometimes not. So I appreciate the work you all are doing with this website! Thank you so much…I wish all of my ancestors lived in Michigan!

112. Regina

     July 8th, 2010 : 3:21 pm

     Elizabeth Small is who I am looking for she is around 88 or 87 1923 or 1922 Ben Rice was her husband he is not living her daughter is Peggy I am lookimg to see what happen to Elizabeth please help!

113. Bobbi Harrison

     August 12th, 2010 : 5:07 pm

     This is just wonderful, as many of my Hendershot & Hendershott ancestors lived and/or died in Michigan. Already I’ve spotted several in this death certificate collection and it’s filling in missing information. What a special treat to be able to access these old death records for free. Thank you so much!

114. Roger Engelken

     August 14th, 2010 : 12:43 pm

     Thank you to all the men and women who spent countiless hours bringing this information to all of us. I’ve been to all but two of the fifty states, one of those two being Michigan. I’ll have to remedy that situation. Thanks to this site, I’ve located the death certificate for William Landmann, who died in 1915 in Detroit. He is my great great grandfather who settled in Sanilac County in 1881. Our family has been gone from Michigan for ninety-five years, and knew nothing about what happened to William. Thank you so very much.

115. Becky

     August 22nd, 2010 : 10:52 am

     First of all, thanks to all the people who worked on this project! What a wonderful resource for us!!

     Second, I’m wondering if the database is actually complete for the years stated? I’m looking for a death record for 25 Sept 1900, Roxand Twp, Eaton Co. for Frank West. I am unable to find him using a variety of searches on the site (such as by date, name, place, etc.). I know his death was recorded as I’ve seen it on Family Search, but they do not have the original image and the info is incomplete without the original. I’d like the original image

     Thanks!

116. Craig

     August 23rd, 2010 : 10:33 pm

     Here is a un-named death certificate from that county and the same date you mention whose dad is Hubbard West and born 23 Nov 1855

     http://seekingmichigan.org/u?/p129401coll7,776790

117. Sara

     August 25th, 2010 : 9:57 pm

     Hello.

     I’m trying to find the death certificate of Rachel A. (Lewis) Rice, who died April 8, 1904 in Branch Co., Michigan. For some reason I’m having a hard time finding it even though it is during the time period that is supposed to be online. Thanks.

118. Becky

     August 29th, 2010 : 6:50 pm

     Thanks, Craig! That seems to be him, although I have no idea why his name would not be on the certificate. Yet another mystery to unlock.

     I appreciate your good sleuthing skills!!