Michigan Vital Records

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The FamilySearch moderator for Michigan is Sallyrose1.

United States

U.S. Vital Records

Michigan

Vital Records

Vital Records Reference Dates

Michigan's vital records start the following years:

	Births	Marriages	Deaths
Earliest	1867	County Formation	1867
Statewide Registration	1867	1805	1867
General Compliance	1915	1805	1915

Michigan Birth, Marriage and Death Records Online

Births

• 1775-1995 Michigan Births and Christenings, 1775-1995 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
• 1867-1902 Michigan Births, 1867-1902 at Family Search — How to Use this Collection; images
• 1867-1911 Michigan Births and Christenings Index, 1867-1911 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1867-1917 Michigan, County Births, 1867-1917 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Marriages

• 1600's to 1900's US Marriages - Michigan at Findmypast — index ($)
• 1817-1850 Michigan Compiled Marriages, 1817-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1820-1937 Michigan, County Marriages Index, 1820-1937 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
• 1820-1940 Michigan, County Marriages, 1820-1940 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
• 1822-1940 Michigan, County Marriages, 1822-1940 - ($); Index and images; Incomplete
• 1822-1995 Michigan Marriages, 1822-1995 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
• 1828-Onward Michigan Marriages at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
• 1851-1875 Michigan Marriages, 1851-1875 - $, Index Only; Incomplete
• 1867-1952 Michigan Marriage Records, 1867-1952 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1868-1925 Michigan Marriages, 1868-1925 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1870-1887 Michigan marriage records, 1870-1887 at Ancestry — images ($)

Deaths

• 1800-1995 Michigan Deaths and Burials, 1800-1995 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
• 1820-2006 Michigan Obituaries, 1820-2006 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
• 1850-1880 Michigan Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
• 1867-1897 Michigan Deaths, 1867-1897 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1867-1897 Genealogical Death Indexing System (1867-1897) at Michigan Department of Health
• 1867-1897 Michigan Deaths at MyHeritage — index ($)
• 1867-1952 Michigan Death Records, 1867-1952 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1867-1995 Michigan Deaths and Burials Index, 1867-1995 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1897-1929 Michigan Death Records, 1897-1929 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1897-1952 Michigan Death Certificates, 1897-1952 at Michiganology — index & images
• 1921-1952 Michigan Death Certificates, 1921-1952 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
• 1971-1996 Michigan Deaths, 1971-1996 at Ancestry — index ($)

Divorces

• 1897-1952 Michigan, U.S., Divorce Records, 1897-1952 at Ancestry - index ($)

Order a copy of the certificate

• Order Michigan Certificates

Birth Records

County registration of births in Michigan began in 1867 and was generally complied with by 1915.

Finding Records at the County Level:

• The Michigan Department of Community Health provided the following table that lists all Michigan counties and the year of initial registration for births on file in the state repository for that particular county.
• Detroit records for births since 1893 may be obtained from the Wayne County Clerks Office.
• You can obtain copies of a county record by writing to the county clerk.
• You can also obtain records of delayed registrations of births for many counties.
• The FamilySearch Library has microfilm copies of these records for most counties.
  • The library's holdings often date to 1913 or later, with indexes to the 1970s.
  • The library has unindexed birth records from Wayne County from 1867 to 1917. They do not include records from the city of Detroit.

Additional Source for County-wide Indexes:

• Sourcebook of Michigan Census, County Histories, and Vital Records
  

State Records of Births

Statewide indexes to births from 1867 to 1915 and deaths from 1867 to 1914 are at the Library of Michigan.

The state of Michigan has copies of the counties' vital statistics records at Michigan Department of Health.

Marriage Records

An 1805 law required registration of marriages with the clerk of the local district court. Most counties kept marriage records from the date the county was created.

An 1867 law required the counties to send copies of the records to the Office of the State Registrar (see address above). Licenses were not required until 1887.

The FamilySearch Library has marriage records for most counties, from county creation to 1920 or later, and some indexes to the 1950s or later. You can obtain copies from the county clerk's office.

Gretna Greens.

When a Michigan eloping couple's marriage is not in their home county, search for it in alternate places like

• Crown Point IN
• South Bend IN
• Angola IN.
• Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan was a Gretna Green for couples from Ontario, especially Lambton County.

Further Reading:

• Arlene H. Eakle, "Have you searched and searched for a marriage without finding it?" (accessed 8 January 2011).
• Fay Lucille Lucas Bertrand, "1839-1898 Marriages St. Clair County, Michigan (Mainly Port Huron, Michigan)"

Michigan Marriage Wiki articles descrbing online collections:

• Michigan, County Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records
• Michigan Marriage Records - FamilySearch Historical Records
  
• Michigan Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records
  

Divorce Records

The earliest records of divorce were recorded in the supreme court. Later divorce papers are usually kept by the clerk of the circuit, chancery, or county court.

• The FamilySearch Library has few divorce records for Michigan.
• Many divorce and other vital records have been abstracted and published in genealogical periodicals.

Death Records

County registration of deaths in Michigan began in 1867 and was generally complied with by 1915.

It is easy to determine the county where the event occurred, as according to Michigan law, no town or city crosses county lines. Towns or cities can cross township boundaries, however, the individual will be found to be living in either a town or a township, never both, although some may have the same name.

Finding County-Wide Death Records

• You can obtain copies of a county record by writing to the county clerk.
• The FamilySearch Library has microfilm copies of these records for most counties.
  • The library's holdings often date to 1913 or later, with indexes to the 1970s.
  • The library has unindexed death records from Wayne County from 1867 to 1917. They do not include records from the city of Detroit.

Detroit records for deaths since 1897 may be obtained from: Detroit Health Department
1151 Taylor Street
Detroit, MI 48202
Telephone: 313-876-4133

County-wide indexes are also listed in:

• Sourcebook of Michigan Census, County Histories, and Vital Records

State Records of Deaths

Statewide indexes deaths from 1867 to 1914 are at the Library of Michigan.

The state of Michigan has copies of the counties' vital statistics records at Michigan Department of Health.

Cause of Death

• Causes of Death - use this resource when trying to interpret a disease or medical condition listed on a death record or certificate

Burned, Lost, or Missing Records

• Montcalm County – On 16 February 1905, the Montcalm County Courthouse was destroyed by fire; however, the county records survived.
• Montmorency County – In 1942, a fire burned the Prosecuting Attorney’s records. In 1943, another fire burned all county documents except the Montmorency’s birth, death, and marriage statistics.

For additional burned county references, visit:

• Burned Counties Research in FamilySearch Wiki
• Michael John Neill, Burned Counties in Family History Circle

Additional Helps

Research Tips

• Information listed on vital records is given by an informant. Learn the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) of the record. The closer the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) and whether or not the informant was present at the time of the event can help determine the accuracy of the information found on the record.
• If you are unable to locate vital records recorded by governments, search for church records of christening, marriage, death or burial. A family Bible may have been used to record births, marriages, and deaths. Other substitute records.
• Privacy laws may restrict your access to some vital records. Copies of some vital records recorded in the last 100 years may be unavailable to anyone except a direct relative.
  

Substitute Records

These links will take you to wiki pages describing alternate sources for birth, marriage and death records.

• Church Records: Depending on the denomination, church records may contain information about birth, marriage, and death.
• Cemetery Records: Cemetery records are a rich source of birth and death information. These records may also reveal family relationships.
• Census Records: Census records are a valuable source for birth and marriage information. You may also determine the approximate time of death when the individual disappears from the census. This is a good place to begin a search.
• Newspapers: Besides obituaries, local newspapers may contain birth and marriage announcements and death notices. Also check newspaper social columns for additional information.
• Obituaries: Obituaries found in newspapers can list the age of the deceased, birth date and place, death date and place, and names of living relatives and their residences.
• Periodicals: Local genealogical and historical societies often publish periodicals that may contain abstracted early birth, marriage, and death information.
• Military Records: Military pension records can give birth, marriage and death information, In addtion, soldiers' homes records can include this same information.
• Probate Records: If no death record exists, probate records may be helpful in estimating when an individual has died. Probate records in the 20th Century often contain the exact death date.
• History: Local histories, family histories, and biographies can all be sources of birth, marriage and death information. Often this information is found in county-level records or in surname searches of the FamilySearch Catalog.

References

Michigan Vital Records Index

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.

A term describing a place where couples go to elope. See Gretna Greens in the United States for more information.