Abrams Foundation Genealogy Highlights
September/October 1999
Volume 1, Number 5

Michigan Vital Records

Prior to 5 April 1867 Michigan counties only recorded marriages and divorces. A Michigan Public Act in 1867 established the first statewide registration of marriages in Michigan. It also provided that Michigan townships and cities begin taking an "annual assessment" of births and deaths in Michigan. A large percentage of births and deaths went unrecorded. Beginning in 1897, actual death certificates were issued and divorces were recorded statewide; birth records were created in 1905.

Clicking on the links in the list of resources below will take you directly to the Library's ANSWER catalog record for that item.

Michigan Department of Community Health records at the Library of Michigan

Births

Index (Genealogy Microfilm F 565 .I5 1960) 1867 to 1915

Marriages

Index (Genealogy Microfilm F 565 .I54 1960) 1867 to 1921
Index (Genealogy Microfilm F 565 .I54 1950) 1950 to 1969
Returns (Genealogy Microfilm F 565 .I54 1867a) 1867 to 1925

Divorces

Index (Genealogy Microfilm F 565 .D58 1897) 1897 to 1923
Index (Genealogy Microfilm F 565 .D58 1924) 1924 to 1969
Summary (Genealogy Microfilm F 565 .D57 1897) 1897 to 1922

Deaths

Index (Genealogy Microfilm F 565 .I532 1867) 1867 to 1914
Index (available on Ancestry Library Edition) 1971 to 1996
Returns (Genealogy Microfilm F 565 .I53 1868) 1867 to 1897
Certificates (Genealogy Microfilm F 565 .I53 1960z) 1897 to 1920

To obtain other Michigan records:

Contact the Department of Community Health, Vital Records Office, 201 Townsend St., Capitol View Building, 3rd Floor, Lansing MI 48913 or telephone (517) 335-8666 for a recorded message. Forms for ordering records by mail and online are on the Department of Community Health's Web site.

More Michigan Resources

Michigan Death Index. Lansing: Michigan Dept. of Public Health and Michigan Genealogical Council, 1991-.
Genealogy F 565 .M534
Housed at the Genealogy Desk

Guide to the Michigan Genealogical and Historical Collections at the Library of Michigan and the State Archives of Michigan. Lansing: Michigan Genealogical Council, 1996.
Michigan F 565 .M53 1996
Housed at the Genealogy Desk

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Other States

Connecticut:
Barbour Collection of Connecticut Vital Records. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society, 1949.
Genealogy Microfilm F 93 .B356 1949

Georgia:
State of Georgia Marriage Register. Atlanta: Vital Records Service, 1992-.
Genealogy Microfiche F 285 .S733

State of Georgia Divorce Register. Atlanta: Vital Records Service, 1992-.
Genealogy Microfiche F 285 .S73

Death Index Register. Atlanta: Vital Records Service, 1992-.
Genealogy Microfiche F 285 .D433

Illinois:
Illinois Marriage Record Index. Springfield: Illinois State Genealogical Society, 1996.
Genealogy Microfiche F 540 .I45 1996

Kentucky:
Death Certificate Index, 1911-1986. Frankfort: Commonwealth of Kentucky, 1988.
Genealogy Microfiche F 450 .D43 1988

Wisconsin:
Wisconsin Births, Deaths, Marriages and Divorces. Madison: Division of Health, Wisconsin Dept. of Health and Social Services, 1995.
Genealogy Microfiche F 580 .W57 1900

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Canadian Vital Records

Index Books. Births, Stillbirths and Delayed Registrations, 1869-. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society, 1992.
Genealogy Microfilm F 1058.6 .O57

Index Books. Deaths and Delayed Registrations, 1869-. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society, 1992.
Genealogy Microfilm F 1058.6 .O59

Index Books. Marriage and Delayed Registrations, 1869-. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society, 1992.
Genealogy Microfilm F 1058.6 .O58

Original Index Books. Birth, Death and Marriage Registrations, 1869-. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society, 1992.
Genealogy Microfilm F 1058.6 .O55 1930z

Original Index Books. Marriage Registrations. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society, 1992
Genealogy Microfilm F 1058.6 .O56 1992

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Internet Resources

Ancestry.com
www.ancestry.com

British Columbia Vital Event Records
www.bcarchives.bc.ca/BC_Our_Collections/BC_Vital_Rrd_Collect.aspx

Colorado State Archives Marriage and Divorce Records
www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/marr1.htm

FamilySearch.org
www.familysearch.org

Ohio Death Index
www.ancestry.com

Vital Records Information United States
www.vitalrec.com

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Resource Guides

Bentley, Elizabeth Petty. County Courthouse Book. 2nd ed. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1995.
Genealogy KF 8700 .A19 B46 1995
Housed at the Genealogy Desk

The Genealogist's Address Book. 4th ed. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1998.
Genealogy CS 44 .G456 4th 1998
Housed at the Genealogy Desk

The Handy Book for Genealogists: United States of America, 9th ed. Logan, UT: Everton Publishers, 1999.
Genealogy CS 47 .H35 1999
Housed at the Genealogy Desk

Kemp, Thomas Jay. International Vital Records Handbook, 3rd ed. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1994.
Genealogy CS 42.7 .K46 2000
Housed at the Genealogy Desk

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Locating Additional Vital Records at the Library of Michigan

The Library of Michigan maintains copies of selected publications for the United States and Canada in the Michigan Collection and the Abrams Foundation Historical Collection of genealogy materials. Records may be found in books, microfilm or microfiche. Holdings may be accessed by searching ANSWER, the Library's online catalog. To conduct a keyword search of ANSWER, type the name of the county, the type of vital record you are searching for and the name of the state.

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Updated 05/08/2009