Free Online Michigan Death Records and Indexes

One of the main goals for genealogists is finding death information about their ancestors.  

Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians, and archivists (as well as the largest of them all – FamilySearch), a great number of indexes to death collections have been provided for free online. These searchable indexes provide specific death information, and sometimes scanned images of the actual death certificates themselves. These free online collections have hundreds of millions of records in them in total.
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There are a great number of online and offline collections that may include death information that is not included in the lists below. For example, newspapers and obituaries have death info, but most times obituary indexes include the date of the obituary but not the date of death. To find out which types of other records may include death information, please see: 

• 24 Ways to Find Ancestor Death Information
  

The lists below are specific death indexes and record collections that are available for free online for the state of Michigan.

Note: Some of the links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage, please make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.

Note: I have included links to Free Ancestry records and indexes. You do not need a subscription, but you do need an Ancestry account. Without a subscription, you can view indexes. If there is an image associated with a record, in most cases you will need a subscription, but the index does include very usable information.

(Updated March 2023)

Michigan Death Records

• Alger County Deaths
• Allegan County Births, Marriages, and Deaths
• Allegan County, Civil War Death Card File, ca. 1862-1915
• Allegan County, Death Indexes
• Allegan County, Deaths, Liber 1, 1867-1880
• Allegan County, Death Records, 1867-1998
• Allegan County, Deaths, 1867-1880
• Alma, Catholic Church. St. Mary’s Church Records, 1906-1983
• Alpena County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
• Alpena County, Deaths
• Ann Arbor, Deaths and Marriages as published in the “Signal of Liberty” 1841-1847
• Ann Arbor, First Baptist Church Vital Records 1828-1876
• Antrim County Vital Records
• Antrim Death Records, vols. 1-2, 1867-1916
• Arenc County, Death Indexes
• Bad Axe Area – Huron Daily Tribune Death Index 
• Barry County Marriages and Deaths
• Bay County Birth, Marriage, and Death Index, 1906-2013
• Bay County Births, Marriages, Deaths, Wills 1857-1870
• Bay County, Deaths
• Bay Death Records, 1867-1893; Index to Deaths, 1883-1920
• Benzie County Record of Deaths, v. 1, 1869-1925
• Berrien County Death Card Index, 1869-1935
• Berrien County, Death Indexes
• Berrien Death Records, 1867-1942; Index to Deaths 1867-1994
• Birmingham, St. Joseph Episcopal Church Church Records, 1904-1927
• Branch County Death Index, 1867-2011
• Branch County Record of Deaths, v. A-B, 1867-1909, 1919
• Branch County, Vital Records 1833-1871
• Brockway Township Cemetery and Death Records
• Brownstown Death Records, 1897-1908
• Burr Oak Township Deaths in Burr Oak Township, 1869-1905
• Calhoun County Death Index
• Calhoun County Vital Record
• Calhoun Death Records, 1867-1933; Death Index, 1888-1996
• Cass County Vital Records, ca. 1850-1920
• Cass County, Death Records, ca. 1840-1920
• Cass Death Records and Index, 1867-1967
• Charlevoix County Death Index, 1868-2010
• Charlevoix County Record of Deaths, vol. 1, 1868-1913
• Charlevoix County, Death Indexes
• Charlevoix Death Index and Obituary Clippings
• Cheboygan County Death Index
• Cheboygan Record of Deaths, 1867-1933; Index to Deaths, 1934-2002
• Chippewa Death Records 1869-1930; Death Index 1869-1976
• Clinton County Birth, Marriage and Death Indexes
• Clinton County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
• Clinton County Death Index
• Clinton Death Records 1867-1915; Death Index 1867-1933
• Clyde Township Cemetery and Death Records
• Crawford County Avalanche Vital Records Card File, ca. 1880-2006
• Crawford Birth and Death Records 1878-1959
• Dearborn Area Deaths
• Delta County Birth, Death, & Marriage Card File Index to the Escanaba morning press, 1909-1910
• Delta County Death Indexes
• Delta County Deaths
• Delta County Birth, 1867-1921; Marriage, 1867-1960; and Death Records, 1867-2005
• Delta County Vital Records
• Delta County, Death Index, 1867-1988, Addendum included for 1989-1993
• Delta County, Death Card File Index to the Marquette Mining Journal, 1869-1890]
• Detroit Free Press, Vital Records 1831-1868
• Detroit, Death Records, Elmwood Cemetery
• Detroit, Early Records of the Fort Street Presbyterian Church, 1849-1878
• Detroit, North Woodward Avenue Congregational Church Church Records, 1902-1917
• Detroit, Second Congregational Church Church Records, 1864-1909
• Detroit, Death Records, 1860-1870
• Dickinson County, Deaths
• Dickinson Death Records 1891-1919
• Douglas Community Hospital Death Records
• Eaton County Deaths and Transcribed Obituaries
• Emmet County Death and Marriage Index
• Emmet County Death Index, 1868-2011
• Emmet Record of Deaths, 1867-1920
• Farmington Marriage and Death Indexes
• Flint Births, Marriages, and Deaths
• Fremont Area Death Index
• Genesee County Death Index, 1867-1930
• Genesee County Marriages and Deaths Indexes
• Genesee Death Records 1867-1917
• Gladwin County Death Index
• Gladwin County, Deaths
• Gogebic Record of Deaths, 1886-1927, and Indexes, 1934-1 Sept. 2005
• Grand Traverse County Death Index, 1867-2011
• Grand Traverse County Marriage Licenses and Death Records
• Grand Traverse County Vital Records, 1853-1873
• Grand Traverse County, Death Indexes
• Grand Traverse Death Records 1867-1916
• Gratiot County Deaths and Transcribed Obituaries
• Gratiot County Vital Records
• Gratiot County Vital Records
• Gratiot Death Records 1867-1935
• Hillsdale and Lenawee Counties, Hudson Public Library, Obituary and marriage card file, ca. 1860-2004
• Hillsdale County, Birth, Marriage and Death Records
• Hillsdale County, Death Indexes
• Hillsdale County, Record of Deaths and Indexes, 1867-Aug. 2005
• Houghton Death Records 1867-1910
• Huron County, Deaths
• Huron Death Records, 1867-1921; Death Index, 1867-1975
• Ingham Death Records 1867-1914; Index to Deaths 1867-1975
• Ionia County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
• Ionia Record of Deaths 1867-1906
• Iosco County Vital Records
• Iosco Death Records, v. 1-2, 1867-1935
• Iron County, Death Indexes
• Iron Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1884-1977
• Isabella County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
• Isabella County Death Index
• Isabella County Deaths 1800-1900
• Isabella County Birth and Death Records 1867-1924; Birth and Death Index 1880-1940
• Jackson County Birth, Death and Marriage Card File, ca. 1860-ca. 1990’s
• Jackson County Death ISearch
• Jackson County Vital Statistics, 1830-1870
• Jackson County Records of Deaths, 1867-1918
• Jackson County, Births and Deaths, 1867-1870
• Jackson County, Deaths
• Jackson County, Vital Statistics, 1830-1870
• Kalamazoo County Deaths
• Kalamazoo County Vital Records
• Kalamazoo County Vital Records, Births, Deaths, Marriages
• Kalamazoo County, Births and Deaths, 1867-1869
• Kalamazoo Death Records, 1867-1933; Index to Deaths, 1867-1997
• Kalkaska County Vital Records 1871-1933
• Kalkaska County, Births, 1871-1875; Marriages, 1871-1880, Deaths, 1875-1885
• Kent County Burial, Death Index, Grand Rapids, 1867-1926
• Kent County Death Indexes
• Kent County  Vital Records and Obituaries, 1892-1913
• Kent County Death Records, 1860-1872
• Kent Index to Deaths of transients, 1850-1940
• Kent Record of Burials, 1874-1877
• Keweenaw County Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1867-1980
• Lansing State Republican Death and Marriage items, 1855-1860
• Lansing State Republican, Marriages and Deaths 1855- 1870
• Lapeer County Vital Records
• Lapeer Record of Deaths 1867-1913
• Leelanau County Deaths
• Lenawee County Death Index
• Lenawee County, Death Indexes
• Lenawee County, Index to Deaths, ca. 1913-1980
• Liningston County, Deaths
• Livingston County Death and Obituary Index
• Livingston County, Death Notices
• Livingston Death Records 1867-1927
• Luce Birth and Death Records 1886-1933; Birth and Death Index 1886-1976
• Mackinac Miscellaneous Records, 1805-1841
• Macomb Death Records, 1867-1917
• Manistee County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
• Manitou County Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths 1871-1895
• Marquette County Deaths
• Marquette Death Records, 1867-1912
• Mecosta County Birth and Death Records 1867-1921; Index to Births and Deaths 1867-1970
• Menominee County Death and Obituary Index
• Menominee County, Death Records and Index, 1867-July 2005
• Michigan Death Certificates, 1921-1952
• Michigan Death Index, 1971-1996
• Michigan Deaths and Burials, 1800-1995
• Michigan Deaths and Obituaries, 1820-2006
• Michigan Deaths, 1867-1897
• Michigan Federal and State Census Mortality Schedules 1850-1884
• Michigan Genealogical Death Indexing System (GENDIS)
• Michigan Vital Records from the Michigan Christian Herald, 1850-1859
• Michigan Death Records, 1867-1897
• Michigan, Death Certificates, 1921-1952
• Michigan, World War I American Expeditionary Forces, Deaths, 1917-1919
• Michiganology Death Records, 1897-1952
• Midland County Record of Deaths, v. A, 1866-1912
• Milford Death and Obituary Index
• Miscellaneous BMD Records by County
• Monroe County Death and Obituary Index
• Montcalm Record of Deaths, 1867-1915
• Monterey Township, Transcript of Certificates of Death 1907-1919
• Montmorency County Birth, Marriage and Death Records 1881-1974
• Moran Miscellaneous Record, vol. 1, 1845-1865
• Muskegon County Death Index, 1867-1965
• Muskegon Death Records, 1867-1918
• Newaygo Death Index
• Newaygo Death Records, v. 2-3, 1867-1932
• Niles, Newspapers Articles, Deaths, Marriages, Probates, Guardianships
• Oakland County, Deaths
• Oakland County/Waterford Marriage and Death Indexes
• Oakland Death Records, 1867-1937
• Ogemaw County Deaths
• Online Searchable Death Indexes
• Onsted Village Deaths
• Ontonagon County, Death Indexes
• Osceola Death Records 1869-1935
• Oscoda County Birth, Death and Marriage Records 1880-1950
• Ottawa County Death Indexes
• Ottawa County, Death Index, 1867-1901
• Ottawa Death Records, v. 1-2, 1867-1901
• Presque Record of Births, Marriages and Deaths 1841-1929
• Saginaw County Death Indexes
• Saginaw County Newspapers  Index to Vital Statistics 1853-1912
• Saginaw County Vital Records
• Saginaw Death and Obituary Index 
• Saginaw Death Records, 1868-1917
• Sandusky District Library Indexes
• Sanilac County Sanilac County Death Records
• Schoolcraft County, Deaths
• St. Clair County Marriages and Deaths
• St. Clair County Vital Records, 1800-1910
• St. Clair Death Records, 1868-1904
• St. Joseph County Newspaper Clippings of Marriages and Deaths, 1878-1925
• St. Joseph County, Birth, Death, Marriage Records
• St. Joseph County, Death Indexes
• St. Joseph County, Mottville Township Records, 1837-1952
• St. Joseph Record of Deaths, 1867-1929
• Three Rivers Death Register, ca. 1898-1935
• Three Rivers, St. Joseph County Death Certificates
• Three Rivers, St. Joseph County, Death Registers, 1897-1928
• Tuscola County Death Index
• Tuscola County Death Indexes
• Tuscola County Death Records
• Tuscola Death Records, 1867-1906 Death Index, 1867-1967
• United States Deaths and Burials, 1867-1961
• United States Korean War Battle Deaths, 1950-1957
• United States Social Security Death Index
• United States, World War I American Expeditionary Forces Deaths, 1917-1919
• Van Buren Death Records, 1867-1924, Index 1867-1924
• Washtenaw County Death Indexes
• Washtenaw County Deaths and Transcribed Obituaries 
• Washtenaw County Vital Statistics taken from the Ypsilanti commercial Newspapers 1876-1883
• Washtenaw Death Record 1867-1914
• Wayne County Death Indexes
• Wayne County Vital Records
• Wayne County, Death Indexes
• Wayne County, Death Records, Mount Elliott Cemetery
• Wayne County/Wyandotte Death Index, 1820-1965
• Wayne Death Records, 1867-1917
• Wayne Death Records, 1908-1939
• Wexford County Death Index
• Wexford County Births, Marriages and Deaths 1868-1929