Vital records,
as their name suggests, are connected with central life
events: birth, marriage, and death. Maintained by civil
authorities, they are prime sources of genealogical
information; but, unfortunately, official vital records are
available only for relatively recent periods. These records,
despite their recent creation in the United States, are
critically important in genealogical research, often
supplying details on family members well back into the
nineteenth century.
The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy,
by Loretto Szucs and Sandra Luebking.
Michigan Dept of
Community Health
3423 N. Martin Luther King Blvd
P. O. Box 30195
Lansing, MI 48909
(517) 335-8666
Fax: (517) 321-5884
Fill out the appropriate
application form
from the MDCH web site. Make check or money order payable to State of
Michigan. Faxed requests are $5 additional and the turnaround time is two
days. The faxed request must include your name, credit card number,
expiration date and your signature.
Copies of most records since 1867 may also be obtained from the County
Clerk in the county where the event occurred. Fees vary.
Michigan Marriages to 1850
This database of Michigan marriages to 1850 contains 13,000 names. Each
entry includes groom, bride, marriage date, county, and state. Every name
is indexed so you can search for one name, or two names that are linked.
The marriage date is usually the date of marriage as given in the original
entry. However, when no marriage date is given (e.g., the "marriage
return" was not provided to the record keeper), the date of the license is
used. In a few cases, a marriage will be listed twice, but in two
different counties. This most often happened when a couple obtained a
license in one county, but were actually married in another. (Free
Database)
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