Archives of Michigan makes 1921-1939 death certificates available online for free

Did any of your Canadian ancestors migrate to Michigan?

Seeking Michigan is the online platform for the Michigan Historical Center.

The Archives of Michigan announced yesterday that images of Michigan death certificates from 1921-1939 are now available for free at Seeking Michigan. The certificates join others from 1897 to 1920 that were previously made available. The Michigan collection now contains 2.6 million death certificates for researchers.

State archivist Mark Harvey said that the index of death certificates from 1940 to 1952 will be made available in about a month, with certificates from that period becoming available as privacy restrictions are lifted. For example, images of the certificates from 1940 will be made available online in January 2016. The death records represent a partnership between the Archives, the Vital Records Section of the Michigan Department of Community Health and FamilySearch.

Mr. Harvey said, “This collection of death certificates covers a period in Michigan history of significant growth and development. In these records, researchers will find evidence of the influx of Eastern European immigrants, the emergence of Detroit as the automotive capital of the world and the impact of the Great Depression.”

Researchers can search four different data fields. The certificates are indexed and searchable by an individual’s last name, first name, county and township/village/city of death, birth year, age and parents’ names. Additional information that can be found in death certificates includes the person’s occupation, cause of death, burial location, and birthplace.

Among the death certificates in this group is that of illusionist and stunt performer Harry Houdini, who died in Detroit October 31, 1926, of internal injuries after being punched multiple times in the abdomen by a fan — a McGill University student — at a show in Montreal several days earlier.

Start your search here. I used the pull-down menu at the top, under Discover, to search Death Records.

Read more about this new online record collection and how to use it on Seeking Michigan.

Seeking Michigan is the online platform for the Michigan Historical Center. It includes Archives of Michigan research guides and indexes, a blog, and educator resources – all from the Michigan Historical Center and Archives of Michigan staff.

The Archives of Michigan has made available images of Michigan death records from 1921 to 1939, expanding its online collection to 2.6 million records. Among the death records in this group is that of illusionist and stunt performer Harry Houdini, who died in Detroit, October 31, 1926.