Michigan, St. Clair County, Obituary Card File - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in the Collection?
This collection includes an index and images of an obituary card file in the possession of the St. Clair County Library, located in Port Huron, Michigan. It contains obituaries for the St. Clair County area clipped from the following newspapers: Port Huron Times-Herald, Yale Expositor, St. Clair Independent Press, Tri-City Times, Courier Journal, Anchor Bay Beacon, The Review, and Capac Journal, covering the years 1975 to 1995.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The records usually contain:
 * The name of the deceased
 * Age
 * The birth date and place
 * The death date and place
 * The names of parents, spouse or other relatives
 * The name of the newspaper, the date and place of publication

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of deceased
 * The date of death
 * The names of other family members

View the Images
Look at the images one by one. Again you will need to compare the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor.

Be aware that with either search you may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s obituary, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These records are often brief so it can be easy to confuse individuals. Compare what information is given with what you already know about your ancestor to make sure it is the correct person. Next, look at the pieces of information given in the obituary for new information. Add any new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the birth date or year to search for birth records
 * Use the birth date along with relative’s names to find the family in census records
 * Use the locality and relative’s names to locate church and land records
 * Information in these records is brief so it is easy to confuse individuals
 * The name of the undertaker or mortuary could lead you to funeral and cemetery records, which often include the names and residences of other family members
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the deceased who may have been buried in the same cemetery or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby cemeteries

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Michigan.
 * Michigan Guided Research
 * Michigan Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Citing this Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.