Michigan, County Births - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The records are for the years 1867 to 1910.

The collection consists of images of county birth records from 53 of the 83 county courthouses in Michigan. Some of the records are "delayed births" which were recorded years after the actual birth. The time period varies by county.

Clerks of each County Court recorded births that were reported by parents, doctors and midwives beginning in 1867. This information was then sent to the secretary of the state. From 1867 to 1879, about 15% to 20% of the births were recorded; from 1880-1902, coverage increased to about 60% to 70%. The state required counties to begin recording births to document the occurrence of a birth and to track public health issues.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sponsored the indexing of this collection to help individuals find information about their ancestors.

Information on birth records is generally reliable, though there is always the chance of misinformation or transcription errors.

Record Content
The key genealogical facts found in birth or christening index entries may include:


 * Name of the child
 * Gender
 * Names of the parents
 * Birth date
 * Birthplace
 * Race
 * Christening date (if the source is a church record)
 * Family History Library Microfilm and item numbers for the source materials

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:


 * Name of the child
 * Approximate birth date and place
 * Parents names

Search the Collection
To search the collection: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "County" ⇒Select the "Record Type, Date Range and Volume" which will take you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s birth record, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use the birth date along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * The father’s occupation can lead you to employment records or other types of records such as military records.
 * The parent’s birth places can tell you former residences and can help to establish a migration pattern for the family.

It is often helpful to extract the information on all children with the same parents. If the surname is unusual, you may want to compile birth entries for every person of the same surname and sort them into families based on the names of the parents. Continue to search the birth records to identify siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same or other generations who were born in the same county or nearby.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * The information in birth records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800s.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from record to record.
 * If you are unable to find your ancestor check for variant spellings of the surnames.

Related Websites

 * Michigan Vital Records Information for Counties (O-W)

Related Wiki Articles
Michigan Vital Records

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

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