Michigan Death Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This Collection will include records from 1971 to 1996.

The collection consists of indexes to deaths from the Michigan Department of Vital and Health Records in Lansing. The index is provided by Ancestry.com.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
The index lists the following information:


 * Age at Death
 * Estimated Birth Year
 * DGS Number
 * Date of Death
 * Certificate Number or page number
 * GSU Film Number
 * Image number
 * Name of Deceased
 * Name of Father
 * Name of Mother
 * Name of Spouse
 * Place of Death
 * Sex
 * Page Number

How to Use the Record
Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index. Name indexes to deaths make it possible to access a specific record quickly. Remember that these indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

When searching the index it is helpful to know the following:


 * The name of the person at the time of death
 * The place where the death occurred
 * The approximate death date

Use the locator information found in the index (such as page, entry, or certificate number) to locate your ancestor in the death records. Compare the information in the death record to what you already know about your ancestor to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

Related Websites
Michigan Death Indexes and Records

Related Wiki Articles

 * Michigan
 * Michigan Vital Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping records that you have searched is found in the wiki article: Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"Michigan, Death Index, 1971-1996," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VZTW-43X : accessed 11 April 2012), William Daniel Evans (1995).