Michigan Births - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The collection consists of an index and images of Michigan statewide birth registration entries for the years 1867 to 1902. County birth records were entered into register books with multiple entries to a page. Pages are printed and entries are handwritten.

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. Because of the way the births were recorded, some information may be slightly off or inaccurate. Users are advised to locate additional sources to confirm anything found in this collection.

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

Record Content
Information found in the records may include:


 * Birth date and place of birth
 * Name of child
 * If still-born, illegitimate, or twin
 * Gender
 * Color or race
 * Names of parents, father's occupation and their residence
 * Birth place of father
 * Birth place of mother
 * Date and number of record

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


 * Child's name
 * Other identifying information such as birth date and place or the parents' names

Search the Collection
To search the collection by name fill in your ancestor’s name in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about those in the list to what you already know about your own ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person.

If you did not find the person you were looking for, you may need to search the collection by image. ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "Film" category which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

With either search 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.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

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.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * 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. Because of the way the births were recorded, some information may be slightly off or inaccurate. Users are advised to locate additional sources to confirm anything found in this collection.
 * Search the county birth records since these records were created from the county 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.
 * The information in birth records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Search the county birth records since these records were created from the county records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.
 * 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.

Known Issues With This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * Michigan Genealogy Records - hosted by RootsWeb
 * Access Genealogy

Related Wiki Articles

 * Michigan
 * 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.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image citation: