Michigan Genealogy Records for free?

[LeannaM]

I'm looking for a Michigan birth record for my great-aunt, June Waller. She was born in 1937 in Michigan and returned to Missouri.

The state of Missouri has stuff like death records, soldier's records, court records online for free. Some here: http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resou...hcertificates/
The Mormons have some info online as well:
http://pilot.familysearch.org/record...rt.html#p=home

Just wondering if the state of Michigan has any genealogy resources on their website. I'm too cheap to pay for ancestry.com. If you know of any place that I can find a Michigan birth record free, I would appreciate it.

Thanks.

[lilpup]

There are some death records online and some other things but not birth records.

http://www.seekingmichigan.org

Many libraries have a library edition of ancestry.com available for free use to their patrons. Check with the libraries - public and university - in your area.

[gnome]

LM, it is my experience that getting a copy of a birth cert for someone under 100 yrs is pretty difficult, as you have to prove a family connection and usually a pretty good reason for needing said item.

1937 in the world of geneology is very recent. A person born in 1937 not only can be alive, but almost certainly is alive. With ID theft as rampant as it is, coughing up birth certs has gotten more difficult.

Moreover, it has been my experience that Counties are the holders of Birth Certs, not the State. So you have to know which County your dear Aunt was born in to start. Maybe others have differnt experiences, or access to more complete information ... .

Now, what I've done is to triangulate someone's birth. Birth annoucements can be found in old newspapers, parish records, family bibles or even yearbooks. My brother-in-laws relative had his birthdate in an Allentown,PA yearbook which conflicted with his military records, SS info etc. Turns out he lied about his age to get into the Army and never changed back... I've also tracked people through job training records. I helped a neighbor track his father down through old Great Lakes ship records, discovered that the father had changed his last name before WWI and never told his children. So my neighbor was then 80 some yrs old, and finds out his last name isn't Smith after all and everything his father had told him about being an orphan wasn't true.

In fact, he was born a couple of houses away from his Grandparents on the eastside, I was able find their graves at the Mt. Elliot Lutheran Cemetery and took an 80 something yr old to meet his Grandparents.

In short, birth certs for anyone under 100 is tough, but to start you have to know the County your Aunt was born.

[LeannaM]

K. I'll ask my grandmother and see if she knows. My aunt was my grandma's sister-in-law [[my grandpa's sister). My great-aunt June died in 1982 in St. Louis.

It's kind of difficult with this family. The kids were born.
First Kid: Ira, born in southeast Missouri in 1923 Died 1986 in St. Louis
Second: Joy, born in St. Louis 1926. Dead
Third: George, born in Southeast Missouri [[I think) in 1927. Still Alive.
Fourth: Robert, 1930 in St. Louis. Died 1930 in St. Louis. Had a rare condition called Anencephalic Monster.
Fifth: My grandfather, born 1933 in Southeast Missouri [[I believe). Died 2004.
Sixth: Toney. Born 1935 in St. Louis, died 1938, in Southeast Missouri. Had a tumor develop behind his eye.
Seventh: June [[only daughter): Born 1937 in Michigan and died 1982 in St. Louis
Eighth: Gerald born 1938 in Southeast Missouri, still alive.

I have death certificates for Toney and Robert because they died in the 1930s. Missouri has a large collection of death records online from 1910-1958, which helps. I believe next year they will add 1959 records. The person has to be dead 50 years before they can put the record online.

Anyway, my Grandpa's siblings are kind of hard to track down much info on. The last census records I have found at the Mormon records [[family search) are 1920. Usually the 1920 census doesn't have the image, just the copied info. Ancestry has the 1930 census, but you have to pay for it. My great-grandfather Joseph fought in World War I, but I can't seem to find record of it. I think he fought in Missouri, but, Missouri's soldier's records for WWI do not show him on there. The 1890 Census [[although my grandpa and siblings were not around yet) was destroyed by fire.

One of my other ancestors enlisted in the Civil War 3 times, in 3 different places, for the Union.

These people can be hard to track down. I also have ancestors in Illinois. It's hard to find any records for free for Illinois. Fortunately, most of my recent [[since the Civil War) ancestors lived in Missouri and Missouri is one of the better states I have found as far as genealogy resources for free. Texas also has death records that you can search for on familysearch.org.

[gnome]

LM, if you are in Michigan, do what Lilpup suggested. Go to any library in Michigan - they have Ancestry.com, and Heritage Quest on line,... for free.

Ancestry.com has images for every census [[excluding the 1890 census which was burned in the Commerce Building fire) going back to 1790. The whole Mormon thing is rife with lies and misinformation .. it's almost worthless.

If you don't live in Michigan, Ancestry.com offers two-week trials and 3-month subscriptions.

[Ray1936]

Leanna, check your local library to see if they offer Ancestry.com [[or HeritageQuest.com, but they don't have th 1930 census). Worth a shot.

[48217]

Ancestry.com 1930 St.Louis, Missouri [[Independent City)
Joseph 32
June M. 23
Ira J. 6
William M. 4
George E. 3

Would this be the family you are looking for?

[LeannaM]

Yes! Thank you!

And I appreciate all the advice.

Unfortunately, I don't live near any city. I live 150 miles from St. Louis. But I think the local college here has some genealogy resources. I'll have to check it out.

[Lferg]

Hi Leanna,

You won't find much in Michigan on Ancestry. They have the census records and draft cards, and they also have a few historic directories but nothing for the time your looking for. The Michigan death index is available there, but the person had to have died in Michigan so it won't help you find your Great Aunt.

Check the website for your local library and see if they offer any online databases. Mine offers remote access to Heritage Quest and used to offer the Newsbank archives but they aren't available anymore.

Here is a link for Michigan you might find helpful:

http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7...635---,00.html

Here's a link for the Illinois Vital Records index.

http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/de...databases.html

If you have ancestors in Chicago you may want to check out this site:

http://www.chicagogenealogy.com/index.html

I've used them for records and they are very reasonable.

Ancestry will offer new databases free for awhile, so be sure to check them out.

Good luck!